S1E10: Auld Lang Syne

[CountryGirl]

Quote

Over holidays past and present, relationships shift – and truths are spoken – as Tully and Kate reshape their expectations for what the future holds.

 

[Jillybean]

Well, I was under the weather the past two days and already finished the entire season. I haven't read the book(s) and assumed that the 10 episodes would tell the whole story. Apparently they are gunning for a second season since they left everything hanging mid-story. I enjoyed the series but not the way they left things, especially since it hasn't yet been renewed.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Jillybean

[peachmangosteen]

1 hour ago, Jillybean said:

I haven't read the book(s) and assumed that the 10 episodes would tell the whole story. 

Same. I thought all the way up to like the last 10 minutes that this was meant to be a one-and-done show. 

I really enjoyed this. I hope it gets a second season.

I am not much of a Katherine Heigl fan but I really liked her in this. Sarah Chalke on the other hand was not for me. I couldn't stand her tbh. 

The actresses playing the teen Tully and Kate were far better than both KH and SC though imo. They were magic together. I hope if there's a season 2 that we'll get more scenes with them.

I thought it was strange there were no flashbacks to the '90s. It was all the year they were 13/14 ('73-4), a little bit of college (late 70's/early 80's) and then while they were working on the news or whatever (mid-late '80's). And then the early aughts. I don't understand why they completely skipped the '90s.

I don't know what Tully could have done that would make Kate never want to see her again. She already slept with the man Kate was in love with and gave Kate's daughter birth control without speaking to Kate like what else is there? I guess maybe she sleeps with Johnny again while him and Kate are back together but that seems stupid. Plus, Johnny is potentially dead, though I doubt it.

[Anela]

I haven't read the books, either, so I had to look up the reason that she was mad at her (the site didn't give the specific reason from the book, just where it happened). I assumed that Tully was dead, after the second episode, and then realized they probably wouldn't do that, by the time we got to the later episodes. 

[peachmangosteen]

1 minute ago, Anela said:

I assumed that Tully was dead, after the second episode, and then realized they probably wouldn't do that, by the time we got to the later episodes. 

They definitely tried to make us think Tully was dead and I thought it for like a second but then I was like yea no lol. I thought it was going to be Kate's mom though, not her dad.

[Jillybean]

Considering Marah wasn't at all sad or grief-stricken in the scenes outside the funeral, it was difficult to imagine that it was a family member who had died. She was way more upset when Axel (Axl?) died. Although, I get it. I have a Golden Retriever and that scene was so gut-wrenching I nearly had to FF through it.

[peachmangosteen]

I did fast forward through Axl's death. And I still cried about it anyway lol.

I can understand Marah being more grief-stricken over her dog dying than her grandfather dying. She spent every day with Axl and likely far less time with her grandfather honestly. Plus, she was surprised by Axl's death and maybe they had time to prepare for Bud dying. Also, as I was typing this I realized you might have meant Kate but anyway!

[JD5166]

Seriously? A CLIFFHANGER? I can’t believe I wasted my time watching this, it’s not very good albeit somewhat enjoyable. Only to end up not even knowing what happened between them!? As someone who has lived thru all these decades, I found some of the timeline a little suspect (so much so that I started taking notes lol.) I guess I’ll wait to see what happens next season even tho there was no guarantee it was going to be renewed. Sigh. 

[Michichick]

Meh, I watched this season but not sure I’m coming back if they get a season 2. I went ahead and read some book spoilers to get some closure and if season 2 follows some of the book storyline, I’m not too interested in watching it.

I did enjoy that Johnny and Kate still have such strong feelings for each other even though they’re divorced. I’d like them to end up back together. I also hope that sexually harassing dirtbag who bought Tully’s show ends up getting some sort of comeuppance.

[madpsych78]

All I just keep thinking about is that the girl who plays teen Tully looks like Phoebe Cates from Fast Times at Ridgemont High...

 

[suzeecat]

I couldn't warm up to Katherine Heigl in this part and really wish they would have found someone else.  I think Katherine Heigl is a great actress and she lived up to my very high expectations as Stephanie Plum in  Janet Evanovich's "One For The Money".  She fell short here and this series could have been superb with the right actress in that part.  That said, I enjoyed the music and sang along throughout!  I'll watch another season to find out what Tully did that was so very terribly horrible.  I didn't like the way it jumped time back and forth so much, but it did keep my attention. 

[RachelKM]

On 2/6/2021 at 6:44 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I don't know what Tully could have done that would make Kate never want to see her again. She already slept with the man Kate was in love with and gave Kate's daughter birth control without speaking to Kate like what else is there?

