FLOODED

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CAST
Sarah Michelle Gellar............Buffy Summers
Nicholas Brendon.................Xander Harris
Alyson Hannigan...............Willow Rosenberg
Emma Caulfield............................Anya
Michelle Trachtenberg.............Dawn Summers
James Marsters...........................Spike

GUEST STARS
Anthony Stewart Head..............Rupert Giles
Amber Benson..............................Tara
Danny Strong..........................Jonathan
Adam Busch..............................Warren
Tom Lenk................................Andrew

FLOODED

Buffy walks around in her basement looking for something in the shadows, then she finally finds it…a leaking water pipe.
As she attempts to fix it the whole system explodes and floods the Summer's basement.

Opening Credits

Buffy stands at the sink watching the water go down the drain, that is until Willow turns it off and gives her a funny look. Xander comes in with a friend of his who is a plumber. He gives them a quote to which Dawn thinks is his phone number! Buffy says that there's no problem they just pay him. Willow tells her that there are a few problems.
They all sit down and tell Buffy that all her mum's life insurance went towards her hospital bills. While the rest of them worry Buffy says that's it's not the end of the world. Anya comes up with a plan to charge people when Buffy saves them but of course no one else agrees with this. Anya storms out of the house with Xander in chase.
When he catches up with her, he asks what is wrong. It's the wedding. Anya is sick of waiting for Xander to tell the others but he just wants to wait a while before telling everyone.

Buffy goes to see the Bank manager to enquire about a possible loan. He tells her that because she has no current job her house would be put on the line and that constantly loses it's value. Right then a demon comes into the bank, as Buffy battles the demon, three people dressed in black escape with the money, the demon also escapes. Buffy goes back to the bank manager but he still refuses to give her a loan.

Back at the Magic Box Buffy is taking her anger out on a punch bag. This pleases Willow, as Buffy hasn't shown emotions since her return.
The others are in the shop researching the demon that attacked the bank.
Dawn wants to start researching demons and when Dawn gets her way and starts to research she finds a demon that has a horn in a weird place!
Dawn finds the demon though and shows it to Buffy. As she is speaking she looks up, at Giles.
The two hug and cant stop looking into each other's eyes (not that way though.)
They go into the back room and start to chat. Giles said that he met with the Council and made a couple of new friends.
Giles tells her that leaving Sunnydale was one of the most difficult decisions ever so returning is strange. He comments that she looks tired. Buffy tells him that she is finding it a little hard to sleep due to the dreams.
She wont let him touch her though and she goes back to hitting the punch bag. Giles goes to speak to the others. He tells them that the demon sells his services to the highest bidders.

The demon wants the head of the Slayer and he wants his employers to give it to them. His employers are Jonathan, Warren and Andrew (Brother of that bloke who used the Hell dogs at the Prom.)
They try to appease the demon by saying that they can make look a superhero in other people's eyes or give him a robot girlfriend.
They don't want to kill Buffy; they actually like her so Warren gives the demon the address of the Slayer so that he himself can kill her.

Buffy helps Giles make up the sofa. She tells him about her financial worries, he tells her not to think about it, that things will soon work themselves out. He says that she has just returned from a hell dimension this should seem like bliss.
Giles goes to have a wash in the kitchen and Willow is in there. He asks about the spell. When Willow tells him he isn't pleased. He calls her a stupid girl; he said he thought that she respected the forces of nature. He says that there are others in this world who could do what she did but you would never like to meet them. She then threatens him by saying that she is very powerful and not to piss her off, Giles raises an eyebrow and said that at this moment they have no idea where Buffy was or what happened to her.

Buffy is outside and hears everything. Spike is also there and tells her that Giles did not mean what he said to Willow. Buffy is feeling guilty because they are arguing about her. Spike tells her that he is only around when she is miserable because that's when she is alone.

During the night Dawn comes down to mix every cereal they have as a midnight snack. As Giles goes to join her the demon bursts through the front door. Buffy comes in and a fight occurs in the house destroying a lot of things. Spike also helps by getting the demon into the basement. Buffy and the Demon fight and the demon appears to be winning until he takes a section of Buffys expensive new pipes. She goes mental and beats him to death with the new copper pipe.

Jon, Warren and Andrew have started to spend their bank robbery money on new gizmos. They want to continue their plans to take over Sunnydale and decide upon a new goal, hypnotise Buffy and make her their sex slave.

Back at the Summers house everyone is trying to help out but the whole place is trashed. All but Buffy, Giles and Dawn leave to put the destroyed items in with the trash.
Giles tells her everything will work out. The phone then goes. Buffy comes back into Giles and Dawn saying that she has to go.
It was Angel on the phone, he knows she is alive and has got to see her.

---

This episode is a perfect extension on the previous three of Season Six. None of them have really blown me out of the water but they have been essential for character development this season. The Buffy and Spike relationship continues to grow but it does take a back seat in this episode when the Giles - Willow altercation overshadows it.

That one scene in the kitchen possessed the best moments of the episode. It has been brewing since the first episode of this season and I am glad someone has finally said it. For the past three episodes I have longed for someone to admit the possibility that Buffy have been in heaven. Giles is always the source of true logic and he did not disappoint as he told Willow they had no idea where Buffy was. However the way he reacts to her, he knows she was in heaven and when Buffy finally does tell him that you get the feeling that Giles will never be able to forgive himself for allowing Willow to rip Buffy away from eternal bliss.

Also during this fight you get the feeling that Willow also knew that Buffy wasn't in hell. It was down to purely selfish reasons on her behalf and I was left to think that the resurrection spell was only done by Willow to prove to herself and to others how powerful she is and that she now runs the show. She also shows no real concern of the lack of trust that Giles now has in her.

The moment when Giles really pissed Willow off and she turned around and threatened him was enough to send a chill down anyone's spin. His look of disbelief is brilliant. Even though Willow quickly corrects herself she has already said the worse thing she could have. Giles cautious words of dangerous Wicca's just moments before seem to be completely lost on Willow. She is angry and she is willing to use her magic on other people for her own benefit. That's what's scary. It's going to be an interesting ride now on for Willow and I really can't wait to see where this finally leads to.

Buffy continues to confide in Spike and by his admission that he is only around when she is miserable, he seems to be playing on it to get closer to Buffy and you get the idea that he doesn't want to be just friends with her. Although his role in this episode is minor he is still the only other person around when Buffy takes on the demon. He is quick and is trying to cement his position as a protector of Buffy.

The Xander and Anya relationship and his unwillingness to tell everyone about their wedding is starting to drag on a bit now. I understand that the writers want to create a feeling of uncertainty but it just seems that Xander and Anya are only in the episodes at the moment to argue about why he hasn't told the Scooby gang.

My last point has got to be on Jon, Warren and Andrew. They did offer comic value in this episode with their use of comic nerd gags (Which meant I got them all.) It's a different kind of bad and it shows that the writers are trying not to rely on a huge monster. I mean with a monster Buffy can defeat it. These are three humans, it will be interesting to see how she eventually deals with them when the time comes. But for now I can tolerate them and I have to say they are much better than a lot of people (Mainly on the net) have been saying.

Yet again good character development but at the same time no better than the three previous episodes. A lot of people will be more concerned about how "Once More With Feeling" pans out at this point in time to spend to much time worrying that this episode ain' going to be to everyone's tastes.