Buffy 4.10: "Hush"
Written by Joss Whedon
Directed by Joss Whedon
In which Sunnydale is struck by a group of fairy-tale Gentlemen, who steal the voices of everyone in town in their quest to find and extract seven hearts from live but silent victims…
Status Report
Earlier in the season, it took Joss Whedon to bring the plot and character threads back on task with “Fear, Itself”. This episode is something of a mid-course correction, as the lines of communication continue to break down within the gang and questions of self-identity continue to percolate under the surface. Joss explores the concept of silence, and how the ability to talk does not translate into the ability to communicate. Or, in terms of the episode itself, “actions speak louder than words”.
The episode begins with one of Buffy’s psychic dreams, which is never a good sign. Creepy nursery rhymes about “The Gentlemen” are bad enough, but she’s also having dreams about Riley and presumably what she’d really like him to do. This indicates that Buffy is still trying to convince herself about her attraction to Riley, but she can’t put it into words or coherent thought. It’s part of Buffy’s ongoing self-identity crisis: what does she really want, and why can’t she find a way to get it?
She’s also having the dream in the middle of class, which is another bad sign, but it gives Riley a good excuse for some small talk. Of course, that’s the problem: it’s all small talk. Both of them are leading secret lives, and so they have to lie to one another about their lack of availability. This is killing the relationship before it even gets a fair chance to start, and while they both realize it, they can’t seem to break the silence.
Spike continues to be Giles’ houseguest, a situation which is always good for a laugh. Spike is basically eating Giles out of house and home, which is damned funny, since vampires aren’t supposed to enjoy food (or so it seems in the “Angel” episode “I Will Remember You”). Not only does Spike ignore Giles, but Xander and Anya have their little spat right in front of him, with no regard for his privacy. Considering that Anya is complaining that Xander doesn’t tell her how much he cares for her, little time is wasted getting the message across. These people are all interacting, but the lines of communication are all but gone.
Enter Tara, who seems to have communication issues of her own. It’s not a mistake that Tara was introduced at this point in the season, or that Joss was the one who wrote her introduction. Volumes could be written about the metaphorical concepts expressed in that relationship, even from the very beginning. In this case, it’s about Tara’s psychological barriers to communication; her self-esteem has been rendered so small that she doesn’t even try to make herself heard anymore. (At this point, one wonders if Tara has adopted her unique appearance as a means of expressing herself without words.)
Willow notices Tara, but she’s just as guilty of not hearing the words being spoken at the Wicca group meeting. The writers, including Joss, have always made gross errors in the depiction of pagan and Wiccan beliefs. For instance, Willow constantly refers to her explorations into magic as studying the “dark arts”. In this episode, she mocks the Wicca group for speaking about positive energy, blessings, and Gaian concepts. Willow makes it sound like they’re all on the wrong page, but as later season would aptly demonstrate, Willow is the one walking on the wrong path.
It’s hard to know if this was intentional or not, since the writers never make it very clear. Giles ought to know the difference, and when he warns Willow about the magic she’s trying to wield, that might be intended to communicate his concerns about her path. But it’s never said outright, making it seem as though the writers don’t understand the distinctions. Intentional or not, this episode shows Willow ignoring certain key aspects of the faith she believes she’s following, thus reinforcing the commentary on lack of communication and willful ignorance.
Before the festivities begin, Olivia arrives at Giles’ pad, something that would only happen a couple of times and only in Joss’ episodes. Olivia works for the current episode, and one guesses that Joss felt the need to give some relatively minor sense of closure, having introduced the character that never caught on with the rest of the writing staff. While it’s a shame that such an attempt at diversity failed, there’s a good reason for it: there was absolutely no screen chemistry between them.
That’s the extent of the setup, because Joss doesn’t waste much time getting to the heart of the episode. How the “gimmick” in this episode is handled delineates the difference between “Buffy” and most other series on television. Like “Once More, With Feeling” in the sixth season, this episode uses the conceit of a “silent episode” as a vehicle for character exploration and development. The episode is good enough on its own, but in terms of the season as a whole, it’s a critical point in the arc.
Joss understands that it’s better to give the audience a glimpse of the villain before the full reveal, so that the overall effect of the sudden inability to speak sinks in before the depth of the danger becomes apparent. There are few things more annoying than the inability to communicate directly through speech, especially when one has come to rely on that ability for the simplest of tasks. When it’s just one person with laryngitis, it’s bad enough; an entire town with laryngitis is a nightmare in and of itself.
