So Kacey’s Harry Potter marathon sounded pretty epic and here I am writing about death on TV. To make up for it, I promise to follow it with a post about how many things on Fringe keep reminding me of Alias… but only after I finish season 3. So for now, we’re talking death on TV.
After reading a recent Hypable article about worst character deaths (which made some very good points, even if I didn’t agree with all of it), I was thinking, if those were among the worst, then what were the, hmm… I don’t want to say “best” for this post, so let’s go with most intense. You know what I’m talking about, either jaw dropping shock, or when you know it's coming but still sob through it. I could have just done a list from Joss Whedon shows (guy is not afraid to kill of characters, on Buffy alone there could be a whole post) but opted to make it a little more well-rounded. Here’s what I got:
Dawson's Creek - The Creek (as I like to call it) broke our hearts more than a few times, but never more than with the loss of Dawson's dad Mitch and then again in the finale with the death of Jen. The first was out of nowhere with a car accident that led even Gram to note that she and the Lord were not on speaking terms this week. This man, reconciled with his wife with a new baby on the way was taken quickly, with the audience caught completely off guard. For the series finale we were transported five years into the future (they had accomplished quite a bit in those short years...hmmm) only to lose Jen to an incurable disease. We sobbed along with her friends, especially Jack, who was the logical choice (with his partner, Pacey's brother Doug) to take care of Jen's now parentless child. They just wanted to give us one last emotional roller coaster, and I don't recall a dry eye in the college apartment where I watched the show.
ER - There was no surprise here, Dr. Green had been sick, the previews for the episode had been clear, we knew Anthony Edwards was leaving, but the episode still delivered an emotional punch to the stomach as Dr. Mark Green flew to Hawaii with his family for his final days. For me this was yet another episode viewed in college, only this time it was the entire lobby in the dorm that sat around watching through the tears.
NCIS - The death of Kate was a pretty bold move for this show in its second season. Killing off one of your main characters? So soon? Just as we made it through Tony getting the plague, we are immediately dealt the loss of Kate, which still haunts our surviving main characters to this day. A few years later, to show they still weren't afraid to make big changes, the writers killed off Jenny, leaving the rest of the team to pick up the pieces, and leaving the audience searching for that damn box of tissue. Of course, this gamble paid off as we still sit around in fear week after week that one of our favorite characters might disappear at any moment.
The West Wing - We mourned the loss of Mrs. Landingham right along with President Bartlett, as Aaron Sorkin's writing made us feel like we too were losing a member of our team. However nothing could prepare us for the end of season seven when real life impacted the show in a heart-wrenching manner. Actor John Spencer passed away unexpectedly late in the season of the show's final year. Spencer's Leo McGary had been a pivotal and beloved part of the show, both as Bartlett's chief of staff and later as Matt Santos' running mate. We went from jubilation after a Santos/McGary win to utter devastation as both cast and characters dealt with this tragedy. Again, Sorkin left no dry eyes in the audience as he put forward a fitting tribute.
Angel - And we come to the first Joss Whedon series to make my list (note: Firefly was omitted because the major deaths came in the film, not on TV, and Dollhouse is omitted because Kacey needs to watch it, and Dr. Horrible is really a mini-movie… but you see why I could just write a post about how Whedon shows will leave you mourning the characters you love most) The death of Cordelia was covered well in the Hypable article mentioned at the start of this post. And I have to agree that overall, Cordy's demise was disappointing. However, the season 5 episode where she made one last appearance that confirmed she really was gone was very well done, and a far more appropriate end for the character who showed us that even the bitchiest popular girl can grow up and grow a heart. Mere episodes later, however, just when Wesley & Fred finally get together we are devastated by Fred’s death along with all the boys on the show who loved her. Leave it to Whedon to break our hearts by the death of a beloved character, yet manage to keep the actress in the show. Amy Acker's performance in that episode should have won her awards as her shift from Fred to Ilyria was flawless.
Buffy - Did anyone not die on this show? To highlight that epic battles don't just take extras we lose Anya and Spike in the finale. Anya dies fighting the good fight, after having come a long way from season 3 where she flees prior to the ascension. Spike bravely sacrifices himself, putting his season 7 soul to good use. Thankfully he came back to life on Angel the following season. A world without Spike is too much to take, and we clearly needed him in the season 8 comic. Tara's death at the end of season 6 almost destroyed Willow (and the world), but surprisingly it was Dawn's reaction to it that broke my heart. That depressing season was just starting to look up when they laid that tragedy on us. Buffy died twice, the first only briefly, but in the season 5 finale our heroine gave it all up for her sister (and the world) in a finale fitting of a season full of tears. However two deaths were more powerful than all the rest. The first was the death of Angel at the end of season 2 (even though he comes back in the next season). Season 2 is brilliant, both as a whole and it also contains some of my favorite stand-alone episodes (Halloween, I Only Have Eyes For You, Passion), but none better than the two part finale. Joyce finds out about vampires, Giles kidnapped, Kendra murdered, Willow in the hospital, Buffy kicked out of school, an alliance with Spike, all leading to an epic battle with Angel. But it's not enough to just let it be a normal battle. At the last second, or more accurately a few seconds too late, Angel's soul is restored. Buffy has no choice but to kill the love of her life and save the world. No wonder she ran away, wouldn't you? It has taken years of re-watching to get to a point where I am desensitized enough to not sob through the end of that season. I cannot, however, make it through the brilliantly devastating episode, The Body, where our heroine loses her mom, Joyce, without heavy sobbing. Who knew that the loss of a character you didn't even think you liked that much would be the most powerful episode (although she did grow on me a little that season, Whedon probably did that on purpose). It was the performance of all the survivors that was heartbreaking. So used to fighting evil and demons, they are at a loss on how to deal with what they cannot defeat with weapons and magic.
Not included on this countdown, but contemplated: Lost (because everyone dies)... among other shows (The O.C., Alias, Once Upon a Time, and I'm sure others...)
Final thought on TV deaths and internet spoilers: There have been a number of significant deaths on shows I either don't watch or am not current with, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and I can't help but notice how the internet has changed the way that we watch these shows. On the one hand, I can choose to watch these shows later in life, either on Netflix or some other method of online streaming, or on DVD. On the other, as someone who reads a lot of entertainment news online and uses Twitter, it is nearly impossible to avoid spoilers when the deaths are particularly shocking (ex: Boardwalk Empire). My parents, they can watch any of these shows and be completely shocked when the big deaths happen, but I have to make an effort to avoid knowing who is going to die in Game of Thrones before I find the time to attempt to read the massive series. I could just spend less time online. But that's not going to happen.
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