 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 94. The Body Original Air Date: February 27, 2001 Written by: Joss Whedon Directed by: Joss Whedon Guest Cast: Loanne Bishop (911 Operator) Kevin Cristalon (1st Paramedic) Stefan Umstead (2nd Paramedic) Rae'Ven Larrymore-Kelly (Lisa) J. Evan Bonifant (Kevin) John Michael Herndon (Vampire) Buffy arrives home to find flowers from Brian, her mother's new suitor, sitting at the door. She calls out but there is no answer. Then she sees, half-on and half-off the couch, her mother lying motionless with unblinking eyes. Its the Christmas season as everyone gathers around the dinner table while Joyce takes compliments for her cooking. She takes plates into the kitchen with Buffy and Giles as the others talk. They ask Dawn about writing to Santa Claus and she tells them that she's too old to believe in that. Anya informs them that, to the contrary, Santa has been around since the 1500's and, though he goes by different names, he does fly reindeer and goes down the chimney on Christmas Eve to visit little girls and boys... and disembowel them. In the kitchen, a burnt pie upsets Joyce and Giles suggests opening more wine. Buffy reminds them not to get too carried away, as they did when they were enchanted by Band Candy (to the point of having sex... twice). Giles quickly walks away as Joyce, laughingly, scolds her daughter for embarrassing him. Buffy tries to cut the singed pumpkin pie, but it slips off the counter and falls to the floor. Joyce lies with her eyes open, not even breathing. Buffy tries to wake her but there is no response. She calls 911 and gives them the address. She answers a few questions and then the operator begins to instruct her in CPR. Buffy remembers the procedure and drops the phone. She begins to breathe for her mother and starts chest compressions. Suddenly she hears a cracking sound and, scared, she picks up the phone again. The operator assures her that cracking a rib is not unusual, but in the emergency, it is nothing to worry about now. She tells Buffy that help will soon be there and asks if Joyce responded to the CPR. Buffy tells her that her mother is cold and the tone of the operator's voice changes. The operator refers to the body and Buffy tells her that its not a body, its her mom. She wonders if she should warm her mother up, but the operator tells her to just wait until the ambulance arrives. Buffy thinks she hears them and rises to look out the window, lowering the phone. After staring out the window a few seconds, Buffy is unnaturally calm as she tells the 911 operator that she has to call someone and she hangs up. The numbers on the phone seem huge as Buffy tries to concentrate enough to auto-dial the number. Giles answers and Buffy merely tells him that she needs him because "she" is at the house. When Buffy hangs up, she hears the ambulance. In some part of her mind that's still working, she notices that Joyce's skirt is slightly disheveled and she makes sure that her mother's clothes are adjusted before the paramedics rush in. The men are business-like as they carry in their equipment and start to assess the situation. They lower Joyce to the floor as Buffy tells them that she found her in that condition. When one of them refers to "bagging her" Buffy panics, but they assure her they are talking about a breathing aid. Under their questioning, Buffy tells them about Joyce's recent brain tumor operation. As she notices that the heart monitor is not beeping, she assures them that her mother is fine now. Suddenly Joyce coughs and begins to breathe. They are quickly in the ambulance and the paramedics are amazed at this miracle. The doctors check her out and Joyce thanks her daughter for saving her. Her fantasy ends abruptly as Buffy watches the men work in vain to revive her mother. They finally pause and one of the men tells Buffy that her mother is dead. Buffy focuses on his chest as he assures her that there was nothing she could have done. Off-hand the most likely cause is a blood clot from her surgery, which probably killed her quickly. Then, they get another emergency call, which requires them to leave right away. They tell her to wait for the coroner and not to disturb the body. When the paramedic asks, Buffy tells him that someone is coming to be with her. He grabs his stuff, expresses the appropriate amount of sorrow and leaves. Buffy automatically wishes him luck in saving the next victim. Buffy gazes at her mother's body on the floor. She starts to walk back to the kitchen, but in the walkway between the living room and kitchen, she falls to her knees and vomits. She rises and walks to the back kitchen door. She opens the door and she can hear the far-off sounds of children playing and laughing. There is no color in her face and she is covered with a thin sheen of sweat. She retrieves a paper towel and tries to clean up the hallway. She contemplates the growing wet spot as the paper towel soaks up the mess. Giles arrives at the front doorway, which is open, and asks what is happening. Buffy calmly tells him that the coroner is coming. Then, she decides that she needs to go to the school to talk to her little sister, Dawn. Confused, Giles finally sees Joyce. He goes to her and tries the same things that Buffy tried at first. Buffy becomes agitated telling him to stop. She finally shouts at him that they're not supposed