Firefly Lane returned to Netflix late last year, finally answering some of our questions regarding the end of Season 1 — namely, what event could have been so tragic that it formed a wedge in the seemingly unbreakable friendship between Kate (Sarah Chalke) and Tully (Katherine Heigl). However, no sooner was that question answered than we were dealt another shocking twist to end Part 1 of Firefly Lane Season 2 (available to stream with a Netflix subscription). Luckily we have Kristin Hannah’s books to try to glean some clues about what to expect when Part 2 returns in June.
Let’s take a look at what the books Firefly Lane and Fly Away might tell us about what happens next for the Firefly Lane Girls, including Kate’s fate and what that 10-year time jump in the teaser trailer might mean.
What Happens After Kate Finds Out She Has Breast Cancer?
As is to be expected anytime a book is adapted for the screen, there were some pretty big differences between the Firefly Lane series and Kristin Hannah’s novel. However, with the reveal of Kate’s breast cancer, it looked like the series might be lining back up with the source material. The BFFs fall out of each other’s lives in the book, and when Kate gets her diagnosis, Tully is away on assignment, unable to be reached. By the time she returns, Kate and Johnny have exhausted all of their options for treatment, but the two women are able to reconcile before Kate dies.
It’s likely that reconciliation will be the primary focus of Part 2, but whether the series decides to follow the source material in killing off one of the main characters is a question that not even Hannah knows the answer to, as the author told The Wrap:
What happens in the story, the scenes of this piece are often very different and a lot of the storylines are very different from [my book], so I’m really kind of like everybody else in the world going ‘Okay. I mean, I know how the book ended. I know what they’re focusing on, but I don’t know what their endgame is yet.’
As if the cliffhanger regarding Kate’s fate wasn’t enough, Netflix provided a teaser trailer for Part 2 that made a pretty eyebrow-raising insinuation about Tully and Kate’s ex-husband-turned-fiancé, Johnny.
Do Johnny And Tully End Up Together?
Some of us may have still been trying to regain our composure at the end of Episode 9 — after watching Kate sob as she banged on the door to Tully’s empty apartment, shouting for her best friend as the credits started to roll — when Netflix offered a 60-second “There’s More to Come” teaser for Season 2, Part 2. Johnny (Ben Lawson) was shown “10 years later” at a wedding, talking to Kate’s brother Sean (Jason McKinnon) about wishing the bride would get there. We then see Tully in a dressing room, wearing a white dress and proclaiming that it’s not like they can start without her.
Johnny and Tully do not get together after Kate’s death in either one of Kristin Hannah’s books, though Kate does give them her blessing to find comfort in each other. Without much help from the source material, we can only guess what the teaser means. I just don’t think Tully marries Johnny after Kate dies, and if Kate does survive, I don’t think she waits 10 years to remarry Johnny. My money is on this being Marah’s wedding, and Tully wearing white is a fake-out. Because wouldn’t it be just like Tully to wear white to someone else’s wedding?
What The Book’s Sequel Might Tell Us About Part 2
As far as Tully is concerned, she spends the majority of Fly Away in a coma after a car crash. That’s not likely to happen in the series, since it seems to have been the inspiration for her huge wreck that was at the crux of the action in Season 2, Part 1. However, Marah’s storyline in the sequel might play a role.
In Fly Away, following her mom’s death, Marah (Yael Yurman) becomes depressed and starts cutting. She meets a boy at therapy and they strike up a toxic relationship, eventually running away together and getting involved in drugs. It will be interesting to see if any of this plays into Part 2 when Firefly Lane returns this summer.
Fly Away also delved into Tully’s mother’s tragic backstory, as Cloud (Beau Garrett) has gotten sober and agrees to care for Tully while she’s in a coma. A part of this has also already played out, as a sober Cloud helped Tully through her miscarriage in Season 1, but it’s possible other aspects of her backstory could be further explored.
Other Differences That Might Come Into Play
Sean was only a minor character in the first book and barely mentioned in the second. However, his role was expanded a great deal for the Netflix show, exploring his formative years as a gay man who didn’t come out to his family until adulthood. Hopefully, Part 2 will feature more of him and his boyfriend, William, who we met at the end of Part 1, and it’s likely his close friendship with Tully will come into play as Kate’s illness plays out.
Much of Season 2, Part 1 took place surrounding Kate’s father’s funeral. However, Bud survived both books, so any story involving Kate’s mother being a widow will be new territory. It could be especially interesting to see how she copes with Kate’s cancer so soon after her husband’s death.
Tully’s nemesis-turned-lover-turned-friend, Danny Diaz (Ignacio Serricchio), was a new character to Season 2, and to the series overall, as he did not exist in the books. His character added a lot, giving Tully someone who truly understood her, and whether their relationship becomes romantic again or not, I’m excited to see more of him and how he helps Tully through whatever happens with Kate.
After that cliffhanger ending that revealed Kate’s breast cancer — and that teaser that jumps 10 years into the future — it’s almost cruel for Netflix to make us wait so many months before Kate and Tully’s journey can continue. At least Hannah’s books provide a tiny peek into what might lie ahead for the Firefly Lane Girls. The final seven episodes of Firefly Lane, Season 2 will be released Thursday, June 8. In the meantime, check out our 2023 TV schedule, as well as other series coming to Netflix in 2023.
