"Hush" vs. "Once More With Feeling"

Approaching "Hush" at the end of the semester has provided me with the interesting opportunity to compare the communication problems depicted in this episode to those present in "Once More With Feeling." In "Hush" the characters struggle with at first speaking too much and then later not being able to speak at all. From the spell of the Gentlemen, they are forced to examine non-verbal communication through body language. In "Once More With Feeling" the characters have to expose their bottled up secrets to each other through song and dance. Arguably the effect of this revelation would not have been as bad if the characters had attempted to communicate their emotions little by little over time. Even though these communication issues are expressed differently they are strikingly/frustratingly similar in content. For example, Xander and Anya are unable to effectively express their emotions for one another in "Hush," and this same communication issue plagues their relationship in "Once More With Feeling." Similarly, in "Hush" we see Buffy having problems communicating with a Riley and in "Once More With Feeling" we observe Buffy having problems communicating with Spike (boy drama!). Thus, even though the the Scooby gang appears to gain an understanding of their communication troubles at the end of "Hush," they clearly do not internalize this lesson for an extended period of time because their issues reemerge throughout the seasons and particularly in "Once More With Feeling." Jenkins and Stuart support and expand upon this claim by saying, "Although 'Hush' is certainly a particularly interesting example of how the series investigates the kinds of effects that speech can have in and on the world, it is by no means unique in having this concern. Throughout the series, speech acts are under scrutiny because they are part of the fundamental rules of the Buffyverse." Perhaps then, according to this judgement, the lack of evolution in communication abilities is actually the necessary continuation of a dialogue centered around modern issues of articulation and self-expression.

Jenkins, Alice and Stuart, Susan (2003). "Extending Your Mind: Non-Standard Perlocutionary Acts in 'Hush'", The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies. Retrieved on December 15, 2011.