2) The Body – Season 5, Episode 16
If you know someone who thinks that Buffy is just a throwaway teen show, then show them season 5’s “The Body.” For our money, it’s one of the most mature, most emotionally-devastating episodes of television we’ve ever seen.
For once, nearly all the supernatural elements of the show are pushed to the side as the episode documents the day that Buffy’s mother dies, and we witness each of the Scoobies deal with their grief in different ways. Alyson Hannigan and Emma Caulfield deserve kudos for their scenes, but Sarah Michelle Gellar is the star of the show, as we see Buffy go through the whole emotional spectrum – confusion, heartbreak, anger – of losing a loved one. Whedon’s writing and direction are also exemplary. Drawing from his own experiences of loss, he paints a very unsentimental, stripped-back presentation of death.
There is a strong argument that “The Body” is Buffy‘s greatest achievement as a piece of filmmaking and storytelling, but it isn’t likely to be one that you re-watch endlessly, as it’s just too damn sad.