Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Flooded" Review (6x04)

Brief Synopsis: “With her mother gone, Buffy finds herself broke, jobless, and taking care of a house that’s falling apart and haemorrhaging money. To make matters worse, Buffy is still having severe problems adjusting to life after being dragged out of Heaven by her friends, and a new trio of ‘super-villains’ have arisen in Sunnydale and send a demon to rob a bank for them just as Buffy is applying for a loan.”


"After Life" (6x03) quick link here                                                                                                                       "Life Serial" (6x05) quick link here

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1) This review will almost definitely contain spoilers for episodes after this one.

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With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?



Season six of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” is unique for the show in its pacing. Every episode thus far has primarily taken place over one day, one night, or one day and night. This slower, deeper pace is eerie in the most terrific of ways. The only shows I can compare it to from a pacing standpoint are “Carnivale” and “Breaking Bad”. You’re sucked into this world in an entirely new way. You feel like you’re experiencing Buffy’s struggles alongside her. You feel like you’re sat in Buffy’s house next to her. Make no mistake, people, Buffy is still struggling deeply with her return back to Earth. A little of the old Buffy shines through in this episode, but she’s still far from happy or healthy. She’s making a few more jokes, acting a little more human, and even smiling slightly from time to time, but she’d still rather be dead and in Heaven. Like the basement of her house, Buffy’s life is flooded at the moment (hence the episode title). Flooded with unwanted responsibilities, flooded with the heartache of knowing where she was, and flooded with her fears of what to do with her life now. This metaphor is never more apparent than when Buffy spaces out while staring at a running tap in her kitchen. It’s taking all of Buffy’s energy right now just to keep her head above water...and this is before the reveal that she’s close to being penniless. 

Buffy: “Okay...so you’re telling me I’m broke?”

This is new ground for Buffy Summers. Buffy has never had to face adulthood in quite this way before. Buffy has never had to deal with real life problems like this. She’s had to look after Dawn since her mother’s death, but between the Glory dramas and trying to keep Dawn away from Glory, Buffy didn’t have to worry about mortgages, finances, or loans. As I’ve mentioned before, season six is the season where the Scoobies are forced into growing up, Buffy in particular. The problem with this is that Buffy’s having to face these real life problems while also facing severe disorientation, depression, and not wanting to be in this life at all. Like most young people, Buffy took her mother for granted to a certain extent. How many times did we see sections of the Summers house destroyed in one battle or another? Yet, Joyce always found the money to fix the house. Joyce had her own business and life insurance that should have left Buffy and Dawn covered, but her medical expenses zapped all the money away. For the first time in her life, Buffy has to deal with the fact that she needs money to live and survive. She needs money to eat, to pay her bills, to get Dawn to school, to buy knives in order to widdle wooden stakes...everything has a price tag and Buffy has no money to pay for anything. I really appreciate how the directing of this episode and Sarah’s acting allows us to see right down into Buffy’s internal monologue. We know exactly how she’s feeling at all times. Buffy is different, Buffy isn’t the same person that she was before she sacrificed her life, and nor should she be. She’s been through the most traumatic experience that I can possibly imagine! We see her stare blankly at running water, we see her brush off Giles’ touch of comfort, and we see her completely disconnected from everyone around her except Spike.

Also, while on the subject of money, why don’t Willow and Tara pay rent?! They’ve been getting a free ride at Buffy’s house for months while Buffy has been dead. How did they buy food? How did they pay the bills? Were they simply using the last of Joyce’s money? Do either of them have jobs? I don’t think so, but they should still pay their damn way! They know that Buffy is struggling with her return to life, they can see it. Why don’t they go and get part-time jobs? Pick up a few hours at The Magic Box or somewhere else? For 13 years this has driven me mental! Those lazy, inconsiderate bastards. In my last review, I mentioned that for the first time ever Xander is further ahead than Willow and Buffy at something. Xander has a steady paycheck, a good career in construction, and his own apartment. For the most part he’s settled. So for this season, which focuses on adult life and responsibility, Xander is one step ahead. He gets Buffy a discount on her full copper re-pipe because of connections he’s made in his career, he has the ability to fix her broken furniture, and he can support Buffy in an entirely new way.

Anya: “Start charging.”
Buffy: “For what?”
Anya: “Slaying vampires! Well, you’re providing a valuable service to the whole community. I say cash in.”

