Firefly Lane – Season 1 Episode 8 Recap & Review

Mawaige

Episode 8 of Firefly Lane begins with Max and Tully hooking up while she’s pregnant. Not long after, he drops to his knees and offers his Grandmother’s ring, asking her to marry him. Unfortunately she rejects him and walks away, unable to commit.

1970’s

Back in the 70’s, Kate and Sean are forced to clean up the garage as their Mother demands Tully and Robbie leave so the siblings can concentrate. Unfortunately they come to blows again as Kate winds up destroying the windshield on the family car by accident.

1980’s

Kate meets Sean on the eve of his wedding, as he’s due to be wed to a girl called Julia. Only, he’s asked Tully to speak instead of Kate. Sean and Kate come to blows over this too, something that’s only made worse when Margie mentions Johnny and how good looking he is.

Tully speaks to Sean privately and implores him to think twice about his choices. He’s angry and clearly still caught up about his lover, Richard, who died to “the disease”. This, as one may expect, is a direct reference to AIDS. Sean mentions how this is his life now, smiling through his pain.

At the wedding, Tully is unable to tell Chad she loves him as Johnny eyes them together suspiciously. Meanwhile, clumsy Kate trips and destroys the wedding cake. Thankfully, Johnny is on-hand to help as the pair team up to try and save the cake.

As Sean shows and sees her chaos, he retorts that this is “classic Kate,” given how clumsy she is. Unfortunately things immediately devolve as the two come to blows.

In the aftermath of this tense fight, Kate catches up with Tully, who still hasn’t written her speech yet. Instead, Kate writes the words for her, which she reads out in front of everyone. Sean realizes that this is Kate’s handiwork as her words are projected through the paper.

Straight after, Johnny and Kate come to blows, which leads Mutt to overhear what they’re saying and break things off with Kate.

2003

In the present, Tully heads over to see Kate who encourages her friend to at least try and make things work with Max. Unfortunately Kate’s optimism is dealt a harsh blow when she receives divorce papers through from Johnny. Heading out alone to think, Tully runs into Chad, of all people, and the pair catch up.

It turns out Chad is married with a few kids now, which Kate grins painfully through. She soon mentions Max and admits that she’s happy and has found the person she wants in her life.

Realizing Max is the man for her, Tully drives straight up to the fire station and drops to her knees, asking Max to marry her. He, of course, agrees.

Meanwhile, Kate heads back home to see Sean, who receives a call from Tully confirming the impromptu marriage that’s due to go forward. Tully wants the duo there too, as the pair are hastily married under an outdoor gazebo.

With Johnny acting as the officiant for this, they kiss and bind their union. On the way home, Sean opens up and admits to his sister that he’s gay. Kate spins it about herself though, as she mentions how Tully knew before she did.

Meanwhile, Tully heads home with Max but clutches her stomach in pain. As she lifts her dress, a thin trickle of blood oozes down her leg. She calls for Max, as the episode comes to a close.

The Episode Review

Tonally, this show is a bit of a mess – and has been for a while. Slapstick comedy is blended in with more serious material and while sometimes it works okay and the plot beats are certainly dramatic, other times the result is a discordant mess.

The reveal about AIDS and Mutt learning the truth about Johnny should be big, tense moments but they’re offset by silly moments like Kate destroying the wedding cake.

The climactic ending with Sean coming out to Kate about his sexuality is a nice touch, while the ending hints that we’re in for more drama on the horizon.