For reals.  I hope it doesn't have to do with Johnny, or at least not in a romantic sense. One of the things I liked best about this show is that it seemed as though they were dodging the triangle trap.  Johnny seemed to have an interest in Tully initially, but he appeared to fall for Kate.  Even sleeping with Tully seemed more of a reaction to Kate being with Mutt than being emotionally interested in Tully.  While I didn't love this show, I enjoyed that the drama between the main characters was rarely over a man and when it was it resolve quickly.

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased by where they went. When Johnny showed up at Tully's in the first ep, I was worried that the whole thing was going to devolve into him having always wanted Tully but settling for Kate but that a) wasn't true and b) there was really no love triangle at all.

[RachelKM]

11 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased by where they went. When Johnny showed up at Tully's in the first ep, I was worried that the whole thing was going to devolve into him having always wanted Tully but settling for Kate but that a) wasn't true and b) there was really no love triangle at all.

I had the same reaction to his showing up at her door.  And there was the one scene when he asked Tully about making different choices.  My impression was that Johnny found Tully fascinating, compelling, and attractive and I think he cared about her.  But he also recognized that she was not a person who could love him or someone he would want to be in love with.

When he was away, it was Kate he sought out immediately and he was clearly really thrown by her dating Mutt.  Even sleeping with Tully seemed to be more about being mutual messes than wanting to be together on either side.  Although, he momentarily romanticized Tully when she gave the wedding toast and Kate snapped him out of it with "I wrote that, you fucking idiot." (Honestly though, he should know their respective writing styles and recognized that Tully did not write that,)

[memememe76]

I really liked this show. Heigel really inhabited 80s Tully. I love how undeniably and proudly ambitious she was. I like Max but I feel Tully can find someone else. None of her men really stood out.

I found Kate’s myriad lovers tiring. Her divorce just didn’t do a whole lot because the stakes were so low. She was well off so didn’t *really* need a job (I mean, if she was going to be an assistant, why not Tully’s?), as soon as she separates a ton of men want her, and did she look at her house? OMG, that house is beautiful! Just sell it and move into a normal house with you and your daughter who is close to university age. I like Chalke, though, so hope she gets better writing.

 I thought we would find out who told Amber that Tully slept her way to the top? At first, I thought it was Mutt. I am so glad that was not the case. I live Mutt!!!! But maybe it is the producer? 
 

Sean made me so sad. And really good casting, the young and current Sean’s look a lot alike. 

[Avabelle]

I ended up really liking this show. Tully annoyed me at first but she grew on me. I was really interested in Cloud by the end and happy her and Tully seemed to be mending fences. Really didn’t like Max but can’t say I blame him for not showing up to meet Tully. He’s a sensitive soul and her reaction and rejection of him after losing the baby was cruel. I think she needs someone a bit more on her level though as he seemed nearly too sensitive.
 

Kate who I loved at first bugged me by the end just because as already said, the stakes were so low with her divorce and asides from her hubby wanting to be involved with the war I didn’t really understand why they split in the first place. They both clearly still cared about each other. 

[funnygirl]

I am not invested in Kate/Johnny. I like her with Travis and think he's the better match for her. 

Haven't a clue what could have caused the rift between Tully and Kate. I hope it's not a guy - how cliche. Tully may be colossally messy, but I find Kate to be shrill. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

So I guess I don't know what to make of all this. I was expecting the season to end in a spot like Bridgerton where, yes, there were things that could be a springboard for further adventures, but basically there would be a neat stopping point. Tully and her EMT would have a marriage and a kid, and Kate would either reunite with Johnny or decisively start something with Travis.

Instead, we got...this.

I kept watching because I was curious what could cause the not-speaking-to-you-ever again rift, because given the messed up things that Tully had already done to Kate I am not sure what could reasonably be the last straw.  And now we have to tune in next season, assuming there is one.I want to pat Kate on the back on at least for now getting rid of Tully. That friendship seems super one-sided and unfair to me. 

[memememe76]

Yeah, we already knew that there was tension between Tully and Kate earlier in the season (ep 7?). So, no resolution at the end was disappointing. This is one of the differences between streaming and broadcast. Streaming can kinda get away with this, while broadcast would get a lot more flack because the viewers would have spent more time between ep 6/7/8 and the season finale, figuring out why Kate and Tully were on bad terms.

I am in for a second season. IMO, this is of a higher quality than Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias. I admire their reach and I think they do a better job of giving depth to the male characters.

[dubbel zout]

On 2/9/2021 at 5:40 AM, Avabelle said:

asides from her hubby wanting to be involved with the war I didn’t really understand why they split in the first place.

Kate felt he always put his job ahead of his family. I also think she felt stifled because she bore the brunt of the childrearing and household work.

This show was okay. I agree with everyone who said teenage Kate and Tully were more interesting than adult Kate and Tully. They seemed a lot less forced.

