"Hush" & Speak No More

Even now "Hush" remains as the scariest episode of Buffy in all seven seasons. For me, not only was it the creepiest episode in all of television, but it meditated on a primal fear I have (and many people share) of not being able to call for help if I'm in danger. We mentioned in class the kind of dreams you have when you're either completely silent or cannot run away from someone, or something in this case, if they are trying to hurt you. This fear is also reverberated as the little girl in Buffy's dream sings, "Can't call to mom, can't say a word, you're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard." The capability of having a voice and knowledge of speech is a very powerful weapon because everything is verbalized but sometimes not communicated. Living in silence tends to be more frustrating and difficult, but communication becomes more absolute; the power of voice is ultimately the only weapon needed to defeat the monster in the end.

The appearance of the Gentlemen...well, you've seen them! The ear to ear grin, metallic teeth and sinister expressions are enough to give anyone the "wiggins." What was always interesting to me was their politeness to each other and the smooth way they communicated. The elegant gestures of the hands, the suits, the grateful nodding, the amusing golf clap once the hearts had been collected and the floating! They are the ultimate boogeyman...men. The score that played in their presence also matched them perfectly, and I recalled myself thinking about The Shining.

The humor I greatly appreciated to cut the tension. Xander and Spike really had some good times, while Buffy and Anya relied on interesting choices of gestures to convey their messages. And I think the Projection scene is pretty much immortalized at this point. :)

I found these pictures on Google. Someone embroidered a pillow with Giles animations of the Gentlemen. Haha!