Originally posted on 2 years 14 days. This blog is no longer being updated - you should come check out my new blog: Too Short To Be A Storm Trooper

I’m surprised how quickly I got through these, if you check my Miso account you’ll see I watched these a couple of days ago now and as of writing this post I’m actually finished them all.  You’ll have to forgive then a couple of posts in quick succession

Hush

Now this is everyone’s favourite!

For good reason too.  This is an almost perfect episode that has not dated at all.  The Gentlemen are terrifying great and the effect of having them float through town is flawless.  The lead Gentlemen is actually Doug Jones who played Abe Sapien in Hellboy and the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four (we won’t hold that against him!).

What’s nice about Hush apart from a very well deployed episode is that it is not only entertaining but also has that whole thinking element going for it! What happens in a society that has a major form of communication removed, in Sunnydale it breaks down and people feel terrified.

This episode also introduced Tara who I have a soft spot for, not originally mind you, originally I couldn’t stand the character but upon repeating viewings of the series she grew on me.

Giles’ slide show was a highlight for me!

Family

This episodes asks the question what makes a family and the answer isn’t necessarily the traditional view.  In the previous episode it was revealed that Dawn is not actually Buffy’s sister (answering some confusion from her sudden addition to the show) and was made the way she is so that Buffy might feel more protective.

We also discover that Tara comes from a family of magic hating misogynists and by the end of the episode she is accepted into the Buffy “family” mirroring the acceptance of Dawn, what she is and how it doesn’t matter.

Spike’s crush on Buffy is also growing in this episode and he is as always brilliant.

The Body

I put off watching this episode because I know how strong it is.  Watching it again I can only say that it is one of the most powerful episodes of television ever and a mesmerizing portrayal of the death of a loved one.

There’s no music track and much of the episode is from Buffy’s point of view as she struggles with the loss.  I found it particularly well done when she focused on certain details visually as one does.

A brilliant and moving episode, possibly the best performance of them all.