Summary
Little Fires Everywhere season 1, episode 8, “Find a Way” is an emotional and impactful finale that was well worth the patience, with Elena’s dabbling finally coming to fruition.
This recap of Hulu Series Little Fires Everywhere season 1, episode 8, “Find a Way”, the finale, contains significant spoilers.
How does Little Fires Everywhere season 1, episode 8, “Find a Way” start?
It begins in July 1991 — the Richardson kids have started their own lemonade stand but Izzy brings a bird in the house which causes havoc. Moody tells Izzy that once a human touches a baby bird, the mother rejects it
We can all see where this is going.
How does the trial go in the finale?
Well back to the trial; Linda is pressed by Bebe’s lawyer about the importance of race and why she ticked “white” as a preference on the adoption applications. She is also asked why they changed the name of the baby. Linda is understandably emotional but Elena is still on a path of revenge, wondering if they can find more dirt on Bebe.
Does Mia speak to Pearl about the truth of her heritage?
Yes and Pearl tells her mother Mia that she’s full of lies. She demands that Mia rings her real father. Mia is very upset that Pearl is out of control and angry with her, so she tries ringing the father, but the wife answers, so she puts the phone down.
Pearl has other issues to deal with as well; Moody approaches Pearl about her fooling around with Trip which gets fiery with Moody calling Pearl a s**t and both brothers fight. After the fight, Elena has a go at Moody about Pearl and the abortion but Moody tells her Trip is with Pearl.
Elena has zero control over her children.
What’s the outcome of the family trial in Little Fires Everywhere season 1, episode 8, “Find a Way”?
Linda wins and keeps custody of the child — Izzy is upset at the result but Moody says rich people always win and do not care about anyone else. Izzy brings Moody back down to earth, stating that Pearl is not for him to keep just because he likes her. Moody tells Izzy that Pearl had an abortion but Izzy figures out the truth and asks Lexie if it was real.
Izzy doesn’t want Elena to use the abortion against Mia. The sisters argue and Lexie leaves it with, “Mother would never believe you over me”.
Izzy departs the house and helps Mia comfort a distraught Bebe at Mia’s house.
Are Elena and Bill still rocky in episode 8?
Yes, they are.
Elena confronts Bill who has not been speaking to her in Little Fires Everywhere season 1, episode 8, “Find a Way”. Bill has evidence that Elena met her ex. She begs for him to listen to her, stating she has been a good wife and a mother. They have a raging argument.
Elena starts blaming the family for not having a career in journalism. Bill says that Elena is the common denominator for all their problems, including with Bebe, Linda, and Mia, and then leaves the house with the departing words, “I am going outside. Maybe it’s time I got myself a pacifier too”.
Ouch.
Elena just cannot help herself in the finale, bringing herself to a point of no return. Elena heads to Mia’s house and tells her the lease will be up “tomorrow” and that Pearl had an abortion. Mia miles, claiming that Elena does not like it when people want a life different to hers and that if Lexie trusted her own mother, then she wouldn’t have changed her name on the abortion papers.
This is a turning point where Elena realises she is no longer in control.
Do Mia and Pearl settle their differences?
They do; Mia speaks to Pearl again and reveals that her father’s real name is Joe Ryan. Mia opens up about her family and her wonderful brother who died. She confesses to giving Bebe the money to prove that keeping Pearl was the right thing to do — Pearl hugs her. They both agree they cannot stay in the town. Mia shows Pearl her latest art project and then they pack up to leave.
How does Izzy feel about Mia and Pearl leaving?
Well, when Izzy sees them packing and leaving she is distraught. She grabs their house key and then starts pouring gasoline all over her bedroom. Her siblings are alarmed and try stopping her but she tells them that Elena kicked Mia and Pearl out of their house.
Elena walks into the room fuming at Izzy; when Izzy explains that she loved Mia because she is like a mother she never had, Elena tells Izzy she never wanted her in the first place. Elena had reached the peak of her downfall here as Izzy flees from the house, with Moody trying to stop her.
Lexie screams at her mother, telling Elena to go after Izzy and admits it was she who had the abortion and that she’s not important. Elena screams back, “Yes you are!”.
The Richardson kids start throwing more gasoline around their bedrooms and then they set the house on fire and get their mother out of bed.
Ah, so we are at the start where we see the house on fire in Episode 1?
Exactly.
Bill returns home to see his house on fire. The fireman states the gasoline was in different places and there were “little fires everywhere”. The firemen want to know where Izzy is but Elena says she started the fire, protecting her children.
How does Little Fires Everywhere season 1, episode 8, “Find a Way” end?
Little Fires Everywhere season 1, episode 8, “Find a Way” ends emotionally. Mia asks Pearl where to go, this time giving her the choice of the next destination. They reach a house and Mia tells Pearl that she should go in and “meet them”. I can only assume it is Pearl’s grandparents.
Linda wakes up in the middle of the night and screams that her baby is gone — Bebe has her.
As for Elena, well she’s shocked and rattled by the events and starts looking for Izzy, but Izzy is already gone.
Elena heads over to Mia’s empty house and sees her art project of the town. The episode then has Pearl narrating some notes she had written down for her mother as Elena looks at the art project — “If we can finally see the lies, and the town and the cage that we are inside of, then we can see other things too, a door, a way out. And we can fly away”.
Elena realises that Izzy is the bird in the cage.
But just to recap the events of this series. Elena’s actions to try and fix things and feel resentful for not having the career she believed she should have had resulted in losing the trust of her family and losing one of her children. There are many lessons in this story, but it showed the importance of loving one another and not allowing close ones to flee too far away due to your own actions.
Other points
- Bill hasn’t been sleeping in the bed with Elena.
- Lexie tells Elena that Brian has broken up with her. Elena tells her she will find a better fit for her.
- Linda’s baby says “mama” for the first time.
- Bill tells Izzy to grow up, citing how hard it has been to build this life.
