Although a very easily scared person (didn’t sleep for a week after M. Night Shamalan’s Signs. C’mon. Signs.) I am very rarely scared by television. So I was extraordinarily surprised that the episode “Hush” rendered me as terrified as it did, especially considering the fact that I watched it surrounded by people in broad daylight.
My fear, albeit slightly exaggerated, drew me to look at what about this particular episode I found so unnerving. Granted, the “Gentlemen” are some creepy looking guys, and honestly, no one likes a mime, but I believe my fear stems more than the guy from Pan’s Labrynth and a whole lot of makeup. The fear Mr. Whedon preyed upon a societal fear, the fear of isolation from our community.
Obviously, our capability to communicate within our own societal framework is necessary for the continuance of our day-to-day existence. From the moment Buffy wakes up without a voice, she encounters situations in which she uses her voice. Granted, as a television character, Buffy is somewhat of a chatty Cathy already, so her silence both discomforting and alarming to the viewing audience used to her fast-paced banter. Added to the silence of the entire town, the panic becomes widespread. We witness the collapse of society as Sunnydale-ians abandon their regular lives for boozing or praying, unable to function without their voices.
Of course, as I have witnessed in pretty much every apocalyptic move, any little thing can set off this end of days wide-spread panic. The fear the Gentlemen create emerges even before they mutilate their first victim: the fear of isolation. After the first killing, the murder takes a backseat role to the more pressing societal disruption, as can be seen in the Sunnydale newspaper’s presentation of the issues. The town, and even the Scoobies, are lost without the seemingly mindless banter that marks the rest of the episodes. Humorous misunderstandings throughout the episode, as well as continued awkwardness reveals that their reliance on verbal communication is what creates their bonds: only the couples seem able to replace words with physical demonstrations.
At the end of the episode, I am more drawn to the criticism of community than with the floating baldies. The isolating silence deconstructs the town’s sense of community and breaks any form of social responsibility the individual might feel. We see the characters attempt to face their inability to lean on each other for emotional support and replace that emotional support with physical support. Happily, Joss Whedon attempts to portray the characters overcoming their isolation through romance, but the society outside of these romances depends on their ability for verbal communication.
So, now that I have analyzed my fear I should be able to sleep, right? Right? Guess not.
Definitely know what you mean. I downloaded the episode to my computer so I can watch it again during my Halloween scary movie-thon.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a really good point in saying that the loss of one's voice is just as scary (if not moreso) than the Gentlemen themselves; there's something especially poignant about an expression without words. I think that's one of the reasons why the episode "The Body" is so effective in its realistic, stammering dialogue and long, uncomfortable pauses. There are something things that cannot (metaphorically/literally) be articulated.