Interesting. I'm not saying I disapprove of the list, but I am surprised about um, TARA, hello?! Would you have included Book, Buffy, Angel, Doyle, Darla, Spike, Cordelia, Ballard, Mellie on your list? Anyone else?

thesadeianwoman | October 26, 17:54 CET

At first, I was, "Um, TARA!" Then I realized it's pretty much one from each major project, and I can understand Joyce over Tara. Just not Topher, Coulson, or Penny over Tara (Wash is a close one for me).

Oh, and does this need a spoiler tag?

Sigfodr | October 26, 18:03 CET

Stupid stupid stupid. No Tara, no Doyle, no Wesley, no Spike, no Anya, no Buffy, no Angel, no Cordelia, no Darla, just forget about it.

WhatsAStevedore | October 26, 18:16 CET

No. Caveat emptor and all that, but spoiler tags get used for future things.

Simon | October 26, 18:21 CET

While tragic, Buffy, Spike, and Angel didn't stick, so I can see why they would not include them.

Jelly | October 26, 18:27 CET

While tragic, I disagree that Wash's death was unnecessary. Book's death was the rallying call to the heroes on film, but Wash's death was directed squarely at the audience. If a character so beloved can be killed so brazenly by the Reavers, anyone else COULD easily die on this mission.

Multiple gun shot wounds to Jayne? Could die.
Jumping into a room full of Reavers to get a medical bag? Could die.
Reaver grabs a hold of you and wrestles you to the ground? Could die.
Uber-machete chop to the back? Could die.
Poison darts to the neck? Could die.
Gun shot to the stomach? Could Die.
Sword to the midsection? Could die.

guardian_owl | October 26, 19:03 CET

Agreed guardian_owl! As much as I didn't want to see Wash die, it made the movie 100xs more intense. That death gave me one of the most moving and unique movie experiences of my life.

This would also be my top 7 list. I would maybe consider Tara in exchange for Joyce, but I had stronger emotions with "The Body" verses when Tara died.

I would also consider Wesley but after rewatching Angel recently, I felt like he kind of died with Fred. It was more sad but comforting thinking that they were finally together.

A_Leaf | October 26, 19:33 CET

Josswhedonicide, heh!

floofypooh | October 26, 19:48 CET

Whedocide - you used to be able to buy it in feed stores.

brinderwalt | October 26, 20:02 CET

NO Tara? Unreal- the comment here is "tragic." Joyce's death was not tragic. Tara's was.

Dana5140 | October 26, 20:44 CET

Does Joss really get credit for Coulson's death? It was one of the events Joss was told he had to do. According to the commentary it was on a checklist given to Joss by the film backers, along with events like "Ironman and Thor must fight". Now killing Walsh was Joss's idea.

Passion | October 26, 20:47 CET

Joyce's death was not tragic. Tara's was.

I'd say that's a matter of opinion. I found both deaths tragic, but Buffy's loss of her mother and the aftermath depicted in The Body are agonizing to me.

[ edited by ActualSize on 2012-10-26 22:03 ]

ActualSize | October 26, 20:55 CET

I disagree that Coulson's death was tragic. It was badass! He went out like a real hero. It's pretty easy to be heroic when you're a demi-god, a super soldier, wearing powered armor, or are a humongous rage monster. But Coulson was just a man and in facing Loki showed more character and bravery than any of the Avengers....

mbeauparland | October 26, 21:05 CET

I think apart from Jenny's*, I don't think any of the deaths was a tragedy**.

*shock of the new
**though Penny's was still a surprise, I never learn

Simon | October 26, 21:44 CET

I agree with the list a lot, but I would have made Fred's #1. I would have included Tara's and Jenny's as well. Maybe Giles'. I like that Kitty's was mentioned. Her "death" was one of the best comic book moments I've ever read.

