Summary
“Mawaige” puts weddings at the centre of the story, as Tully and Sean navigate commitment, while Kate comes to terms with a divorce.
This recap of Netflix’s Firefly Lane season 1, episode 8, “Mawaige” contains significant spoilers.
As reach closer to the end of this series, there’s still a lot to conclude; one issue that the story hasn’t explored deeply yet is Kate’s relationship with her brother — we get more context in “Mawaige”. Also, we see Tully take a leap of faith. “Mawaige” opens with Tully doing her favorite thing — having sex with Max. The pregnancy has made her crave sex more. Suddenly, Max proposes to her, and Tully starts freaking out, and she puts clothes on. She tells him that she can’t get married and heads off to work. She has another decision to make.
Sean is getting married
In the past, Kate helps Sean do his tux — she’s a little emotional that her brother is getting married. Sean reminds Kate that Tully is giving a speech, and he wants it on video. While giving Julia (the fiance) marriage advice with the other women, Tully reveals that Kate is still a virgin. Kate’s mother then says that Johnny is fit, and believes Tully should get with him. An awkward moment between Kate and Tully; but they both play it cool. The whole Johnny situation is mostly an unspoken issue between both women, yet they both know where they stand.
Kate believes Tully is head over heels in love
In the present day, Kate tells Tully that she is clearly in love with Max. Tully reveals that Max proposed and that she ran away. Kate tells her to open up to the idea one day, as she’s never been into anyone as much as Max. Kate then receives her divorce papers which sets her back a bit. One friend is entering marriage, while the other is exiting one. “Mawaige” presents unique irony.
Tully tells Sean to not go through with the wedding
Back in the past and at Sean’s wedding, Tully wishes Sean luck. He is on edge, and Tully tells him that it’s not too late to back out — she doesn’t want him to marry the wrong person. Sean tells her to drop it, but Tully tells him that he loved Richard. Sean reminds her that Richard died, and now he wants what everyone else gets — a family. We can presume Richard is the man Sean was seeing in the 80s when he revealed he was in a new relationship. And then, Johnny wants to talk to Tully about the night they had sex; she doesn’t want to talk about it and states she is back with Chad. It seems Johnny has always struggled with the concept of Tully and has always dreamed up a scenario where they would work.
Tully sees Chad, and it’s a sign
Firefly Lane season 1, episode 8 sees a massive breakthrough for Tully — in previous episodes, commitment has been a sore point for her, but in “Mawaige”, she decides to let her guard down completely. In the present day, Tully bumps into Chad, and they hug. She thinks it’s a sign. Chad shows how he got married and had a couple of children. He tells her he couldn’t pine for her forever. Tully tells him that she is seeing a great man, that doesn’t make sense in any way, but she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. Tully heads to Max’s work, and gets on her knees, and proposes to Max. He says yes.
Sean and Kate have a small argument at the wedding
In the past, Sean and Julia get married. There’s plenty of thoughts etched on the characters in the room. Chad mouths to Tully “I love you”; he’s seemingly emotional with the proceedings, but Tully does not say it back, interestingly. Afterward, Kate comically walks into the wedding cake. She asks Johnny to close the door to fix it. The pair end up laughing together. Sean sees what’s happened and says “it’s just you being Kate”. He implies it’s a standard for her. Kate tells Sean that today is not about her and that he didn’t even give her a speech. Kate was hoping today was going to be different. Sean walks off, and Johnny hugs Kate. Sean and Kate’s sibling war journeyed into their adulthood, and it has never been repaired.
The siblings have always had problems
In the past, as teens, Kate tells Sean that one time she ditched school with Tully and that she saw her mother with another man. Sean dismisses her and walks off. Kate gets mad and throws a tool that breaks the car window. Sean says she will get away with it as her parents always allow it. Kate asks him why he hates her and walks off. From the way the writers have angled it, Sean is angry at Kate because he’s always had to live a lie with their parents by being in the closet, while Kate has lived more freely. It’s understandable that he feels that way.
Tully is getting married!
Now here is something we wouldn’t have been able to imagine at the start of the series. In the present day, Kate tells Sean that she’s received the divorce papers and that it’s finally time to let go. Suddenly, Tully rings Kate and tells her she’s getting married and wants her to meet at a gazebo immediately. In the past, Tully gives a speech at Sean’s wedding; she manages to make a slight reference to Kate that was subtle but just enough for Sean to notice. Kate wrote the speech.
Kate and Johnny argue at Sean’s wedding
At the dance at Sean’s wedding, Kate and Johnny end up slow dancing together. He asks Kate if Tully loves Chad. Kate walks away and then tells Johnny that he tried to kiss her that night; she raises how when he was drunk, he told her that in El Salvador, he thought about her. As they argue, Mutt records them on the wedding camera and can see there’s a problem. Kate tells Johnny to chase his fantasy and storms off. Mutt talks to Kate about what he saw, and he realises that she’s really into Johnny. They break up, but this was inevitable.
Max and Tully tie the knot
In the present day, Tully’s quickly planned wedding goes ahead with a tiny audience. Johnny is the one that officiates the marriage, while Kate and Sean are witnesses. Johnny reminds them that there are pain and joy in marriage and that there will be a lot of forgiveness. Tully and Max get officially married. Afterward, Kate speaks to Johnny about the divorce papers. She signs them in front of him. In a flashback, Sean tells Kate that occasionally he has to bury something and it gets louder all the time. He then tells her he is gay. Kate is shocked, and Sean tells her that Tully has known since high school as she caught him with Robbie.
The ending
As things look plain sailing and happy, the writers could not help themselves, and they throw another tragedy at Tully. As the episode draws to a close, Max and Tully go home as husband and wife. She tells him that she’s keeping her name but that he can call her Mrs Brody as part as roleplay. Everything looks like the beginnings of a sweet romance; however, tragedy strikes; as Tully is in the bathroom, blood runs down her legs. She’s miscarried.
Firefly Lane season 1, episode 8 puts weddings at the centre of the story, as Tully and Sean navigate commitment, while Kate comes to terms with a divorce. As we enter the final two chapters, we have Tully facing yet another obstacle thrown into her life, leaving the audience to wonder whether she can overcome this one.
