everal times, filming over-the-shoulder and reaction shots, but eventually went

with a more distanced point of view.[2] Michelle Trachtenberg later said of this
effect, "obviously you know in the end result there was no sound and I thought that
was actually one of the most brilliant ideas [he's] ever had because it allows
everyone to sort of attach their own emotional plug into whatever might have
happened in your life. I think it allowed the audience to really connect with Dawn
for the first time."[7]

Presenting the episode without music was Whedon's way of denying the audience any
comfort, forcing them to discern their own meanings from the characters' actions
and words.[9] As two musicologists write about this absence, "Without music's
acoustic balm, all our empathetic attention is on the characters and their state of
bewilderment ... Music would provide a conceptualization and a catharsis ... but a
catharsis at this point would in some measure trivialize the loss."[28] Television
critic Gareth McLean writes that this decision is "a move that makes it more
courageous than, for instance, ER. There were no soaring strings or plaintive piano
to trigger an emotional response. Instead the soundtrack took in the ambient noises
of wind chimes, doors squeaking, footsteps on carpets. Conversations were stilted
and awkward, but the spaces in between always mattered."[29]

Reception
Any sneerer of Buffy in particular or genre work should simply be sat down in front
of a television and told to shut up for three-quarters of an hour while they are
shown "The Body"; their awestruck silence afterwards may be taken as recantation or
apology.
Ian Shuttleworth, 2004[30]
Critics praised the episode, and have continued to count it as one of the finest
episodes of television ever broadcast. David Bianculli in the New York Daily News
commends the acting abilities of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Trachtenberg,
Alyson Hannigan, and Amber Benson. "The Body", according to Bianculli is "Emmy-
worthy ... It also will haunt you—but not in the normal way associated with this
still-evolving, still-achieving series."[31] Television critic Alesia Redding and
editor Joe Vince of the South Bend Tribune write, "I was riveted by this show ...
This isn't just one of the best Buffy episodes of all time. It's one of the best
episodes of TV of all time." Redding adds, "If you watch this incredible episode
and don't recognize it as great TV, you're hopeless ... A 'fantasy' show delivers
the most stark and realistic take on death I've ever seen, deftly depicting how a
loved one who dies suddenly becomes 'the body'." [32]

Gareth McLean in The Guardian rejects the notion that Buffy is similar to other
"schmaltzy American teen show(s)" like Dawson's Creek: "This episode was a brave,
honest and wrenching portrayal of death and loss. The way this was handled by Joss
Whedon ... was ingenious. Time slowed down and the feeling of numbness was palpable
as Buffy and her gang tried to come to terms with Joyce's death." McLean especially
appreciated the small details of Buffy protecting Joyce's dignity and the confusion
shown by the characters. He concludes, "Joyce may be dead but long live Buffy the
Vampire Slayer."[29] Joe Gross in the Austin American-Statesman calls the episode
"devastatingly calm" and states that "the entire cast and crew should have received
some sort of Emmy for 'The Body'".[33]

At Salon.com, Joyce Millman writes, "there hasn't been a finer hour of drama on TV
this year than ... 'The Body' ... You have to hand it to the writers; Joyce's
demise came as a complete surprise. In that instant, Buffy's childhood officially
ends. Even if Buffy gets stiffed in every other Emmy category this year, 'The Body'
should convince the nominating committee that Gellar is for real ... I can't
remember the last time I saw a more wrenching portrayal of the shock of loss."[23]
Andrew Gilstrap at PopMatters declares it "possibly the finest hour of television
I've seen, bar none ... It is an incredibly moving episode, one that finally admits
that you don't walk away from death unscathed. It also shows that, for all the
group's slaying experience, they really weren't prepared for death when it stole a
loved one." Gilstrap went on to say the series did not again address death and
grief of this magnitude until, in another shocking turn of events, Tara dies of a
stray gunshot in the sixth season.[34] Jerry McCormick in The San Diego Union-
Tribune agrees, rating Joyce's death as having the same emotional impact as Tara's
in "Seeing Red", both of which he listed as the saddest in the series.[35]