The characters all react different, in keeping with their personalities. Buffy and Willow take the practical route, and immediately try to understand what’s happening. Xander blames Spike, who gets to toss off a profane British gesture without the censors realizing it. Riley and Forrest make their way to the Initiative base, but in their mild panic, they almost get themselves killed when they can’t pass the voice recognition part of the security protocol.
The entire town is stunned, which says a lot, since people seemed to shrug off the Giant Demon Snake attack at Graduation rather quickly. When a student drops a glass bottle in the middle of a room, it clearly communicates the terrifying extent of the silence. It’s not at all surprising that the liquor store is getting major business, or that smart profit-driven individuals immediately use the crisis to sell wipe boards for a neatly inflated price.
The gang comes together at Giles’ apartment, and they manage to catch a news report from Los Angeles. It’s rare for the writers to address how the rest of the world reacts to the news out of Sunnydale, but in this case, it’s rather revealing. Someone in the PR department of town government has a lot of experience with generating semi-rational explanations, it seems! The Mayor’s staff is probably still working on damage control, since the new Mayor would likely want to maintain some semblance of status quo. Whatever the case, the outside world, through spin control, gets to rationalize the strange happenings in Sunnydale as much as the local population.
Also interesting is the response of the Initiative. The full nature of the Initiative has only been hinted at by this point in the season, but Professor Walsh mentions the fact that their operations would be a “military presence”. This confirms the early suspicions that there are those outside of Sunnydale, particularly in the intelligence and military communities, who are aware of the presence of demonic creatures on the planet. They also know that Sunnydale is a focal point of demonic activity, and it’s rather easy to believe that the military would want to study and utilize demon biology for “special projects”.
Even before they run into each other in an official capacity, Buffy and Riley demonstrate how well they complement each other. Without words to get in the way, it’s easy for them to kiss and show affection, since they don’t have to lie to one another. This is where Joss’ intention begins to take shape, as the characters slowly but surely begin revealing what they normally find so hard to say with words.
With the reactions of the human (and, to a certain extent, demon) population covered, it’s time to introduce the Gentlemen themselves. Though reminiscent of similar figures in “Dark City”, the Gentlemen are memorable on their own. Their overly polite mannerisms are incredibly creepy, especially when they bear down on their victims with violent intent. This is also a moment in the episode where the evocative score by Chris Beck really shines, giving the proceedings the scope of a fairy tale, epic and yet personally terrifying at the same time. It’s worth noting that the Gentlemen are easily one of the most unnerving creations of the entire Buffyverse.
Giles’ lecture is a masterpiece of comedy and exposition, all rolled into one. This could have been an intensely boring scene had it been written in any conventional sense, but the use of character is nearly perfect. It’s amazing how easily Giles’ mannerisms are communicated in his choice of music and slides (macabre and unique, to say the least), not to mention his expressions. Xander gets to show how far his mind is in the gutter, Anya displays an amazing amount of indifference, Willow assumes her typical role of eager student, and Buffy’s just worried about how to kill it (and correct Giles’ version of her waistline). This scene shows how well-crafted the characterization is for this series: one doesn’t even need dialogue to understand what makes each of them tick.
Inevitably, when Tara decides to go to Willow to attempt a few spells, she becomes one of the targets of the Gentlemen. Already, Tara is more than a little intrigued by Willow, especially since she recognizes that Willow has a great deal of power and the desire to use it. Her decision to go to Willow for help says a lot about her character. Like Riley, Tara begins with a great deal of potential; like Riley, she would later outlive her logical pertinence to the plot, when the writers decided to keep her beyond her intended departure. At this point, Tara is a young woman with low self-esteem but strong survival instincts, born of years of personal adversity.
The separate battles fought by Buffy and Riley (displaying their fighting skills in able fashion) inevitably bring them together. This is one of the moments that had been coming for a long time, and it makes this particular episode the perfect forum for it. Under normal circumstances, they would want to grill each other, but without the ability to speak, they’re forced to maintain the silence and simply work together. It’s a great moment for the season, since it changes everything.
