Wow. This episode of Buffy blew my mind. I’d like to begin by addressing the “Gentlemen.” I am ashamed to say being alone in my apartment on Tuesday night was very unsettling. I couldn’t help but feel like I would turn around to see a pair of floating men, smiling from ear to ear, ready to cut out my heart. This episode was the perfect mixture of creepy and hilarious. The banter between Spike and Xander was great, especially when talking about Xander’s girlfriend, however, nothing was funnier than the scene in the lecture hall. Nobody could speak, yet, it was the most hilarious part of the episode. The facial expressions and hand gestures were way more amusing than any verbal remarks. Everything is just funnier when there are no words. The scene was like a game of Pictionary or charades. This episode shows how much we rely on our voices.
Although the silence made for some very funny moments it also created a very scary atmosphere. I think Whedon really got into the minds of the viewers and pegged some of their biggest fears. Most of this episode takes place in the dark. Who isn’t afraid of the dark every once in a while? The characters are unable to speak throughout most of this episode which had me questioning what I would do if I was hurt and no one could hear me. It is not something I had ever really even thought about until now. Now I am terrified. (Thanks, Mr. Whedon.) Then there are the floating “gentlemen.” Their objective is to cut out the hearts of the people in town. No matter who you are, I would bet this episode touched on at least one of your fears. I think that is what made this episode so intriguing. The concept of getting your voice taken away is scarier than the appearance of the “gentlemen.” Even if they wore bunny masks it would still be scary. The fact that their faces are smiling and crazy-looking is just an added bonus.
This episode pushed me toward Buffy fandom. There were a few questions that did not get answered such as what the gentlemen planned to do with the hearts, but it did not bother me during the episode because I was so caught up in the drama and scariness. I kind of liked how I had to use my imagination to answer some of those questions. Perhaps they needed seven hearts for seven heart transplants. I don’t know. This episode made me think and I really enjoyed watching it.
8 comments:
I think it would be really scary to not be able to talk at all. I'd like to see it happen to some people, but not me.
I agree with Adam. But I think that the appearance of the Gentlemen was an essential aspect for the show because it shows the importance of being able to understand what people say to each other rather than just listening
I love that Corinne is getting pushed "towards fandom." But I must remind myself, "Don't sound like a cult recruiter. Don't sound like a cult recruieter."
The "bunny mask" comment (and image!) made me laugh out loud. It's also funny because Anya is actually terrified of bunnies (for some strange reasons...)
Haha! I had forgotten about Anya being afraid of bunnies. That just brought me back to the Halloween episode and her...umm...costume choice. Her fear (or phobia rather) always made me laugh because she's an ex-vengence demon whose about 1,000 years old and bunnies terrify her? She could care less about the creepy Gentlemen, but throw a bunny in her direction...
Silence aside, the Gentleman were disturbing on a very basic level. The mimes that played them were excellent at making them something other than human and landed them squarely in Uncanny Valley.
That bunny mask is incredibly strange. I think the episode would have been scarier if they were actually wearing pink bunny masks as well.
Someone should do a dub of Buffy with them wearing those adorable masks! My friend and I totally squee'd when we saw the bunny masks
you are totally spot on about this episode hitting SO many of our fears. Starting with Buffy's fantasy about being in front of a whole class of people, then being unable to communicate with your friends, then monsters no one can stop, a town in chaos, darkness, inescapable evil, finally kissing the dude you are into and not being able to tell anyone. Yep, pretty much all my fears rolled into one.
I also like how they hit one of Giles' great fears (I think) which is never having a partner, a person his own age to love, be with, and understand his life with the Scoobies. The fact that this idea was thrown at you in the last moment was like a testament to the fact that sometimes honesty and communication is scary too. It showed that both putting yourself out there and not being able to put yourself out are two of the scariest things a person can do.
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