Fred_Sonja | October 26, 21:53 CET

I am in total agreement with others that Tara's death was far more "tragic" than Joyce's was (I am also peeved that they couldn't bother to list her as Joyce instead of Buffy's mom...but anyway). I've always felt that part of why "The Body" is so moving lies in its representation of the eerie ordinariness of death, the mundane details that keep going on around us despite the cataclysm that's just happened to us emotionally. Doesn't Joss say something to that effect on the commentary about experiencing this w/ the death of a loved one in his own life? It's going to happen to us, it's a regular part of things, and we can sob and scream all we want, but life goes on. That's not tragedy to me. That's eventuality. Still very scary and, in the way Joss handles it, devastating, but not tragic.

Makes me wonder if I need an element of irony in a death for it to feel tragic. The joyous glee of watching Tara and Willow get to be happy together. "Your shirt." The opposite of what I expected. Gut punch. Tragic death.

Mare | October 26, 22:11 CET

I know this is nerdy nitpicking, but when I saw that they'd used a shot from Tucker&Dale instead of a picture of the actual character that they were talking about, I just stopped caring :p

UnderTheDark | October 26, 22:33 CET

Oh, that headline had me worried.

daylight | October 26, 22:34 CET

tragedy: a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.

Dana5140 | October 26, 23:12 CET

UnderTheDark: I thought the same thing.

mouse | October 27, 00:48 CET

I liked Tara and all, but her death was an inevitability. So while the means was a bit shocking, the actual occurrence wasn't. Tara just didn't have a lot going on outside of being Willow's lover so she never felt like more than a plot device most of the time. Joyce, on the other hand, was a constant presence on the show who just seemed like she'd always be there when Buffy needed her. And then one day, she wasn't. The means wasn't shocking, but the occurrence kind of was.

IMO of course.

RogueScribner | October 27, 01:20 CET

Winifred is way too low on this list. It's just my opinion, but that and Joyce, and Tara were all played for maximum emotional value. Acker/Denisof still break me down every time I see that scene. I can't say the same about any others except for maybe the aftermath of The Body.

Wash is too high and Topher was sacrificial and a little more Buffy S5/Spike S7 final episode-esque. Unless we're just saying people dying qualifies as tragedy, in which case Holland Manners needs to be on that list because I loved to hate that guy.

azzers | October 27, 01:32 CET

Seriously though, "Buffy's Mom"? Seems kind of disrespectful to list her like that instead of "Joyce Summers."

libradude | October 27, 02:30 CET

I'm sorry, but I think we've all been trolled.

jclemens | October 27, 02:31 CET

It does mention Tara and Spike. Obviously, the author has great affection (love even) for Joss and his characters.

``Joss Whedon's insatiable bloodlust knows no bounds.``

I might get that on a teeshirt. ;)

redeem147 | October 27, 16:09 CET

Cordelia wouldn't count for the same reason Angel, Buffy, and SPike don't. It was a fakeout, not the end of the character. That's "mah" story and Ah'm stickin' to it.

I never really got into the Serenifly characters, and anyway saw the feature before I saw the show, but it's kind of like Larry and Anya; killing someone else off to show that it can happen and often does.

I wish I were more of an aestheic philosopher or trained critic. the fact that Willow-Tara and Wesley-Fred are arguably the most gut-wrenching relationships in the Buffyverse and that a principal actor in each are married in real life seems like it could be milked for a message of significance.

DaddyCatALSO | October 27, 19:20 CET

...and if the list has to include a character from each of his series, I think I have to go with Bennett over Topher's death which is more of a heroic sacrifice. After much pain and betrayal (including the loss of a limb) she finally has a spark of happiness with Topher and is brutally shot in the head in front of him. Witnessing that horrific act also begins Topher slow descent into insanity.

The Act corrupts Whiskey causing Claire Saunders to be cast out for the slime Clyde (co-founder of Rossum), delays the restoration of Caroline resulting in a trip to Rossum HQ and the loss of November, eventually destroys the mind of Topher, and kills Summer Glau.

[ edited by guardian_owl on 2012-10-28 06:32 ]

guardian_owl | October 28, 06:31 CET

My list would have included Tara, Wesley and Giles. :(

cheryl | October 28, 15:55 CET

I think Buffy killing Angel will always be the most emotional death scene for me personally.

SmileTime | October 29, 09:59 CET