Today readers (and I will not forget about you, thin air), just as the title says, I am going to write about a t.v. show. This is a show that I was pretty much obsessed with in the late 90's and early 2000s and I still haven't forgotten about. In fact, I re-watched the episode in question tonight. It was a t.v. show that entertained me a great deal, and on occasion, it roamed into that territory that some (I'm sure people would argue with me, but who are they and why should I concern myself with them?) that I would call art. The episode "Hush" is one such episode that I think deserves that distinction. If I could, I would show all of my artistically minded friends this episode and I think then they would see for themselves. But for now, they will have to do with my words and I hope they are not ineffective, but that they convey what I have to say in their imperfect way.
"Hush" is an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that deals very much with the imperfections of language and communication. I'm going to type the opening words. They are not my own, but Joss Whedon's (some people call him a genius, but I don't like to throw that word around lightly. However, I do think he has dwelled in that terrain at times). Anyway, here are his words as spoken in dream by Buffy's college psychology professor: "...talking about communication...Talking about language--not the same thing. It's about inspiration--the moment before the idea when it's total--when it blossoms in your mind and connects to everything. It's about the thoughts and experiences that we don't have a word for."
This was an episode that aired during sweeps month. Yes, sweeps month is all about ratings and it is often when t.v. shows use up the majority of their budgets to try to produce a masterpiece that will draw in more viewers. Often it's just all so obvious and you just want to roll your eyes and say "this sucks." This was not the case with this episode. It really succeeded--so much so that I remember thinking as I was watching it how sorry I felt for those that wouldn't watch Buffy because of the funny name or because it was only for teens. I knew I was watching something that was great and I wasn't ashamed of it. I love great story-telling whether it is about 5 year olds, teenagers or 90 year olds. I know that very often people dismiss shows or books about teens because it is just not seemly for adults to be interested in them. We were all teens at one time, weren't we? And we all carry a piece of our teenage selves inside of us, whether we want to admit it or not. It is part of who we are. But anyway, I am digressing from the point, which is communication. On the other hand, I think I am clearly illustrating its imperfections. I started out with all of these ideas that I wanted to convey and they are eluding me now. Back to the point, Anne...
In this episode, fairy tale monsters arrive in Sunnydale and render the town speechless. All of the occupants wake up in the morning unable to speak. People deal with this in different ways, but most of them are in a panic of some sort. The one thing that sticks out for me, is the fact that the character, Tara, who has a speech impediment (stuttering) does not panic at all, but seems to flourish. Finally she is equal to rest of the world. I thought this was dealt with beautifully.
But she is not the only one that benefits. Sometimes communication is easier when language doesn't interfere. There are several characters that are on the verge of having relationships that finally open up to each other and their relationships that were in limbo come to fruition. In fact Buffy and the much maligned (in the on-line fandom world, anyway) Riley who were teetering and on the brink finally share an embrace and a kiss. They also find out that they both have been hiding huge, earth shattering secrets from each other: Buffy is the slayer and Riley is a member of a military group that is responsible for doing away with vampires and demons. In other words, they have something in common.
It was very interesting watching this episode, not only because it was so well-written, but because about 30 minutes of it was completely silent. The actors had to act without speech and I think did a pretty good job. The fairy tale monsters, the Gentlemen (see picture above) were incredibly creepy. They floated through the air with smiles on their faces without saying a word. They were completely polite and gentlemanly despite the fact that they needed 7 hearts and were totally prepared to cut them out of the unlucky victims that happened to cross their paths. It was finally discovered through Buffy's watcher's diligent research, that they were stopped in the fairy tale when the princess screamed. Buffy realizes this and while working together with Riley, sees the box that holds all the voices and gestures for Riley to open it and set them free. Riley, misunderstanding (communication again) Buffy, rather than opening the box, chops it with his weapon. Fortunately, this has the same effect and the voices are released and Buffy screams, causing the Gentlemen to explode. This incident was the first time Buffy and Riley see each other at work and opens up a lot of questions that need to be addressed when they are finally able to speak again. In fact the episode ends with one of them saying "we need to talk" and the other answering "I guess we do"... and then silence...
I feel like there is so much that I wanted to write about this episode that I did not express. Communicating my ideas through language, even in its written form, has failed me.
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