Life Serial (Buffy episode)
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"Life Serial" is the 5th episode of season 6 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.
Plot synopsis
Summary
Buffy will soon be in serious need of money to support herself and Dawn, so she tries to focus on doing something useful and profitable. At first she tries going back to college, but it proves too daunting. Besides, Jonathan, Warren and Andrew are after her to make her life more difficult with their little devices and spells.
After trying college, Buffy tries to work at the construction site with Xander, but the Nerds invoke some demons to kill her right there. She disposes of them, but freaks out the crew and Xander asks her to leave.
After that, she tries to work at the Magic Box, but another spell of the Trio makes this impossible for Buffy, who finds herself trapped into a magick loop having to satisfy the same customer over and over again.
Seeing that nothing works, she goes over to Spike's crypt and they go out for a drink, whereby she accidentally discovers that it's the Trio that are after her.
Expanded overview
Buffy returns with fried chicken for dinner and although the gang already had dinner, they all take some of the chicken. Buffy doesn't want to talk about the meeting with Angel so that subject is changed to Buffy's future plans. Not knowing what she wants to do in life, Buffy agrees to audit the classes Willow and Tara are taking until the next semester starts. The Supervillain Guys prepare their van with high-tech equipment and prepare for their attack on Buffy.
At school, Buffy finds herself lost and confused by a class she takes with Willow. Buffy later meets up with Tara for another class, but before class begins Warren tags her with a diamond-like object. Suddenly, time begins to fast forward and races through various intervals leaving Buffy dazed, confused and with several hours of time she doesn't remember ever occurring. Buffy removes her jacket and finds the small diamond that was planted on her. Realizing she's on to them from the small camera in the diamond, the guys make the object disappear and time is no longer racing.
Buffy works with Xander at his construction job, talking with him about the time situation at school before she's introduced to Tony, the boss. Andrew gets his turn to terrorize the Slayer and begins working some magic in the van. Demons attack Buffy at the construction sight but are destroyed and disappear from sight. Xander gets mad at Buffy for bringing slaying to his work place and then Buffy is promptly fired.
Buffy learns about working at the Magic shop from Giles and Anya while the gang is unknowingly watched by a camera hidden in a skull on a shelf. Jonathan is finally ready for his chance and begins a spell in Latin. Buffy assists a man with a candle sale and then goes downstairs for a live mummy hand that a female customer wants. The hand attacks her and she is forced to kill it, which also kills the sale. Events start to repeat themselves, as Buffy must help the customers and fight the mummy hand over and over again. She's stuck in an unsolved dilemma, but soon Buffy is able to end the spell by telling the woman she'll order the hand instead of going downstairs to fight with the one they already have. All the while, the three villains keep scores on their Buffy attacks.
Stressed out by the repeating time and the job itself, Buffy walks out, silently quitting the sales job. Later that night, Buffy gets drunk with Spike at his crypt. Despite being completely hammered, Buffy goes to a bar with Spike and drinks more while Spike plays poker with kittens as money as he searches for information. After the poker game ends badly, Buffy rants to Spike about the new low her life has reached with her inability to understand school or get a decent job or hang out with decent friends. Buffy and Spike notice a black van out back and the three villains stop fighting long enough to notice Buffy's approach.
A fake demon appears from behind the van and threatens Buffy, but it's beaten down while the van drives away. With the use of smoke to confuse the slayer and vampire, the demon, who just happens to be Jonathan in disguise runs away. Buffy begins to recover from her drunken state and complains to Giles about her life. He consoles her and offers her a check to help pay for all the expenses. Buffy's happy that Giles will always be there, but the look on Giles's face suggests that he might not always be.
Writing and acting
Production details
Music
- Masticators - "Kidnapper Song"
- Murder City Devils - "Boom Swagger Boom"
- John Williams Star Wars Theme" - The trio of geeks use the theme for their van horn.
Quotes and trivia
- "TNG" stands for . The episode in which the Enterprise-D continually explodes is "Cause and Effect".
- There is a reference to Monty Python in the time loop sequence where one of the villains misquotes "this is an ex-mummy hand" - a take on the famous Parrot Sketch.
