Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Recap/S6/E05 Life Serial

"Anya: This whole day -- has it gone by too quickly for you?

Buffy: No. No, I don't think that's exactly the problem."

Buffy readjusts to life among the living. The Trio tests her to see if they can find a weakness.

""Okay, it's in Latin, so don't laugh. It's supposed to sound like this.""
 * Alien Geometries: In an effort to escape the time loop, Buffy tries to walk out the Magic Shop door only to find herself entering the shop from the back, much to Giles and Anya's puzzlement.
 * Altum Videtur: Lampshaded when Jonathan is casting a spell with his magic bone (heh heh).

"Spike: Me? I cheat? He's got X-ray vision! (points to scaly demon)
 * Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: "He kills our kind! Don't let him in!"
 * Bar Brawl: Averted; Spike tries to get Buffy's help when the demons start ganging up on him, but she just upends the basket of kittens and walks out while everyone's trying to catch the 'money'.
 * Big Red Devil: In order to distract Buffy who's approaching their Van in Black, Jonathan uses a spell to disguise himself as a demon that seems to be modeled on the South Park Satan. He goes down in one hit, spouts something about returning to his home dimension to die, then drops a smoke bomb and runs. It only works because Buffy is drunk off her ass.
 * Big Red Button: The Genre Savvy Trio naturally have one for their Destruct Mechanism.
 * Blatant Lies: The demons cheating at poker.

Scaly Demon: I'm not using it!

Clem: (stands up angrily) We are not the ones who are cheating! (An ace of spades protrudes from his folds of skin) I, I had no idea that was there. I could have leaned on that days ago."

"Dawn: I'll take a drumstick.
 * Cavemen Versus Astronauts Debate: Warren and Andrew's argument on who was the best James Bond actor.
 * Chekhov's Gag: Andrew isn't happy over Holding Hands for a spell incantation, causing Warren to say, "You know what homophobia really says about you?"
 * Chekhov's Gunman: Clem (credited here as 'Loose-Skinned Demon') becomes a minor character in the series.
 * Chekhov's Gun: Jonathan's Voluntary Shapeshifting spell is used for more serious purposes in "Dead Things". The camera hidden by the Trio in the Magic Shop becomes a plot point in "Entropy".
 * Comfort Food: Buffy returns from her meeting with Angel with a gigantic tub of fried chicken.
 * Curse Cut Short: Buffy gets out a "What the f__" before a Smash Cut. Averted when she actually says "Crap" to celebrate UPN's looser restrictions on swearing.
 * The Dark Side: Spoofed with the Bad Guy Bar, with demons out the back gambling over kittens.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Twenty-something person can't focus on what they want to do in life.
 * Double Entendre: The Scoobies help themselves to Buffy's fried chicken.

Willow: I'm a breast girl myself. (looks slyly at Tara) But then you all know that."

"Andrew: Plus, look what Warren and me discovered by accident before we drove away!
 * Dope Slap: Timothy Dalton is not the greatest Bond actor!
 * Description Cut: Buffy with no idea what to do with her life to Jonathan talking about how decisive she is.
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Buffy after her very bad day.
 * Evil Hand: It is from Buffy's perspective.
 * Finish Dialogue in Unison: The Trio excitedly rattle off all the information they've gathered on the Slayer.

The Trio: Free cable porn!"

"Warren: Jonathan, grab your magic bone."
 * Foreshadowing: Giles' worried look when Buffy says, "This makes me feel safe. Knowing you're always gonna be here."
 * Spike tells Buffy that she's a creature of the dark like him, a line he'll continue to push as their relationship intensifies.
 * Funny Background Event: The Trio cast a spell in the back of the van causing a dramatic puff of smoke, which promptly fills the van. We then cut to the Magic Shop where through the window we see the Van in Black parked across the street. The doors at the back open to emit a great cloud of smoke amidst the faint sound of coughing.
 * Glasses Pull: Giles' Character Tic finally becomes too much and Buffy crushes his glasses underfoot.
 * Groundhog Day Loop
 * Heh, Heh, You Said "X": Warren and Andrew break out into sniggers every time Jonathan's magic bone is mentioned.

"Warren: It's like she's completely without focus. (pause) Should we check the other channels for free cable porn?"
 * Humiliation Conga
 * Hypocritical Humor: Plenty from the Trio.

"Buffy: I saw one downstairs. It's kinda hairy, though. Maybe it was a daddy hand."
 * If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten: Why the demons are using them for money.
 * Imagine the Audience Naked: Inverted with Anya who suggests Buffy deal with her anxiety by imagining herself naked.
 * Improvised Weapon: Buffy kills a demon by shoving its head in a scissor lift and yanking out the hydraulic cable, causing it to retract on the demon's head.
 * Incredibly Lame Pun: When the customer first asks for a mummy hand.

