WARNING: Major spoilers for Firefly Lane season 2 part 2 aheadThe Firefly Lane season 2, part 2 ending manages to tie up most of its loose ends, but there are a few details that are not immediately clear in the series finale. Based on the novel of the same name by Kristen Hannah, Firefly Lane tells the story of the nearly three-decades-long friendship between Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke) and Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl). Though their paths eventually diverge over the years, with Tully focusing on her career and Kate getting married and becoming a stay-at-home mom, the two remain close. However, Firefly Lane season 2 throws a wrench in their story when Kate is diagnosed with breast cancer.
At the end of Firefly Lane season 2 part 2, Kate has sadly succumbed to her battle with cancer, and the final episode concludes with a funeral for the Firefly Lane character. However, Firefly Lane’s finale establishes that Kate still manages to find ways to take care of her loved ones in death, especially her best friend Tully. Here is the Firefly Lane season 2 part 2 ending explained, including the real meaning behind Kate’s final gifts to Tully at the funeral.
Why Tully And Danny Finally Commit To Each Other
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In the Firefly Lane season 2 ending, Tully and Danny finally get their happy ending after 20 years of missed opportunities. Firefly Lane season 2 part 2 sees Tully and Danny finally say “I love you” to each other, making it seem that they would finally be together, but their story isn’t that simple. Throughout Firefly Lane season 2, Tully constantly puts off Danny’s attempts to connect with her, with her excuse being that she wants to focus on being there for Kate during her illness. However, when they finally get together, it’s not immediately clear what changed between the two of them.
Tully has always put off pursuing her romantic life further partly because of her distrust of men, but also because of her attachment to Kate, which is magnified when Kate gets sick. However, after Kate pushes Tully to stop ignoring Danny, Tully realizes that she has been neglecting her own personal life, which will leave her with nothing when Kate eventually passes. Though it might seem Tully committing to Danny is a misguided attempt to replace Kate, it’s really a moment where Tully chooses her own happiness, allowing her and Danny to finally have a happy ending after 20 years of mutual pining.
Why Kate Left Tully The Box At Her Funeral
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When Tully approaches Kate’s funeral at the end of Firefly Lane season 2 part 2, she admits to Johnny that she’s unsure she can handle attending the service. Johnny admits that Kate predicted Tully might react that way, leading to him giving her one last gift from Kate. The box from Kate contains important artifacts from her and Tully’s friendship, including a joint, an autographed photo of David Cassidy, an iPod, and most vitally, Kate’s novel about Firefly Lane. Though the box and its items demonstrate Kate’s knowledge of Tully, that’s not the real reason Kate left Tully the box at her funeral.
Though it is true that Kate left Tully the box because she knew her friend couldn’t handle the funeral, the real reason for Kate’s last gift to Tully is deeper than that. Tully was upset because she felt Kate was leaving her behind, and Kate wanted Tully to know this was not true. Because of their rich history together, Kate and Tully’s friendship could not be snuffed out by death. Therefore, Kate left Tully the box not only to cheer Tully up at the funeral, but as an important reminder that Kate would always be with Tully, even from beyond the grave.
Why Tully Gets Kate’s Novel (Not Marah)
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Throughout Firefly Lane season 2 part 2, Kate is seen toiling away at writing her first novel, determined to finish it prior to her own death. Also called Firefly Lane, Kate expresses to Johnny that she wishes for their daughter, Marah, to read the book so she could know about her mother’s life. However, in the final episode of Firefly Lane, it is revealed that Kate’s Firefly Lane book doesn’t go to Marah in the end, but to Tully. Though this seems like a strange reversal, there’s a clear reason that Tully receives the Firefly Lane novel rather than Marah at the end of the Netflix series.
Simply put, Tully receives Kate’s novel rather than Marah because Tully needs to read Firefly Lane more than Marah at that point in time. Since Marah has her father to tell her about her mother, it is more imperative for Tully to receive the book. Kate knows of Tully’s fear about losing Kate, Kate wants to replace Tully’s fear and sadness with happiness over how wonderful their friendship and life together was. Kate’s book is the documentation of her happy memories with Tully and the depth of their friendship, and placing the book in Tully’s possession rather than Marah’s is to show Tully that death cannot erase their friendship.
Why Kate Chose “Dancing Queen” To Start The “Firefly Lane Mix”
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Given the Netflix show spans across several decades, music is vital to Firefly Lane, especially as a part of Kate and Tully’s friendship. When Kate leaves Tully a final gift at her funeral, one of the items contained in the box is an iPod labeled “Play me and dance,” which has a playlist called “Firefly Lane Mix.” When Tully eventually follows Kate’s instructions, the playlist begins with “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. “Dancing Queen” is not just a classic ‘70s song in Firefly Lane, however, and Kate chose this song to begin the “Firefly Lane Mix” on purpose.
Kate chooses “Dancing Queen” by ABBA as the first song in the “Firefly Lane Mix” because that is Kate and Tully’s song together. Though “Dancing Queen” is a more important motif in the original Firefly Lane book, the last episode of Firefly Lane season 2 establishes how important the song has been to the two friends over the years, often signifying a dance party. Choosing that song to begin the playlist is the ultimate signal that Kate wants Tully to focus on the good times they had together, allowing their friendship to live on long past the end of Netflix’s Firefly Lane.