Buffy The Vampire Slayer, “Killed By Death" Review (2x18)

Brief Synopsis: “When Buffy is admitted to hospital with a raging fever, she meets Ryan, a young boy who has the same flu virus. Ryan claims that the sick children in the hospital are being persecuted by a monster that may be death himself.”

"Passion" (2x17) quick link here                                                                             "I Only Have Eyes For You" (2x19) quick link here


Two quick notes before we get started...

1)    I will be reviewing the episodes in bullet point form. This is because it makes the reviews simple to read, and helps break up the text.
2)    If you are watching the show for the first time along with these reviews, please be warned that there may be a few spoilers for things that haven’t happened yet.

With that being said, let’s get started, shall we? 



•    Before we get started on this review, I’d like to tell you a story. A story I like to call “Shangel: Watcher Of The Vampyrs”. It’s the story of how I discovered the Buffyverse. I was a young eight-year-old child growing up in Gloucestershire, England, and a few months previous to my discovery, my parents separated. It was a messy break-up, as my father cheated on my mother and left her for a sixteen-year-old ‘woman’. Obviously, for months and months after this my family was divided and it was total chaos. Even at such a young age I needed an escape from the turbulence that surrounded me. My first outlet was wrestling (specifically WWE (then WWF) and WCW), which I spent countless hours glued to. Wrestling satisfied my needs for a distraction, but it didn’t allow me to process or deal with the ball of emotion that I was feeling inside of myself. I sat down one evening to watch the usual run of programmes that aired on BBC Two: “The Simpsons” and “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air”. Due to laziness on my part, I couldn’t be bothered to get up and change the channel, so I just let the next show start. The show opened with a young, beautiful blonde girl fighting in a graveyard. By the end of the cold-opener the blonde girl had passed out, the opening theme music had kicked in, and my life was changed forever. “Killed By Death” was the very first episode of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” that I watched. It was during its first airing on BBC Two. It terrified me, I loved it, and I never missed an episode for the next six years.

Ironically, two years later my mum allowed me to stay up late to watch my first ever ‘uncut’ version of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, which used to air late on a Friday night over here in England. That episode turned out to be “Hush”. So, my first ever episode and my first ‘uncut’ episode were arguably the two scariest episodes of the entire seven year run! Poor little Shangel. He didn’t sleep for a few nights.

Let’s start the actual review now...

•    Cordelia: “We’re all concerned about how gross you look.”

Cordelia Chase, everybody. Charming as ever.

•    Buffy being absolutely terrified of hospitals was surprising, but it was a great addition to the episode. Seeing Buffy so vulnerable was an interesting change of pace. Plus the whole “death and disease are the only things that Buffy can’t defeat” concept was another superb addition. Even with all of Buffy’s superpowers, all of her strength, she can’t stop death. She can’t fight the inevitable. It’s a tough lesson that Buffy learns over and over again as she grows up.
•    The timing of this episode isn’t a coincidence. Jenny’s death is still very much on our minds after the last episode. Jenny’s murder was the first instance of Buffy having to face the fact that she can’t stop death. “Killed By Death” explores death by giving us “Der Kindestod”, who is not-so-subtly nicknamed ‘Death’. Der Kindestod gives Buffy the opportunity to try to alleviate some of the guilt she feels over Angelus murdering Jenny. It also gives Giles his first chance to openly try to accept Jenny’s death and move on from it.
•    Joyce telling Giles that she was sorry about Jenny’s death was really heart-warming. Joyce is such a fantastic person. She’s so caring and empathetic! I’ve always loved Giles and Joyce’s relationship. Why did they never get together?! Or at least have an affair! Giles is lonely for most of his time on the show; Joyce is lonely for most of her time on the show....smush them together!
•    This episode is another example of the musical score making it much, much more memorable. It’s creepy, it’s eerie, and it captures the emotion of the episode perfectly.

•    Ryan: “He’ll come back for us.”
     Buffy: “Who?”
     Ryan: “Death.”