Every so often I did laugh out loud. My favorite was when Max blindfolded Tully to take her to his parents' apple farm and Tully asked if he was taking her to her eventual murder site. Hee. I also liked all the kids listening to Kate's increasingly awkward voicemails to Travis.

Ben Lawson's long hair wig (I hope it was just a terrible wig) was tragic. I hate how he kept saying he was no good for Kate. He wasn't, but it's up to Kate to decide that, not him. Ugh, it's so manipulative.

I thought it would be Kate's brother who died, given a few eps ago he talked about AIDS. I am pleasantly surprised.

[SoMuchTV]

3 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Hee. I also liked all the kids listening to Kate's increasingly awkward voicemails to Travis.

Ooh I the opposite of liked that! But I agree with most of the rest. 

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Every so often I did laugh out loud. My favorite was when Max blindfolded Tully to take her to his parents' apple farm and Tully asked if he was taking her to her eventual murder site. Hee. 

Tully had a lot of funny lines, which is why I really liked her even though she does kinda suck lol.

Quote

I thought it would be Kate's brother who died, given a few eps ago he talked about AIDS. I am pleasantly surprised.

I'm assuming his boyfriend from the '80s (that we never saw) died of AIDS.

[Lola82]

Like others said, I was basically watching the show for the teenage girls. Their chemistry was much more believable to me. 

The 80’s scenes were hard to watch. How much Vaseline was smeared on the actors’ faces to smooth them out like that? It was close to uncanny valley.

I read up on the spoilers for the rest of the story just so I wouldn’t have to keep guessing and it’s a big NO for me. I’m guessing the next season wouldn’t show their teenage friendship any more so my interest went out the window.

 

[CountryGirl]

I just finished this last night and while I didn’t love the execution of this, especially as I had great expectations from loving the book so much, it...grew on me. 

Heigl sold me on Tully in the end, more so in her vulnerable moments vs the “I’m Tully Effing Hart!” schtick. Like that moment where Tully was waiting for Max in the gazebo and saw the umbrella but it was Kate instead? Just sad. Of course, that tearjerker of Kate Bush’s (This Woman’s Work) was in the background and that song always makes me cry.

And those scenes where Teen Tully and Kate were separated? Absolutely gut-wrenching. 

 

[peachmangosteen]

4 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

And those scenes where Teen Tully and Kate were separated? Absolutely gut-wrenching. 

They really were. I mean, this is mostly just a silly little fluff show, but that scene was really powerful. 

[BC4ME]

18 hours ago, CountryGirl said:

And those scenes where Teen Tully and Kate were separated? Absolutely gut-wrenching. 

Best scenes of the show. I was crying so hard. It seemed so real and relatable.

[Legalbeagle421]

I found Kate’s daughter so unbelievably annoying. Clearly I didn’t have enough angst in my teen years. 🤦🏾‍♀️
Overall, I really enjoyed the show. I laughed, I cried. It was pretty good.

[Shermie]

I really enjoyed this. I always like shows where the female characters are front and centre and the male characters are background and filler. Agree that the teen Kate and Tully were fabulous, very believable. Not sure why someone upthread thought they wouldn't show anymore of the teen story in season two (if there is one); there's lots more story to tell. Also wondering how Tully gets her national show and becomes famous.

Lots of funny bits, Katherine Heigl has a punchy comedic delivery. I like it. She'd be great in a witty sitcom. 

I thought Kate's daughter was exactly what I'd expect from a kid who was raised in a house like that. Meaning she's a typical privileged only child who hasn't experienced much difficulty (until her parents' divorce). 

Very curious what the terrible thing is that Tully did. She's done a lot of terrible things, so it would have to be really bad to be unforgivable. I really hope it's renewed for a second season. 

I love the music throughout. And the ages sync closely with mine, so the hair and clothes and decor is on point with my memories. Those '80s sausage rolls in the hair? Like looking in a mirror 40 some years ago. Even the small set pieces, like posters and Christmas decorations were accurate.

Is this based on one book, or a series?

[methodwriter85]

9 hours ago, Shermie said:

I thought Kate's daughter was exactly what I'd expect from a kid who was raised in a house like that.

I'm close to Maura's age (I was born in '85, she was born circa 1989) and they did a nice job of showing but not telling that this was a girl raised in an affluent house. Like the music recital being held at that house and her just using what would be a very expensive IPod as well as having an Xbox. Her long, pin-straight hair was right, and they had her in these little jackets/blazers that I remember you'd always see on the "go getter" type girls I knew in high school that didn't want to look like Paris Hilton or Avril Lavigne. 

 

[CountryGirl]

16 hours ago, Shermie said:

I really enjoyed this. 

Is this based on one book, or a series?

I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would a few episodes in. 

There are two books, Firefly Lane and its sequel, Fly Away. Thus far, all of the plot has been from Firefly Lane and there is much more story they haven’t covered. 

