Deaths.

[Faith5byFive]

I was just wondering of what everyone thought of the deaths on Buffy very sad =( but do you think they were right?

I just wanna say my view on the main ones.

Joyce:
I think she had to die , because if she didn't die of natural causes then she'd of died from a monster or something and it wouldn't of made as much impact. Also i think she had to die when she died otherwise Buffy would be protecting her when she was fighting the big bads and it'd put her under danger aswell.

Tara:
I don't think Tara should of died i think Willow should of been able to bring her back. But she comes back wrong and she's evil. That would of been quite good to play out since Tara was always shy. The gun shot death i didn't find too sad cause it was over in seconds.... it was only when Dawn found her i found it sad.

Anya:
Again i think her death was too quick. But when Xander calls out to her at the end and he asks Andrew then it becomes touching. I think Anya had to die because Joss couldn't really kill the main 4 (Buffy,Giles,Xander,Willow) Faith,Wood,Andrew,Dawn wouldn't of made a impact because they were sort of minor/guest characters that people liked/didn't like but they weren't the main part of the show.

Spike:
I didn't find Spikes sad i found it touching that he sacrificed himself. I think it wasn't as bad cause i knew he was gonna be in season 5 of Angel.

Angel:
Is this classed as a death? since he's not actually dead he's just in a hell dimeinsion? But his Death was touching/sad/upsetting because Buffy killed the one person she loved more than anything. Even though his soul had been restored.

Jenny:
Again wasn't that sad to me. I felt sorry for Giles though.

Buffy:
Wasn't really deaths since she always came back. The first time she died wasn't really sad. In the Gift when she does that lovley speech to Dawn then sacrifices herself is extremley sad.

[Hallow Thorn]

I do love all of the deaths in Buffy(/Angel, even Fred's and Wesley’s) but I think that Anya's and Cordy's should not have happened. Cordy had such an impact on the show and just was not the same without her (but she did get a first-class exit, small storyline (granting Angel the knowledge he needed to bring down the Circle of The Black Thorn) and a beautiful afterlife treatment.
I would have liked Anya been killed in ‘selfless’ and appearing as the First for the rest of her time in season 7, that is how I would have liked her to go out on if they had to kill her.
The rest of the death’s eg. Doyle, Tara, Joyce are very sad but beautiful and serves a basis.

[cliclir]

Feb 17, 2010 15:16:12 GMT -5 Faith5byFive said:

Joyce:
I think she had to die , because if she didn't die of natural causes then she'd of died from a monster or something and it wouldn't of made as much impact. Also i think she had to die when she died otherwise Buffy would be protecting her when she was fighting the big bads and it'd put her under danger aswell.

Joyce's death stands out for all the right reasons - it really touched me. Buffy's "what if I got to her in time", Dawn's reaction to Joyce's death and Anya's seeming inability to understand what death meant really set me off too! I disagree with the idea that Joyce would have been nothing but a burden to Buffy though. I feel that she did die at the perfect time, but it was to thrust a bigger responsibility on Buffy, not take some away from her.

Tara:
I don't think Tara should of died i think Willow should of been able to bring her back. But she comes back wrong and she's evil. That would of been quite good to play out since Tara was always shy. The gun shot death i didn't find too sad cause it was over in seconds.... it was only when Dawn found her i found it sad.

Tara's death was so sad because it was so quick and brutal. Like you said, it was over in seconds. She and Willow were so happy and it was ruined by a tiny bullet. I agree with the canon though: Tara should NOT be resurrected. Willow spiralling out of control was a brilliant end to the season and I'd much prefer to keep it that way.

Anya:
Again i think her death was too quick. But when Xander calls out to her at the end and he asks Andrew then it becomes touching. I think Anya had to die because Joss couldn't really kill the main 4 (Buffy,Giles,Xander,Willow) Faith,Wood,Andrew,Dawn wouldn't of made a impact because they were sort of minor/guest characters that people liked/didn't like but they weren't the main part of the show.

