Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 Part 1 of Firefly Lane.
As any good Netflix series is wont to do, Firefly Lane Season 2 Part 1 ends with a major cliffhanger. Kate Malarkey (Sarah Chalke) learns she has a rare and aggressive form of inflammatory breast cancer. Naturally, she wants to turn to her best friend, Tully Hart (Katherine Heigl) in this moment of anguish, but they're no longer friends at this point in their lives, which the first half of Season 2 explains in detail. Some fans might want Kate to survive the second half of Season 2, allowing ample time for her and Tully to make up and live happily ever after. However, there's only one good way for Firefly Lane to end — with Kate's death. Here's why the main character should meet her demise by the conclusion of the Netflix series.
What's Behind the Rift Between Kate and Tully?
Kate's 30-year friendship with Tully ends after the big-time journalist puts Kate's daughter Marah (Yael Yurman) in danger. After entrusting a grounded Marah into Tully's care for the night so she and Johnny (Ben Lawson) can have an evening alone, Tully can't resist the urge to be the cool godmother. Despite her grounded status, Marah begs Tully to let her go to the movies with her crush. Without considering the possibility that might not be where Marah ends up, Tully lets Marah go. A few hours later, though, Marah's in a similar situation as Tully was when she was a teenager.
After nearly becoming a victim of sexual assault, a panicked Marah calls Tully for help. Tully, who had been drinking wine with Dan "The Weatherman" Diaz (Ignacio Serricchio) in Marah's absence, drops everything to pick her up. On their way back, they're hit by another car and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Still, Tully gets a DUI and Kate has a hard time understanding why Tully thought it was a good idea to get behind the wheel after drinking.
Tully's decision is the last straw for Kate, who has spent her entire life getting away with actions regardless of their impact on others. From the first day they met, Tully had a devil-may-care attitude that was somewhat inspiring to Kate, who rarely broke the rules. Tully's approach to life is part of what made her and Kate such close friends — Tully brought Kate out of her shell and encouraged her to be true to herself; Kate reined Tully in when she needed it. But somehow, Kate always came second to Tully: in life, careers, and even relationships. Tully got to Johnny first, leaving Kate to feel like she was the second choice. When Tully accidentally set fire to the KPOC news station, Kate took the blame and got fired for it. But when Tully puts Marah in danger, Kate finally draws the line.
A Lesson for Tully
The distance Kate put between herself and Tully is painful, but losing Kate for good would be the ultimate lesson in humility for Tully. It would force her to think about how selfish her choices throughout her life have been. Moreover, Kate's death would force Tully to evolve. Ideally, she'd adopt all the good things about Kate and how she made Tully a better person. Losing Kate could be the drastic change Tully needs to alter her behavior for good, choosing to embody the positive things about Kate to keep her memory alive. Moreover, Kate's death would allow Tully to grow in the sense that she would have to be there for someone other than herself. Sure, Tully has been friends with Johnny for years and is Marah's godmother, but she hasn't really had to step up and be there for them like she would if Kate were to die at the end of Firefly Lane. Without Kate, Tully will have to step up and be there for Kate's family more often than when it's convenient for her.
It's What Happens In the Book, After All
Another reason Kate should die at the end of Firefly Lane is simply that it's what happens in Kristin Hannah's novel, the source material for the Netflix series. Kate's fate in the fiction books is based on Hannah's mother, who died of late-stage breast cancer when Hannah was in her third year of law school. In the book, Tully learns of Kate's diagnosis, which is much worse, but she returns from her assignment to say goodbye to Kate. In the novels, Kate writes a letter to Tully before she dies asking her to be there for Marah and Johnny, even suggesting Tully and Johnny get together after she's gone. "I know you'll be thinking that I left you, but it's not true," Kate writes. "All you have to do is remember Firefly Lane, and you'll find me. There will always be a TullyandKate."
Will the writers follow a similar course and allow Tully the time to make amends with her friend, or will Kate die before she and Tully can bury the hatchet? Hopefully, as heartbreaking as it will be to see Marah lose her mother, Johnny lose his love, and Tully lose her best friend, Kate's death will be real, raw, and relatable for viewers. Tuning in to shows like Firefly Lane should make the viewer feel something, and having Kate die would evoke those emotions.
The Death Is the Logical Choice
Finally, Kate's death is the only logical way to end a show like Firefly Lane. The Netflix series won't be back with another season, and there's plenty of time to explore the aftermath of Kate's death in the second half of Firefly Lane Season 2. If the show kills Kate off, this leaves time for new episodes to explore the impact her death has on Tully's life, as detailed in the second book in Hannah's two-book series, Fly Away. In the novel, Tully helps Johnny raise Kate's children (in the book, Kate has Marah and a set of twin boys), but she also grapples with drug and alcohol abuse amid the loss of her best friend. Tully enters a medically-induced coma after another car accident, where she has a run-in with Kate during a near-death experience. This conversation between Kate and Tully in the afterlife could work well in the Netflix series for a few reasons. For one, it would give fans the closure they need to see Kate one more time. Plus, it would wrap up the series succinctly, much like Dead to Me did with Judy Hale's (Linda Cardellini) death.
Firefly Lane Season 2 can't conclude with Kate's survival. She needs to die so that Tully can evolve and audiences can feel the cathartic release shows like this are supposed to evoke.