Firefly Lane is a love story, but not the usual romcom love story. This is a love story about two lifelong women friends. These women were both straight and had male lovers and husbands, but the real soul-deep love story was between the two women.
When I reviewed season 2 of Firefly Lane, I thought the 2023 release of seven more episodes would be considered season 3. But they’re calling it season 2, part 2. The story winds its way to a close with elements of love, loss, and hope. And maybe a few tears.
As adults, the characters Tully (Katherine Heigl) and Kate (Sarah Chalke) live through over 30 years together.
Roan Curtis and Ali Skovbye play the characters in middle and high school. The story jumps around from the teens to the adults, from decade to decade, and from events like births, marriages, illnesses, arguments, moves, and always the enduring commitment to look out for each other.
In these final episodes, the transitions between decades grow shorter and shorter as the story nears completion. It isn’t so much telling about events from different years, as it is compressing them into a lived lifetime of togetherness. For example, in a scene with dancing, the decades fly into each other in seconds because of a shared experience with the song, the dance, the feeling.
Kate is back with Johnny (Ben Lawson) in season 2, part 2. Their daughter Marah (Yael Yerman) is grown up and dating women.
Tully’s off again/on again love affair with Danny (Ignacio Serricchio) finally reaches a point where they might be ready to stick together – maybe.
What could have been a very sad ending for the series was instead written as a celebration of life and love. I thought it was beautifully done. The final scene reminded me very much of the ending in River, which I described as “a celebration of wonder and love.”
This tale is by women, for women. It’s about women’s lives, and it’s real. Netflix labels it “Soapy,” which is the word men use for stories told from the female POV. Yeah, well, I think Saving Private Ryan is soapy <blows raspberry>.
The series was created for television by Maggie Friedman, based on the novel by Kristin Hannah. Women directors in season 2, part 2, were Winnifred Jong, Monika Mitchell, and Sarah Wayne Callies.