Photo courtesy of People
Noteworthy actress Katherine Heigl is producing and starring in Netflix’s newest drama: “Firefly Lane.” This series, released on Wednesday, Feb. 3, dives into the heartaches, joy and complications of friendship. The show jumps between three different time periods: when Tully (Heigl) and Kate (Sarah Chalke) first met as teenagers in the ‘70s, goes onto when they are figuring out adulthood in their 20s and then, present day when they are dealing with divorce, children and careers.
Based on the book written by Kristin Hannah, this show does an incredible job of creating beauty out of devastating situations. It provides a refreshingly realistic view of the messiness of life and relationships.
Although complete opposites, Tully and Kate hit it off right away when they meet. Kate, who is bookish and shy, is drawn to Tully, who is confident and spunky. Tully takes Kate under her wing and a lifelong friendship is formed.
The show focuses on Tully’s very interesting and trying life, starting with her relationship with her drug-addicted, hippie mother. From a young age, Tully is forced to take care of herself because her mother is absent. However, she stays as strong and personable as ever, eventually becoming the host of her own talk show. There is a beauty to this type of perseverance shown so effectively in “Firefly Lane.” Tully puts on this front of being exciting and fun, but underneath she is hurt and broken. There is a scene where Kate tells her love interest, Johnny (Ben Lawson), that Tully is the saddest person she’s ever met, but no one else seems to notice.
The series also follows Kate’s life story. Nerdy and awkward, Kate is in awe of Tully’s confidence and passion. She is the only person there for Tully during her intense and heartbreaking adolescence. However, Kate goes through her own life problems, being the only person who is aware of her mother’s affair. Then, later in life, she deals with divorce, raising a child and her own father’s death.
These two characters represent the two opposites of life. There are the people whose lives are obviously a mess. A drug-addicted mother and trauma cannot always be easily hidden. Tully knows she is a mess, and she knows that people can see that. However, she perseveres and overcompensates for this with her personality and success.
On the other hand, Kate’s life seems to be picture perfect, with an ideal family and job. Overall, she seems like she has it all together, but she is falling apart on the inside. Her family is crumbling and she can’t fix it.
This series has one overarching theme: no matter anyone’s upbringing, strengths, weaknesses or appearances, life is messy. Life will always be messy, but maybe it’s possible to find a way to survive the mess with the right person by your side.
