YMMV / Buffy the Vampire Slayer S5E16 "The Body"

• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: A justified example. The episode begins with Buffy finding Joyce dead on the couch. After the opening theme, we're shown a flashback to a Christmas dinner at Buffy's house before jump cutting back to the present day. It's supposed to be indicative of Buffy's grief that her mother was fine until just recently, and that her death is so sudden. This was done for practical reasons too, as Word of God says it's there because he didn't want the opening credits to be playing over Buffy trying to revive her mother.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The blue sweater that Willow wants to wear to the morgue but cannot find is the same sweater that Tara is wearing when she is killed in "Seeing Red". Fans have joked that "at least Joss Whedon made sure somebody wore it to the morgue."
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Xander's "Avengers assemble" got a lot funnier after Joss Whedon directed The Avengers (2012) eleven years later. It was even called Avengers Assemble in some countries.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: This episode marked a key turning point in Tara's Character Development (although some fans had started to warm to her earlier) - where she transformed from being essentially a Satellite Love Interest for Willow and Damsel in Distress to a more independent presence. It marks the start of a nice friendship between her and Buffy that continues into Season 6.
• She Really Can Act:
  • While never considered a bad actress, Sarah Michelle Gellar's understated performance in the episode proves to be a highlight. Her opening lines in the episode reflect the actress' chops, especially "Mom? ... Mom? ... Mommy?" which shows how easily Gellar can portray a confident 20-year-old digressing into a scared little girl who had to deal with her mother's sudden death.
  • Her shock, when at the back door of the house, at the sounds of life still going on is beautifully done, and is reminiscent of the sense of Auden's "Musée des Beaux Arts".
  • Actually, everyone's performance is near-pitch perfect, with every actor performing their best in the episode. Emma Caulfield's "punch speech" definitely was a Tear Jerker, as shown below, sold by Caulfield's convincing portrayal of an ex-demon dealing with mortality. Also, special mention to Kristine Sutherland, who had to spend hours portraying a dead body without much breaks. Even young Michelle Trachtenberg pulls off a realistic and nuanced performance that proves to be one of her best on the show.
• Signature Scene: Anya's speech about "fruit punch" seems to be the most memorable scene, highlighting the grief and tragedy she must be feeling in that moment. It's not uncommon for fans to cite this as one of their favourite scenes and monologues in the entire series.

---