Viewers Are Convinced a Major Death Is Imminent if 'Firefly Lane' Continues

Warning: SPOILERS for Season 1 of Firefly Lane (and the book version) are ahead!

Whether you heard about Firefly Lane in relation to Katherine Heigl's highly anticipated return to television, or you were first introduced to it when you saw it in the No. 1 spot on Netflix's Top 10 list the day it was first released in 2021, there's no denying that the show has piqued viewers' interest.

The drama series centers around Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl) and Kate Mularkey (Sarah Chalke) from their initial meeting in the '70s throughout three decades of friendship.

Though Firefly Lane is based on a 2008 novel of the same name by Kristin Hannah, Season 1 didn't cover the death of a major character. What about Season 2?

Season 1 did hint at a significant funeral throughout, and the identity of the decedent is only revealed in the finale episode.

Some viewers were convinced that Tully would die. Keep reading to find out what happens in the show, and if the book features her passing.

Like This Is Us, the stories in Firefly Lane are not told in a linear manner; there are scenes spanning from the '70s to the '00s. 

Throughout Season 1 of Firefly Lane, snippets of a funeral in the early aughts were shown, but only Kate and Marah were seen in attendance. Those who are still making their way through the first season may suspect that the funeral is for Tully. 

But, in the Season 1 finale, "Auld Lang Syne," it's revealed that the funeral viewers have been seeing throughout is actually for Kate's dad, Bud Mularkey (Paul McGillion).

Plus, the reason why Tully hasn't been present leading up to the funeral is because she's estranged from Kate at this particular time. She ultimately does show up to the funeral (proving that she's not the one who has died), and Kate tells her that nobody wants her there.  

By the time viewers learn more about Bud's funeral, it's clear that Kate and Tully are not on good terms. In the scene just before Bud's memorial, Tully and Kate are celebrating New Year's Eve, and they're discussing working together on Tully's upcoming show.

This makes their ultimate estrangement all the more shocking, and many have wondered what could have happened to lead them to such a dark place.

The falling out in the show and in the book are very different. In Season 2 of the show, Tully and Kate stop speaking after Tully makes a huge mistake involving Kate's daughter Marah. Tully apologizes, but Kate refuses to forgive her and declares their friendship over.

In the Firefly Lane book, the two have a falling out regarding Kate's guest appearance on Tully's daytime talk show, The Girlfriend Hour.

While Kate thinks that she's appearing on the show to discuss her relationship with Marah and what it's like to parent a teen, she ends up feeling ambushed by Tully. She leaves the show convinced that Tully was calling her a bad mother to the world, and she believes that their friendship is over.

She's always understood that Tully is self-centered, but she struggles to understand how her best friend could betray her to the public for the sake of ratings.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Firefly Lane is available to stream on Netflix now.