Buffy: Hush (4.10)

Hush is probably Buffy's grand statement piece. There are other episodes that are similarly groundbreaking and gorgeous, but Hush is truly the pinnacle of this show's creativity and ambition. At its heart is the concept of communication, how sometimes words radically over-complicate what should be entirely simple. It's a theme that radiates throughout the episode. What's also important is that Hush is ridiculously, awesomely terrifying; as well as one of the finest comedy episodes I've ever seen, of any show. It pulls together every varying theme that made Buffy the greatest show ever made, and does it beautifully.

Buffy and Riley have been dancing around each other for a while, and their conversation is still full of awkward silences and necessary duplicities. Their word salad at the top of the show is reflective of exactly what Joss Whedon is putting out there: forget the formalities and let passion drive you. Later in the episode, when Sunnydale has been blanketed out in silence, Buffy and Riley separately pull apart warring civilians. They catch each others eye, and in one big, sweeping gesture suddenly run to each other and embrace. It's a moment of pure romanticism, not spoiled by the unnecessary dialogue we sometimes fill our relationships with. Of course, when the Gentlemen are eventually destroyed and voice returns to the town, Buffy and Riley are right back in that 'ordinary' state, but unable to verbally communicate their angst. It's ridiculously profound.

Similarly folding into the overriding theme is the introduction of Tara. Here's this naturally quiet girl, who is casually dismissed all the time and who lets her natural inclinations prevent any kind of friendship from forming. And then she randomly stumbles into Willow, and in one silent gesture they both create previously unimaginable power, sending a vending machine hurtling towards a door to stop the Gentlemen from getting in and hurting them.

The Gentlemen themselves are the stuff of nightmares. They're ghoulish and straight out of a black fairytale or a Tim Burton movie, their gestures and movement like a horrifying ballet, 'performing' like regal men at a dinner party who indulge in a little slice 'n dice whenever the mood captures them. Then there are their minions, pulled straight out of a nuthouse with their straight-jackets and animal-like bounding. So much effort has been put in to making these monsters enormously chilling.

Joss directs with a phenomenally gorgeous visual flourish, lending each scene a surreal, almost dream-like quality that completely entrances you. The opening scene is particularly beautiful, with the overcrowded auditorium, the students vanishing as soon as Buffy and Riley kiss.

The script is really, really spectacular, Joss getting as much humor from the concept as possible. There are so many genius moments, like the entire bunch of exhanges during Giles' mission brief (the hips, the staking motion, Anya and her popcorn), or the part where Buffy and Willow exchange a look of disgust at the guy profiteering off the silence and selling whiteboards, the camera then immediately cutting to the two of them entering Giles' apartment wearing whiteboards themselves. Even the actual dialogue is more striking than normal. The Wanna-Blessed-Be's are totally the insufferable 'gaia moon' types who experimented with Wicca right after The Craft came out. Gah. "Who left their scented candles dripping all over my woman power shrine?" Freakin' genius.

Credit needs to be given to Christophe Beck, too, whose score lifts the episode even higher than it already was on the page. He's able to turn gorgeous melody into piercing horror, with the orchestral wailing riffing Danny Elfman and sounds reminiscent of madness. It's gothic fairytale at its most successful.

One of the most groundbreaking television episodes in history, Hush is an hour that literally everybody needs to see, whether you're a fan of this show or not. It's so heavy with horror and humor and metaphor, becoming the greatest Buffy episode ever. I watch it every Christmas: Hush, with its fairytale imagery and wintery setting, working as a great horror movie for the holiday season. A+

Credits
Guest stars Marc Blucas (Riley Finn); Emma Caulfield (Anya); Leonard Roberts (Forrest Gates); Phina Oruche (Olivia); Amber Benson (Tara Maclay); Brooke Bloom (Nicole); Jessica Townsend (Cheryl); Lindsay Crouse (Maggie Walsh)
Writer Joss Whedon Director Joss Whedon