As Buffy and Riley reveal the truth about each other in the course of their battle with the Gentlemen’s lackeys, Joss turns to the other characters who have been unable to speak their true feelings. When it seems like Spike has attacked Anya, Xander loses it, rather effectively beating Spike to a pulp. This is not the same Xander that couldn’t land a shot on Harmony earlier in the season! Anya realizes that Xander really does care about her, and in response, she rather crudely suggests they go celebrate. Giles, Olivia, and Spike are suitably horrified.
In a moment dripping with subtext, Tara and Willow become trapped in a laundry room. Tara doesn’t have the power to move a soda machine and bar the door on her own, but when she laces her fingers in Willow’s hand and they work together, the soda machine practically jumps through the wall. Both of them are stunned by the rush of power, and there’s the wide-eyed heaving of bosoms, which more than suggests the future of their character development. Tara manages to express her interest without a word.
Even though the emphasis is clearly on the character development, the final act doesn’t skimp on the action. Buffy and Riley have more than enough time to show off for one another, and in this particular instance, they are both rather competent fighters. (In later episodes, Buffy is clearly the one with more natural strength and endurance.) After a hilarious moment of miscommunication, Buffy gets to unleash a scream that is rather memorable in its length and effect. It’s just long enough for the audience to wonder, once it’s over, what everyone is going to do now that they have words again.
The conversation between Tara and Willow at the end of the episode reveals a certain amount of ignorance on Tara’s part, equal to the ignorance shown by Willow. In her case, it makes more sense, given the fact that the men in her family had battered the “evil witch” mantra into her head. Seeing someone like Willow, openly able to explore her ability and willing to share the journey, it’s not at all hard to understand why she would initially fail to consider the long-term consequences. Ironically, Tara’s the one that tells Willow she has the power that she would eventually abuse, largely at Tara’s objection.
The scene between Giles and Olivia seems designed to quietly remove her from the picture, since her character wasn’t working out the way that Joss might have liked. This is probably for the best, as it works to further isolate Giles and remind him why he was thinking of leaving Sunnydale. Jenny’s death represented a terrible cost for Giles, but he was invested in the situation as Buffy’s Watcher, and therefore the cost was associated to how he defined himself at the time. Now, however, the personal cost is largely self-inflicted, and Giles has to be questioning his choice to remain, given his limited role in Buffy’s life.
Like the previous two scenes, the scene between Buffy and Riley ends in silence. But in this case, the short conversation is drowning in it, as if neither of them can figure out how to discuss something that wasn’t a factor in the midst of life-or-death struggle. Silence is easier, which is entirely the point. When it comes time for words, Buffy and Riley are unable to find them. And as a result, the gulf between them remains.
The first three seasons gave Joss the platform for expanding his storytelling skills, and this episode is his attainment of another level of excellence. Joss had come a long way from the clunky pacing of the series premiere as it was, using a holiday theme on more than one occasion to implement character development and establish multiple concurrent plot threads. The same is achieved here, but with the added bonus of a high-concept premise to add to the challenge. The excellent work in this episode would lead to future experiments in format and style (“The Body”, “Once More, With Feeling”) and would ultimately inform his work on “Firefly”.
This episode also points out the talents of the entire production staff. The cast makes it very clear that don’t rely on the snappy dialogue to carry them along; each of them manages to stay completely in character without saying a word. While there are several production glitches throughout the episode (editing and scene continuity problems), they’re easy to overlook, since there’s so much to look at in every scene. Without the dialogue, one’s full attention is on the staging of every scene, and not once does it work against the episode. The music is perfect throughout.
“Hush” is easily the best episode of the season (with a few not far behind), and it’s clear that everyone involved with the fourth season is well aware of that fact. Nearly every reference to the fourth season mentions “Hush” prominently, and the design of the DVD set features the Gentlemen, despite the fact that they were completely unrelated to the season’s main villain. These accolades are well-deserved, since “Hush” perfectly captures the best aspects of the series in one complete package.
Memorable Quotes
(And also, Memorable Moments!)
WILLOW: “So, were you dreaming?”
BUFFY: “Yeah…it was kind of intense.”
RILEY: “Intense, really? ‘Cause you looked so peaceful…”
RILEY: “Tonight you have crude oil?”
BUFFY: “And homework. What about you?”
RILEY: “You know, grading papers…”
BUFFY: “That’ll be fun.”
RILEY: “Not ‘petroleum’ fun, but it passes the time…”
ANYA: “Oh, you mean an orgasm friend!”
GILES: “Yes, that’s exactly the most appalling thing you could have said…”
BUFFY: “No actual witches in your witch group?”
