Firefly Lane
Firefly Lane Season Finale Review – Auld Lang Syne (1×10)
Firefly Lane girls forever might not actually mean forever.
The season finale of the Netflix series Firefly Lane managed to wrap up many loose threads while still leaving the door ajar for a second season with some good old-fashioned cliffhangers.
Kate and Tully’s friendship had plenty of ups-and-downs through the three decades, but no matter what — sleeping with each other’s crushes, lunatic mom’s, keeping secrets — they somehow managed to overcome it all.
So, what led to their fallout?
On Firefly Lane Season 1 Episode 10, we finally find out that the funeral is for Bud, Kate’s father, which is kind of a letdown. After all the hype and speculation that it could’ve been Tully’s, Sean’s, or even Johnny’s, they give us the death of a parent, which is sad, but not exactly shocking.
The bigger shocker is that Kate and Tully are on the outs. In the final scene, Kate tells Tully that she’s not welcome at the funeral, that she will never forgive her for what she did, and that she never wants to see her again.
What could Tully have possibly done to upset and hurt the one person who has always been by her side?
Tully has alienated so many people with her selfish and self-sabotaging behavior.
In the present-day, we see the fallout of Tully and Max’s relationship. She may have been drunk when she told Max she was glad she had a miscarriage and wished she never married him on Firefly Lane Season 1 Episode 9, but you can’t just take something like that back, no matter how hard you try.
Those are hurtful words, but they’re also paired with Tully’s heartful actions, which have pushed Max away numerous times.
As he explains, he’s constantly chasing her. Meanwhile, she never even stops to consider his feelings. And the truth is, she’s not the only one who lost a child and a marriage.
When she suggested a clean slate, the damage had already been done. And I, for one, am glad Max walked away before she could continue walking all over him. He put her first on so many occasions and got hurt because of it. This time, he needed to put himself first.
For the first time, possibly ever, Tully had to face the consequences of her drunk actions and lose the best thing that’s ever happened to her!
Not only did Tully lose her career (and in the flash-forward’s, her best friend), but she also lost her job.
That decision, however, was warranted.
No woman wants to work with a misogynistic asshole like Wilson King. And sadly, even in 2021, there’s still plenty of them running the industry.
King apologized for coming onto Tully and threatening to ruin her career back in the 1980s and said he was a changed man. But telling someone “you’re a family man” holds absolutely no weight. We’ve all seen “family men” who are disgusting pigs and who don’t view women as anything more than an object or a plaything. Some people don’t change, and King is one of those people.
The moment he became the owner of the show, he began bossing Tully around and trying to “mansplain” a woman’s talk show to her.
The final straw? Giving her a teen co-host to attract a male audience. What a surefire way to ruin the integrity of a show that just featured a groundbreaking episode about miscarriage! Of course, a male considered that a “trainwreck” and investors weren’t happy… and that’s showbiz for ya!
Kate and Johnny finally hooked up in the past and in the present, and I loved how the two scenes mirrored each other. I guess you always go back to your one true love, no matter what.
Firefly Lane Review – A Story of Friendship, Heartbreak and Trauma Spanning Three Decades
Throughout my reviews of the series, I kept saying I wanted to see the moment that Kate and Johnny owned up to their feelings for each other.
For several episodes, they danced around it, especially Johnny who “didn’t want to ruin the friendship.” Who would have thought that Kate would be the one to make the first move?
In the present day, Kate struggled with figuring out her feelings. One moment she was making out with Travis, the next moment she mistakenly called him Johnny, then she was trying to seduce him by opening the door naked in front of him and his mother (yeah, at least his mom was chill about that), and finally, she jumped back into bed with Johnny.
The latter felt the most authentic. Don’t get me wrong, Travis is a cool guy, and he’s pretty understanding with Kate and all of her awkward antics, but he’s just a filler as she tries to navigate this confusing time in her life.
Sadly, Johnny’s survival is up in the air. After their romantic night together, Kate dropped Johnny off at the airport and he took off to cover the war in Iraq. During one of the missions, he and his team stepped on a landmine. While the series never addressed whether or not Johnny survived (another cliffhanger), it doesn’t bode well considering the call that came in and the fact that he was missing from the funeral scenes in the flash-forward. There’s a slim chance Johnny was already inside of the church, but it’s very likely that he never made it back home from Iraq.
