THE BODY; if you have tears, prepare to shed them

[Saturn 5]

THE BODY
The Good;
All of it, an epic 40 minutes of TV, the cast are all incredible
The Bad;
A few problems. Why did the paramedics tell Buffy to stop CPR when she breaks Joyce's rib? A broken rib won't kill her, lack of oxygen would. Surely only a doctor can officially determine that someone is dead? How can the vamp rise when it's already had it's autopsy, it's heart has been taken out and put back in again?
Best line;
Buffy; "That's not her, she's gone"
Dawn; "Where did she go?"
Just beating Anya's heartful monologue as she desperately tries to understand what's happening.
Women good/men bad;
No room for that here
Jeez!;
Buffy breaking Joyce's rib is just wince inducing. The scariest vamp in all of the Buffyverse is the one who attacks Dawn in the morgue, partly because this is a naked man attacking a terrified 14 year old girl but also because this is a vamp stripped to it's bare bones, it genuinely looks like what it is, a reanimated corpse. The scene where Buffy imagines successfully reviving Joyce then we realise it's all just her fantasy is just too cruel for words.
Kinky dinky;
Dawn's schoolfriend Lisa says that her crush Kevin 'Wants her'
Captain Subtext;
The Willow/Tara's first onscreen kiss, so much going on that it almost goes unnoticed. Willow likes it when Tara rubs her tummy. Could she be related to Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory? Willow and Tara refer to the Amazons. Anya and Giles hug. Buffy seems to just be able to sense when Dawn is in trouble, maybe their link is deeper than just sisters. Buffy's 'Mommy?' line surely needs no explanation?
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Xander hurts his hand again
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 1

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 16
Giles: 10
Cordy: 6
Xander: 8
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;1
Kills: 1 vamp for Buffy
Buffy: 95 vamps, 32 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, ½ a demon, ½ a demon
Anya: ½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 3

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 10, goodbye Joyce, how we loved her and how we never really realised it until she was gone.
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths; Joyce but from natural causes
89;

Total number of scoobies: 6
Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Questions and observations;
Notice that Buffy never hugs Dawn, never holds her? More on that next episode. How can you have an episode so sad yet so beautiful? Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, cannot praise this highly enough. Wonderful details like Buffy pulling down Joyce's skirt as the paramedics arrive. The end of the fantastic Joyce/Kristine Sutherland as a semi-regular on the show, she'll be missed as all the cast and crew remark upon but what a wonderful send-off she gets. A very real posibility that this may be simply the best ever episode of television ever.
Marks out of 10; do you have to ask? 10/10

[Randi Giles]

Okay I don't even know where to start. First, What you have as the best line is spot on. The ending is so, so, so sad when Dawn delivers that line and goes to touch her. It still get's me. Second another part tha gets me is Anya. I swear I cry with tears running down my face everytime I watch her monoluge scene. I'm a big baby. And poor Dawn having to find out about her mom at school. And the whole beginning of this episode with is just... Five Star episode*****10/10

[CourtneyDax]

Okay you are so getting karma for this. Your stats are insane, as well as your summaries. Amazing!

[Tea - Total]

I love how realistic this episode really is, the themes alone is excellent, the writing is sensational in this episode.
Truly amazing episode, nowadays i cant find a show to beat the high standard of a televisions show.
1000000000000000000/10.

A******

[Saturn 5]

Nov 16, 2009 1:34:49 GMT -5 CourtneyDax said:

Okay you are so getting karma for this. Your stats are insane, as well as your summaries. Amazing!

Thanks you're too kind

[Tea - Total]

This epsiode is perfections.

[Jaz ♀♀]

Anya's speech makes me tearful every time i hear it.

I loved that Willow and Tara's first on-screen kiss wasn't hyped up for ratings or the center of attention on that episode like you see too often on other shows that have lesbian characters....you're right, so much was going on that it almost goes unnoticed and for Joss to put their first kiss in there just to simply add to the scene of them giving extra comfort and loving support for each other in a horrible time....it just makes it another perfect sweet moment for them and i applaud Joss for doing that.

10/10

[Saturn 5]

Yeah the kiss is good, all the more better as a genuine plot point rather than some piece of tittilation