The Body
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon
Warning & Notes: This is an extremely powerful episode which may be too much for any person who has recently lost someone close to them. The episode has several memory flashes which I tried to incorporate in the summary without making it confusing.
Christmas, 2000, brings the entire Scooby Gang together for dinner at the Summers home. In the kitchen, Buffy and Joyce both reach for a pie that has fallen to the floor. Present, Joyce's unresponsive body on the couch leads the frightened Slayer to do everything she can to revive her, finally calling 911 and attempting CPR. The operator instructs Buffy to wait for the paramedics, and then Buffy makes a call to Giles. The paramedics arrive and try to revive Joyce with CPR. Buffy imagines that her mother is miraculously brought back, but suddenly reality hits and the paramedics call Joyce's time of death.
After informing her that the coroner has been contacted, the paramedics leave, and Buffy throws up on the floor. Buffy covers up the mess, and then Giles arrives, worried by Buffy's phone call. He discovers Joyce on the floor but Buffy tells him it's too late and the two embrace. The coroner takes Joyce's body away.
At school, Dawn talks with a friend in the bathroom after being called a freak and other rumors started by another student, Kirsty. They return to art class where the class is sketching a nude statue and Dawn talks about Kristy and a cute boy with her friend. Buffy arrives and after a few moments with Dawn's teacher, she tells Dawn that they need to talk. Dawn reacts hysterically to the news that her mother is dead, not wanting to believe the truth of the situation.
Joyce's body is stripped of clothing at the hospital morgue by an examiner. At her dorm, Willow stresses over what to wear to the hospital, and finally breaks down into tears. Tara comforts her, kissing her repeatedly to calm Willow. Xander and Anya arrive to pick up Willow and Tara. Willow and Xander are dealing by crying while Tara tries to remain strong and Anya is confused by the whole situation.
The group discusses their plans and their thoughts on how Joyce died. Xander overreacts and Willow calms him by offering to physically fight to help him get his aggressions out. Anya asks inappropriate questions about Joyce and Willow snaps. Anya is hurt by the death like everyone else, but she doesn't understand death or how expressing emotions will fix anything. Xander punches a wall to let out some of his anger and after his hand is cleaned up, the gang goes to the hospital to help Buffy.
Everyone meets at the morgue, hugging each other in support. A doctor informs Buffy, Dawn and Giles that Joyce most likely died from an aneurysm. He tells them all that it was probably sudden and painless and there was nothing that anyone could have done. Giles volunteers to take care of all the paperwork and arrangements for Joyce, which Buffy graciously thanks him for. Anya awkwardly expresses that she wished Joyce hadn't died, but Buffy understands what she meant. Buffy and Tara are left alone and Tara offers her support because she too lost her mother.
Not wanting to believe her mother is dead, Dawn sneaks into the morgue to see her mother. When she hesitates to lift the sheet covering the body, another body behind her suddenly moves and a vampire rises off a table. Dawn's disappearance is noticed and Buffy finally finds her being attacked by a vampire in the morgue. Buffy fights with and beheads the vampire. The sight of Joyce's body shocks Dawn and when Buffy tells her that their mother is gone from the body, Dawn innocently asks, "Where'd she go?"
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Last Updated: 2-27-01