Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best supernatural teen dramas ever, and has remained a cult classic in the years since it’s been off the air. Fans of the original series (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) were hyped to learn that Sarah Michelle Gellar was working on a reboot pilot with Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao. I recently rewatched Buffy‘s series finale, and I’ve got to say it perfectly sets up what we know about the pilot.
If Hulu orders a full series, the Buffy reboot will introduce a new Slayer named Nova. SMG’s title character is reportedly serving as a mentor in the pilot, and that does feel like a natural segue after the events of the Season 7 finale episode, “Chosen.” Assemble your Scooby Gang and let’s get into it.
Buffy Shared Her Power In “Chosen”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has the honor of being a TV show that actually ended well. Throughout Season 7 our hero and her friends are fighting The First Evil, who is attempting to end the Slayer line. After the good guys assemble an army of young women, Willow uses ancient magic to activate every Potential. Just like that, Buffy and Faith weren’t the only “hot chicks with superpowers” in the group.
What followed in “Chosen” was an absolutely epic final battle, where countless Slayers battled The First’s army of Ubervamps from within the Hell Mouth. It’s awesome seeing the Potentials finally have some power, although we lost a few, like Amanda, as well as saw the death of Emma Caulfied’s Anya. Buffy had spent much of the season training the girls, and it sounds like she’ll be back in that mentorship role in the reboot pilot… if we ever actually see it.
Nova might be the new Slayer, but the fact that the potential Buffy reboot is keeping the same story and bringing back Sarah Michelle Gellar makes me think that the OG is still going to have a major part to play. It would be fascinating to see how she assembles and trains various Slayers from around the world.
While Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended after seven seasons, Joss Whedon ended up continuing the story through years of comic books. It’s unclear if these will still be considered canon in the possible reboot, since they went on some truly wild adventures. Right now, the primary question is whether or not Hulu will actually green light a full season. Either way, we’ve seen how dynamic Buffy is when training fellow Slayers.
Gellar’s photo dump has helped to buoy fan excitement, which I have to assume will help the odds of the pilot becoming a full-fledged series. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, especially if a new season will bring back more legacy characters alongside Little Miss Likes to Fight.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are streaming in their entirety on Hulu. We’ll have to wait and see if the the reboot pilot was successful in securing a new season of episodes with the Duchess of Buffonia.