Anya’s advice here isn’t totally without merit, but it would be pretty difficult to achieve. Angel faced the same problem in Los Angeles during the first season of his show. Angel despised the idea of having to charge people for saving them, but Cordelia emphasised to him the importance of doing this. In the end they compromised and Angel only charges people who approach him in need of help through Angel Investigations. He doesn’t charge people he saves on the streets or people who genuinely can’t afford it, he just charges his more wealthy clients. Buffy doesn’t have that luxury. She doesn’t have Slayngel Investigations. She doesn’t have rich clients to charge. Nobody approaches Buffy and asks for help. So who’s she supposed to charge? How could she make slaying a viable money making business? She can’t. I’ve always wondered this though...why don’t the Watcher’s Council pay Buffy? They pay the Watcher, why don’t they pay the Slayer? How is the Slayer supposed to survive and eat? Is she supposed to go out and hunt her own food too because slaying by itself isn’t challenging enough? Another reason to despise the Watcher’s Council.

Buffy being penniless only adds to what she told Spike at the conclusion of the last episode, “After Life”. Buffy is trapped inside her own personal version of Hell. One where she’s been dragged out of Heaven, one where she woke up locked inside her own coffin six feet under the ground, one where she has the responsibility of a house and a younger sister...and let’s not forget slaying vampires and having the weight of the world back on her shoulders. Very rarely in a television show do I feel for a character so much. Buffy has been our heroine and champion for over five years now and here’s where it has gotten her. She’s broken and beyond repair. She’s resentful and miserable. She’s depressed and wants to be dead. It’s a bold move by Joss and the other writers to allow the show’s leading character to enter such a dark place.  As I mentioned earlier, some parts of Buffy’s old personality are slowly coming through, but even they’re distorted. For example, in this episode, Buffy’s sense of humour has started to return, but most of her jokes revolve around her death, her coffin, or her problems. They’re not funny in the least, they’re simply disturbing and highlight a much more horrific pattern of behaviour. All of her behaviour in this episode, every moment, is an internal plea for help, but, of course, nobody can help because nobody knows where she was or what she’s going through...except Spike. To try to reduce her money woes, Buffy applies for a loan. She’s quickly turned down because she has no job, no equity, and no income. How is she supposed to repay the loan? Even after saving the loan agent’s life from a demon, she’s still turned down. Even fighting demons is challenging when you’re the Slayer. Buffy’s real world and supernatural world collided at the bank and Buffy had to slit open her skirt just to have the ability to kick the demon. It was hilarious.

Xander: “This is because I haven’t told them yet about the engagement, isn’t it?”
Anya: “No. Maybe. Yes! It’s painful and confusing! I mean, first you give me this beautiful ring, and then I can’t even wear it in public. I mean, do you know how depressing that is?”
Xander: “Anya, I promise, your waiting days are almost over. I know it’s frustrating, but the way I understand this marriage thing, it’s kind of a forever deal.”
Anya: “Not if you never get started. I mean, don’t you want to get married?”
Xander: “Yes.”
Anya: “So then why won’t you tell them?”

Because he’s terrified of turning into his father? In the season five finale, “The Gift”, Anya told Xander off because she thought he was proposing to her because the world might end and he knew he wouldn’t have to go through with it. While I disagree with her statement, I do think there’s a smidgen of truth in it. I don’t think Xander thought the proposal through before acting and now he’s starting to have second thoughts. Not about Anya or his love for her, but whether or not he can be a good husband. Will he end up like his father? Will he become a resentful, abusive alcoholic? Will he ruin Anya’s life? I respect Xander for taking his time now, but he should have done that before proposing in the first place and he should certainly have come to a conclusion before the wedding day. Xander has been through a lot of adversity and change in the past year or so. While his friends all went off to college, he was left out in the cold. He bounced around from dead end job to dead end job until he finally stumbled onto a decent career in construction. For the first time ever , Xander is completely happy. He’s away from his parents, he’s in a great relationship, he has a steady paycheck, and he has a career. Xander needs time to process all of this and adjust to it before his life changes even more through marriage. Simply, Xander isn’t ready for marriage yet. He’s not ready for the responsibility, nor is he emotionally mature enough quite yet. I feel sorry for Xander, but I feel significantly more sorry for Anya, who is left at the altar because Xander took too long in making up his mind. He should have thought all this through before proposing.

Buffy: “It’s gone now.”
Willow: “Okay...uh, let me make you mad again. Ready? Umm...last semester, I slept with Riley.”
Buffy: “And you know I really doubt it.”
Willow: “Caught me. Big fib...to cover up the sleazy affair I had with Angel.”
Buffy: “Will., what the hell are you doing?”
Willow: “Pissing you off.”
Buffy: “Yes, true. Why?”