- The Trio have a protacted argument over actors who have played James Bond: Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton. Warren insists that Moonraker was inexcusable.
Continuity
Arc significance
Crossover with Buffy: A meeting between Buffy and Angel takes place immediately before this episode. It is the subject of Jane Espenson's Buffy/Angel comic, Reunion.Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) | Buffyverse chronology: Fall 2001 - December 2001 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| L.A., 2001 | Buffy/Angel novel: Cursed (Buffy/Angel novel)>Cursed |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.01 Heartthrob (Angel episode)>Heartthrob |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy UPN promos: Buffy Season 6 UPN promos>Scooby Gang talk about Buffy |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.01 Bargaining, Part One (Buffy episode)>Bargaining, I |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.02 Bargaining, Part Two (Buffy episode)>Bargaining, II |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.02 That Vision Thing (Angel episode)>That Vision Thing |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.03 After Life (Buffy episode)>After Life |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Sanctuary (Angel novel)>Sanctuary |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.03 That Old Gang of Mine (Angel episode)>That Old Gang of Mine |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.04 Flooded (Buffy episode)>Flooded |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.04 Carpe Noctem (Angel episode)>Carpe Noctem |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy comic: Reunion (Buffy comic)>Reunion |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.05 Life Serial (Buffy episode)>Life Serial |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.05 Fredless (Angel episode)>Fredless |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy book: Blood and Fog (Buffy novel)>Blood and Fog |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.06 All the Way (Buffy episode)>All the Way |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: Note from the Underground (Buffy comic)>Note from the Underground |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.06 Billy (Angel episode)>Billy |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel anthology book:The Longest Night (Angel novel)>The Longest Night |
| Sunnydale, L.A., Monster Island, 2001 | Buffy/Angel novel: Monster Island (Buffy/Angel novel)>Monster Island |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Endangered Species (Angel novel)>Endangered Species |
| L.A., 2001 | Angel book: Impressions (Angel novel)>Impressions |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.07 Once More, with Feeling (Buffy episode)>Once More, with Feeling |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.07 Offspring (Angel episode)>Offspring |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.08 Tabula Rasa (Buffy episode)>Tabula Rasa |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.08 Quickening (Angel episode)>Quickening |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.09 Smashed (Buffy episode)>Smashed |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.09 Lullaby (Angel episode)>Lullaby |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.10 Wrecked (Buffy episode)>Wrecked |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.10 Dad (Angel episode)>Dad |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.11 Gone (Buffy episode)>Gone |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.11 Birthday (Angel episode)>Birthday |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: Creatures of Habit (Buffy comic)>Creatures of Habit |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | Buffy graphic novel: |
| Sunnydale, 2001 | B6.12 Doublemeat Palace (Buffy episode)>Doublemeat Palace |
| L.A., 2001 | A3.12 Provider (Angel episode)>Provider |
External links
| Buffyverse | ||
| Main | Canon | Index Chronology: Ancient | Modern | BS1 | BS2 | BS3 | BS4/AS1 | BS5/AS2 | BS6/AS3 | BS7/AS4 | AS5 | Future | Flashbacks | |
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| People | Adam | Amy | Andrew | Angel | Anya | Buffy | Caleb | Connor | Cordelia | Dawn | Darla | Doyle | Dru | Eve | Faith | Fred | Giles | Glory | Gunn | Harmony | Holtz | Illyria | Jasmine | Jenny | Joyce | Jonathan | Kate | Kennedy | Lilah | Lindsey | Lorne | The Master | Mayor Wilkins | Oz | Professor Walsh | Riley | Spike | Tara | Warren | Wesley | Willow | Xander | |
| Places | L.A. | Sunnydale Bronze | Caritas | Hellmouth | Hyperion | Library | Magic Box | Pylea | Sunnydale High | |
| Music | Complete Tracklist | Use of Music in Buffy & Angel | Dingoes Ate My Baby | Film | | | Once More, With Feeling | |
| Key Terminology | "Demon" | "Slayer" | "Vampire" | "Watcher" | "Werewolf" | "Witch" "Child of Senior Partners" | Shanshu | Sunnydale Syndrome | Tro-Clon | |
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