"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Flooded (TV Episode 2001) Poster

(TV Series)

(2001)

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8/10
Enter the Trio
katierose2952 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The Trio are three comic book collecting geeks who have teamed up to "take over Sunnydale" this season. Two of them have been on BTVS before. There's Warren from season five's, "I was Made to Love You" and Jonathan from many earlier episodes including season three's "Earshot" and season four's "Superstar." Also, there's Andrew. His brother Tucker set the devil dogs loose at the prom back in season three's "The Prom." Throughout season six they will pester Buffy with their plans, gradually growing worse and worse in their destructiveness. In the end, these geeky human villains turn out to be as bad as any demons the Scoobies have faced. This episode introduces them and also reinforces the growing rift between the Willow and the other Scoobies, particularly Giles. If you're going to watch the season, you really should see "Flooded."

This episode revolves around Buffy's money troubles. Despite being "all dead and frugal," she's broke. While she's at the bank applying for a loan, a large demon attacks and robs it. It turns out that he's working of the Trio and that he's out to kills Buffy. (I'm not sure why, but he is.) Meanwhile, Giles and Willow argue about her increasing use of magic. He thinks that her spell to bring back Buffy was incredibly dangerous. When the demon shows up the Summers house, Buffy and Spike have to fight him. The battle ruins most of the furniture and ends up in her flooded basement. Buffy's far more worried about the cost of fixing it all then the demon attack. The episode ends with Angel calling (he's heard she alive from Willow apparently) and Buffy going to meet him.

I actually really like the Trio. Maybe you have to know someone like them, and get all their sci-fi jokes, to see how hilarious they are. Their conversations are peppered with relevant pop-culture references. (Monty Python, and Star Wars, and X-Men, etc...) Of course their "supervillian" plots are gonna be silly and stolen out of the pages of comic books. It's what they know. But, the fact that Buffy goes so long without catching them, shows that the Trio aren't as dumb as they seem. Their plans usually work. These guys are actually pretty bright, they're just immature and looking for somewhere to belong.

They each have their own personalities, which really develop as time goes on. Warren is just a flat out rotten individual. His stronger will overpowers Andrew and Jonathan's. Andrew is weak and a follower. He'll do whatever Warren says, so long as he doesn't have make any decisions or stand on his own. Jonathan is the most sympathetic member of the group. Since season two he's been drifting around the edges of the Scoobie gang, desperate to belong. The Trio has given him a place where he fits in, but pretty soon his somewhat naive comic book view of supervilliany with clash with Warren's much darker nature.

So who's the Big Bad of season six? Warren or Willow? The Trio or the Scoobies themselves? Or maybe just life and adulthood? I don't know. None of them have a direct plan of action like the Mayor of Glory. The Scoobies are inadvertently bring about their own misery with the poor choices the make. The Trio are basically just bored and trying to be more interesting and important than they are. Both groups are fighting against growing up, trying to take short cuts through life and it's destroying them. In the end, this season will leave more scars than any other.

On the down side, not to sound like one of the Trio, but Spiderman does make money by taking pictures of himself and selling to the newspaper. So, I think Anya had a point when she said that Buffy should charge for her services. Besides, Angel gets paid for saving people over on "Angel." Doctors get paid for saving lives. Why shouldn't Buffy get paid, too? Honestly, I've always felt that the Council should be paying her. They pay the Wathchers, why not the the Slayers?

My favorite part of the episode: Buffy and Spike quietly sitting on the back porch. It nicely corresponds to their scene in season five's "Fool for Love." Besides, the idea of Buffy asking Spike about finances is just funny. He gives her a sort of mystified look and, as an evil, 100-something year old vampire, you kinna get the feeling that he hasn't worried much about VISA bills.
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7/10
No money, mo problems
ossie8521 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Buffy's financial woes continue and she is forced to apply for a bank loan, but while she was in the bank a demon terrorises the bank and three new thieves steal the cash. Buffy's fortunes are improved with the return of Giles. Giles and Willow come to a fight of words over Willow's use of magic. Oh, and the three thieves are super geeks.

Why It's So Good - With adulthood, comes certain responsibilities - i.e. Making money so you don't go hungry and homeless. This episode does a good job at highlighting these everyday stresses making life that just more terrible for Buffy.

Watch Out For - Buffy hunting in the basement.

Quote - "Caught me. Big fib. To.. cover up the sleazy affair I had with Angel." - Willow trying to make Buffy mad.
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6/10
Growing pains
Joxerlives24 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The Good; Special marks to MT for her wonderful acting when Dawn gets soaked, cracks me up every time. Love Buffy at the bank and the Nerds rear their heads. Wonderful Buffy/Giles scene.

The Bad; Why does the demon need the Nerds help to find Buffy? How can Warren appease them by offering Buffy's address, it's not like she's that hard to find.