That exchange still gives me shivers. I think the fact that it’s a small child saying it makes it all the more memorable.

•    Angel is right; Xander is Buffy’s white knight. I know Xander is in love with Buffy at this point, but he’s such a good guy to her (I’m excluding a few of his questionable decisions surrounding Angel). Even with those questionable decisions taken into account, it’s clear that Xander would do anything to protect Buffy...so props for that! Xander knows that Angelus would kill him if it came to a fight, yet he’s there protecting Buffy anyway. I don’t think Xander gets enough credit in the earlier seasons for his heroic actions. Perhaps it’s because of some of the silly decisions he makes. I don’t think that should take away from the fantastic things he does at the same time, though.
•    It’s also interesting to note that Xander’s “You’re gonna die, and I’m gonna be there” comes true in “The Wish”.
•    Cordelia: “I was out of the loop on gifts.”
     Giles: “It’s traditional amongst....people.”

There is a lot of highly entertaining banter between Giles and Cordelia in this episode. They haven’t had a great deal of interaction before “Killed By Death”, which is a shame because they work so well together. Complete polar-opposites of one another.

•    Giles’ face when he says “after...after Jenny”. ANTHONY HEAD IS SO TALENTED! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not someone who cries a lot. At all. However, the Buffyverse has me blubbering on a frequent basis. It doesn’t matter if it’s an episode that I’ve seen 50 times, I’ll still bawl my eyes out at it. It’s a testament to the quality of writing, acting, directing, and music, that they can invoke such powerful emotions out of people on such a consistent basis. I’ve never encountered another show that can do that like “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” are able to.

•    Xander watching Cordy’s “back” was yet another great little moment to break up all the drama, emotion, and sheer terror of this episode. I’m sure a lot of people have enjoyed watching Cordelia’s “back” over the years.

Whilst we’re on the subject of Cordelia and Xander, it is so refreshing to see some more development for their relationship! Cordelia is genuinely jealous that Xander puts Buffy before her. Xander is genuinely jealous at Cordelia flirting with the security guard. For a relationship that started out of nothing but lust, it’s wonderful character progression that genuine feelings seem to have been developed.

•    Ryan: “You can’t fight death.”

Again, I love this line coming from a child. Hearing those words come out of someone so innocent is horrific. I love this line because it has two completely different meanings. Firstly, as we established earlier, Buffy can’t fight death. Secondly, Buffy can’t fight the monster-of-the-week, Der Kindestod, because she can’t see him.
 
•    Having Dr. Backer killed by Der Kindestod, but the viewers not being able to see Der Kindestod, was another superb addition. We are seeing the scene through Buffy’s eyes, which makes it all the more disturbing. I’m always drawn to scenes that are showing us exactly what a character is seeing. Angelus in “Passion” is another terrific example of this.
•    Xander: “Cordy, you should go with Giles.”
     Giles: “Why do I have to have(?!)...umm, good thinking.”

Gut = Busted. It’s nice that an episode that has so much drama also has some genuine comedy. It’s a recurring theme throughout the Buffyverse. Giles’ face as he says it, and Cordelia reaction, are amazing. I can’t possibly begin to imagine why Giles doesn’t want Cordelia as a research assistant...

•    I thought that it was a great touch by the writers to have Buffy needing a fever in order to see Der Kindestod. It adds a new dimension to the episode because Buffy has to be severely weakened in order to fight him. She’s at a huge disadvantage for once. Also, the prospect of a monster that only children and the extremely sick can see is disturbing. Now all they need to do is create a monster that only old people can see, and I’ll be able to die terrified.

•    How did the writers come up with this idea in the first place? “You know what would be really fun? An episode where there’s a traumatically creepy demon with no pupils that only children can see. The demon’s eyes could pop out of its head and suck the life-force out of children! Sound good?” WHY?! WHY DO DER KINDESTOD’S EYES POP OUT? WHY MUST YOU INFLICT THIS UPON THE WORLD?! Seriously, Whedon, you are responsible for bringing this into the world, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?! :-

I’m of the opinion that Der Kindestod is in the top 3 creepiest, scariest monsters of Buffy’s seven-year run on television. The other two would be The Gentlemen and Gnarl (curse you, Camden Toy!)


