I was going to wait on this until season 2 of Firefly Lane airs, but that’s going to be some time (and Netflix has not officially renewed it yet, so who knows). Since this review focuses on the Netflix series and the differences between it and the book it is based on by Kristin Hannah, it is one big SPOILER. Let’s start with the most significant changes:
- Kate and Johnny get Divorced. Wait, what?! In the book they stay together through life which includes Johnny’s earlier love for Tully, three children, Johnny’s perilous overseas journalism duties, and Kate’s illness (not covered in season 1). I found their love and commitment kind of inspiring, so this major twist to the story was disappointing and dumbfounding.
- Tully gets Pregnant and Married. You Got to Be Kidding?! In the book, Tully is decidedly not the getting married or pregnant type. She’s fixated on becoming the next Queen of TV newscasters at all all costs. When she becomes that, she’s a famous star who travels in high society. Settling down is not in her plans. She does express some longing for Kate’s family lifestyle, but it is just not her. She hooks up with an EMT (Max, played by Jon-Michael Ecker) and instead of being just another fling she becomes pregnant and they decide to get married. Tully miscarries and the relationship ends soon after. Tully reaches out to Max to get back together. Mercifully, for all of us, Max holds firm and declines by saying the all so obvious, “no, we live in different worlds.”
- Kate does not Have Twins. Again, I don’t get it. The book chronicles how overwhelmed Kate becomes when the twins are little (the show does include the older daughter). She’s trying to do it all – the twins, the increasingly alienated tween/teen, husband, involvement in the children’s school, and her own career in journalism. Leaving out the twins takes away from Kate’s full story.
- Kate’s Mom has an Affair. Why change this story line? In the book, Kate’s Mom’s life is filled with her daughter and son, grandchild, husband, and a close relationship with Tully. She has a loving relationship with her husband. Yet, in the show, she has another man in her life along with the secrecy and lying that that entails. Another confounding plot switch. (Seeing Kate’s Mom on the screen the first time was one of those moments we all have watching TV (or movies), “where do I know her from”? In this case for me, it’s the actress (Chelah Horsdal) who played the memorable wife of the Reichsfuhrer in The Man in the High Castle.)
- Kate’s Brother has a Bigger Role. Kate’s brother is hardly in the book. In the Netflix show, he gets a full storyline from having a romantic relationship with a boy, to marrying a woman and having children, coming out later in life, and ending his marriage. The challenges of coming out (this is the 1970s) are an important story, but again, using the book as the baseline, this character wasn’t part of Kate and Tully’s world and doesn’t add to it in the adaptation.
- Tully Welcomes her Mom Back. Tully’s Mom, the aptly named Cloud (played by Beau Garrett) is a hippie, druggie train wreck. Worst Mom Ever. Tully tries to re-engage with her several times over the years to no avail. Cloud continues to take her daughter’s money and run away leaving Tully alone time after time. This is their fate. Yet, in the TV series, Cloud is welcomed back to the dinner table and re-joins the family. Ugh.
- Johnny is Australian. In the book, Johnny is American. We’ve all seen how well Australian actors can do American accents (Kidman, Crowe, Blanchett, and many more), but here actor Aussie actor Ben Lawson (Designated Survivor) gets to keep his native accent.
As far as the casting goes, I never warmed up to Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) as Tully. Right off the bat, I was thrown by an actress I have in my mind as blonde, playing the brunette Tully (her hair is dyed). I couldn’t really buy her as the vibrant, take no prisoners, command the room, Tully. The girls playing the young Kate and Tully (Roan Curtis and Allissa Skovbye, respectfully) are a hoot and heartwarming as teens in the ’70s. Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) as the adult Kate was the highlight of the show for me by bringing to life the many sides of Kate lurking under her timid public persona. She’s socially awkward and cautious, and yet knows what she wants, is super smart, goofy, even wild and crazy sometimes, and the best best friend.
I understand that taking some liberties with a book is a right of the Hollywood process but the changes here fundamentally undermine the story of the book. If I was watching the show with a clean slate and not the book in mind, I still don’t think I’d like it that much. For one thing, it jumps around A LOT, whereas the book is chronological (hey, one more to the list, #8). I’m so curious what Kristin Hannah thinks of her book’s adaptation. She was involved in the production so I’m assuming she approved of the rendition, or at least most of it.
Up next for Kristin Hannah is the big screen adaptation of her powerful Nightingale; another sister story this time set in Nazi-occupied France during WWII. The daily terror of living under the Nazis is gut wrenching, including the harrowing experience of one sister’s ordeal of being forced to take a SS General into her home. Melanie Laurent is the film director and the Fanning sisters are set for the main roles. Let’s hope that the historic setting and horror of WWII prevents the film makers from re-writing the source material. Nightingale is in pre-production and expected for release in late 2022.
D² Rating ◼◼☐☐☐
Trivia ? – Katherine Heigl starred in what sci-fi drama about teen aliens living in a small town?
Answer: Roswell