The Silent Episode

Like last year, for the month of October, I’ve opted to shift some key elements of this blog. I’ll be paying homage to my favorite television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer by dedicating each post to reflections on specific episodes of the show. Moreover, to cram in more BtVS ramblings, I’m foregoing my typical every-other-week posting schedule in favor of posting every weekend.

If you’re a fan of the show, I hope you’ll enjoy these looks back, and if you’re not, maybe I’ll incentivize you to give it a shot. If you find yourself someplace in between—e.g., you’re currently watching the show, please note that these posts will include spoilers about the episode(s) they discuss.

And, if you’re just not interested in Buffy, apologies, but this just isn’t your month. I will be back for a more typical blog post around Halloween, and resume the routine going into November.

This week, I’m looking at “Hush.”

"Hush" may be the most famous episode of BtVS, sharing a novelty factor with episodes like the musical “Once More, With Feeling,” for its quirky, largely dialogue-less dynamic. It also has the benefit of being the episode unique and good enough to break genre biases and earn Buffy its lone Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing.

"Hush" isn't my favorite Buffy, but it is a bright spot among season four (nobody’s favorite season). Moreover, akin to the “Conversations with Dead People” episode discussed last week, it’s that oddball episode amidst a horror-tinged series that actually is pretty scary, anchored around the creepy Gentlemen as the monster of the week--pale-faced, skinny ghouls who rob victims of their ability to make sound to facilitate killing them.

More than a well-executed gimmick or an episode featuring a compelling unit of bad guys, “Hush” is one of those episodes that both works quite well in isolation and is also vital to mythology. Sure, there’s a terrifically bold masturbation-themed sight gag (in which speechless Buddy pantomimes staking the Gentlemen and everyone misreads her hand gesture), but this is more importantly the episode that most concretely ushers Willow and Tara toward couple-dom, and that forces the reveal to Buffy and Riley that each are fighters against mystical forces of evil--a shared epiphany that leaves both speechless immediately after they are able to speak again.

So it is that “Hush” works well in conversation with aforementioned “Once More, With Feeling.” The latter hinges on the premise that everyone must not only sing, but sing their truths. The former underscores that the most profound truths are often those that go unspoken, and that these truths are most evident without the din of a bunch of chatter to distract us from them.