Willow, if you’re going to lie to Buffy, try to remember that you were a lesbian and in a relationship last semester. You’re supposed to be intelligent. After being turned down for a loan, even after saving the guy’s life, Buffy is mad. It’s the first genuine emotion we’ve seen out of Buffy since she was resurrected. We’ve seen sadness and depression, we’ve seen desperation and not wanting to be alive, but this is the first emotion that Buffy has expressed since being back that isn’t focused on not wanting to be back. Buffy is pissed off that she got turned down for the loan, especially after saving his life! Willow is trying to keep this emotion going because it’s the first time Buffy has expressed one in this way. Somehow, even though it shouldn’t be when you stop and think about it, this scene is very funny.

Dawn: “I’m guessing on how you say it. It’s got an apostrophe. I think it’s ‘Mmm, Fashnik’, like ‘Mmm, Cookies’.”
Xander: “Or maybe, ‘Muh-Fashnik’, like ‘Muh’....‘Fashnik’.”

Greatest. Exchange. Ever.

*Giles appears in the doorway of The Magic Box*
Giles: “Oh God, Buffy...you’re alive. You’re here...and you’re still remarkably strong.”
Buffy: “Huh? Oh, sorry.”
*Buffy loosens her hug*
Giles: “Willow told me, but I didn’t really let myself believe...”
Buffy: “I take a little getting used to. I’m still getting used to me.”
Giles: “It’s, uh...you’re...”
Buffy: “A miracle?”
Giles: “Yes. But then, I always thought so.”
----------------------------------------
Buffy: “How was England? How was life?”
Giles: “Uhh, I’m not really sure how to answer that. Well, I arrived home, I met with the Council.”
Buffy: “Always a good time.”
Giles: “Yes. Otherwise, there’s nothing really to report. I keep a flat in Bath, I met with a few old friends...almost made a new one, which I think is statistically impossible for a man of my age.”

I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry after Giles appeared in the doorway. Everything has been so fucked up since Giles left that I haven’t really had time to process the fact that he’s been missing. Then he appeared in the doorway and I was slapped with a rush of warmth for him. The show isn’t the same without him. He’s the guiding hand and father figure. He’s the problem solver and demon identifier. He’s absent for most of season six and what happens? Everyone royally messes everything up! Buffy shags Spike and hates life, Xander leaves Anya at the altar, Willow becomes obsessed with magic and altering the people around her, Anya becomes a Vengeance Demon again, Dawn’s a klepto...basically, everyone falls apart without Giles. Well, except Tara. Giles is returning back to Sunnydale to see for his own eyes that his Slayer, his daughter, is alive. Daddy is home to make everything right again. Ugh, I can’t get over the cuteness of Buffy and Giles in this episode. I just can’t. Giles fretting over Buffy’s mental state, trying to support her and listen to her, Buffy telling Giles how much she missed him...I CANNOT COPE WITH THESE FEELS! All this does is further my frustration that Giles wasn’t there when Buffy was resurrected. How much trauma could have been minimised if Giles was in the Summers house as Buffy returned home for the first time? This reunion between father and daughter is one of the most powerful moments of a very powerful season. Also, once you’ve finished reading this review, go back to this scene. Go back to Giles hugging Buffy and not being able to fathom that she’s back. Watch Willow in the background. Willow is smiling and almost looks as though she’s expecting praise from Giles at any second. It’s like her face is saying, “look what I did, Giles! Tell me how powerful and special I am!”. Yet more disturbing behaviour from the formerly most adorable and innocent Scooby.

Buffy: “Oh, it’s just money stuff. It turns out, mom left me some and while I was dead it got squandered on luxuries like food and clothing.”
Giles: “How bad is it?”
Buffy: “Anya says pretty bad. I’m kinda taking her word for it. Actually, I’m kinda trying to not think about it.”
Giles: “Sound policy. At least for tonight.”
Buffy: “Figured I’d put it out of my mind. You know, take a break. Get some perspective...and then wake up at 4:00am terrified.”
-------------------------------------------------------
Giles: “Well, if it’s any consolation, life can be pretty overwhelming even for people who haven’t been...where you have.”
Buffy: “I guess.”
Giles: “Look, tomorrow morning, you and I will sit down together and we’ll go through everything. Every bill, one by one. We’ll work it out together.”

