Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s revival may be passing the Slayer torch to a new generation, but one line from the original series finale must be addressed to show Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) growth since her last appearance. The original series ran from 1997 to 2003, chroniclingBuffy and her allies’ongoing battles against the forces of darkness in their hometown of Sunnydale. The original series came to a close with its seventh season in May 2003 in the finale episode “Chosen,” ending Buffy’s battles and leaving her with a bright future.
In February 2025,a revival ofBuffy the Vampire Slayerwas confirmed to be in development, with Gellar set to reprise her role and serve as executive producer for a pilot episode directed by Chloé Zhao and written by Norra and Lilla Zuckermann. Rather than centering on an older Buffy,the series will see Gellar’s character become a mentor to a new Slayer who will set out on her own fight to ward off creatures of the nightin a recurring role. Instead,the revival will be led by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who will portray the new Slayer.
Buffy & Angel’s Cookie Dough Scene Needs To Come Full Circle
Buffy Summarized What She Needed In Their Final Scene
In “Chosen,” Buffy has one last conversation with on-again, off-again love interest Angel (David Boreanaz) regarding their relationship as it stood at the time, discussing their complicated history and where her true feelings lay. While Angel believes that he is being cast aside for anti-hero vampire Spike (James Marsters),Buffy states that she just can’t see herself being romantically involved with anyone at this time. Comparing herself to cookie dough that has yet to be properly baked, she explains that she needs time until she feels ready in the quote below:
Because' okay. I’m cookie dough. I’m not done baking. I’m not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I’m going to turn out to be. I make it through this, and the next thing, and the next thing. And maybe one day I turn around and realize I’m ready. I’m cookies. And then, you know, if I want someone to eat m-… Or enjoy warm, delicious cookie-me, then that’s fine. That’ll be then. When I’m done.
While Buffy’s story may have been over, the question lingered with Angel into the fifth and final season ofhis own spinoffAngelthe following year, where episode 20, “The Girl in Question,” sees him and Spike try to intervene when they hear that Buffy may be in a new relationship. When Andrew (Tom Lenk) refuses to disclose the truth, Angel cries, “She’s not finished baking yet,” much to Spike’s confusion,as he laments that Buffy won’t choose him. As such, the question of when Buffy will be “done baking” has remained since this episode’s airing.
Buffy Doesn’t Need To Have Finished Baking
Buffy’s Speech Highlighted Her Need To Find Her Own Path
Within the context of the originalBuffy the Vampire Slayer, the “cookie dough"exchange could have stood as a fun yet still sentimental and powerful note to endBuffy and Angel’s romance. Alongside resolving any romantic tension and providing closure to their complicated relationship,the quote is also affirming as Buffy takes initiative, hoping to find her own way forward without relying on someone else to make her feel complete. The notion fits perfectly where Buffy’s story concludes, too, as the series ends with her free to choose her own fate beyond just being the Slayer.
However,the quote’s reprisal inAngelseason 5 brought the unresolved question back to the library,even if it was in a joking manner that poked fun at Angel’s expense due to how absurd it sounds without the context. Not only does it show that Angel’s feelings remain, but it also reminds viewers that the fate of the pair’s relationship is still up in the air. As such, it could be surmised that many may feel an answer would be inevitable, had theBuffyfranchise returned to TV.
As such, bringing the “cookie dough” quote back would not only be a fun callback but also finally address whether Buffy has made her decision in the roughly 22 years that have passed since she was last seen on television.Of course, Buffy’s “cookie dough” does not need to have finished baking, as her arc may not yet be over, simply just in a new chapter, or perhaps she never chose to settle down. Regardless of whetherBuffy the Vampire Slayer’s reboot sees her reunited with Angel or still learning her place in the world, answering this question could be a perfect bridge between the two generations.
