The toughest call: best SINGLE Buffy episode in human history....
POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Saturday, May 20, 2006 00:08
VIEWED: 40720
PAGE 5 of 16
Best ever: Once More With Feeling (absolutely)
Better than anyone else ever does: Hush
But of course I think the worst episode of Buffy is still better than most of the stuff you see on TV
better writing
better directing
and more engaging actors
edited to add: oh, I didn't get to the second question...
Yes, the best episodes of Buffy ARE better than anything done on Angel or Firefly,
but Firefly didn't have a fair chance: it was barely started before it was so crueling taken away from us...
I would say that the movie 'Serenity' is REALLY brilliant!
I personally never thought that Angel reached it's full potentional, but there were many amazing episodes.
The point about OMWF and Hush is that they were both so surprising, such complete departures over what anyone does on TV.
Well I guess others have tried musical episodes, but they usually suck so bad that they would go on the worst list...they are not the incredible brilliance of OMWF. When is the last time anyone EVER tried a silent episode on TV? LOL
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Quote:Welcome to the Hellmouth was so good (especially compared to the Buffy movie) that I almost couldn't take it all in, it took me time to get up to speed (much like the first time I saw Star Wars). Once I realized the level it was going for, I adjusted. It was Joss busting out of his writing cocoon and controling the whole thing, he loved it and it shows.
Originally posted by Ruxton:
The best Buffy for me was, unquestionably, the very first episode ever.
Chrisispointy
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Saw The body last night.
THE REST OF THIS POST WILL HAVE SPOILERS
If you've never lost a loved one, that ep will give you the closest feeling of what it might be like.
If you have lost a loved one, you know that Joss hit the mark uncomfortably close.
The sudden-ness, the loss of control, and being reduced to a child again, it was all there.
When Buffy started CPR and cracked Joyce's rib, I was already in tears. It woke up a memory I hadn't thought of in more than a decade; when my mom died in our home, and was being carried downstairs on the stretcher in a body bag. The last few steps at the bottom of the stairs had a narrow turn, and one of the guys dropped the stretcher. It made this loud ratchidy-crashing noise as it hit the bottom stairs, and I thought "You can't drop my mom! There's no dropping allowed today- my mom just died..."
It was an akward, absurd moment.
Joss captured the whole tornado of emotion and absurd reality in that show.
It was brilliant tv. Not my favourite, but great.
It was like they took a step out of fantasy to deal with a reality for a moment, and as such, I can't say it was the best 'Buffy' episode, But I can say it was the best episode of television I've seen (IMHO).
But being rather close to this subject may have me a little emotional right now...these are just my first thoughts on that ep.
Edit: Okay, REAL emotional.
Chrisisall
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Oh, man! Sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how hard that moment must have hit you.
It's a great episode. And I don't know if any TV show or movie has ever dealt with death (of a loved one or not) in the way Joss did. You just can't believe you're watching a TV show when you experience it. And that's what it is--an experience.
Not that I ever put much stock in the Emmys, but "The Body" was not nominated for any awards for writing, or directing, or best single episode or anything like that. And SMG was not nominated for Best Actress.
It is arguably the best episode. It's certainly on the short-list. But for obvious reasons it's hard to name it your "favorite".
The sailing gets a little smoother (how could it not?) from here on out, but it ain't no picnic.
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I think one of the strengths of 'The Body'
is that Joss went ahead and dealt with his own experiences of when he lost his Mother,
the commentary to 'The Body' is one of the most releaving about his own personal experiences,
and it is well worth listening to.
Also you'll notice he didn't have a musical score in the background,
which adds to the feeling of stark reality,
All the actors really do an incredible job in 'The Body',
SMG is really at her best,
Emma's Anya was never as heartbreaking as in this episode
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The Body is the first tv episode of anything that made me cry. I agree with your statement, if you haven't experiened death on a personal level than this episode is the closest you can get to it, if you have then this will take you back to that.
Everything was done superbly. And with such resonance.
SMG was brilliant, but it was Emma Caulfield that made me blubber. I still can't watch that scene without tearing up.
"And Joyce will never have any more fruit punch and no one will explain to me why".
I have met Emma and she explained about that scene, I know the reality behind it, but the emotion of it overrides it everytime.
It's episodes like this that make me remember how much I loved Buffy as a show.
*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"
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Oh... man... I just looked at the episode list for season five...
You've got some tough episodes ahead, buddy. We're here if you need us.
*~*~*
"Your toes are in the sand."
"And your head's up your..."
"Hey!"
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Thanks, J.
I made it throught to Tough Love.
So Will took on a god. Hmmph. Was she high?
Brave, but foolish...
If I could handle The Body, I think I'm ready for anything. The last time I cried like that was at the very end of a tv movie titled The Day After, about a family surviving after a nuclear war in a small town. *I was going to describe the scene, but I won't in case you want to see it, if you have, then I really don't need to...*
Well, if you feel the need to keep Kleenex in business, see that too.
ChrisisallaboutkickinGlorysass
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Quote:You know, with all that was happening, I didn't even notice....
Originally posted by embers:
Also you'll notice he didn't have a musical score in the background,
which adds to the feeling of stark reality
Usually music-aware Chrisisall
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Quote:
Originally posted by batmarlowe:
Oh, man! Sorry for your loss. I can't imagine how hard that moment must have hit you.
Thanks, but it was like, 18 years ago. I was just surprised how that episode tapped into buryied grief so easily- and you can imagine, 'cause you've seen that episode...
Chrisisall
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