15 Most Important Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes

In what will forever be one of TV's most devastating episodes, Buffy comes home from a regular day of slaying to find her mother dead on the couch. The Body is a major turning point in the show, casting Buffy and Dawn adrift and forcing them to grow in ways they had never thought necessary.

Joyce's death hits harder than most because it was so normal. There was nothing supernatural about it, no way to bring her back, nothing anyone could do to save her. With her gone, Buffy was alone for the first time in her life, forced to raise and protect Dawn without any help or guidance. It's here that she becomes a grown-up.

The Body also features Anya's fruit punch speech, which sees the former vengeance demon tap into her human side for the first time, and serves as a touching assessment of grief, loss and family. It's easily one of the show's most important installments when looking at Buffy's development as a whole.