•    I’m not a fan of the Celia aspect of the story. In the confines of this episode it works well because it gives Buffy another reason to want to kill Der Kindestod.  However, it never really feels like it fits. It feels like it was created solely for the purpose of this episode. It doesn’t fit into any of Buffy’s backstory that has been established thus far. Celia is never mentioned before this episode and is never mentioned again. It makes this traumatic event seem insignificant and pointless.
•    Having almost an entire episode set in a hospital was unique and a welcomed changed of pace. As much as I adore the library and Buffy’s home, sometimes another setting does wonders for making a story seem different.
•    This was the perfect timing for a stand-alone episode, by the way. After the intensity of “Passion”, the main story arc needed a break to cool down before it picked up again in “I Only Have Eyes For You”.
•    Willow’s fake frog-fear (say that ten times fast when drunk) spazz-attack was arguably the best part of this episode. How can anyone not love Willow?
•    Der Kindestod’s EYES POPPING OUT terrified me as a child. In a lot of ways this episode is every child’s nightmare. A monster stalking them that only they can see. If they tell an adult, the adult won’t believe them because they can’t see the monster themselves. UGH. Why, Whedon, why?  I’ve figured out why! This entire episode is a metaphor for Joss Whedon! Der Kindestod lives off of the life-force and fear of children. Joss Whedon grows stronger and more powerful every time he makes a member of his audience cry or feel miserable. Joss lives off the life-force of his audience! DER KINDESJOSS! DER WHEDONSTOD!

•    Der Kindestod died too easily for my liking. Buffy was weakened and had a personal history with him, and he died after about 20 seconds of fighting. Much like Gachnar in season four’s “Fear Itself”, Der Kindestod was built up to be far more than he was ultimately. The only difference is that Gachnar was intentionally built up to be more than he was for comedic purposes.
•    Xander: “I heard something snap.”
     Buffy: “That would be his neck.”
     Xander: “You’re not gonna yack on me, are you?”

•    The scene to close out the episode is a joy to watch. I love scenes where the Scoobies are hanging out and there is no disaster looming. The Scoobies just being teenagers and having fun is always such a pleasure because it’s so rare in the Buffyverse. Plus, seeing Joyce mothering all three Scoobies makes me so indescribably happy that I could vomit rainbows and unicorns. After you’ve seen the later seasons of the show, you know that Willow and Xander both have strained relationships with their own mothers. I think you need to have seen “Gingerbread” and “Hell’s Bells” to really appreciate this scene. Joyce has become not only a fantastic mother to Buffy, but she’s also fulfilling needs for Xander and Willow that they aren’t receiving from their own parents.
•    Xander: “And another bag of cheesy chips.”

I love that Xander knows where Joyce has hidden things. The little snoop.

•    Ryan’s drawing is perfection.
•    To conclude, this episode tells a great story and is pretty damn decent in its own right. It was never going to live up to “Passion”, because “Passion” was so groundbreaking and flawless, but “Killed By Death” is an excellent addition to the Buffyverse. 


Quote Of The Episode

Cordelia: “What does this do?”

Giles: “It, uh, extracts vital organs to replenish its own mutating cells.”

Cordelia: “Wow! What does this one do?”

Giles: “Um, it elongates its mouth to engulf its victim's head with its incisors.”

Cordelia: “Ouch. Wait, what does this one do?”

Giles: “It asks endless questions of those with whom it's supposed to be working so that nothing is getting done.”

Cordelia:  “Boy, there's a demon for everything.”


Oblivious, thy name is Cordelia. 


FINAL SCORE: 7/10

So what are your thoughts on "Killed By Death"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

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