‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Season 4, Episode 10: “Hush”

Written By: Joss Whedon

Original Air Date: December 14, 1999

Watch It On: Netflix

What It’s About: The residents of Sunnydale — even the vampires! — wake up one morning to discover they have all lost their voices. Although the press reports it as a laryngitis outbreak, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her pals quickly figure out that there’s a supernatural element to the plague of silence: a group of scary guys named the Gentlemen, who invade towns, render the residents silent, and then steal the seven hearts. Why? Who knows. But it’s scary nonetheless.

Why It’s So Good: Buffy the Vampire Slayer was known for its fast-paced and clever dialogue, a characteristic creator Joss Whedon brought to the small screen when he adapted his 1992 film for the WB. Whedon took the critical praise he received for the show’s dialogue as a fascinating form of constructive criticism, and the result was “Hush”: a clever and imaginative way in which the small-screen auteur could put the show’s defining feature on the back burner and focus on its other qualities: the genuine creepiness of its monsters and the inventive storytelling.

Now, I have to out myself now as someone who was never much of a Buffy fan (I’ve always liked the movie more); in fact, I was never big on the quippy dialogue and the show’s campy nature. “Hush,” in that sense, is the perfect Buffy episode for anyone who doesn’t like Buffy (and it’s a great stand-alone episode for people who have never seen the show). Through mostly silent interactions, knowing the specific relationships between Buffy and her pals aren’t necessary. And if you aren’t into the show’s chatty style, you’re in luck! The chatting is, naturally, at a minimum.

But that doesn’t mean “Hush” doesn’t find interesting ways to be funny:

Plus, the Gentlemen are legitimately scary. What are those things? They look like a combination of the scariest clowns, floating skeletons, and the goombas from the Super Mario Bros. movie. We don’t know where they came from or why they need just seven hearts from the unlucky town residents that end up the Gentlemen’s victims. And that’s what makes it even scarier. They’re your basic evil fairy tale villains. Who knows why things happen the way they do! They just do, and that’s fucking terrifying.

It’s also worth noting that “Hush” introduces the character of Tara, the fellow Wicca enthusiast that Willow meets in her witch club who uses her powers, along with Willow’s, to keep the floating Gentlemen at bay. Even if you didn’t watch the show, perhaps you remember when the series broke down barriers by introducing a lesbian relationship? Yep, Willow and Tara totally do it later on.

The Best Moment: Because I’m all about hand job GIFs today, I must point out the moment at which Buffy gives her best suggestion for how to kill the Gentlemen. (Relax, creeps: she meant stabbing, not jerking.)

 

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Photos courtesy 20th Century Fox Television