What Happened to Izzy After the ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ Finale? The Character’s Ending Could Pave the Way for a Spinoff
On April 22, Little Fires Everywhere ended its eight-episode run on Hulu. As expected, the finale — titled “Find a Way” — wrapped where the series premiere began. Viewers finally received answers, including who started the fire at the Richardson household. But one question surrounding Izzy’s (Megan Stott) whereabouts remained vaguely unanswered. So what happened to Izzy following the Little Fires Everywhere finale? Recently, showrunner Liz Tigelaar revealed where the youngest Richardson daughter ended up after everything that went down between Mia (Kerry Washington) and Elena (Reese Witherspoon).
[Spoiler alert: Little Fires Everywhere finale.]
What happened to Izzy in the ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ finale?
Throughout Little Fires Everywhere, Elena sees Izzy as an outsider. The mother-daughter pair never seem to reach an understanding. However, Izzy finds refuge in Mia. Then in the April 22 finale, Izzy’s relationship with Elena reaches a breaking point.
During a conversation with Moody (Gavin Lewis), Izzy realizes Lexie (Jade Pettyjohn) forged Pearl’s (Lexi Underwood) name when she got an abortion. So when Elena finds the paperwork, Izzy rushes to Mia’s house to warn her mentor. However, she finds Mia with Bebe (Lu Huang), who is crushed after losing custody of May Ling in court.
Eventually, Mia gives Izzy one last piece of advice. The artist reveals she witnessed a prairie fire in California when she was pregnant with Pearl. The next morning, Mia woke up and the landscape was black. It echoed how she felt inside — like it was the end of the world.
“But then I had Pearl,” Mia says. “I learned things that I didn’t know before. Like sometimes you have to scorch everything to start over. And after the burning, the soil is rich, and life can grow there. Life that is maybe even better than what was there before.”
She continues: “People are like that too. Even from total devastation, they start over. And they find a way. Bebe will find a way. And so will Pearl. And so will you.”
Following the conversation, Elena stops by Mia and Pearl’s home to tell them she isn’t renewing their lease. Elena also gloats about Pearl’s abortion. However, Mia lets her know it was actually Lexie. Then in retaliation, Elena tells Mia to leave by the morning.
Later that evening, Mia and Pearl get in their blue Chevy hatchback and drop their Shaker Heights home house key in the Richardson mailbox. Izzy sees them leaving and breaks down. She then takes Mia’s advice literally and pours gasoline on her bed. Moody, Lexie, and Trip (Jordan Elsass) find their sister dousing her room with gas. They try to stop her and eventually, Elena shows up.
Elena and Izzy scream at each other and the Richardson daughter admits she wanted Mia to be her mom, someone who actually loved her. Then Elena responds, “Do you think I wanted a daughter like you? I never wanted you in the first place.”
Izzy grabs her bag and leaves the house. Elena doesn’t chase after her. Then the remaining Richardson children continue what Izzy started and burn down the house.
Finally, when the authorities question Elena, she admits she started the fire, acknowledging the damage she caused to her children. She is later seen looking for Izzy. But she can’t find her.
Meanwhile, Izzy dreams she is hitchhiking on the side of the road. Then Mia’s blue Chevy hatchback comes along. The door opens and Izzy gets into the car. In reality, the character is alone on a bus out of Shaker Heights.
The ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ showrunner explains Izzy’s ending in the finale
Following the Little Fires Everywhere finale, fans wondered where Izzy went and where she would end up. When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Tigelaar explained Izzy’s ending, noting she did not end up escaping the town with Mia and Pearl. However, her mentor’s influence leaves Izzy changed forever.
“That’s her dream and her fantasy. She’s having this wish. That was a part of the book I loved — this wish that this door would open and that she could hop in and she could be a part of their family now,” Tigelaar said. “But the reality is she wakes up, she’s still on this bus, and she’s not with them, but it’s this idea that I think she’s been changed by Mia, and she’s never going to go back.”
Nevertheless, the Little Fires Everywhere showrunner also thinks Izzy will return to Shaker Heights after the finale. Tigelaar said:
It doesn’t mean she’s never going to go back to Shaker Heights, because of course she’s going to go back, she’s 15 years old. But it’s more like she’s never going to go back to being the girl who’s going to sit in her Laura Ashley room and put on her flower dress and get her Rachel haircut and wear her tartan Keds. She’s done. She’s going to be who she is because even even trying to be who her mom wanted her to be didn’t make her mom want her any more.
Could Izzy’s ending lead to a ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ spinoff?
During an interview with Vulture, Tigelaar shared Little Fires Everywhere fans should still be worried about Izzy. But once again, it’s likely the character will return home eventually.
“We talked a lot in the room about how we’re supposed to feel at the end about Izzy. How can we not be worried for her?” Tigelaar said. “But we also talked about the reality of the moment — that she probably would turn around after a few days and come home.”
That said, showrunner also hinted Izzy’s ending could leave room for a spinoff over a second season.
“Yes, I do think there are stories to tell. But that’s more of a spinoff than a second season,” Tigelaar said. “It’s hard to say good-bye, but there’s something about trying to extend it past its shelf life that I feel would dishonor what it was. It’s hard to say that because I would love to work in that writers’ room for the rest of my life.”
But whether or not Little Fires Everywhere receives a second season — or even a spinoff — just know there is hope for Izzy and Elena’s relationship — as well as Mia and Pearl’s — after the finale.
“Both Mia and Elena are coming face-to-face with what their daughters need,’ Washington told Essence after the finale. “These girls have their own hero’s journey and what’s so hopeful about the ending is that these women, who’ve really been so controlling about their lives and their daughter’s lives, surrender to the needs of their daughters.”
Read more: ‘Little Fires Everywhere’: The 6 Major Differences Between the Book and the Show
