Flooded
Buffy attempts to repair a leaky pipe in her
basement only to have it burst and flood the basement. At breakfast, the gang
discusses the damage while Xander and a plumber examine the damage caused by the
pipes. The plumber advises Buffy that a full re-piping is necessary and hands
her a very large bill. The size of the cost leads to Buffy finding that with the
hospital bills and funeral costs, the Summers girls are pretty much broke. Anya
suggests charging for slaying which leads to an argument with Xander about their
engagement, but Buffy manages to keep her cool and is determined to find a way
around the problem.
Buffy goes to a bank to consult with a loan director,
which is hardly a positive experience as Buffy finds that without a job and no
real collateral, she can't get a loan. A demon breaks through the office window,
interrupting the meeting and Buffy fights it, despite her conservative clothing.
While money is stolen from the bank, a security guard tries to intervene in the
fight, but is unable to help the situation. The demon escapes and Buffy returns
to the loan officer to discuss the possibility of getting paid for saving his
life.
Later that night, Willow tries to upset Buffy purposely in order to
get her to express some real anger but Buffy doesn't fall for it. Anya continues
to try and force Xander to announce their engagement and he's ready to but not
until everyone has arrived. Dawn wants to help with research, but Tara thinks
she's too young and that fact is proven when Dawn looks at a picture in one of
the books. Buffy isn't pleased that Dawn is researching with the gang but Dawn
is able to identify the bank-robbing demon Buffy encountered earlier. Giles
returns to have a happy reunion and intense discussion with Buffy before meeting
up with the rest of the gang.
The bank robbing demon, a M'Fashnik,
throws a fit in front of his "controllers," Jonathan, Warren and Andrew (brother
of Tucker from "The Prom") complaining that the Slayer still lives even though
they got the money from the bank. The three guys argue both with the demon and
each other, then Jonathan, Warren, and Andrew think up a way to accommodate the
demon without killing Buffy. Giles takes the couch at the Summers home and talks
with Buffy, telling her he'll help her take care of the financial problems in
the morning. The three guys discuss their mission: taking over Sunnydale, and
somewhat agree unanimously that none of them want to kill Buffy, but Warren
secretly provides Buffy's address to the M'Fashnik demon so he can kill
her.
Giles and Willow have a heated discussion the next morning regarding
the spell and Willow's rash judgments to try something so risky without enough
information. Willow stands up for herself, even threatening Giles. Spike finds
Buffy on the back porch and the two exchange small talk about life and money.
Giles and Dawn both have trouble sleeping and go for a snack. The M'Fashnik
crashes their late night cereal party, but Buffy catches him. A fight ensues
with Buffy and Spike working together against the M'Fashnik.
The fight
ends up in the basement where the demon latches on to one of the pipes and Buffy
immediately attacks as the expensive pipes are threatened. The "supervillain"
guys consider their future plans and agree that hypnotizing and making Buffy
their willing love slave is a priority. The Scooby Gang regroups after the demon
is taken care of and hopelessly attempts to save the furniture that was
destroyed in battle. A phone call off camera reveals that Angel needs to meet
with Buffy and she needs the same so she leaves to meet him at a neutral
location.