Buffy Logo 'Flooded'
Story Code '6ABB04'

by Jane Espenson
Buffy

Buffy tries to adjust back to a normal life with Dawn, but even the Slayer cannot fix a broken water pipe, and their basement ends up flooded. Luckily, the plumber Buffy calls is a friend of Xander’s, so she gets a discount on the bill. As her friends arrive, Buffy is still a little out of it from her resurrection, but she comes back to earth with a bump when they tell her she has no money; her late mother did have some insurance, but it only paid for her huge medical expenses and there are now piles of unpaid bills. Anya tells Buffy she should charge people for saving them, a concept which fails to go down well with everybody; Anya is even more upset when Xander does not come to her defence, and she storms out of the house. When Xander follows her they both break into an argument about their engagement, which they still have not announced. Later, Buffy tries to get a loan from the bank, but is turned down because she has no job; surprisingly, the bank is then attacked by a giant demon, and while Buffy fights it, three humans manage to rob the bank without being seen. Buffy retreats to the ‘Magic Box’, where she takes her frustrations out on a punching bag; Willow is glad to see her friend snapping out of her daze. In the shop, Anya puts pressure on Xander to tell their friends about their engagement, while Dawn tries to coerce Tara into letting her help research the demon; with beginner’s luck, she finds the demon straightaway. Giles arrives, and, overcome with emotion, he hugs Buffy. The two of them retreat to the training room to talk, and Buffy admits to Giles that she has been having nightmares and is finding herself overwhelmed by everything; she then continues her training while Giles helps the others with their research. He recognises the demon as a ‘thug for hire’, and wonders who could have summoned such a beast. Meanwhile, three geeks: Warren (who built the Buffy-bot), Jonathan (the high school loser), and Andrew (whose brother was once defeated by the Slayer), celebrate their haul from the bank. The demon is also there, and he offers them more money if they kill the Slayer. At the Summer’s house, Buffy fixes up her couch for Giles to sleep on and tells him of her money troubles. The Geeks decide they do not want to kill Buffy because she has saved everybody’s lives, and is also really hot; Warren gives Buffy‘s address to the demon. Giles finds Willow in the kitchen and asks her about the resurrection spell; when she remarks that it was wild and exciting Giles tells her it was foolish and dangerous; he reminds her they still do not know where Buffy was or if the spell did any kind of damage to her. Willow has never seen Giles so angry, and as he storms out of the kitchen, she reminds him that she is becoming more powerful. They are both unaware that Buffy has been sitting on the back porch and has overheard everything they just said. Spike appears, and, having also heard Willow and Giles, tries to cheer Buffy up. Later, Dawn comes downstairs for a snack, but just as she and Giles are chatting, the demon bursts in and knocks Giles unconscious. Buffy and Spike manage to fight the demon off, but more furniture gets broken, so the Slayer leads him to the basement and beats him to death with the broken water pipe, flooding her basement once more. The next day, the Three Geeks congratulate themselves on getting rid of their problem, but then wonder how to deal with Buffy the next time, as they intend to pursue a life of crime; they decide to try and hypnotise her and turn her into their ‘sex bunny’. At the Summer’s house, Xander, Willow and Dawn try to mend the broken furniture, while Anya puts Buffy’s finances in order and Tara puts ice on Giles’ head. Buffy sits alone, dejected, wondering how she can cope with everything. Giles tries to give her a pep talk, but they are interrupted by a phone call from Angel: he needs to see Buffy. She immediately leaves to meet with him…

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), James Marsters (Spike), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn), Amber Benson (Tara), Lisa Hoyle (Demon), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Adam Busch (Warren), Tom Lenk (Andrew), Todd Stashwick (Demon), Michael Merton (Mr. Savitsky), John Jabaley (Tito), Brian Kolb (Bank Guard)
Directed by David Solomon

TX (US): 16th October 2001
TX (UK - Sky One): 24th January 2002

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Anya, Tara and Dawn