That exchange above basically defines Buffy’s character journey this season. Being overwhelmed, having to worry about money troubles, trying to wipe things from her mind, and waking up in the middle of the night terrified. If only “Dollhouse” and “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” existed in the same universe...Buffy could have become a doll for five years to get over her grief. Buffy tells Giles that she’s not sure if she can handle it. She’s telling him this in relation to financial problems, but both Giles and Buffy are aware that she’s talking more generally at the same time. She’s not sure if she can ever adjust to life again and be happy. She’s not sure if she can cope. I remember just after I tried to commit suicide in 2011. I remember somehow miraculously surviving and making a conscious effort to fight again after four years of severe depression. Buffy’s overwhelming fear as to whether or not she can do it here is almost a perfect mirror to how I was feeling at that time. Will I ever be able to make it through the tunnel and into the light again? Am I strong enough? Do I want it enough? Buffy has already lived this life. She’s already experienced the pain and heartache of being the Slayer. She voluntarily (and almost happily) gave it up to escape the pain, but she has found herself back in this life yet again. I can completely understand her attitude and behaviour. Let’s not forget, she’s the Slayer. The world depends on her constantly. Her friends depend on her constantly. It’s why they brought her back. In Buffy’s mind, she’s thinking, “why do I always have to be strong and brave? When do I get to fall apart?”. Giles can sense these feelings in Buffy and extends a hand to rest on her shoulder in support, but Buffy pulls away from him and leaves the room. In that moment, Giles fully realises that things with Buffy’s aren’t right. He knows just how much she’s struggling. I think that this moment prompts Giles’ tone of voice to Willow later in the episode when he calls her a rank, arrogant amateur.

Giles does raise one more important point to Buffy before she brushed him off, however. Considering what she’s been through over the past few days, Buffy is holding up remarkably well. How many people would still be functional after what she’s been through? How many people would be able to make jokes and keep fighting along? Granted, she’s barely functional and holding it together, but at this present moment at least she’s trying. Very soon Buffy will start to fall apart and start to give up, but for the present moment she’s just about holding in there.

This brings us swiftly on to season six’s “Big Bads” (except the final few episodes). “Flooded” introduces to us a new wave of criminal in Sunnydale...The Trio. Chilling name, no? Jonathan, Sunnydale High alumni and the man that created his own version of the universe, is a part of The Trio. I’ve got to be honest, I’m surprised to see Jonathan returning to the show as a ‘villain’. After his conversation with Buffy at the conclusion of “Superstar”, I thought that was probably the end for Jonathan. Buffy had given him advice to move on with life, he’d done the same for her, and they could go their separate ways. If you stop and think about it though, Jonathan’s placement in the group makes sense. Jonathan has always wanted to be cool and significant. To be noticed and respected. Being part of a trio of people that all want the same things at the expense of very little personal sacrifice would sound very appealing to Jonathan. Remember, Jonathan didn’t work hard to create a successful life for himself in “Superstar”, he performed a spell. He took the easy fix. Getting a demon to rob a bank for him instead of going out and working hard for money fits his pattern of behaviour. He’s not a bad guy, he’s not really a villain, he’s just lazy and wants power and attention. Warren was another guy who I never thought I’d see again after he created the Buffybot for Spike, yet here he is as the leader of The Trio. Warren is probably the most interesting member of The Trio from a motivation standpoint because Warren is genuinely evil. Jonathan isn’t, Andrew isn’t, but Warren is. Why is Warren this way? What caused Warren to become a murderer and a psychopath? Finally, we have Andrew, who I grow to adore as the next two seasons roll along. Out of both “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”, Andrew is almost definitely the character that makes me laugh the most. Tom Lenk can have me in stitches just by his facial expressions. I met Tom at “Hallowhedon 5” last year (full details here) and he’s just as funny in real life as he is on this show. The original plan was to have Tucker (Andrew’s brother from “The Prom”) as part of The Trio, but Brad Kane was unavailable so the character of Andrew was created instead.

The Trio are a great “Big Bad” for this season because season six is about human evil and adult problems. It’s about human beings making mistakes and trying to rectify them. The Trio are a perfect parallel to Buffy’s life and journey in this season. Every season the “Big Bad” has grown more powerful or more complex, or more evil, yet here we have three nerds living in a basement. Kinda pales in comparison to Glory, doesn’t it? Buffy’s gone from battling Gods to stopping nerds with no physical strength. However, what they do have (Jonathan in particular) is emotional ties to Buffy and the Scoobies. How many times have I bleated that Adam wasn’t the greatest Big Bad because he had zero emotional ties to Buffy or the Scoobies outside of Riley (who few people cared about)? The Trio don’t have the same emotional ties to Buffy that Dark Willow does, but they do cause Buffy to stop and think. Simply, The Trio want power, wealth, women, and anything else they desire, without having to work hard for it. In fact, they have a whiteboard to-do list...

