HMPC0410 -Hush

[FaithLehane]

Discuss

[bdegrande]

I was so annoyed. I tried to start a Hush thread with a completely blank post and couldn't find a way to do it.

For all of the reasons mentioned on the Facebook page, The Gentlemen are really creepy, and I didn't realize that one of them had played Gnarl later.

The Giles briefing the troops scene is one of the funniest in the whole series, particularly Buffy's staking motion and Anya sitting there eating popcorn.

[beth]

I was already well into my obsession with the show by the time I first saw Hush.  Still, this episode amped up my appreciation even more, both because of the sheer excellence of the episode, and because of the scope of the ambition, originality and risk-taking that went into making it.  It just felt like JW was trying to take television someplace really different, and I loved that. I'm not much into ranking episodes, but it certainly would be in my top ten.  Maybe my top five, even.

I can't list every moment I love, but I'll mention one that wasn't discussed on the podcast:  Willow, writing on her tablet as if she has vital information to convey, and it's "Hi, Giles."

[CharlieK]

Am I the only one who doesn't find the Gentlemen so creepy? Not being able to communicate by speaking doesn't sound all that bad to me. Maybe it's a cultural thing.

Chris Beck's score is amazing. I think OMWF soundtrack was worth purchasing just for the three tracks at the end composed by him.

Other than that, I find this episode really hard to discuss. It's just so brilliant and speaks for itself.

[Natalia]

Upon my recent reviewing I was surprised to not be that impressed with the episode. I mean, it's still in my top 10, but probably not in my top 5 any more. I didn't find the Gentlemen all that creepy and the actual storyline seemed more like a ... frame, shall we say, for all the awesomeness of character interactions. Which of course is the way how a typical Buffy episode works, but I remember it blowing my mind the first time around - and not so much recently.
Maybe Joss himself influenced me in my opinion, because I read in an interview that he said, looking back, "Hush" is not all that, and that he was more proud of "Restless".
But anyway, "Hush" boasts one of the best scenes in the entire series - the briefing scene. Giles does like blood in his sketches, and I find it hilarious not only as a stand-alone fact, but also that the writers remembered that and used it in a season 7 episode.
Unfortunately, I am not a Tara fan. I dislike the actress and I dislike the character. I was mostly upset by the whole love story between her and Willow. I wish a better "pairing" for her. Don't like Kennedy either through. Maybe I am just jealous
And on the contrary, I am not big on the Riley hate. It's not my favourite character, but I remember liking him in my first watching. Season 4 was the first season I saw and so it was the first Buffy relationship that I saw and I didn't mind Riley at all. It is only upon my second viewing, after I've seen the entire series and was sucked into the fandom, that I started analizing the show and realized a few things about him which made him quite unlikeable for me. But it all comes later. So far, it's pretty cute, them liking each other and getting together. I find it healthy for Buffy not to be in a doomed tragic relationship for once, and I don't think that she doesn't belong with Riley. I mean this normal relationship still doesn't work for a variety of reasons, but I like it that she has a relationship as close to normal as one can hope for in Sunnydale. It gives her the chance to learn how it can be and then decide if it's something she should look for.

[FaithLehane]

Hush was never a GREAT episode for me.....apart from the funny misunderstandings,theres really no substance.
(I mean it's waaaaay better then most shows on their GOOD days,I'm just a huge fan of the talk-y eps,the episodes with lotsa info/chatter)

Restless however is where my heart lies...it's full of brilliance.

[BlasterBoy]

Great podcast, you guys! Wonderful listen as always

A quick comment on the Tara/Willow discussion. I really like Tara and I love this relationship, from its sweet and innocent beginnings to the dark and logical place it ended up. However, I just wanna say that calling their relationship "less than perfect" is far too generous, imo. I think abusive is a perfect word for it by season 6 (and the abuse was set-up perfectly in the previous seasons). In my mind, Willow raped Tara by altering her mind and sleeping with her. When Tara finds out about this rape, she still gives Willow a second chance and when she messes with her mind again, she leaves and then eventually reunites with Willow before Willow has made any significant changes (she never even apologized for the horrendous thing she did). Willow takes advantage of Tara and Tara keeps coming back. To me, that makes their relationship abusive. Just my two cents!

EDIT: Just finished the podcast!

Actually, this isn't Olivia's first episode. That would be "The Freshman". This episode is her last real-life appearance, I believe, though (not including the "Restless" dreams).

I do really love this episode, not as much as others, but I love it! It is probably in my top 20 of the series and is probably the best standalone of the entire show. It works, in my opinion, because every line means something and everything is connected to the overall theme of communication, which the episode explores expertly. I love everything about communication, from the wicca group, to Riley's mindless blabber, to the power of just a look, etc. I think that all works very, very well. It also has one of my favorite endings ever. Not only does it work as an effective cliffhanger, but it is also the perfect way to end the episode thematically. I love that Riley and Buffy discover each others' identities and then just keep fighting, understood in just a look, and then when they have to actually TALK about what they have been hiding, they can't say a word. It works really well. It just isn't an all-time favorite because the character progression isn't great enough for me to consider it a top 10 or something. The only significant development, IMO, would be the Tara and Willow stuff. But still, a perfect standalone episode.

I also think the Gentlemen are the most terrifying creatures in Buffy, mostly because they seem to come straight from nightmares. They are so dreamlike, and the lack of dialogue makes it seem even more nightmarish. The score does such a fantastic job at making it like a Grimm fairy tale and that's why it's so scary for me.

[Fields]

I believe that both Joss Whedon and Amber Benson have said that Willow and Tara were not originally meant to be a couple and that just sort of happened.  But I just re-watched this episode today and the scene of Willow and Tara moving the vending machine seems to have so much chemistry and not the "just friends" kind.  Then the scene towards the end where they are talking on the couches.  Looking at their faces you can just see something more is there.  It just seems crazy to me that these scenes weren't written with the thought of a relationship down the road.

[CharlieK]

But I just re-watched this episode today and the scene of Willow and Tara moving the vending machine seems to have so much chemistry and not the "just friends" kind.  Then the scene towards the end where they are talking on the couches.  Looking at their faces you can just see something more is there.  It just seems crazy to me that these scenes weren't written with the thought of a relationship down the road.

If you listen to the audio commentary, that's exactly what Joss says. There's simply no other direction they could've gone from there.