WILLOW: “No, bunch a wanna Blessed Bes!”
XANDER: “I happen to be very bitable, pal! I’m moist and delicious!”
SPIKE: “All right, yeah, fine…you’re a nummy treat…”
XANDER: “And don’t you forget it!”
OLIVIA: “The flight was a horror.”
GILES: “Bad weather?”
OLIVIA: “Baseball movie.”
- Spike’s little obscene gesture
- Xander trying to call Buffy on the phone, and Spike’s look of disgust at the stupidity
- Forrest writing “Come on, Come on” on his notepad, despite the fact that Riley’s not even looking at him!
- Professor Walsh pointing to the sign that reads “In Case of Emergency: Use Stairway”
- Buffy casually breaking the wrist of the man about to strike Riley
- The first good look at the Gentlemen, as they politely wave to each other as they part ways on the street
- The Gentleman sliding by the window as Olivia jumps back in terror
- The entire scene where the unfortunate resident of room 118 becomes the latest victim
- Anya casually eating popcorn throughout Giles’ presentation (but where did she get it from?)
- Xander mistaking Willow’s gestures as a reference to her chest
- Giles’ rather bizarre artistic style, which would come into play again in similar hysterical fashion in the seventh season
- Everyone mistaking Buffy’s attempt to pantomime staking a demon
- Buffy and Riley facing each other in their secret roles for the first time
- Anya’s ability to come up with the most crude hand gesture in the entire episode
- Willow’s magically heaving bosom. Tara’s magically heaving bosom. The heaving of bosoms in general!
- Riley’s exceptionally proud moment as he smashes the completely wrong object in the bell tower, and Buffy’s weary rolling of the eyes
RILEY: “Well…I guess we have to talk.”
BUFFY: “I guess we do.”
(Silence.)
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is a perfect example of everything that made “Buffy” work, from deep characterization to an exceptional visual style and musical force. Despite the lack of dialogue, the personalities of each character shine through. The Gentlemen are incredibly unnerving as one of the series’ most memorable villains. This is also the episode that introduces Tara, which for better or worse, would have a massive effect on future plot threads.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 4/4
Final Rating: 10/10
Directed by Joss Whedon
In which Sunnydale is struck by a group of fairy-tale Gentlemen, who steal the voices of everyone in town in their quest to find and extract seven hearts from live but silent victims…
Status Report
Earlier in the season, it took Joss Whedon to bring the plot and character threads back on task with “Fear, Itself”. This episode is something of a mid-course correction, as the lines of communication continue to break down within the gang and questions of self-identity continue to percolate under the surface. Joss explores the concept of silence, and how the ability to talk does not translate into the ability to communicate. Or, in terms of the episode itself, “actions speak louder than words”.
The episode begins with one of Buffy’s psychic dreams, which is never a good sign. Creepy nursery rhymes about “The Gentlemen” are bad enough, but she’s also having dreams about Riley and presumably what she’d really like him to do. This indicates that Buffy is still trying to convince herself about her attraction to Riley, but she can’t put it into words or coherent thought. It’s part of Buffy’s ongoing self-identity crisis: what does she really want, and why can’t she find a way to get it?
She’s also having the dream in the middle of class, which is another bad sign, but it gives Riley a good excuse for some small talk. Of course, that’s the problem: it’s all small talk. Both of them are leading secret lives, and so they have to lie to one another about their lack of availability. This is killing the relationship before it even gets a fair chance to start, and while they both realize it, they can’t seem to break the silence.
Spike continues to be Giles’ houseguest, a situation which is always good for a laugh. Spike is basically eating Giles out of house and home, which is damned funny, since vampires aren’t supposed to enjoy food (or so it seems in the “Angel” episode “I Will Remember You”). Not only does Spike ignore Giles, but Xander and Anya have their little spat right in front of him, with no regard for his privacy. Considering that Anya is complaining that Xander doesn’t tell her how much he cares for her, little time is wasted getting the message across. These people are all interacting, but the lines of communication are all but gone.
Enter Tara, who seems to have communication issues of her own. It’s not a mistake that Tara was introduced at this point in the season, or that Joss was the one who wrote her introduction. Volumes could be written about the metaphorical concepts expressed in that relationship, even from the very beginning. In this case, it’s about Tara’s psychological barriers to communication; her self-esteem has been rendered so small that she doesn’t even try to make herself heard anymore. (At this point, one wonders if Tara has adopted her unique appearance as a means of expressing herself without words.)
