15 Best Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes
1. The Body (Season 5, Episode 16)
"We're not supposed to move the body!"
Sorry to end on a downer, but it couldn't have been anything else. The Body is not just the greatest episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but one of the greatest episodes of TV ever made. A harsh and brutally honest assessment of grief and loss, the episode takes a step back from the supernatural elements of the show to remind audiences that the natural world is just as unforgiving as the ghouls their favourite characters fight.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is extraordinary, showing that despite all her strength, Buffy is still just a person. Finding her mother dead, she is forced to confront the idea that there are things out there that not even she can face, and that no matter how hard she tries bad things are always going to happen.
The episode also gives Anya the chance to fully feel her emotional side, breaking down because of the confusion she feels about death, and gives the entire cast the chance to show how amazing they all actually are.
The Body is harsh, unrelenting, bleak and human, perfectly crafted by Joss Whedon to be as emotionally devastating and shocking as possible. No scene is poor, no acting weak. It is undeniably perfect, and never loses its effect no matter how often you see it.