to disturb the body. As if hearing the words for the first time, the pain and horror begin to show in her face. Giles rushes to her and holds her. They zip Joyce into the traditional black plastic bag, as Dawn weeps. Dawn is in the girl's restroom at school crying over her latest terminal embarrassment. A young black girl, Lisa, tries to assure her that she's making much worse out of it. Dawn recently had a mild breakdown after finding out that she's actually a mystical artifact known as The Key, which was magically transformed into Buffy's little sister so she would be under the Slayer's protection. Because of that she now has to suffer all the rumors about being psycho from the venal minions at her school, especially her arch-enemy Kristie. Dawn dries her eyes and they set off for class. In art class, Dawn gets to work on a canvas next to a good-looking boy, Kevin. They make polite small talk and Lisa writes a note to tease Dawn. Kevin asks about the rumors that Dawn cut herself [which as far as they go are true]. Dawn denies it, but Kevin admits that he can understand it. That sometimes, when he's under extreme stress, he can understand it. Dawn admits that she went through a difficult time and now Kristie wants to take advantage of it. She is pleased that Kevin doesn't think much of Kristie either. Buffy arrives and talks to Dawn's teacher. Dawn is telling Kevin a story but Buffy interrupts the punch line. Dawn can tell right away that it's something bad and her charcoal pencil trails off the page. She leaves the room with Buffy, but in the hallway she refuses to go any further until she finds out what's wrong. The art class has big windows instead of a wall and the people in the class, as well as, students in the hallway can sense something bad is about to happen. Buffy starts gently, but Dawn quickly interrupts, wanting assurances that their mom is all right. As Buffy explains, from inside the classroom, we see the sorrow grow in Dawn's face. Her sobs can be heard through the glass. She begins to argue with Buffy that she knows her mother is all right and then she collapses to the floor. For a long time, the only sound is Dawn crying "No", over and over again. The coroner unbuttons Joyce's blouse and uses scissors to cut the slip. Tara silently watches Willow, as she silently contemplates the sweater in her hand. Xander and Anya drive silently together to the dorm. When they stop, Xander invites Anya to come up with him and she reminds him that he's double-parked, but he decides that today he doesn't care. Willow tries to decide what to wear, but she is hopeless. She is obviously obsessing over the clothes to avoid the pain. Nothing seems right. She's especially aware of her role as Buffy's best friend, constantly reminding Tara that she has to be supportive and wear something expressing support. She begins to get angry with herself and cry over the fact that she doesn't have appropriate clothes for a death. Tara finally grabs her and kisses her lovingly. Willow almost loses it again when she thinks about poor Dawn, but Tara helps to calm her. Tara pledges that together they will survive this tragedy, like strong amazons. Willow finds comfort and strength in the imagery. But she still wishes she could find her blue top that Joyce liked. Walking through the halls, Xander admits to Anya that he isn't sure what is expected of them. Anya asks him repeatedly, but he's rather quiet. When they reach the room, Willow and Xander share a long hug. Willow is afraid to begin crying again and Anya tells them it was strange seeing Xander cry earlier. They stand together in the room, but no one seems to know what to do next. Anya asks first and they plan to go straight to the morgue. When Tara asks, Xander assures her that in the Scooby Gang you quickly learn where the morgue is. Willow starts changing clothes again. Xander wonders if Glory had a hand in Joyce's death. Despite Giles' assurances, relayed by Tara, that it seems a natural death, Xander begins to get angry at Glory. Willow reminds him that if Joyce were meant to be a warning, then Glory would make sure that they knew that she did it. Xander decides that doctors are to blame and starts a tirade against them. He seems to need someone to blame and finally, Willow offers to fight him. Seeing her point, Xander calms down, kisses her forehead and admits that he's afraid of her. Anya asks whether they will have to see the body and Willow is disturbed by the question. Willow again reconsiders her clothes. Tara volunteers to check the laundry room for the blue top. After she leaves, Anya asks about the autopsy. Willow finally pleads with her to stop asking questions, but Anya can't. Willow tells her that the questions she's asking are inappropriate, but for the first time Anya's voice cracks as she explains that she doesn't understand what they're supposed to do. Obviously in a great deal of emotional pain, she cries as she tells them that she can't understand human mortality and no one will explain to her why someone she liked is suddenly gone forever. She can't comprehend the fact that death comes so suddenly, quietly and unexpectedly to humans. It makes no sense to her and she wonders, in grief, why it is so. Quietly, Willow tells her that no one knows why. Xander tries to comfort Anya, but she withdraws to a corner chair. Xander paces the floor as they wait