Willow notices Tara, but she’s just as guilty of not hearing the words being spoken at the Wicca group meeting. The writers, including Joss, have always made gross errors in the depiction of pagan and Wiccan beliefs. For instance, Willow constantly refers to her explorations into magic as studying the “dark arts”. In this episode, she mocks the Wicca group for speaking about positive energy, blessings, and Gaian concepts. Willow makes it sound like they’re all on the wrong page, but as later season would aptly demonstrate, Willow is the one walking on the wrong path.
It’s hard to know if this was intentional or not, since the writers never make it very clear. Giles ought to know the difference, and when he warns Willow about the magic she’s trying to wield, that might be intended to communicate his concerns about her path. But it’s never said outright, making it seem as though the writers don’t understand the distinctions. Intentional or not, this episode shows Willow ignoring certain key aspects of the faith she believes she’s following, thus reinforcing the commentary on lack of communication and willful ignorance.
Before the festivities begin, Olivia arrives at Giles’ pad, something that would only happen a couple of times and only in Joss’ episodes. Olivia works for the current episode, and one guesses that Joss felt the need to give some relatively minor sense of closure, having introduced the character that never caught on with the rest of the writing staff. While it’s a shame that such an attempt at diversity failed, there’s a good reason for it: there was absolutely no screen chemistry between them.
That’s the extent of the setup, because Joss doesn’t waste much time getting to the heart of the episode. How the “gimmick” in this episode is handled delineates the difference between “Buffy” and most other series on television. Like “Once More, With Feeling” in the sixth season, this episode uses the conceit of a “silent episode” as a vehicle for character exploration and development. The episode is good enough on its own, but in terms of the season as a whole, it’s a critical point in the arc.
Joss understands that it’s better to give the audience a glimpse of the villain before the full reveal, so that the overall effect of the sudden inability to speak sinks in before the depth of the danger becomes apparent. There are few things more annoying than the inability to communicate directly through speech, especially when one has come to rely on that ability for the simplest of tasks. When it’s just one person with laryngitis, it’s bad enough; an entire town with laryngitis is a nightmare in and of itself.
The characters all react different, in keeping with their personalities. Buffy and Willow take the practical route, and immediately try to understand what’s happening. Xander blames Spike, who gets to toss off a profane British gesture without the censors realizing it. Riley and Forrest make their way to the Initiative base, but in their mild panic, they almost get themselves killed when they can’t pass the voice recognition part of the security protocol.
The entire town is stunned, which says a lot, since people seemed to shrug off the Giant Demon Snake attack at Graduation rather quickly. When a student drops a glass bottle in the middle of a room, it clearly communicates the terrifying extent of the silence. It’s not at all surprising that the liquor store is getting major business, or that smart profit-driven individuals immediately use the crisis to sell wipe boards for a neatly inflated price.
The gang comes together at Giles’ apartment, and they manage to catch a news report from Los Angeles. It’s rare for the writers to address how the rest of the world reacts to the news out of Sunnydale, but in this case, it’s rather revealing. Someone in the PR department of town government has a lot of experience with generating semi-rational explanations, it seems! The Mayor’s staff is probably still working on damage control, since the new Mayor would likely want to maintain some semblance of status quo. Whatever the case, the outside world, through spin control, gets to rationalize the strange happenings in Sunnydale as much as the local population.
Also interesting is the response of the Initiative. The full nature of the Initiative has only been hinted at by this point in the season, but Professor Walsh mentions the fact that their operations would be a “military presence”. This confirms the early suspicions that there are those outside of Sunnydale, particularly in the intelligence and military communities, who are aware of the presence of demonic creatures on the planet. They also know that Sunnydale is a focal point of demonic activity, and it’s rather easy to believe that the military would want to study and utilize demon biology for “special projects”.
Even before they run into each other in an official capacity, Buffy and Riley demonstrate how well they complement each other. Without words to get in the way, it’s easy for them to kiss and show affection, since they don’t have to lie to one another. This is where Joss’ intention begins to take shape, as the characters slowly but surely begin revealing what they normally find so hard to say with words.
