Firefly Lane season 2 ending explained: Who dies in the finale?

The new instalment chronicles the final chapter in the 30 year friendship of Tully (Katherine Heigl) and Kate (Sarah Chalke).

If you’re looking for a recap of the emotional ending or wondering how Kristin Hannah’s book Firefly Lane – upon which the series is based – ends, then look no further.

With reconciliation, guilt, hope and sadness all providing the perfect finale mix, there's certainly a lot to unpack at the end of season 2. Read on for everything you need to know about the ending of Firefly Lane season 2.

Firefly Lane season 2 ending explained

Season 2 part 1 may have left off with a major rift between childhood best friends Kate (played by Sarah Chalke) and Tully (Katherine Heigl), but they couldn't have been heartwarmingly closer than in part 2.

The part 2 finale saw the typical flashbacks of the series explore more tender teenage moments between the pair, like when Tully moved back home from New York. But also, in the present, we saw how Kate was unfortunately growing weaker as her cancer progressed.

In the present, she tells Tully she wants to leave hospital but when she does, it's clear to see that she feels a little sidelined and infuriated at Tully and Marah's growing relationship. Kate is intent on getting her book finished and we discover in the finale that the book Kate's writing is intended for Tully.

Unfortunately, as many knew it would be, season 2 part 2's finale was also the episode in which Kate passes away. The rare and aggressive form of breast cancer appeared to have been treated but we later discover it has spread to her brain and she's unable to get into the treatment program.

The book that Kate is working so hard to complete is gifted to Tully at Kate's funeral by Johnny, and we discover that it’s a book about their lives as Firefly Lane girls.

Who does Tully marry in Firefly Lane season 2?

Throughout the season, it was also teased that a wedding was set to take place and we find out that it's Marah's wedding in 2016, which is 10 years after Kate dies. It's a happy occasion but is obviously one that Kate misses, but even so, Tully is seen chatting away to a vision of her best friend in the mirror as she gets ready for the big day.

Of course, it's also been teased throughout both seasons whether or not Tully and Danny will finally get together and, while they don't actually marry, the good news is that they do end up together!

While it's sad that Kate passes away at the end of the season, fans will surely be pleased to know that there's some kind of finality with this recurring will they/won't they romance.

The very final scene is of Tully going through the box of things that Kate has left for her, which includes the manuscript. Although it's a touching scene, Tully then plugs in the iPod that Kate left her with the note "Play me" which plays ABBA's Dancing Queen (their song). The series closes out with Tully dancing along to the song with the same dance routine the pair were doing at the start of the finale.

Speaking to Deadline about shooting the final scenes, Chalke admitted that while she knew what was coming as she had read the original Kristin Hannah book, the script made her cry: "It was really beautifully written. Obviously, I had some trepidation about shooting it. It was quite an emotional day."

Whose funeral is at the end of Firefly Lane?

Due to the fact that the series is based on the book, many fans knew how season 2 would wrap up and who would die, but it doesn't make it any less tear-jerking.

Kate is battling a rare form of cancer throughout season 2 part 2 and in the finale, she asks to return home – and it really is a rollercoaster of emotions. Kate urges Tully to call Danny back, has to witness her daughter getting excited about a future that she knows she won't be part of, and is also working furiously hard to get her book finished.

But in an emotional finale scene, Tully admits to Kate: "We were gonna be old ladies together, you can't die. I don't know who I am without you."

The two then share an emotional moment where Tully pushes Kate down their garden path in her wheelchair, reliving a memory of riding down Firefly Lane when they were teenagers.

Similarly, Kate and Johnny share a tender moment when Kate gives over her completed manuscript and she tells him how proud she is of them as a couple.

Later on in the episode, Tully and Kate sit on the patio and Tully tells her about Danny professing her love for her but half way through the "very long story", Tully says she needs to refill her tea.

As Kate is left alone, she stares fondly out at the sea view and there, passes away. When Tully walks back up to her, she instantly knows what's happened and turns her back on Kate, crying by her side. The next scene is of Kate's funeral, where her friends and family gather to mourn her loss.

Why did Kate fall out with Tully at the end of Firefly Lane? How it differs from the book

Whether you're a fan of the books or not, now's as good a time as any to get re-acquainted with the novel, now that the series is over.

Although Kate and Tully suffer a huge rift in both the book and the series, the reason for the falling out strays from the original book content. In the novel, Tully and Kate's broken friendship is as a result of Kate's underlying jealousies around Tully and her relationship with her daughter Marah.

Marah starts to idolise Tully and with Marah and Kate's relationship taking a downwards turn, Tully invites them onto her show, The Girlfriend Hour.

But it's there that Kate figures out that their segment is actually one about overbearing mothers. She storms off and Johnny even quits the show as its producer also. As a result, Kate and Tully completely lose contact.

Eventually, the pair reconcile after Kate reveals her breast cancer diagnosis. Tully helps her during her cancer journey but the book sadly ends with Kate dying of breast cancer and then explores the impact it has on Marah and Tully.

Is there a Firefly Lane sequel?

Yes, there is a sequel to the best-selling book Firefly Lane: the novel Fly Away.

You can read more about what happens in Fly Away here.

You can buy Firefly Lane and Fly Away by Kristin Hannah here. Firefly Lane is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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