I think Anya's death was done the way it was because it really shows A harsh and brutal side to war. Not everyone lives to see another day and not everybody gets the hero's send off. Anya was killed. She didn't get another chance. But she died doing something heroic. And I think that her death says a lot about the journey through humanity that she undergoes throughout the series. Three to Four seasons ago, Anya wold have turned and run, tail between her legs. But now she stands and fights alongside her friends. I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. I love Anya but I completely agree with her death. Kudos to Joss!

Spike:
I didn't find Spikes sad i found it touching that he sacrificed himself. I think it wasn't as bad cause i knew he was gonna be in season 5 of Angel.

I'm all "AAAAAHHHHH!!!! SPIKE!!!!" but his death really didn't faze me for some reason. I suppose it's the same reason: I knew he was going to be in AtS and wasn't really dead. Sigh...

Jenny:
Again wasn't that sad to me. I felt sorry for Giles though.

I quite liked Jenny and felt really bad for poor Giles... But... yeah... I don't think I have anything more to say here.

Buffy:
Wasn't really deaths since she always came back. The first time she died wasn't really sad. In the Gift when she does that lovley speech to Dawn then sacrifices herself is extremley sad.

The Gift was definitely sad and truly touching. I just wanna go give poor lonely Spike a hug every time I watch that episode! Sigh...

Doyle:
Loved it loved it loved it!! I just wish he'd been around for longer. I really teared up at the very end of the episode. "Is that it? Am I done?"

As for other deaths? Well, I can't say much about Cordy or Wesley: I'm still only on season one of AtS... Sigh...

[-'Goldilocks]

Tara's death was so sad because it was so quick and brutal. Like you said, it was over in seconds. She and Willow were so happy and it was ruined by a tiny bullet. I agree with the canon though: Tara should NOT be resurrected. Willow spiralling out of control was a brilliant end to the season and I'd much prefer to keep it that way.

I totally agree. If they brought back Tara then that would kind of ruin the impact that the last three episodes of season 6 had on me. I loved Tara I really did, but I think everything should stay the same.

I think Anya's death was done the way it was because it really shows A harsh and brutal side to war. Not everyone lives to see another day and not everybody gets the hero's send off. Anya was killed. She didn't get another chance. But she died doing something heroic. And I think that her death says a lot about the journey through humanity that she undergoes throughout the series. Three to Four seasons ago, Anya wold have turned and run, tail between her legs. But now she stands and fights alongside her friends. I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. I love Anya but I completely agree with her death. Kudos to Joss!

I agree with you on this aswell. It really show's off Anya's character aswell. Short and quick - just like Anya and so that really was the perfect way to end such a great character.

[Tea - Total]

The body when she says , " BUFFY: Mom! Mom! Mom Mom Mom-",
She repeats the word many times and then shouts it in Joyce's face, getting no reaction, makes me emotional. Joyce death was done perfections , it was realistic and sad , this death always makes me cry.

For Tara, her death was brutal but willow reaction was brutal her emotion and anger went beyond, it made her evil and after revenge , which was brutal . Warren was desirably evil, he had no remorse of his actions, but again, we have them characters in today society. Which was an realistic theme of the character. So i liked that death and i was happy for Willow.

Jenny calender,
I thought her death was brutal.

Anya.
For me her death was brutal but beautiful at the same time.
Anya has trouble conversing with everyone , most likely because of her new human feelings.
She was mixed in to a society that she doesn't know and she need to adapted in our society.
Chosen when she inspired herself that she was fighting with humans against the Turok Hans. When Anya dies royalties of fighting against the humans. Brilliant.

[elenasaur]

Joyce: Her death is possibly the most touching fictional death I've experienced. I didn't even much like her. I think what makes it so upsetting is that it is completely realistic. It isn't brutal, and it isn't supernatural. It is much more relatable that way.