Kira Schlechter in The Patriot-News declares "The Body" "one of the finest episodes
of any series ever", stating that the silence and novel cinematography are
"remarkable and the writing is brilliant". Buffy and Dawn's conversation at her
school, Schlechter says, is "positively wrenching".[36] When the series ended in
2003, Amy Antangelo in the Boston Herald and Siona LaFrance of the New Orleans
Times-Picayune both rated the best Buffy episodes giving "The Body" equal billing
at the top with "Hush" and "Once More, with Feeling",[37] LaFrance designating the
episode an "instant classic".[38] Jonathan Last in The Weekly Standard lists "The
Body" eighth out of the ten best Buffy episodes, writing that it is "the series'
most difficult episode because it's real—and not real in the way ER or The Practice
or Law & Order, all hyper-versions of reality, are real. At some point, most of us
will experience a day like Buffy has in 'The Body' and we sense that the writers
have gotten nearly every detail of that day—right down to the absence of a musical
score—right."[39] In the A.V. Club, Noel Murray also finds small details
compelling, such as the camera's focus on the paper towel Buffy uses to cover the
vomit on the carpet. He does, however, write that some of the shots "come off a
little gimmicky, but the ones that work are so effective that it seems petty to
complain that Whedon overdoes it at times. (Besides, different moments are likely
to move different people.)"[13]

In addition to praising Gellar's often under-appreciated acting, Buffy scholar Ian

Shuttleworth comments on the cast and the nuanced numbness and confusion of the
characters, paired with the moments of silence in the episode: "It is simply one of
the finest pieces of television drama, and the single finest depiction of
bereavement in any medium, that I have ever seen."[30] Nikki Stafford, author of
Bite Me! The Unofficial Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, calls "The Body" "an
absolute masterpiece", explaining that it is "hands down the single most
terrifying, heart-breaking, painful, and amazing hour of television I have ever
seen". She praises the entire cast equally, but highlights Gellar, Alyson Hannigan,
and Emma Caulfield. Stafford also praised Kristine Sutherland—as did Whedon—for
having to lie motionless with her eyes open for hours upon hours over eight days of
filming.[2][16]

In 2015, Gavin Hetherington of SpoilerTV looked back at the episode fourteen years
later. Upon reviewing the episode, he called it "one of the best hours of
television" he had ever seen and went on to say "I don't think any other
supernatural show has ever had a more beautiful episode than The Body".[40]

