Communication and Storytelling Buffy's Hush
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Originally aired in 1999, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's episode Hush introduced the audience to perhaps the scariest monster in the Buffy series: the Gentlemen. Their silence, creepy smiles, and methodical removal of their victims' voices make them a monster that still haunts fans of Buffy. In this essay, I explore the episode of Hush, and the themes of silence and communication as a form of storytelling. From a myth studies perspective, Hush gives us interesting examples of how language and language disruption can change a community, as well as how the body can also form as an important anchor of communication.
For a full transcript of this essay, check out my website incidentalmythology.com
Follow the details of my research and writing by following me on twitter and instagram: @vivianasimos
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Buffy and Riley even fail to communicate in the beginning of the next episode. When looked at as a whole, their relationship as a whole is a great example of the failure people can have at communication.
Riley's astonishment at Buffy's abilities and independence of a chain of command was something he had trouble accepting. The rest of his team wasn't quite as impressed since she kicked their rear twice. The second time was probably the worst.
Even though I don't enjoy season 4 The hush episode is totally one of the best episodes in the series hands down plus it's the episode that introduces the character tara 💖
Best monster of the week!
the gentlemen were definitely scary! i've always said they deserve their own movie.
One of my favorite episodes of my favorite shows 💕
Doug Jone's hand movements speak volumes!
Just saw this episode again on TV here and it's still such a good one! Even now, so many years later, I still find the Gentlemen so SO creepy! It's an amazing episode!
“The arrival of The Gentlemen provides a disruption to language - removing the language entirely to force the characters and the town to communicate differently. Meanwhile this different form of communication is where The Gentlemen excel. The bodily movements and the subtle ways of communicating without speech is the type of language The Gentlemen utilise regularly. We learn about The Gentlemen’s connection to fairytales through reading rather than listening as we typically would in a Buffy episode. First, we see it on the title of the book pulled by Giles. Second, we read it when Giles shows his… er, report, for lack of a better word. According to Giles, The Gentlemen are fairytale creatures who appear in a town and steal the ability to speak from all in the town with the purpose of removing 7 hearts without hearing the screams. The way The Gentlemen were defeated was that the Princess screamed and therefore destroyed the creatures. What’s interesting about this episode is there are many elements to The Gentlemen’s existence in Sunnydale that goes unaddressed. The where, why and when of The Gentlemen’s appearance isn’t talked about. We don’t know where they came from other than a vague idea of fairytales. We don’t know why they show up at all or why they want the 7 hearts. And we don’t know when The Gentlemen can show up in any given town. The only thing that matters is that The Gentlemen showed up and now Buffy has to deal with them. I kind of like this aspect of the villains of the peace. But mostly because this is kind of how fairytales work. Most fairytales don’t spend time on reasons for things happening or why certain towns or people are chosen as victims over others. It just kinda happens. And then something else happens to either solve the monster problem or not. And then the story ends. And that’s all we get. Like fairytales The Gentlemen are not given detailed backstories or explanations. Their reasons aren’t explored because most likely there is little reason to begin with. What reason is there to simply tell a story?”
This is exactly why The Gentlemen are my favourite Buffy solitary-episode villain or monster-of-the-week.
They don’t have rhyme or reason to be or to do. And they don’t have to. It’s up to me to interpret what that beingness and doingness is and that’s how I prefer it to be. So in the same way that I do not need verbal language or speech to communicate what I think, how I feel, which I intend… I don’t need for a piece of art/entertainment to explain to me everything about everything. I have a mind - I use it to great advantage. ‘Hush’ is one of my TOP 10 favourite episodes of ‘BtVS’ because it lets, nay, encourages me to use it. And ‘Restless’ is my absolute NO.1 because that’s all it requires me to do. Interpret - think and assess for myself… for my own intention of understanding.
There is a reason why ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ constantly is a pop culture concept in so many college theses and essays just like this one. This is why… You make it yours. You add on to the art/entertainment it already is by doing this. You make it timeless, you make it tireless… You make it for your own observation, interaction and enjoyment. It’s not being forced into you via unnecessary and pointless, useless, valueless explanation and exposition… You pick it up, pull it in and push it back out. So now it means a hell of a lot more to you than it did before.
And that is how ART, in particular, is supposed to be.
Your creation for your consumption. You constantly eat it up because you’re constantly feeding yourself.
The absolute best art/entertainment does this. Lets, encourages and requires you to create it for yourself.
Beautifully said!
It was also the only time the show received an Emmy nomination for the episode "Hush" 😊
While I've always enjoyed the sharp, witty dialogue in most of Joss Wheedon's shows, I think that's only part of the equation. It takes talented actors and strong direction to elevate what's written on the page and deliver it in a convincing and compelling way.
This felt like an experimental episode of sorts, but I was very impressed by the results. Without the benefit of their usual dialogue to rely on, the cast was required to do most of the heavy lifting to make every scene work.
And wow, did they ever knock it out of the park. Between all of their facial expressions, gestures and body language, they were somehow able to remain perfectly in character while still successfully incorporating drama, action, comedy, and heartfelt emotional moments.
I'm hard pressed to come up with another example of a show or movie that even attempted something along these lines, let alone managing to pull it off so well.
This is the best episode and best review ever.
Thanks!
And by happenstance, we find Ren, again. Splendid. ❤❤❤ We just lost Camden and I was looking for clips. Thank you.
Regarding the gesture of Spike toward Xander: It is said that Ludwig Wittgenstein was set on the path to his later philosophy because someone made that same gesture at him and he found that his philosophy up to that point in time (that is the Tractarus Logico-Philosophicus) wasn't able to deal with such "speech" acts.
Without a soubt tjàt nest and freakish episode EVER. NO DOUBT
👏👏👏👏 Very well done! This is am in depth analysis on this episode & the breakdown of communication & body language.
Thank you!
Thank you!! I'm so glad you liked it!
Great Breakdown I hadn't thought of a lot of the things you said in this video but it just adds more layers too the episode I've seen a few breakdowns of this episode but I think yours is the best keep up the good work stay frosty
Glad you enjoyed it!
So true
it just limited communication with no sound. like taking imges from comics.
Hush is an episode about communication in which nobody has anything of interest to say.