together in silence. After a few seconds, a loud thud is heard. Willow and Anya look up to see Xander's fist in the wall near the door. They go to see if he is injured and he admits that he can't get his hand out of the wall. Anya is angry that he could have seriously hurt himself. When Willow asks, Xander says that he actually felt better for a second and Willow envies him. Tara returns without the blue top. When he removes his hand, Xander's knuckles are covered in blood. Anya quickly washes his hand and Willow decides they should leave, because they have to support Buffy. On their way out, Anya asks how they're supposed to do that, but no one answers. Outside, Xander's car is being ticketed. The coroner finishes with Joyce's body. He removes his bloody rubber gloves and apron. He puts on a white coat for talking to the family. The morgue is in a wing of the hospital, at the end of a long dark corridor. Connected to the corridor is a busy hallway. In a nearby waiting area, Buffy's extended family gathers with hugs and sad looks. Even Anya sniffles as she surprises Giles with the intensity of her grip on him. When the doctor emerges, Buffy and Dawn approach to hear the news. Giles is right beside them. Dawn wants to see her mother, but Buffy puts her off. The coroner tells them that an aneurysm in the brain, near Joyce's surgical site, almost certainly killed her. Joyce had been warned about the risk and the fact that it took her so fast she couldn't call for help indicates that it was probably quick and painless. He assures Buffy that no matter what anyone did, it wouldn't have helped. The fantasy scenes of saving her mother still replay in Buffy's head. She wants to be sure that her mother didn't suffer and as the doctor speaks, Buffy is certain that she hears him say that he's just trying to make her feel better. Giles volunteers to deal with as much of the bureaucracy as possible. Buffy tells the others of the final report. Dawn starts to ask something, but changes her mind and goes to the bathroom instead. Buffy thinks that Dawn resents the fact that Buffy was the one who told her about the news and wonders if Dawn actually believes their mother is dead. Anya suddenly blurts out that she's sorry for Joyce's death because Joyce was nice and now everyone is in pain. It's awkward, but obviously heartfelt and Buffy sincerely thanks her for the sentiment. Willow suggests something to eat or drink and Buffy wonders if Dawn needs something. Willow, Xander and Anya go off in search of snack machines, leaving Buffy and Tara sitting together in the waiting area. Buffy actually apologizes to Tara for the inconvenience, but Tara tells her not to worry. Buffy tries to explain how difficult it is to think, let alone deal with all the people trying to be helpful. Tara admits that she knows what it's like to lose your mother, she was only 17 when it happened. She talks of the terrible mix of thoughts and emotions that flood your mind at a time like this, things you can't really explain to others. Tragedies have different affects on each person, but Tara offers Buffy any help she can give. After a few moments, Buffy asks if Tara's mother died suddenly. Tara at first says no, but reflects that in a way the loss is always sudden. Dawn emerges from the restroom and, apparently, decides to look for the morgue. She finds it easily and goes through the double doors, bolting them from inside. She walks towards her mother's body, in the back, under the big surgical light. She reaches for the sheet, but hesitates. Behind her, one of the dead male bodies rises as a vampire. Dawn becomes aware of him as he comes up behind her. The rest of the team returns with armloads of junk food. Buffy isn't hungry, but they ask about Dawn. Buffy tells them to wait and she walks to the bathroom. She seems to sense something as she decides to enter the long dark corridor instead. As she walks down the hallway, her pace increases with each step. Soon she can hear Dawn's faint screams. Buffy crashes through the bolted doors and, with some difficulty, manages to pry the vampire off of a struggling Dawn. Dawn hits their mother's stretcher when she falls and pulls the sheet partially back. Buffy struggles with the monster. Dawn, looking up from the floor, can see her mother's blonde hair over the edge of the table. Buffy finally manages to dust the vampire with a surgical saw and some applied force to his neck. When she recovers, Buffy sees Dawn still staring at Joyce's body. Dawn rises to her knees where she is eye-level with Joyce's blank, staring face. Dawn asks if their mother is cold and Buffy tells her that their mother isn't here anymore. Dawn wonders where her mother has gone and then reaches out to feel her cold, dead face. Summary by: OBCooke at EpisodeGuides.com |
|
| Disclaimer Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the property of Twentieth Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the United Paramount Network, and whoever else has a legal claim to it. All pictures in this site were collected freely from the internet and are believed to be in the public domain. If you are the owner of any of the images that appear on this site, please send an email to Spacenewt. This site is run by fans of BtVS, for Fans of BtVS. This is a strictly not for profit site. No copyright infringement is intended nor implied. |
 |
 |
 |