With the reactions of the human (and, to a certain extent, demon) population covered, it’s time to introduce the Gentlemen themselves. Though reminiscent of similar figures in “Dark City”, the Gentlemen are memorable on their own. Their overly polite mannerisms are incredibly creepy, especially when they bear down on their victims with violent intent. This is also a moment in the episode where the evocative score by Chris Beck really shines, giving the proceedings the scope of a fairy tale, epic and yet personally terrifying at the same time. It’s worth noting that the Gentlemen are easily one of the most unnerving creations of the entire Buffyverse.
Giles’ lecture is a masterpiece of comedy and exposition, all rolled into one. This could have been an intensely boring scene had it been written in any conventional sense, but the use of character is nearly perfect. It’s amazing how easily Giles’ mannerisms are communicated in his choice of music and slides (macabre and unique, to say the least), not to mention his expressions. Xander gets to show how far his mind is in the gutter, Anya displays an amazing amount of indifference, Willow assumes her typical role of eager student, and Buffy’s just worried about how to kill it (and correct Giles’ version of her waistline). This scene shows how well-crafted the characterization is for this series: one doesn’t even need dialogue to understand what makes each of them tick.
Inevitably, when Tara decides to go to Willow to attempt a few spells, she becomes one of the targets of the Gentlemen. Already, Tara is more than a little intrigued by Willow, especially since she recognizes that Willow has a great deal of power and the desire to use it. Her decision to go to Willow for help says a lot about her character. Like Riley, Tara begins with a great deal of potential; like Riley, she would later outlive her logical pertinence to the plot, when the writers decided to keep her beyond her intended departure. At this point, Tara is a young woman with low self-esteem but strong survival instincts, born of years of personal adversity.
The separate battles fought by Buffy and Riley (displaying their fighting skills in able fashion) inevitably bring them together. This is one of the moments that had been coming for a long time, and it makes this particular episode the perfect forum for it. Under normal circumstances, they would want to grill each other, but without the ability to speak, they’re forced to maintain the silence and simply work together. It’s a great moment for the season, since it changes everything.
As Buffy and Riley reveal the truth about each other in the course of their battle with the Gentlemen’s lackeys, Joss turns to the other characters who have been unable to speak their true feelings. When it seems like Spike has attacked Anya, Xander loses it, rather effectively beating Spike to a pulp. This is not the same Xander that couldn’t land a shot on Harmony earlier in the season! Anya realizes that Xander really does care about her, and in response, she rather crudely suggests they go celebrate. Giles, Olivia, and Spike are suitably horrified.
In a moment dripping with subtext, Tara and Willow become trapped in a laundry room. Tara doesn’t have the power to move a soda machine and bar the door on her own, but when she laces her fingers in Willow’s hand and they work together, the soda machine practically jumps through the wall. Both of them are stunned by the rush of power, and there’s the wide-eyed heaving of bosoms, which more than suggests the future of their character development. Tara manages to express her interest without a word.
Even though the emphasis is clearly on the character development, the final act doesn’t skimp on the action. Buffy and Riley have more than enough time to show off for one another, and in this particular instance, they are both rather competent fighters. (In later episodes, Buffy is clearly the one with more natural strength and endurance.) After a hilarious moment of miscommunication, Buffy gets to unleash a scream that is rather memorable in its length and effect. It’s just long enough for the audience to wonder, once it’s over, what everyone is going to do now that they have words again.
The conversation between Tara and Willow at the end of the episode reveals a certain amount of ignorance on Tara’s part, equal to the ignorance shown by Willow. In her case, it makes more sense, given the fact that the men in her family had battered the “evil witch” mantra into her head. Seeing someone like Willow, openly able to explore her ability and willing to share the journey, it’s not at all hard to understand why she would initially fail to consider the long-term consequences. Ironically, Tara’s the one that tells Willow she has the power that she would eventually abuse, largely at Tara’s objection.
The scene between Giles and Olivia seems designed to quietly remove her from the picture, since her character wasn’t working out the way that Joss might have liked. This is probably for the best, as it works to further isolate Giles and remind him why he was thinking of leaving Sunnydale. Jenny’s death represented a terrible cost for Giles, but he was invested in the situation as Buffy’s Watcher, and therefore the cost was associated to how he defined himself at the time. Now, however, the personal cost is largely self-inflicted, and Giles has to be questioning his choice to remain, given his limited role in Buffy’s life.