When the episode was originally broadcast in the United States on the WB network on
February 27, 2001, it received a Nielsen rating of 3.5 and a share of 5, and was
watched by 6 million viewers.[41] The episode placed fifth in its timeslot, and
82nd among broadcast television for the week of February 26 – March 4, 2001. It was
the most watched program on the WB that night, and the second most watched program
that week, trailing 7th Heaven.[42] This was a slight increase from a 3.4 rating
and 87th position achieved by the previous episode.[43] The episode was released on
DVD on October 28, 2002 in Region 2, and December 9, 2003 in Region 1.[44][45]
Although the episode received positive reviews, it was not nominated for any Emmy
awards. Rhonda Wilcox attributes this to the Emmys being a "bastion of conservative
popular taste", automatically rejecting television shows in the fantasy/science
fiction genres.[46] The script was nominated for a Nebula Award, given for
excellence in science fiction/fantasy writing.[47]
References
Kaveney, pp. 13–31.
Whedon, Joss (2008). Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fifth Season; DVD
commentary for the episode "The Body". [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
Wilcox, pp. 17–18.
Stevenson, p. 162.
Kaveney, pp. 78–79.
Ruditis, p. 59.
Sullivan, Brian Ford (March 21, 2008). Live at the Paley Festival: Buffy the
Vampire Slayer Reunion, The Futon Critic. Retrieved on June 14, 2010.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fifth Season; "Season Overview" Featurette.
(2008) [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fifth Season; "Natural Causes" Featurette.
(2008) [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
Byrnes, Lyndsey (June 8, 2010). An interview with Amber Benson Archived June 12,
2010, at the Wayback Machine, Afterellen.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2010.
Whedon, Joss (May 21, 2001). "Interview", The Hollywood Reporter, 368 (19), p. S8.
Tropiano, p. 184.
Murray, Noel (July 30, 2010). "Reprise/Epiphany/I Was Made To Love You/The Body"
Archived December 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine The A.V. Club. Retrieved on
August 3, 2010.
Stevenson, p. 206.
Stafford, p. 268.
Stafford, pp. 267–268.
Davidson, p. 69.
Stafford, pp. 198–199.
Kaveney, p. 6.
Jowett, pp. 182–183.
Davidson, p. 74.
Wilcox, p. 178.
Millman, Joyce (March 21, 2001). "The death of Buffy's mom Archived November 6,
2012, at the Wayback Machine, Salon.com. Retrieved on June 14, 2010.
Wilcox, p. 182.
Attinello et al., pp. 87–88, 192.
Attinello et al., pp. 103–104.
Wilcox, pp. 180–181.
Attinello et al., p. 75.
McLean, Gareth (April 21, 2001). "Review: Last night's TV: A real death in Buffy
land", The Guardian (London; Guardian Media Group), p. 19.
Kaveney, p. 265.
Bianculli, David (February 27, 2001). "Super Yet Natural: Tonight's 'Buffy' is a
gem of realism", New York Daily News (New York), p. 87.
Redding, Alesia (May 25, 2003). "Slayed to rest ; A few tweaks might have let
'Buffy' go into TV history with a little more bite", South Bend Tribune (Schurz
Communications).
Gross, Joe (May 18, 2003). "Bye-bye, Buffy: Smart, defiant and utterly original,
the show that comes to an end Tuesday had real bite. And you thought it was just
about slaying vampires.", Austin American-Statesman (Cox Enterprises), p. K1.
Gilstrap, Andrew (June 10, 2002) Death and the Single Girl: Buffy Grows Up
Archived January 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Pop Matters. Retrieved on June
14, 2010.
McCormick, Jerry (May 18, 2003). The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Seven Season of
Shows Produce Some High Highs and Some Low Lows", The San Diego Union-Tribune
(Platinum Equity), p. F4.
Schlechter, Kira (May 20, 2003). " 'Buffy' fans share thoughts; Buffy saved the
world ... a lot", The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, PA; Advance Publications), p. F03.
Amatangelo, Amy (May 18, 2003). "Hits from the Hellmouth; The best and worst of
'Buffy'", The Boston Herald, p. 57.
LaFrance, Siona (May 18, 2003). "Cult hit series is laid to rest ... for now", The
Times-Picayune, (New Orleans, LA; Advance Publications) p. 7.
Last, Jonathan (May 20, 2003). "Where Do We Go from Here? A farewell to "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer" and a look back at the show's ten best episodes", The Weekly
Standard (Washington, DC; Clarity Media Group).
Hetherington, Gavin (January 15, 2015). "Throwback Thursday - Buffy the Vampire
Slayer - The Body - Review". SpoilerTV. Archived from the original on September 5,
2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
"February 27, 2001". TV Tango. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015.
Retrieved August 30, 2014.
Ray, Kenneth (March 12, 2001). "BroadcastWatch. (Programming).(television network
ratings, February 26 – March 4, 2001)(Statistical Data Included)", Broadcasting &
