Thanks to having a middle-aged suburban mom, I’ve grown accustomed to watching the latest book club turned hulu original series, usually with Reese Witherspoon or Nicole Kidman as the lead. ‘Biggest Little Lies’, ‘Little Fires Everywhere’, ‘The Undoing’; all recent releases telling the stories of bestsellers suited for the screen.
‘Firefly Lane’, however, escaped the usual circle of creators that this style of adaptations ended up with. The 2021 Netflix series is based on the 2008 Kristin Hannah novel that made its rounds in a touching testimony to friendship and betrayal.
The story follows Kate Melarkey (Sarah Chalke), arguably the least cool girl in the whole school— and Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl), the new girl across the street who is sure of herself and “born for greatness”. The two bond together and the story takes readers through the girls’ lives as we time travel from the 70’s to early 2000’s in an emotional whirlwind.
Admittedly, I remember seeing this book often and glancing over it because it didn’t seem “young enough” for me to pick it up. Apparently, unless it involves a slow burn enemies-to-lovers moment, I don’t have an interest. After watching the Netflix adaptation of ‘Firefly Lane’ however, I definitely regret not reading this duology earlier.
The way that Tully Hart is captured by the once ostracized Katherin Heigl resonated so purely with me that I found myself calling my mom and putting her onto the show; similar to how she’d done for me with both ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ and ‘Biggest Little Lies’. Heigl was essentially exiled from the film industry in the early 2000’s for outwardly speaking her mind regarding projects she worked on, the misogynistic industry icing her out for a near decade until she produced the series ‘Firefly Lane’. Similar to Tully Hart, Heigl too had to find the voice to stand up for herself and her career.
Courtesy of Netflix.
Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Tully pursues journalism, her best friend Kate a hopeful producer who put her career on hold for her daughter. The two have been together throughout their formative years as virginities were lost, hearts were broken, and families were started— it makes the inevitable build up of tension simply riveting as viewers wait to see how the story carries along. The bond the actresses, Chalke and Heigl, created between these two characters is testimony to the writing Hannah fashioned to capture the authentic portrayal of female love.
The classic dynamic of opposites attractive is ever apparent in the fearless roll of Tully’s eyes, and the thoughtful but equally nervous Kate; the two infinitely complimenting and balancing each other out. Where one is reckless, the other is rational. Where one is timid, the other is the spark they need. Where there is Tully, there is Kate.
As one of the more recent novel-to-film adaptations, it’s interesting that the rights for Firefly Lane didn’t immediately go to Hulu or HBO, both streaming services that appear to have a monopoly in new page turning adaptations. It did well on Netflix, garnering attention from fans who have already called for a second season.
While overwhelmingly positive, there are still some mixed reviews on ‘Firefly Lane’, one reviewer saying they “felt compelled to sit through the entire thing” despite not truthfully enjoying it in their own review. If viewers feel the need to compulsively watch an entire series for something they don’t even enjoy… truthfully, it’s a good sign.
I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Firefly Lane’ however, and will be getting the novel very soon. Hopefully, I can add this to my 2021 list of finished novels and figure out what could have possibly transpired to tear Kate and Tully apart; something the massive cliff-hanger of season one left for viewers to crave.
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