Best line; Dawn; "That's a weird place for a horn" (adopting Willow's bashful virgin shtick)

Women good/men bad; Warren shows his true colours, giving the demon Buffy's address. Warren, Jonathon and Andrew are prepared to sacrifice each other to the demon.

Kinky dinky; As well as 'Chicks, chicks, chicks' one of the Nerds ambitions is 'hypnotise Buffy' and turn her into their 'willing sex bunny' a staple of some of the creepier fanfiction out there (The Erotic Mind Control Archive anyone?) Jonathon thinks Buffy is hot. Andrew seems to fancy Christina Ricci but Warren refuses to build him a robot version. Willow hints she slept with Riley.

Apocalypses; 6 Buffy says that saving the world is something she's good at unlike finances

Scoobies in bondage: Buffy: 8 Giles: 4 Cordy: 5 Will: 3 Jenny: 1 Angel: 4 Oz: 1 Faith: 3 Joyce: 1 Wes: 1 Xander; 1 Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out: as Giles comments he knows he's back in America when he gets knocked unconscious. Buffy: 16 Giles: 11 Cordy: 6 Xander: 9 Will: 5 Jenny: 2 Angel: 6 Oz: 3 Faith: 1 Joyce: 3 Wes: 1 Anya;2 Dawn; 1

Kills: 1 demon for Buffy Buffy: 96 vamps, 37 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot Giles: 5 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god. Cordy: 3 vamps, a demon Will: 6 vamps + 1 demon +1 fawn. Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, 1 a demon, Anya: 1 vamp and 1 a demon Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons Spike; 3 vamps and 2 demon Buffybot; 2 vamps Tara; 1 demon

Scoobies go evil: Giles: 1 Cordy: 1 Will: 2 Jenny: 1 Angel: 1 Oz: 1 Joyce: 1 Xander: 4 Anya; 1 Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies: Buffy: 6 Giles: 3 Cordy: 1 Will: 2 Jenny: 2 Angel: 3 Oz: 2 Joyce: 2 Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 10 Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths; 89;

Total number of scoobies: 7, Giles back, Dawn helps with research for the first time but doesn't help with the demon fighting so we'll not include her just yet. Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara, Spike, Giles

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?) Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot: Giles: 2 Angel: 3 Oz: 4 Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost: Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes? Cordy: 1? Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?) Angel: 1;Buffy Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?) Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley Xander: 2; Faith, Anya Willow: 2;Oz and Tara Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore

Spike; good or bad? Spike 'jokes' about killing the Scoobies.

Dawn in peril; I figure at least 4 times so far.

Dawn the bashful virgin; 1

Questions and observations; What the hell is 'The gorilla thing' the nerds want to do? Buffy tells the security guard that guns are never useful foreshadowing the events at the end of the season as do Willow's hints to Giles that he shouldn't annoy her. Anya's idea of charging for Slaying is silly but couldn't Buffy rob the vamps/demons as well as killing them?

So, big question, what do Buffy and Angel get up to during their reunion? Well, not sex as Angel keeps his soul but you wonder? Dawn is now 15, the same age as Buffy was before she became the Slayer. She compares the supernatural to sex as she says that if she doesn't learn it from Buffy and co she'll learn it all on the street. Jetpacks are one of the Nerds aims which they'll eventually achieve. Giles comments that there are others who can bring back the dead as we see from WR&H in 'To Shanshu in LA'. Dawn wears another number t-shirt.

Marks out of 10; 6/10 good enough but not great
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The Trio forms
Realrockerhalloween5 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The trio consists of Jonathan, Warren and Andrew who are setting out to become more then geeks. After Superstar & I was made to love you I don't see why they don't use talents to become rich or famous instead of villains. I know they had ruff pasts, but they should suck up their bad experiences, look ahead to the future and try to change their situation instead of feeling sorry for themselves. Also i know Buffy got back, but they are going for very dressing show a pipe broke, they can't get a loan and the money from her mom's insurance dried up. What I don't get is why no one staying there don't help cover the costs or pitch in since they are squatting. Another factor is why it took so long for Buffy to find work as her mom has been gone for two months did she think Giles would take them in or the cash they do have would last forever.

