Will the Netflix Show Have the Same Ending as the Book?
Will Kate and Tully make it through this crisis? The first part of Netflix’s Firefly Lane Season 2 ended with a major development for the two women that will likely shape both their lives going forward. We won’t know exactly how things turn out for Kate and Tully until the show’s final seven episodes arrive in 2023. But we do have some ideas about where the story is headed based on what happens in author Kristin Hannah’s book Firefly Lane and its sequel Fly Away.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Firefly Lane Season 2 and Kristin Hannah’s books Firefly Lane and Fly Away.]
‘Firefly Lane’ is based on a book by Kristin Hannah
Firefly Lane stars Katherine Heigl as Tully Hart, an accomplished TV journalist and talk show host. Sarah Chalke plays Kate Mularkey, an editor and producer who eventually becomes a stay-at-home mom. The two women become friends as teens in the 1970s, and both the book and the show follow them through the years as they navigate life’s many ups and downs.
While the Netflix series is based on a book, it doesn’t follow Hannah’s novel to the letter. For one, the story in the book is told chronologically. However, the show jumps around in time, focusing on the 1970s, when the girls are teenagers; the 1980s, when they’re getting started in their careers; and the early 200s, when they are in their early 40s. It also makes a number of other major changes to the book’s story. In the show, Tully is eventually able to build something of a relationship with her unreliable mother Cloud (Beau Garrett), but that doesn’t happen in the book. And though Kate and her husband Johnny (Ben Lawson) get divorced in the show (and then reunite), they never split up in the novel. But so far, the TV show is following the source material in one key way.
Kate learns she has cancer in ‘Firefly Lane’ Season 2
Firefly Lane Season 2 continues to follow Kate and Tully’s evolving and complicated friendship. The show’s sophomore outing explains the cause of the pair’s mysterious falling out, which was teased at the end of season 1. When Tully’s reckless behavior puts Kate’s teenage daughter Marah (Yael Yurman) in danger, Kate cuts off all contact with her friend. But when Kate learns she has breast cancer at the end of episode 9, she reaches out to Tully for support. Unfortunately, Tully has just left for a months-long reporting trip in Antarctica. Kate is unable to connect with her before she leaves.
This roughly mirrors what happens in Hannah’s book. However, in the novel, the event that triggers Kate and Tully’s breakup is somewhat different. (Tully invites Kate to appear on her show The Girlfriend Hour and then slams her parenting.) As in the show, Kate is diagnosed with cancer. She tries to reach out to Tully, and fails to make contact because her former friend is in Antarctica.
Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 1 leaves viewers guessing about what’s next for Kate and Tully. But if the book is any guide, a heartbreaking ending is on the horizon. In Hannah’s novel, Kate and Tully are able to reconnect and repair their relationship. However, Kate dies soon after. The book’s sequel, Fly Away, follows both Tully and Marah as they cope with their grief over Kate’s death.
Will Kate die in ‘Firefly Lane’ Season 2?
How Firefly Lane Season 2 will end is anyone’s guess. The show has already tweaked the original story in some big ways, which means that Kate’s death isn’t inevitable. It’s possible that her cancer diagnosis will serve as an impetus for her and Tully to rekindle their friendship, but that Kate will not succumb to the disease. But Firefly Lane may opt for a tear-jerker of an ending that leaves Tully reflecting on how much her late friend meant to her. There’s also a chance that Firefly Lane will kill off one Kate early in the second part of season 2 and then spend the remainder of the season exploring how Tully, Johnny, and Marah cope with her loss. For now, we’ll just have to wait and wonder until the show’s final seven episodes arrive on Netflix in 2023.
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