'Little Fires Everywhere' Episode 7: Izzy's backstory outrages fans and they want her to burn the house down
Spoilers for 'Little Fires Everywhere' Episode 7 'Picture Perfect'
Episode 7 of 'Little Fires Everywhere' takes us down the memory lane of none other than the youngest Richardson — Izzy (Megan Stott) — and it's heartbreaking in every way imaginable. Probably why fans have taken to Twitter to show their outrage about how sick they are of the way people treat the little rebel for a cause, who is trying to make a statement well ahead of her times.
Set in 1997, one can imagine how cruel and torturous it might have been for Izzy to be outed as a lesbian. While she firmly believes one should try to be anything other than what they are, the stigma is too real and the aftermath is too painful, which Izzy understands. So back in July '97, just months prior to the current timeline of the show, when Izzy still had her long, flowing dirty blonde locks, she took things real slow with her best friend April. The two attend a high school party after much hesitation from Izzy's end, but once April is able to convince her, she caves in, only to be mocked and ridiculed for the way she is dressed at the house event filled with school kids.
They are playing spin the bottle, and of course, on Izzy's turn the bottle turns to April, and the two have to go about the whole seven minutes in heaven ordeal where they are expected to make out inside the closet. Once the two are inside, Izzy and April's stance changes drastically. Izzy is tender and affectionate, playing with April's hair and whispering about how even though they don't have to kiss. But eventually, they end up doing it always. And as April smiles and inches forward, the two lock lips in what can easily be television's purest, most chaste kiss recently.
Unfortunately, disaster befalls Izzy when one of the kids opens the door from the outside and spots Izzy and April going at it passionately. The other girl screams, "I thought you two were friends," and April, without hesitation, responds, "So did I, until she molested me."
Izzy — flustered, embarrassed, humiliated and accused of something she wouldn't ever imagine doing — runs away from the party crying and that's the end of their relationship. But her tribulations aren't over. Back in the current timeline, some six months later, when she reaches out to April requesting some of her cabbage patch dolls for a school project, April asks her to come over and during their little catch-up, the two admit that they have missed each other, as Izzy tries to convince April that she doesn't need to hide who she really is.
Cute, right? Well, not quite. The next day when Izzy sets up a stall in the school hall offering those dolls up for sale to mock the McCulloughs for legally trying to 'steal' Bebe Chao's baby, April and the other girl from the party don't refrain from mocking her.
In fact, April chimes in ridiculing Izzy for being a high schooler with cabbage patch dolls and as the two's eyes meet, April isn't even sorry for the duality she is displaying. Well, the '90s were a different time altogether and for a closeted teen to be outed publicly must have been an unfathomable idea. But April isn't the one actually hurting Izzy. It comes closer from home — from the very person who gave birth to her.
Elena Richardson's (Reese Witherspoon) spite towards her youngest child is some next level. This time it's because Izzy won't wear the keds her mother wants her to for the family Christmas photo. After a slew of f-words from her mother, Izzy finally caves in, but when the photos come back, Elena spots Izzy sporting a middle finger in the pictures. Frustrated with her daughter's constant rebellion, Elena decides to send the cards anyway by cutting off Izzy's end of the photos, and sadly, later in the day, Izzy finds all cut-off pieces of herself in the dustbin. It's heartbreaking for Izzy to go through that, but it's been more heartbreaking for fans to witness the cruel bias Elena shows between her two daughters.
Taking it to Twitter, a fan shared: "I’m sick of how everybody treats Izzy. I hope she burnt the damn house down at this point." Another asked: "Why is everyone so shitty to Izzy?"
A third fan pointed out how unnecessarily mean April was to Izzy at the party sharing: "Why would Izzy's friend say she molested her? She could’ve just pushed her away and walked away. That was so hurtful!" Another fan just proclaimed: "I’m high key changing my account to a Protect Izzy Richardson At All Costs account."
The hate towards April has been strong too, with people calling her out saying: "Oh so Izzy and that girl were actually mutually messing around and that lil b***h just acting homophobic cause she got caught." But all in unison, the entire fandom came together to voice out how "Izzy is so misunderstood". One said, "I really feel for her, she’s lowkey always getting the worst of everyone."
'Little Fires Everywhere' drops new episodes every Wednesday, only on Hulu.