And that’s devastating.
In flashbacks, we saw more of Cloud’s terrible parenting. She’s so destructive that it’s very clear where Tully gets it from.
In one scene, she decides to sell all of Leon’s drugs so that they can pay their electric bill and get food. I was really glad the series finally addressed that they get their money from granny because man, that was a mystery that I couldn’t shake!
Of course, Cloud didn’t realize that she was selling to undercover cops and was arrested while Tully was taken back to live with her grandmother.
In the second scene, Cloud is over at the Mularkey household for some holiday festivities and mentions that she saw Margie in town with another man. This pretty much confirmed that she was having an affair, which led to quite an awkward moment.
But it wasn’t as awkward as when she called out Bud’s company, CONEX, for making bombs that were dropped in Vietnam. Bud called her out for insulting him in the home that he paid for with the money earned at CONEX, and again, it was super awkward.
The episode could’ve done without the scenes, but it did make Cloud’s reunion with the Mularkey family in the future all the more meaningful.
It seems that Tully is really embracing the idea of giving her mother a second chance.
What did you think of the episode? What are your thoughts on the cliffhanger?
Did you enjoy Firefly Lane as a series? Are you clamoring for season 2?
Since Firefly Lane recently aired its second season, many fans have been wondering whether or not the series about two best friends, Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl) and Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke), will return for a third season.
Unfortunately, Netflix announced that the second will be the last, meaning that a third season will not be happening.
However, there is some good news on the horizon.
Even though Firefly Lane will end with a second season, it will be a supersized season with a total of 16 episodes.
The first 9 episodes aired on December 2, 2022, while the remaining 7 will hit the streaming giant on Thursday, June 8, 2023.
In a way, it kind of feels like there are three seasons because of the months-long hiatus between the two parts of the second season.
The first half, Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 1, ended on quite a cliffhanger with Kate learning that she has stage 3 breast cancer. As she attempted to reach out to her longtime bestie to find comfort and make amends, she missed her by mere moments, as Tully accepted a job in Antarctica and left for the airport. The two have been on the outs for a few months following an accident involving Kate’s daughter Mara (Yael Yurman) and Tully.
It’s unclear how the adventure of these two best friends will conclude, but Netflix did leave fans with a bit of a teaser that brings the narrative into the present-day—10 years into the future—to Tully’s wedding day. Kate is nowhere in sight, leaving some fans to wonder if she didn’t survive, while an anxious Johnny (Ben Lawson) waits near the altar with Kate’s brother, leading some fans to theorize that Johnny and Tully are getting married.
We’ll have to wait and see how it all pans out when the second half of the season drops this summer!
Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 1 ended on quite a devastating cliffhanger.
After being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer during a doctor’s visit, Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke) bolted to Tully Hart’s (Katherine Heigl) penthouse apartment to seek out comfort and make amends. The former best friends were not on speaking terms at the time, but the soul-crushing news forced Kate to reach out to the only person she’s ever trusted. Sadly, they missed each other by mere moments—as Kate got off the elevator to visit her friend, Tully got on the elevator with her bags to hop on a plane for a months-long assignment in Antarctica.
Of course, fans immediately started wondering if Kate would survive the ordeal come Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 2.
The Netflix drama is based on Kristin Hannah’s novel of the same name, so if you’ve read the book, there’s a good chance you know how this is going to end. That being said, the series has also deviated from the book on occasion, so it’s possible that the events won’t pan out in the same way, leaving fans on their toes and in for a wild ride.
In Firefly Lane Season 2 Episode 9, Kate is told she has a “rare and very aggressive” form of breast cancer, which doesn’t bode well for the character regardless of what happens in the book. Life expectancy and survival rates are improving all the time, and Kate does have a solid support system, so selfishly, we hope she makes it out.
Spoiler—in the novel, Kate does die from the disease, with fans getting to see Tully pick up the pieces and try to be there for Kate’s family, including her daughter Mara (Yael Yurman) and her significant other, Johnny Ryan (Ben Lawson).
