10 Most Underrated Buffy The Vampier Slayer Episodes

“Earshot” is an emotional rollercoaster and a clear example of the power of television. It’s an almost revolutionary piece of TV, funny and bleak.

Buffy gets infected with the blood of a demon after a skirmish and develops the ability to read minds. At first, this is brilliantly funny, exactly what you would expect from the show. Buffy starts doing well in class; learns of Xander’s frequent thoughts on sex; and tries to get inside Angel’s head (but can’t, because he’s a vampire). Oz and Cordelia also shine, as philosophical and typically forward, respectively.

But things get out of hand fast and the stakes go from funny to bleak in only a couple of scenes. The voices become too much for Buffy and someone threatens to kill the students at school. Comedy is replaced with a thriller, which in turn becomes an assessment of teenage depression when Buffy saves Jonathan from killing people, only to find he was going to kill himself.

The themes at the time were controversial and the episode was postponed following the Columbine Massacre, but at its core this episode is so much more than a school shooting situation with a sprinkle of telepathy.

This is powerful and harsh, but even today speaks volumes about growing up.