"Giles: Buffy, a word in your ear. Um, if you, uh, think of the store as a, as a library, (cleaning glasses) it'll help you to, to, uh, concentrate on, on ... service rather than selling.
 * In Vino Veritas: Buffy does some great snarking while drunk, but lets slip a telltale comment that Spike is the only person she can stand to be around.
 * It Was There I Swear: The monsters that attack Buffy in the construction site turn into gloop and vanish.
 * Montage / Tantrum Throwing: Buffy trying to break the Groundhog Day Loop and failing.
 * No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Unwilling to admit they were saved from scary demons by a little girl, the construction workers say that Buffy went nuts and attacked them. Xander is forced to fire Buffy.
 * Not Listening to Me, Are You?

Buffy: Yes. And then I'm going to marry Bob Dole and raise penguins in Guam.

Giles: Yes, uh, quite, quite, yes."

"Buffy: Not my kind of fun.
 * Not So Different: Spike suggests Buffy engage in a little Perp Sweating to find out who's hassling her.

Spike: Yeah it is. And your life's gonna get a lot less confusing when you figure that out. [snip] You're not a schoolgirl. You're not a shop girl. You're a creature of the darkness. Like me."

"Spike: Come on, someone's gotta stake me.
 * Obligatory Joke: Spike asks someone to advance him a kitten so he can join in the poker game.

Buffy: (grinning) I'll do it! (Off Spike's look) What, you thought I was just gonna let that lie there?"

"Buffy: I don't ... really know how to say this ... (softly) but it's a little like having Mom back.
 * Parental Substitute / Analogy Backfire: Buffy gets misty-eyed when Giles pays off her debts.

Giles: In this scenario, I am your mother?

Buffy: Wanna be my shiftless absentee father?

Giles: Is there some sort of, um, rakish uncle?"

"Spike: What's wrong, luv?
 * Perp Sweating: Drunk!Buffy loudly demands to know which demon she has to kill for information.
 * Plot Tailored to the Party: This episode establishes the specialties of the Trio -- Warren's is technology, Andrew's is demon summoning, and Jonathan's is magic.
 * Rant-Inducing Slight: Buffy storms out of the poker game; Spike rushes to catch up with her.

Buffy: What's wrong?! You were gonna help me! You, you were gonna beat heads and, and, and fix my life! But you're completely lame! Tonight sucks! And, and look at me! Look at, look at Stupid!Buffy -- too dumb for college, and, and, and Freak Buffy -- too strong for construction work. And, and my job at the Magic Shop? I was bored to tears even before the hour that wouldn't end! And the only person I can even stand to be around is a ... neutered vampire who cheats at kitten poker.

Spike: (embarrassed) Oh, you saw the cheating, did you.

Buffy: Also? I think you're drunk."

"Spike: (quietly) These lowlifes know everything happens in this town.
 * Shout-Out: "This mummy hand has ceased to be. It is an ex-mummy hand".
 * Smoke Out
 * Sssssnaketalk: The forked-tongue demon bartender. Makes it difficult to say words like "Spike".
 * So Much for Stealth: Andrew paints the Death Star on the side of their Van in Black, which also plays the Star Wars theme when he accidentally leans on the horn. Needless to say this gets Buffy's attention.
 * Drunk!Buffy in the Bad Guy Bar

Buffy: Oh, good. These are the lowlifes!

(Demons all turn to look at her)

Spike: Fine. A little louder."

"Buffy: I think at one point, I actually turned completely inside out."
 * Spies in a Van / Van in Black
 * Spy Speak: The Genre Savvy Trio know this is the way to speak while shadowing someone.
 * Square-Cube Law: Averted; Jonathan transforms himself into a much larger demon except that as the demon he "actually had the proportional strength of, uh...me."
 * Stealth Pun: In card games the betting pool is often referred to as "the kitty".
 * Tastes Like Feet: Buffy has a "bleeh!" reaction every time she downs a shot. She does pick up a bottle of...Khalua? and drink it straight, for a seasoned alcoholic that'd be tough especially if they don't like the taste, and the slayer doesn't drink. It doesn't stop her.
 * Tempting Fate: Each act begins with Buffy saying "This is gonna be great" as she prepares for her next new job.
 * Unknown Rival: The Trio vs. the Slayer.
 * The Un-Reveal: Buffy won't say what happened between her and Angel.
 * Vomit Discretion Shot


 * Walk On the Wild Side Episode: The final act; subverted in that it only consists of Buffy getting drunk in a corner and making snarky comments.