Again, it’s unclear if that’s what will happen in the Netflix series as well.
Netflix gave fans a quick preview into Part 2, which seemed to cause even more confusion.
The 10-year flash-forward scene seems to take place at Tully’s wedding—and it definitely looks as though Tully is marrying Johnny, which would indicate that Kate died.
The wedding snippet features Tully getting her makeup done, while Johnny and Sean, Kate’s brother, stand in front of the altar. Johnny looks rather anxious as he informs Sean that he’ll be fine once the bride shows up. Kate isn’t anywhere in sight, which may lead some to believe that she’s no longer alive.
While it’s unclear if Kate is still alive in the flash forward, she does give Johnny and Tully the a-okay to get married in the books. Prior to her death, she writes Tully a letter asking her to help Johnny raise the kids. She even notes that she’s fine if the two end up together. “I know you’ll be thinking that I left you, but it’s not true. All you have to do is remember Firefly Lane, and you’ll find me. There will always be a TullyandKate,” Kate writes, per Oprah Daily.
Only time—and the final season—will tell how Kate’s story will end. Find out our theories on who Tully might be marrying.
Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 2 premieres on June 8, 2023,
Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 1 has hooked fans, but it’s the “special teaser” at the conclusion of episode 9 that really has everyone talking.
While the episode ended with Tully and Kate not on speaking terms, the clip from the second half of the final season jumps 10 years into the future, a timeline we haven’t yet visited.
And the clip is raising a lot of eyebrows as it seems to take place at Tully’s (Katherine Heigl) wedding.
Fans are all rooting for Tully to finally find love and settle down, but the specific clip is cut in a way that almost suggests that Tully is marrying Johnny (Ben Lawson), Kate’s (Sarah Chalke) husband.
In the final moments of episode 9, Kate is diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, which forces her to reach out to make amends with Tully. Unfortunately, she misses her by seconds as Tully leaves her penthouse sweet to catch a flight to Antarctica on an assignment.
The wedding snippet features Tully getting her makeup done, while Johnny and Sean, Kate’s brother, stand in front of the altar. Johnny looks rather anxious as he informs Sean that he’ll be fine once the bride shows up. Kate isn’t anywhere in sight, which may lead some to believe that she’s no longer alive.
The book may offer some insight into the upcoming nuptials—though, keep in mind, the show and the book vary slightly.
While it’s unclear if Kate is still alive in the 10-year flash forward, in the books, she writes Tully a letter asking her to help Johnny raise the kids. She even notes that she’s fine if the two end up together. “I know you’ll be thinking that I left you, but it’s not true. All you have to do is remember Firefly Lane, and you’ll find me. There will always be a TullyandKate,” Kate writes, per Oprah Daily.
This might lead some to believe that Tully is marrying Johnny in the show, however, it’s important to note that they do not get married in the book, nor do they get into a relationship. She does, however, make good on her promise and helps him raise the children while dealing with some personal struggles.
So, if it’s not Johnny, why is he so nervous? It’s possible he just wants Tully to get this right. And it could very well be that the groom is Danny (Ignacio Serrichio), their former KPOC colleague and the one that got away.
Does Tully Marry Danny?
The former couple split up because of career ambitions, and as fate would have it, years down the line, they ended up being penthouse neighbors and good friends. Danny, however, had a girlfriend, who even spent the holidays with Tully, so they remained good friends. Still, there was always an unspoken bond between Danny and Tully.
In the final moments of episode 9, before she jets off to Antarctica, Danny shows up to say goodbye and tells her that he’s always thinking about her, indicating that there are definitely still feelings on his part.
Tully is a professional, so she doesn’t let the comment shake her, but I imagine that finding out your best friend has cancer might give her a new perspective on life—it’s too short, and you should follow your heart. From what I’ve seen, her heart has always pined for Danny all the years, so if I had to bet my money on it, I would say he’s the one she’s marrying in the flash forward,
As they say, better late than never.
Unfortunately, until Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 2 premieres on June 8, 2023, we won’t know the answer for certain.
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