[Eeksquire]

I had to remind myself that I watched the whole season of this show, because I found myself thinking "oh, I'll watch more of that tonight..." I hate where they decided to end.  I'll probably go get the first book from the library for closure, but it's the kind of thing that I'll probably forget to watch if it comes back for season 2 because that irked me so much.

 

[bijoux]

I was convinced at one point that they'd reveal that Tully was a result of rape, thereby connecting her story to her mother's. I know the actress playing Cloud gets flack, but I don't think the actor playing Kate's brother was anything special either, yet theirs are the stories I'm actually interested in aside from what happens to teen Tully and how she and Kate reconnect. I also thought he'd come out after Bud's death given that he' d been keeping his secret for some 30 years. Good for him. And good for Julia finally knowing. 

 

[mytmo]

I'm not sure if there is enough to bring me back for season 2

[Cozytea]

I really liked the show but the ending wasn't good, not without another season guaranteed.  I thought Tully and Kate fell out over Tully never tellig Kate about Sean, or Kate finding out Tully slept with Johnny,  nope, what else could there be? I really thought Sean had died and Kate was pissed Tully had robbed her of an honest relationship with her brother. 

 

[Cozytea]

On 2/14/2021 at 10:04 AM, peachmangosteen said:

Tully had a lot of funny lines, which is why I really liked her even though she does kinda suck lol.

I'm assuming his boyfriend from the '80s (that we never saw) died of AIDS.

I actually thought Sean had committed suicide  and that's who's funeral it was. Kate being angry with Tully for keeping the truth from her was the fall out but nope.

[chocolatine]

21 hours ago, Cozytea said:

I really thought Sean had died and Kate was pissed Tully had robbed her of an honest relationship with her brother. 

Tully did nothing wrong by keeping Sean's secret; it wasn't hers to tell. Sean didn't feel close enough to Kate to tell her the truth, so that's an issue between him and Kate, not between Kate and Tully.

[Cozytea]

11 hours ago, chocolatine said:

Tully did nothing wrong by keeping Sean's secret; it wasn't hers to tell. Sean didn't feel close enough to Kate to tell her the truth, so that's an issue between him and Kate, not between Kate and Tully.

I completely agree. I was just trying to figure out what issue was Kate and Tully's undoing., and what  Tully could have done in Kate's eyes to betray her..

Obviously I was guessing as the shows were winding down because as I said in another posts I couldn't see what had happened between them that ended such a close bond. 

[roughing it]

I was waiting for the next episode to start, then realized that this was the final episode of the season.  It was ok.  I really like Katie Heigl, don't know what all the animosity is towards her, but I've liked everything she's been in.  I also liked Sarah Chalke in this and I thought they had good chemistry.  

Things that really bugged me were the oversized grandpa glasses that young Kate had to wear.  It's like they pulled them out of a goodwill bin, when clearly her family could afford glasses that fit.  I know oversized glasses were a thing, but that was ridiculous.  And then Cloud's older wig and makeup, also ridiculous, and the actress doesn't have the range to play older.

This was an ok story, but not sure I'm invested enough to watch a second season.

[BrownBear2012]

I loved this series. It has its flaws but I related to the friendship aspect and the love triangle. It was female oriented entertainment that was a refreshing midwinter respite from all the dreadfulness occurring around us. I hope it is renewed...I’d like to see how it all turns out!

[MaryPatShelby]

On 2/7/2021 at 1:25 PM, Michichick said:

I did enjoy that Johnny and Kate still have such strong feelings for each other even though they’re divorced. I’d like them to end up back together. 

 

But...isn't Johnny dead?  Or do you think that's just what were supposed to think?

On 2/9/2021 at 12:24 AM, memememe76 said:

I found Kate’s myriad lovers tiring. Her divorce just didn’t do a whole lot because the stakes were so low. She was well off so didn’t *really* need a job (I mean, if she was going to be an assistant, why not Tully’s?), as soon as she separates a ton of men want her,
 

I don't remember that many men; there was the photographer, and Travis.  Who am I missing?

[peachmangosteen]

15 hours ago, MaryPatShelby said:

But...isn't Johnny dead?  Or do you think that's just what were supposed to think?

I think Johnny's fate is a cliffhanger but I would be shocked if he's dead.

[Tiggertoo]

I just watched.  I liked it way more than I was expecting to.  This may sound weird but I liked how straightforward they were about women’s periods.  Like when Kate flooded her white jeans, and when Tully got her period and realized she wasn’t pregnant.  You don’t tend to see that a lot on shows.

I’m looking forward to season 2.  I hope Johnny sticks around.  I found Kate’s new love interest, Travis?, to be extremely boring.  Even Max at least had some sex appeal and a bit of personality.  I guess he’s gone now?  What about his great family?

Katharine Heigl was great.  And I agree, the teenage actresses were fantastic.