Flooded with thoughts

by Jerry

Flooded, the fourth episode of season six, was co-written by Doug Petrie and Jane Espenson, and was the directorial debut of Petrie. It is fairly significant in the seasonal arc in that it is the point where Buffy begins to answer the question "I'm back from the dead - now what ?"

The theme of Flooded will prove to be the theme of the season. In other words, "Life is hard unless you're cheating." We are introduced to this season's antagonists, Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew. To them, life is a game, and they are more than willing to cheat to have their way. They are looking to 'blast through a wormhole' to magically achieve their dreams, instead of making money the old fashion way. Obviously, this sets them in stark contrast to our virtuous heroes. Right?

Right?

Well, not so much. Buffy, it turns out, is more than willing to kill gods with big hammers, or die to save the world, but she's not so hot at balancing a checkbook. Fortunately, Anya's a financial savant, so Buffy will leave that to her. We learn that Joyce's money has disappeared, due to hospital bills, and lots of food that there isn't much on-screen evidence of anyone having eaten. Buffy figures to get a loan, which throws her into the unpleasant hell dimension where people don't give you money if there's not something in it for them (other than your fine report cards).

Xander is also not so big with doing things the hard way. He's taken the leap by asking Anya to marry him, but now he's stalling about announcing it. He's seeking the benefits of engagement without being ready to step up and tell his friends that Anya is the woman for him. He shows signs that he's embarrassed by her lack of social niceties. Perhaps his friends would think less of him for wanting to marry her? Willow shows signs that he's probably right to think that. Anya is somewhat shrill, but also aware of her shrillness, as she seeks to understand where he's at. She has only just begun to meet Captain Fear.

Willow, of course, is the ultimate in shortcuts. It's her urge to fix things that pulled Buffy out of the grave. In her training room scene with Buffy, she tries for the quick fix, thinking that getting Buffy mad will make it all better, even if it does require claiming to have slept with Riley. Neither she nor Buffy is willing to talk out their problems, and this will continue to fester throughout the season. The centerpiece of the episode is Willow's confrontation with Giles over the resurrection spell. She's proud of herself for what she was able to achieve, and not much inclined to ponder whether she should have achieved it. When pushed by Giles, she reacts with anger and threats - Giles is momentarily shocked, but she soon grows conciliatory, and I guess he brushes it off as an aberration. I have a bit of a problem with Giles not paying more attention to Willow's magic problems, but that's really a point for another episode.

Buffy's problem seems to be that she's trying to get back to where she used to be, when she actually needs to get on with the moving forward. She grasps onto Giles' return, although it's clear that he's not entirely comfortable being back. At the end of the episode, she almost desperately runs off to meet Angel, the ultimate symbol of her past. Inevitably, that won't work out so well. These characters will eventually learn what the show's viewers also must - that life is about change and growth, and you can't just wrap yourself in a comfortable piece of the past and refuse to change along with it.

Which is probably a good place to bring up Spike. Spike isn't on screen for very long, but his scene, on the back porch in an echo of Fool For Love, suggests he's the one person who can actually make Buffy feel a bit better. Perhaps it's the fact that, having been forcibly removed from his own lifestyle by the Initiative, he can understand Buffy's feeling of isolation, and her inability to be quite the same person she was. Also, at this juncture, he doesn't really want anything from her, unlike her friends, who burden her with their own needs. He's willing to just accept her and be glad she's back, and she doesn't need to pretend everything is okay. Of course, as later events will show, things can get messier when there's more going on than sitting on the porch, but for now, he can give her a few minutes of peace, and help her kill the demon when the time requires.

So, what got flooded in Flooded? Buffy's basement, of course, was literally flooded. Buffy was deluged with the troubles of everyday life. Warren & Co. were swept along on a tide of responsibility-free opportunities. And Willow showed signs of being overwhelmed by her newfound power. Lots of currents that will continue to ripple throughout the season.

-- Jerry

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