Another aspect is Giles leaving as he sees she's become to dependent on him instead of growing up. I know its harsh, it may seem cruel, but she has to learn to stand on her own two feet without a parent figure and be a parent to Dawn.
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6/10
The season Buffy rose from its ashes...
m-478262 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Both the show and the character. Season 6 has the disadvantages of standing between the worst BTVS seasons. Just like a cool character like Glory, was wasted on that dreadful fifth year. New network, means new beginning for the series. And that's one way to see it. The two hours premiere was a nice moment of television, especially the first part. And Resurrection was handling the repercussions of such a big cosmic change, the best way it could. I prefer this new dynamics too. Joyce's house is where the girls live, and the magic shop, the gang's finale headquarters. Flooded is the first really good episode of the season. It has Giles back, and clues to whomever will become the new big bad this time. Not talking about the three midgets, they are clearly decoy vilains, but Willow, and her late night talk with Giles emphasized that. Real life is Hell on earth this season, and this episode raises mundane, yet unavoidable questions like bills, expenses, job hunting and so on. Adult stuffs... Not sure how I feel about Buffy having to take care of everyone financially, though. But I guess it's the least of her worries now...
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6/10
It's sink or swim...
skay_baltimore2 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Giles...the human snooze alarm in reverse -- even beyond his "Debbie Downer" reaction to Willow having brought Buffy back from the dead. Yeah...the initial hugs-all-around-return of The Watcher was all nice and teary-eyed and swell. But after that...I swear...the guy sucks all the energy out of the show, even though technically, he is right when he challenges Willow about not knowing where Buffy had been prior to bringing her back. (OK...I admit...I really wanted him to make the BIG EXIT after he got speared a few episodes back, so maybe I'm more than a bit prejudiced.)

The Geek Trio -- quirky, lame, and mildly amusing ("And since this is my mom's house I think what I say goes".) -- in their attempt to hire a demon to rob a bank for them with the promise that they'd kill Buffy as payment for his services afterward.

If anything, this show highlights how expensive it is to be dead and then return. There's nothing worse than being yanked out of a heavenly realm only to find your basement flooded and your bank account depleted. Oh...the humanity...nobody can really put a price tag on the value of The Slayer -- with the possible exception of Anya, whose perspectives on all things human is refreshing. Sometimes.

And let's not even get into Xander's fear of commitment issues as he struggles to go public about his engagement to Anya.

And slowly but surely Buffy's sense of humor is returning. Demon to Buffy: "You have cost me, Slayer". Buffy's retort: "I have cost YOU? That's a designer lamp, ya mook!"

And is there anything funnier than one geek calling another geek a geek? Well...yeah...there is. But still...

And what would any BtVS major crisis be without the perennial Buffy-Angel dynamic duo deja vu rendezvous?

I'll say this much -- "Flooded" tries. It tries to be funny. It tries to address the rightness/wrongness of having brought Buffy back. It tries to address the commitment issues facing couples about to get married. It tries to address grown up responsibilities and the financial struggles many of us are facing. It tries to address geekdom -- in particular -- and fitting in -- in general. In short...it tries. Sometimes it tries too hard; sometimes it doesn't try hard enough; sometimes it succeeds; sometimes if falls short. "Flooded" -- a solid 6 1/2. Give or take. More or less.
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4/10
Buffy's Financial Woes
Samuel-Shovel1 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In "Flooded", Buffy's house begins to fall apart and lack of money becomes Buffy's focus as she attempts to figure out how her and Dawn will be able to stay afloat moving forward. While attempting to take out a loan at a local bank, a demon comes in to rob the place. After a brief skirmish, the demon escapes with a trio of human bandits. The demon later confronts Buffy and is subsequently killed. The other bandits turn out to be a threesome of geeks planning to take over control of Sunnyvale from the comfort of one of their parents' basements. The three further their plans as the episode ends. Angel calls Buffy and asks to see her. Buffy leaves Sunnyvale as we hit credits.

This episode is extremely clunky. Buffy's new set of adversaries come across as annoying and petty, like the worst of the Internet warriors come to life. Sadly, their characters seem more realistic than ever nearly 20 years later. They are very atypical as villains so I'm interested to see how they progress.

Giles and Willow's weird interaction didn't seem fitting at all. I can see that the writers are attempting to show a darker side of Willow, but her threatening Giles briefly came way out of left field. I also felt Giles' namecalling was a bit out of character. The entire scene didn't add up for me. There's also this weird divide between Buffy & Giles that I'm assuming will be a throughline moving forward.

Besides highlighting Buffy's financial woes and introducing us (or reintroducing us in some cases) to old characters, this episode doesn't accomplish much. It's slow paced and maladroit. I hope for better things to come.
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5/10
Whedon the creep?
exuberantloquacity23 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm surprised that other reviewers, perhaps diehard Buffy fans, haven't commented on the amount of sexual slavery references in this show. In this episode, the geeks plan to hypnotize Buffy to make her their personal sex bunny. Before this, Spike has had a Buffy sex doll. In the second episode of this season, the demons threaten to r*pe the girls, saying that their anatomical parts don't fit properly, causing tearing in little girls' bodies. Given that Whedon went on to make Dollhouse and this year, we've learned about his hypocrisy as a 'male feminist', with his wife revealing he had many affairs on set, actors saying he's abusive and MT saying he wasn't allowed to be in a room alone with her during Buffy filming, I'm surprised more people haven't taken a second look at these scripts and been a lot more creeped out about what Whedon thinks about and puts into his shows.
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2/10
Awful!
ZinQ27 January 2019
A terrible, awful, boring cringeworthy episode. In fact, not a good one in season 6 yet.

This episode stinks!
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