Saturday, January 29, 2011

Hush Hype

The thing that I like about the episode Hush is the hype. When this episode first aired on TV I hadn't been faithfully watching, but when I saw the preview for an all-new Buffy tonight I had to tune it. The preview featured the creepy little girl singing, and a few choice images of just enough of the Gentlemen, to make me, a closet horror movie junkie really want to give Buffy a special shot tonight.

This was truly one of those episodes that deserved all the hype it got. The idea that we fail to communicate when we rely too heavily on words is an incredible concept and something very brave for a teen TV show to admit. Some people have been mentioning the cringe-worthiness of some of the dialogue, and I will be the first to admit that is true. But, it was also very smart of Joss to realize that and to change it, at least for one episode. It was an innovative idea taking a show that was known for its snarky characters with quick wits and tongues. By putting them in a circumstance beyond their control where they are at a loss for words, literally, it forces the viewer to realize how futile talking can be if you are not getting your point across.

Isn't it frustrating when you are talking with someone and you feel like you both are simply waiting for your turn to speak (to quote Fight Club)? Words can only get you so far, because even when someone "understands" what you are saying it is usually because of a combination of clues, not just verbal, that have allowed two or more people to communicate.


1 comment:

Heidi said...

I especially like the ideas in the last part of this post (and the connection to Fight Club)? So much of spoken communication does seem to involve waiting for the other person to stop talking so you can get your point in.