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Firefly Lane Review: ‘A tale of female friendship’

Olivia Beeson
friends holing each other's pinky fingers

Olivia Beeson

Firefly Lane is a relatable tale of female friendship, for better or worse. It shows the real solidarity between women and the twists and turns that may take.

Firefly Lane aired its final episode to its audience on April 27th. Known for showing its depictions of the journey from youth to adulthood, we follow Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl) and Kate Mularkey’s (Sarah Chalke) life from the 70s to the mid-2000s. Although the show is dramatic at times, the depiction of two girls becoming women together is one that most women can resonate with.

Female Friendships

“Nearly everything I know about love, I learned from my long-term friendships with women.”

The overarching message of the series epitomizes the viral TikTok sound, that came from Dolly Alderton’s 2018 book ‘Everything I Know About Love’: “Nearly everything I know about love, I learned from my long-term friendships with women.”

We see  Tully and Kate’s co-dependency throughout the show and how much this has impacted their lives. However, in the final episodes of season 2, we see a change, this co-dependency falls apart as they fail to overcome a huge fallout.

The Plot

The series begins with Tully, who is on a reporting trip, trying to rebuild her life and career. While Kate is attempting to reconnect with Tully to let her know that she has stage five breast cancer. Although they have been estranged, in Kate’s toughest moments, she still really needs her best friend by her side – at the end of the day, they know each other inside and out. The whole series emphasizes that life may be tough sometimes, but true friends are essential.

The following episodes illustrate Kate’s journey with cancer and the pair’s reunion, continuously intertwining the past with the present.

“Boobs have been a major part of their lives, and this episode demonstrates just that. “

Episode 11, ‘The Breast is Yet to Come’ highlights this very well. This episode explores Kate’s relationship with her boobs from teenagehood until her mastectomy in adulthood. From stuffing her bra with tissue to impress the popular boy at school, to facing the difficulty of breastfeeding her child, Marah, to discovering the rare rash that had developed.

Boobs have been a major part of their lives, and this episode demonstrates just that. Like much of the series, the evolution from childhood to womanhood is played out before our eyes, with the ‘boob voyage’ party that Tully throws for the pair marking the end of an era.

Women’s Bodies, Memory, and Death

Firefly Lane gives us a glimpse of the end throughout, injecting us with hope for the future, especially when we see snippets of a wedding being teased throughout, although we are unsure whose it is.

“We watch as her condition deteriorates and her nearest and dearest must grasp that getting better is no longer an option.”

But this is not the only nuptials to happen, we also get to witness Kate and Jonny also get remarried. However, the day does not go as smoothly as planned, with Kate collapsing due to the return of her cancer. From this point on we see Kate’s health decline, and she becomes wheelchair-bound and also loses her memory. We watch as her condition deteriorates and her nearest and dearest must grasp that getting better is no longer an option.

I will be honest in saying I am not much of a crier, but the last few episodes of Firefly Lane really hit me. I highly doubt you’ll be able to get through it with dry eyes.

Fan Reception

Many fans have taken to social media to express how emotional they were watching the end of the show.

“It’s not some fairy tale version of female friendship. There is a lot of resentment under the surface….a lot of feeling”

In the finale, Kate passes away right next to her friend. Katherine Heigl who played the character told People: “It’s not some fairy tale version of female friendship. There is a lot of resentment under the surface…. a lot of feeling” and how many “things go unsaid.”

“The box was a care package of sorts, Kate’s final opportunity to support her friend, one last time.”

The final moments of the show demonstrated that after all the hardships you may go through, a strong friendship will stand the test of time. We witness this as Tully opens a box left to her by Kate. Kate knew her friend would struggle to go to her funeral, so the box was a care package of sorts, Kate’s final opportunity to support her friend, one last time.

https://twitter.com/paprikash3000/status/1655137005020356618?s=20

The funeral was full of memories, as we watched Tully dance the duo’s routine by herself. This moment made me think about the times my friends and I whip out our moves to the song Starships. Although it’s bittersweet that I may not remember the dance forever, I will never have to do it alone. In many ways, this is why the show is so great.

There are moments as a woman that will make you think – that’s happened to me.

All I have to say is grab some tissues, grab your best friend and go watch Firefly Lane. You’ll be sure to be smiling at each other, as you resonate with Tully and Kate friendship

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Featured image courtesy of Womanizer Toys on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes have been made to this image. 

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