•    Hypnotise Buffy (this is added later in the episode)
•    Control The Weather
•    Miniature Fort Knox
•    Conjure Fake I.D.s
•    Shrink Ray
•    Girls
•    Girls
•    The Gorilla Thing

What is “The Gorilla Thing”? Curiosity is getting the better of me...

Speaking of villains, M’Fashnik (A.K.A. “Mmm, Cookies”) is lame. He has incredibly cheesy dialogue and comes across as the most generic, stereotypical demon that you’ve ever seen in your life. However, I’m willing to let this slide for two reasons. 1) The fight scene between him and Buffy at the end is amazing. 2) He was temporarily swayed by Warren’s attempt to calm him down by offering to create a robot girlfriend for him. M’Fashnik is played by Todd Stashwick (rhymes with ‘Fashnik’), who also plays Vocah in “Angel” season one’s “To Shanshu In L.A.”, which is a vastly more superior demon and way more memorable.

All of this brings us to the best scene of the episode by far. The confrontation between Willow and Giles in Buffy’s kitchen. This conversation is filled with foreshadowing. Foreshadowing for Willow’s character journey, foreshadowing Dark Willow, foreshadowing the Dark Willow vs. Giles magic fight and the classic line, “I’d like to test that theory”. I was 100% firmly on Team Giles during this scene. It’s about time someone gave Willow a slap back to reality and made her think about the consequences of her actions. Giles is furious with what Willow has done to Buffy. Out of everyone he was leaving behind in Sunnydale, Willow was the one he trusted most. Willow was the one he could rely on. Yet, even before he left Sunnydale, Willow was plotting behind his back. After Willow’s actions in the first three episodes of this season, we needed this conversation. We needed Willow to follow through on her selfish behaviour. When Giles tells Willow off and calls her a rank, arrogant amateur, Willow threatens Giles in the coldest, most brutal, heartless of ways for a few seconds, before reverting back to regular Willow. For those few seconds, shades of Dark Willow emerged. I will admit, Willow threatening Giles in this manner was not only heartbreaking, but downright scary for a few seconds. When did Willow become this person? When did she stop being the cute, adorable, fuzzy sweater wearing person? Giles and Willow have always been close. We know that Willow has a strained relationship with her mother and father. Giles is something of a substitute father to Willow, just like he is with Buffy. Willow used to have a crush on Giles! Now, here she is showing him zero respect and even going so far as to threaten him. The cool thing about this scene is that it would have felt forced if it took place at any time before this episode. Willow’s character has been building to this scene so slowly and so perfectly that it feels completely natural...which is scary in itself if you’re a Willow fan. While Willow’s threats were icy and emotionless, Giles’ were quite the opposite. I’ve never seen Giles so angry and it made me appreciate Ripper in a whole new way. When provoked, Giles is a beast.

Worst of all is that when Giles gives Willow this dose of reality and tries to help her see the error of her ways, Willow rejects him. Willow rejects the idea that she did anything wrong. When you think about Willow’s entire character journey it makes sense. Willow was shy, bullied, and insignificant in school. She was an outcast, a nerd, and powerless. When she became a witch and started to develop some real, genuine power, she started to exploit it because for the first time in her life she feels powerful. She knows she’s an amazing witch. She knows she can perform complex, difficult spells. With Buffy gone and Willow leading the Scoobies, her appreciation of power and control has only grown. Her arrogance during this conversation with Giles is shocking. She expects Giles to praise her for what she’s done. She wants a pat on the head from Giles and to be told that she’s the best, most powerful witch in the world. She doesn’t seem to even notice that what she’s been doing has major cataclysmic consequences for Buffy. This scene is fantastically acted by Tony and Alyson, and superbly well written. It somehow manages to encompass everything that’s come before, the present moment, and foreshadows what is yet to come.

Buffy: “I don’t know. I just...I feel like I’m spending all of my time trying to be okay so they don’t worry. It’s exhausting. And then I...”
Spike: “And that makes them worry even more. You want me to take them out? It’ll give me a hell of a headache, but I could probably thin the herd a little...knew I could get a grin.”
Buffy: “Why are you always around when I’m miserable?”
Spike: “‘Cause that’s when you’re alone, I reckon. I’m not one for crowds myself these days.”