Like the previous two scenes, the scene between Buffy and Riley ends in silence. But in this case, the short conversation is drowning in it, as if neither of them can figure out how to discuss something that wasn’t a factor in the midst of life-or-death struggle. Silence is easier, which is entirely the point. When it comes time for words, Buffy and Riley are unable to find them. And as a result, the gulf between them remains.
The first three seasons gave Joss the platform for expanding his storytelling skills, and this episode is his attainment of another level of excellence. Joss had come a long way from the clunky pacing of the series premiere as it was, using a holiday theme on more than one occasion to implement character development and establish multiple concurrent plot threads. The same is achieved here, but with the added bonus of a high-concept premise to add to the challenge. The excellent work in this episode would lead to future experiments in format and style (“The Body”, “Once More, With Feeling”) and would ultimately inform his work on “Firefly”.
This episode also points out the talents of the entire production staff. The cast makes it very clear that don’t rely on the snappy dialogue to carry them along; each of them manages to stay completely in character without saying a word. While there are several production glitches throughout the episode (editing and scene continuity problems), they’re easy to overlook, since there’s so much to look at in every scene. Without the dialogue, one’s full attention is on the staging of every scene, and not once does it work against the episode. The music is perfect throughout.
“Hush” is easily the best episode of the season (with a few not far behind), and it’s clear that everyone involved with the fourth season is well aware of that fact. Nearly every reference to the fourth season mentions “Hush” prominently, and the design of the DVD set features the Gentlemen, despite the fact that they were completely unrelated to the season’s main villain. These accolades are well-deserved, since “Hush” perfectly captures the best aspects of the series in one complete package.
Memorable Quotes
(And also, Memorable Moments!)
WILLOW: “So, were you dreaming?”
BUFFY: “Yeah…it was kind of intense.”
RILEY: “Intense, really? ‘Cause you looked so peaceful…”
RILEY: “Tonight you have crude oil?”
BUFFY: “And homework. What about you?”
RILEY: “You know, grading papers…”
BUFFY: “That’ll be fun.”
RILEY: “Not ‘petroleum’ fun, but it passes the time…”
ANYA: “Oh, you mean an orgasm friend!”
GILES: “Yes, that’s exactly the most appalling thing you could have said…”
BUFFY: “No actual witches in your witch group?”
WILLOW: “No, bunch a wanna Blessed Bes!”
XANDER: “I happen to be very bitable, pal! I’m moist and delicious!”
SPIKE: “All right, yeah, fine…you’re a nummy treat…”
XANDER: “And don’t you forget it!”
OLIVIA: “The flight was a horror.”
GILES: “Bad weather?”
OLIVIA: “Baseball movie.”
- Spike’s little obscene gesture
- Xander trying to call Buffy on the phone, and Spike’s look of disgust at the stupidity
- Forrest writing “Come on, Come on” on his notepad, despite the fact that Riley’s not even looking at him!
- Professor Walsh pointing to the sign that reads “In Case of Emergency: Use Stairway”
- Buffy casually breaking the wrist of the man about to strike Riley
- The first good look at the Gentlemen, as they politely wave to each other as they part ways on the street
- The Gentleman sliding by the window as Olivia jumps back in terror
- The entire scene where the unfortunate resident of room 118 becomes the latest victim
- Anya casually eating popcorn throughout Giles’ presentation (but where did she get it from?)
- Xander mistaking Willow’s gestures as a reference to her chest
- Giles’ rather bizarre artistic style, which would come into play again in similar hysterical fashion in the seventh season
- Everyone mistaking Buffy’s attempt to pantomime staking a demon
- Buffy and Riley facing each other in their secret roles for the first time
- Anya’s ability to come up with the most crude hand gesture in the entire episode
- Willow’s magically heaving bosom. Tara’s magically heaving bosom. The heaving of bosoms in general!
- Riley’s exceptionally proud moment as he smashes the completely wrong object in the bell tower, and Buffy’s weary rolling of the eyes
RILEY: “Well…I guess we have to talk.”
BUFFY: “I guess we do.”
(Silence.)
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is a perfect example of everything that made “Buffy” work, from deep characterization to an exceptional visual style and musical force. Despite the lack of dialogue, the personalities of each character shine through. The Gentlemen are incredibly unnerving as one of the series’ most memorable villains. This is also the episode that introduces Tara, which for better or worse, would have a massive effect on future plot threads.
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 4/4
Final Rating: 10/10
posted by John Keegan | 13:30
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