Tara: Her death was just plain brutal. Right when she and Willow finally make up, she dies. It's all over in a matter of seconds, and I for one couldn't believe that it was happening. I fully expected her to be brought back from the dead. Still, I think that Willow's mad-woman revenge spree took something away from her death.

Anya: This was sad, but kind of fitting. She had spent all this time going back and forth between being a scoobie, and not really being one. She finally grew attached enough to humans that she was willing to fight for them. Also, I know that Emma Caulfield wanted Anya to die, because she didn't want to be in all kinds of comics and fan-fiction, so that takes some of the sting out.

Spike: I'm a huge Spuffy fan, so I was awfully upset that Spike died. However, I couldn't have picked a better way for him to go out. Dying a hero is better than living as a coward, plus I knew that he comes back in Angel, so that was comforting.

Jenny: Honestly, I didn't care that much about Jenny's death. I didn't like her character much, and unlike everyone else, I'm not a huge fan of Giles either. It didn't hold much more weight than Jesse's death did.

[lightandmagic]

Of the whole Buffyverse canon the only death that I think should have not happened is Cordelia. I think it's cause every other death served a purpose, and the character was at a point where as sad it may be, it's alright to let them go. Cordelia, however, got a crap arc in season four of Angel, and to bring her back for one episode of season five, as good a sendoff as it was, seemed kind of cruel. She played a huge role in Angel and deserved to be a regular on season five.

I think it's especially annoying because the main reason as to why she was killed off was mostly due to conflict between Charisma and Joss (she's been candid about it in several interviews, although she insists they're better now).

It's also annoying because there was TONS of room to explore with Cordelia. She still had her demon powers that were not fully explained/mastered. There's the clear emotional trauma of having her body hijacked by a higher power, and also the clear emotional trauma of having to deal with some of the actions that the higher power committed while in her body (killing Lilah, sleeping with Connor etc.) After Wesley returned their memories there would probably be a huge disconnect between her and the others, cause as much as they know it wasn't her it would still be weird around her.

And there was also Cordy/Angel. I'll be frank, in tv shows I generally don't care who ends up with who, as long as the relationship they have is well plotted, and makes for dynamic television. And Cordy/Angel had a lot of loose ends that should have been tied up. I don't even ship them regularly (I do kind of like them together though).

End rant.

[Joe]

The only death I would like to change is Anya's. I'm ok with her dying, but they could've easily added in a scene of Xander saying goodbye to her while running out. He could've been on his way out of the school and actually found Anya who was close to death and she could say her last words to him. I know her wound was too big for this to happen, but if they wanted it to happen, they could've made it less severe.

I know it's very similar to Wesley's death scene but it would be good for me.

[Jaz ♀♀]

The only death i did not like and still believe it was wrong to do was Tara's death. I love Willow in all her forms including Dark Willow, but the reason for Willow's dark side being because of Tara's death was not a worthy story arc for those two to end on. They, Tara mostly, deserved better. And IMO Tara should still be alive.

[Darth Rosie]

I am torn when it comes to Tara's death. I feel that I would have liked to see so much more of her. On the other hand, this was probably the most intense TV-moment I ever experienced. I wouldn't want to have it missed, even though the loss is terrible.

[Tea - Total]

I think i personally like Tara death because this was an highlight to show willow magics abilities, and how powerful she really was. She was connected to the earth and everything and everybody's inner feelings, she definitively became powerful.

[Randi Giles]

Joyce:
Her death for me was probably the saddest cause we had to keep seeing her body.

Tara:
It was shocking and quick, but I actually felt sadder for Willow hearing her cry over the love of her life body was just heartbreaking. Plus watching her trying to save her.

Anya:
It was quick and sad cause I didn't want her to go like that.

Spike:
It kind of pissed me off that the WB spoiled it for us all that he was going to be on Angel cause we didn't really get a chance to hardly feel his death cause we knew he was going to come back. It was heroic though and the death wasn't really so much sad as was him and Buffy's last moment together.