Yet more foreshadowing of what’s to come over the course of the rest of the season. Buffy gravitates towards Spike because Spike can empathise with what she’s going through and suddenly they have a lot in common. Both are loners now, both have had to claw their way out of a coffin, both belong in the darkness. It’s an interesting parallel to “Fool For Love” that this scene takes place on the porch, as it was the location of their first real heart-to-heart. These two characters have received their fair share of suffering recently and are both bonded together because of it. The relationship that these two characters have shared since “Intervention” has been incredibly tender, sweet, and a breath of fresh air for the show. If their relationship had continued in this vein, I’d ship Spuffy for eternity. For some strange, bizarre reason, the only person in Buffy’s life without a soul is the only one she can confide in. Considering the darkness that lies in Buffy at the moment, this makes perfect sense.

The fight scene between Buffy and M’Fashnik is amazing...and costly. That is all.

Spike: “Whoa, did you know this place was flooded?”

You remember that I said Spike was the most observant character on the show? Case in point.

Giles: “Buffy, what is it?”
Buffy: “Angel.”
Giles: “Is he in trouble?”
Buffy: “He knows that I’m...he needs to see me. I have to see him.”
Giles: “Yes, of course. You’ll leave for L.A. tomorrow.”
Buffy: “Not L.A., and not here. Somewhere in the middle. There’s a place.”
Giles: “I see. Well, we should get all these bills and things out of the way before...”
Buffy: “I gotta go now. Thanks for taking care of this for me.”

And that is why Giles leaves again in four episodes. Buffy needs to learn to stand on her own two feet without her stabilising wheels (Giles)...but more on that in “Tabula Rasa”. The Buffy-Angel reunion takes place off-screen because “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” is now on a different network to “Angel”. The networks wouldn’t allow a crossover. Apparently it took months for Joss to convince The WB to let Angel appear in “Chosen”. Angel’s call to Buffy here works wonderfully for Buffy because it gives her the perfect excuse to escape from her reality. She can runaway from the debts, money troubles, and her friends constantly worrying about her and asking her how she’s doing. She can run away from the responsibilities that have been flooding her. I always wondered if Buffy told Angel that she was in Heaven? I’d like to think that she did, but it’s never revealed one way or the other. Also, you just know that Angel was brooding throughout the entire conversation.

To conclude, “Flooded” was a mixed bag. Everything involving Buffy, Buffy and Giles, and Willow and Giles was terrific. It did a good job of pushing the season themes along nicely and overall it had a decent amount to offer. However, the villain is campy and not enough really happens to allow me to give this episode more than an average score. It’s an episode that pushes the story along, but nothing major transpires within the 42 minutes outside of the explosive Willow-Giles scene.


Quote Of The Episode

Giles: “You’re a very stupid girl.”

Willow: “What? Giles...”

Giles: “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The forces you’ve harnessed, the lines you’ve crossed?”

Willow: “I thought you’d be impressed or something.”

Giles: “Oh, don’t worry, you’ve made a very deep impression. Of everyone here, you were the one I trusted most to respect the forces of nature.”

Willow: “Are you saying you don’t trust me?”

Giles: “Think what you’ve done to Buffy.”

Willow: “I brought her back!”

Giles: “At incredible risk!”

Willow: “Risk? Of what, making her deader?”

Giles: “Of killing us all. Unleashing Hell on Earth, I mean, shall I go on?”

Willow: “No! Giles, I did what I had to do. I did what nobody else could do.”

Giles: “Oh, there are others in the world who can do what you did. You just don’t want to meet them.”

Willow: “No, probably not, but...well, they’re the bad guys. I’m not a bad guy. I brought Buffy back into this world and maybe the word you should be looking for is ‘congratulations’.”

Giles: “Having Buffy back in the world makes me feel indescribably wonderful, but I wouldn’t congratulate you if you jumped off a cliff and happened to survive.”

Willow: “That’s not what I did, Giles.”

Giles: “You were lucky.”

Willow: “I wasn’t lucky, I was amazing. And how would you know? You weren’t even there.”

Giles: “If I had been, I’d have bloody well stopped you. The magics you channelled are more ferocious and primal than anything you can hope to understand and you are lucky to be alive, you rank, arrogant amateur!”

Willow: “You’re right. The magics I used are very powerful. I’m very powerful. And maybe it’s not such a good idea for you to piss me off.” 

FINAL SCORE: 6.5/10

What are your thoughts on "Flooded"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!

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