Life Serial

"Life Serial"
Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
The Trio, (L-to-R) Warren, Jonathan and Andrew are established as the seasons' antagonists.
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 5
Directed by	Nick Marck
Written by	David Fury Jane Espenson
Production code	6ABB05
Original air date	October 23, 2001
Guest appearance(s)
Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles Danny Strong as Jonathan Levinson Adam Busch as Warren Mears Tom Lenk as Andrew Wells Amber Benson as Tara Maclay Paul Gutrecht as Tony Noel Albert Guglielmi as Vince Enrique Almeida as Marco Jonathan Goldstein as Mike Winsome Brown as Woman Customer Christopher May as Male Customer David J. Miller as Rat-Faced Demon Andrew Cooper Wasser as Slime-Cover Demon Richard Beatty as Small Demon James C. Leary as Clem Jennifer Shon as Rachel Jabari Hearn as Steve Derrick McMillon as Ron Clint Culp as Bartender Mark Ginther as Horned Demon Alice Dinnean as Mummy Hand
Episode chronology
← Previous "Flooded" Next → "All the Way"
List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes

"Life Serial" is the 5th episode of season 6 of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Buffy returns from her visit with Angel, but doesn't want to talk about it. Instead, the Scoobies discuss 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 Trio prepares for its competition to test Buffy, setting up their van with high-tech monitoring equipment.

At school, Buffy finds herself overwhelmed by a class she takes with Willow. Buffy later meets up with Tara for Art History, but before class begins Warren tags her with a tiny device that causes time to fast-forward. Buffy is dazed as the world whizzes around her; when she finally notices the device Warren planted on her, it self-destructs and puts Buffy back in normal time.

Buffy works with Xander at his construction job, telling him about the time situation at school before she is introduced to Tony, the boss. Andrew summons demons from the van, which trash the construction site before Buffy kills them. Unfortunately, Buffy knocks Tony unconscious and the construction men she saves refuse to admit they were saved by a girl. Xander gets mad at Buffy for bringing slaying to his work place but understands that something is happening. However, he is still forced to fire her.

Buffy learns about working at The Magic Box from Giles and Anya as Jonathan begins a spell to loop time. Buffy assists a man with a candle sale and then goes downstairs to fetch a live mummy hand for a female customer. The hand attacks her and she is forced to kill it, which also kills the sale. Events start to repeat as Buffy must help the customers and fight the mummy hand over and over again, being reduced to tears out of frustration. She is stuck in an unsolved dilemma, but soon Buffy is able to end the spell by telling the woman she will order the hand instead of going downstairs to fight with the one they already have. Stressed out by the repeating time and the job itself, Buffy walks out. All the while, the three villains keep scores on their Buffy attacks.