Cable. (Reed Business Information, Inc.).
Ray, Kenneth (March 5, 2001). "BroadcastWatch. (Programming).(television network
ratings, February 19–25, 2001)(Statistical Data Included)", Broadcasting & Cable.
(Reed Business Information, Inc.).
"BBC – Cult – Buffy Stuff – DVD and VHS". BBC. Archived from the original on
October 19, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
Schwartz, Missy (December 12, 2003). "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer': Season Five
(2003)", Entertainment Weekly (Time Warner).
Wilcox, pp. 174–175.
The LOCUS Index to SF Awards: 2002 Nebula Awards Archived April 10, 2015, at the
Wayback Machine, Locus Online. Retrieved on June 22, 2010.
Bibliography
Attinello, Paul; Halfyard, Janet; Knights, Vanessa (eds.) (2010). Music, Sound, and
Silence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7546-6042-
2
Davidson, Joy (ed.) (2007). The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized
Exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, Benbella Books. ISBN 978-1-933771-25-0
Jowett, Lorna (2005). Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy
Fan, Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-6758-1
Kaveney, Roz (ed.) (2004). Reading the Vampire Slayer: The New, Updated, Unofficial
Guide to Buffy and Angel, Tauris Parke Paperbacks. ISBN 1-4175-2192-9
Ruditis, Paul (2004). Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Watcher's Guide, Volume 3,
Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-689-86984-3
Stafford, Nikki (2007). Bite Me! The Unofficial Guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-807-6
Stevenson, Gregory (2004). Televised Morality; The Case of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, Hamilton Books. ISBN 0-7618-2833-8
Tropiano, Stephen (2002). Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV,
Applause Theater and Cinema Books. ISBN 1-55783-557-8
Wilcox, Rhonda (2005). Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I.
B. Tauris. ISBN 1-84511-029-3
Further reading
Pateman, Matthew (2006). The Aesthetics of Culture in Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
McFarland and Company. ISBN 0-7864-2249-1
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Body
"The Body" on IMDb
"The Body" at TV.com
"The Body" at BBC.co.uk
"The Body" at BuffyGuide.com
vte
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes
Season 1
Unaired pilot"Welcome to the Hellmouth""The Harvest""Witch""Teacher's Pet""Never
Kill a Boy on the First Date""The Pack""Angel""I, Robot... You, Jane""The Puppet
Show""Nightmares""Out of Mind, Out of Sight""Prophecy Girl"
Season 2
"When She Was Bad""Some Assembly Required""School Hard""Inca Mummy Girl""Reptile
Boy""Halloween""Lie to Me""The Dark Age""What's My Line, Parts One and
Two""Ted""Bad Eggs""Surprise""Innocence""Phases""Bewitched, Bothered and
Bewildered""Passion""Killed by Death""I Only Have Eyes for You""Go Fish""Becoming,
Parts One and Two"
Season 3
"Anne""Dead Man's Party""Faith, Hope & Trick""Beauty and the
Beasts""Homecoming""Band Candy""Revelations""Lovers Walk""The
Wish""Amends""Gingerbread""Helpless""The Zeppo""Bad
Girls""Consequences""Doppelgangland""Enemies""Earshot""Choices""The
Prom""Graduation Day, Parts One and Two"
Season 4
"The Freshman""Living Conditions""The Harsh Light of Day""Fear, Itself""Beer
Bad""Wild at Heart""The Initiative""Pangs""Something Blue""Hush""Doomed""A New
Man""The I in Team""Goodbye Iowa""This Year's Girl""Who Are You""Superstar""Where
the Wild Things Are""New Moon Rising""The Yoko Factor""Primeval""Restless"
Season 5
"Buffy vs. Dracula""Real Me""The Replacement""Out of My Mind""No Place Like
Home""Family""Fool for Love""Shadow""Listening to Fear""Into the
Woods""Triangle""Checkpoint""Blood Ties""Crush""I Was Made to Love You""The
Body""Forever""Intervention""Tough Love""Spiral""The Weight of the World""The Gift"
Season 6
"Bargaining, Parts One and Two""After Life""Flooded""Life Serial""All the Way""Once
More, with Feeling""Tabula Rasa""Smashed""Wrecked""Gone""Doublemeat Palace""Dead
Things""Older and Far Away""As You Were""Hell's Bells""Normal
Again""Entropy""Seeing Red""Villains""Two to Go""Grave"
Season 7
"Lessons""Beneath You""Same Time, Same Place""Help""Selfless""Him""Conversations
with Dead People""Sleeper""Never Leave Me""Bring on the
Night""Showtime""Potential""The Killer in Me""First Date""Get It
Done""Storyteller""Lies My Parents Told Me""Dirty Girls""Empty Places""Touched""End
of Days""Chosen"
Categories: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season 5) episodes2001 American television
episodesAmerican LGBT-related television episodesTelevision episodes written by
Joss WhedonTelevision episodes about deathTelevision programs directed by Joss
WhedonTelevision episodes set in hospitals
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This page was last edited on 7 August 2020, at 09:55 (UTC).