The Heartbreaking Scene Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer That Still Makes Fans Choke Up

Season 6 of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was arguably one of the darkest seasons of the show. The years of high school far behind them, the characters of "Buffy" dealt with loss, pain, and grief. Previous seasons already explored harsh realities such as dealing with the pain of losing someone close to you, but Season 6 took this to another level. "Buffy" changed TV with its stance on girl power, which later turned into indictments on assault. This largely had to do with Marti Noxon taking over showrunner duties from Joss Whedon during seasons 6 and 7, per Deadline. Noxon often portrays women dealing with complex emotions, as proven by her adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel "Sharp Objects." 

Season 6 of "Buffy" starts with Buffy literally digging herself out of her own grave, and it only gets darker from there. Her storyline for the season was about overcoming her self-loathing and learning to live again, but in between, she struggled more than any other character. One scene in particular still has the power to make fans choke up, though there is a lot of context needed to understand why the scene is so sad.

Buffy's self-hatred starts when she is brought back from the dead. At the end of Season 5, Buffy sacrifices herself to save the world. To close a portal to hell dimensions, she throws herself off a tower, knowing her blood will close the portal. This was for the greater good, but her friends decide they can't let her stay dead. Willow in particular is convinced that Buffy is trapped in a hell dimension.

We eventually realize this is not the case. After they go to extreme measures to bring Buffy back to life, they learn that she was in Heaven the whole time. Her friends ripped her out of the happiest place she had been in just to live in a world that is difficult and ugly. From then on, Buffy struggles with resentment toward her friends. Season 6 is largely a metaphor for depression: One symptom of this is her sexual relationship with Spike, a vampire. Determined to feel something again, Buffy and Spike start sleeping together — but the relationship is violent. 

Buffy understands that what she is doing is toxic. She assumes that because Spike can hurt her without being stopped by his behavior-modifying chip that she is wrong in some way. In the Season 6 episode titled "Dead Things," Buffy asks her friend Tara to investigate and see if there is something wrong with her. Tara assures Buffy that she is the same that she ever was, but is startled when this news doesn't comfort her. Buffy feels there must be something wrong with her because of the sexual nature of her relationship with Spike, and how she is using him to make herself feel better.

When fans talk about their favorite "Buffy" characters on forums like Reddit, Tara is often regarded as the kindest and most empathetic character on the show. She understands that Buffy is going through a lot and doesn't look at her any differently. This moment ends the episode. It is so heartbreaking because Tara genuinely wants to help Buffy, but Buffy cannot forgive herself. Sobbing, she even begs Tara not to forgive her because Buffy hates herself. This emotional moment resonated with fans, as shown when Redditor BebeChaton stated: "this part chokes me up every time." 

Buffy has long been the strongest character on the show, but even she can display vulnerability. Watching Buffy break down in this way is emotionally resonant and devastating, because Buffy has never felt so low.