Angel:
Again his death wasn't sad really he tried to destroy the world and all, but his final moments with Buffy was heartbreaking. I felt bad for the both them. She was so in love with him and had to send him to hell and he wasn't even clear on WTH was going on.

Jenny:
I HATED it. It wasn't right. I felt so bad for Giles. And felt sadder for her she was practically all alone and helpless and he just brutally snapped her neck. It sucked that it took her dying for Buffy to finally get a clue. This is second to Joyce's death for me.

Buffy:
I think I said at top that Joyce had the saddest death and I like to take that back Buffy's death manage to make me cry and it was the first episode I ever saw. I cried at one part in The Body, but it was when Anya had her monologue.

[Tea - Total]

I just watched the Body and that episode was sensational.

[buffyfan21]

Out of all the deaths on Buffy, Joyce's is probably the one that touches me the most. She really is my favorite recurring character and I hate that she had to die. I understand why they did it, but still, I wish they had been able to keep her around. Though if she had not died, I think the last two seasons (and possibly season 8 as well?) would have played out very differently.

[Executrix]

Joyce: Her death. Wow. I recall watching this when I was 10 years old and bawling my eyes out. Repeatedly watch it ever since then because Joss did one of the most well done episodes in TV history over losing a character. In the commentary he himself discusses how he purposely did it without music (which noticing this as a child completely made me uncomfortable because you're always expecting that cliche sad music playing continuously to soothe the audience)--not here.

He even stated wanted it to come off as "boring". Which is completely true. In the first moments of losing someone close to you and so unexpectedly (Unfortunately I've had the share), the beginning process is so slow. Everything feels quiet and still. The air taste bitter and your senses become sensitive to your surroundings (Ex:Buffy opening the door to the outside and the world still moving on as she experiences this death).

Buffy is a show for me that invoked certain emotions within me that not other shows have ever done for me. I mean, they invoke emotions but not nearly as close or as severe as what I experience when watching certain moments of Buffy. This episode being one of the biggest ones for me.

I mean, I do not just cry at this episode--I sob like a baby. Especially how Sarah Michelle Gellar gave such a riveting performance throughout. When she runs to her and keeps shaking her....
'Mom...Mom....MOM' over and over again. My heart breaks everytime.

How about when the dispatcher goes,

"The body is cold?"
Buffy: No, my mom. Should I make her warm?

Then when Giles comes and she herself calls her mom "the body"---I sob even more.

So this death especially got to me and the monologue Anya gives makes my eye swollen even further more. It would have gave it less meaning if she died from a supernatural attack where as with this--Buffy couldn't simply just kill the beast who killed her mom. She would have to struggle with the stages of grief not just as The Slayer, but as a daughter who lost her beloved mom.


Buffy: The first death I wasn't effected. Mainly because she's The Slayer and we knew she would get up. However, The Gift episode never fails to make me act the way Spike does. That monologue she gives gets me everytime. I love Buffy. She's my favorite heroine and to see her die for not only her sister--the world as well.

That's why I'm also emotional towards Buffy character's resurrection. How she struggled getting out of her own grave and Xander's realisation of how her knuckles are bloody. Then those little lines that are alluding to the fact that she's going to have to struggle finding her place again in the world, especially knowing where she had been.

The lines that tugged at my heart strings were when she is speaking to Dawn on the tower. Simply asking her, "Is this hell?"

Or when she reveals to Spike in The Afterlife where she has been. Which is why I find Buffy incredibly selfless for her to forgive her friends. I recall being so angry with Willow and how Willow immediately expected to be thanked. Then again you also see Willow break during Once More With Feeling when Buffy lets the rest of the members of The Scoobie Gang know where she actually was.

I'm protective of Buffy. I see those fans who get angry with her being too bitchy or to self-involved but she's The Slayer. She's had to deal with grief and pain that is 10x more than usual for most regular human beings. But she got through it.

So her death would be second to being the most effective for me.

Spike: I'm a Spuffy fan as well and so I did cry during the episode. However I was upset when we were already informed about him being on Angel--so the audience couldn't really take in his death. 'Nuff said.

Anya and Tara: I really loved these girls and they went so quick without any warning. I'll always miss these gals.

[Tea - Total]

Feb 20, 2010 13:44:20 GMT -5 buffyfan21 said:

Out of all the deaths on Buffy, Joyce's is probably the one that touches me the most. She really is my favorite recurring character and I hate that she had to die. I understand why they did it, but still, I wish they had been able to keep her around. Though if she had not died, I think the last two seasons (and possibly season 8 as well?) would have played out very differently.

I totally agree, in season 5 their brought her back into a new light, her acting was 1st class.
The death was perfection. Jocye development was splendid in season 5.
i think Kristine Sutherland is an brillant actress, well done Kristine Sutherland .

[Executrix]

Feb 20, 2010 15:41:32 GMT -5 Tea - Total said:

I totally agree, in season 5 their brought her back into a new light, her acting was 1st class.
The death was perfection. Jocye development was splendid in season 5.
i think Kristine Sutherland is an brillant actress, well done Kristine Sutherland .

Of course. And she only blinked ONCE during The Body when they were zipping her up in the body bag but they digitally removed it. Brilliant acting there.

[Tea - Total]

Feb 20, 2010 15:47:16 GMT -5 Executrix said:

Feb 20, 2010 15:41:32 GMT -5 Tea - Total said:

I totally agree, in season 5 their brought her back into a new light, her acting was 1st class.
The death was perfection. Jocye development was splendid in season 5.
i think Kristine Sutherland is an brillant actress, well done Kristine Sutherland .

Of course. And she only blinked ONCE during The Body when they were zipping her up in the body bag but they digitally removed it. Brilliant acting there.

I agree, i was getting spooked how realistic she was, i thought, is she dead really?

[whitecandy]

The excellent writing and acting in Buffy made each death so poignant and emotional, really making you evaluate your own life and relationships.

I was upset when Jenny was killed, as we rarely got to see Giles as a 'proper person' as in having his own life and relationships, other than those with Buffy and the scoobies, and devoting his life to keeping them safe, so to see him fall for someone, and then have them taken from him so soon and in such a brutal way, was heartbreaking.

I also found Joyce's death very sad, but I am not sure it was because I felt a bond with the character, but more the way that the episode was shot and carried out, with so much silence and the different ways the characters dealt with the news, making us evaluate how we may react to the same news. The whole episode was beautifully done.

I didn't really feel any loss when Spike died in Chosen or Angel died in Becoming (if you can call it dying with them being dead already) as neither were favourite characters for me, but the scenes and words were still very touching, and I guess Buffy having to sacrifice Angel and her happiness for the good of the world made me a bit teary as it made me think of how much I love my bf and how it would feel to have to make that choice, which obviously will hopefully never happen

Tara's death was so quick that it made you realise how precious and fragile life really is, and how quickly it can be taken away. Again made me think of how I would feel if something like that happened to my true love, but I do have a tendancy to get over upset over things if I start thinking how would I cope or feel. Again, hopefully I will never find out! I think Willow's spiral into the dark side and her quest for revenge was a good way to show how people can react to such horrific things happening, and how love and loss can take over everything else, even reason.

I didn't really have time to accept that Anya was dead, as it happened so fast and then the show was all over, so in a way I never had to really think about it and it was like she didn't really die as there were no consequences in the programme to watch and develop (I am a little behind with series 8 so apologies if this story is continued there!)

I kind of knew Buffy was going to be okay both times, so again it didn't really affect me too much. I know she will always bounce back

[crucio]

Was not really pleased with the way Joyce died , we thought she was getting better after surgery. Great episode tho.