The last season of The Summer I Turned Pretty had me, and many others, hooked, creating much more traction online than either of the first two seasons. In the end, we finally got our much-needed resolution after countless summers, but hereâs where I think we took a wrong turn.
In season three, we were pretty far away from where the show started. What was originally a show about teenage romance and loss turned into a young adult drama. This was a season full of rage bait where it felt like our worst nightmares as viewers came to life. Belly was with Jeremiah, he cheated on her and she still said yes to marrying him. She stopped talking to her mom, and her brother almost died. This plot felt miles away from the quiet, nostalgic beach house the show was originally about.
I guess that is the problem when a show has sequels: it strays away from the original plot a little too much.
But in episode eight, when Conrad confesses his feelings and the wedding is called off, it feels like this nightmare train finally comes to a screeching stop. The writer of the books, Jenny Han, has always been very involved with the show. But even the most dedicated readers did not know what Han had in store for this ending. And spoiler alert, we got what we had all been waiting for⊠somewhat.
We end with the last two episodes detailing Bellyâs time in Paris after running away because of the cancelled wedding. She grew from the somewhat sheltered and entitled life she had and became an independent adult. She went to school, worked and made friends, all without her family and childhood friends there to support her. She distanced herself so much that we almost think her forbidden love triangle is a thing of the past.
But when Conrad started sending her letters and packages, and she didnât tell him to stop, I think it was pretty obvious where her heart was. After all this time away, she still wasnât over him. I think this time away proved something to Belly: that her age-old crush on Conrad was more than a childhood fantasy. She had genuine feelings for him that went beyond the obligation she felt to marry one of Susannahâs sons. Conrad came to see Belly on her birthday in Paris, and after what felt like a century of teasing and beating around the bush, they finally had their rendezvous.
In a sudden turn of events, she addressed her concern to Conrad when he made a comment about being together forever. She even told him to leave, admitting her fear that her feelings werenât truly hers, but something she had been raised to believe. Almost as if ending up with Conrad was simply what Susannah would have wanted. Not to worry, though, her dramatic chase and rom-com-worthy love confession tied her love story up with a pretty little bow.Â
Jeremiahâs character felt like the obvious villain of this season with his self-absorbed personality, his whining every other second he was on screen and mostly how he saw himself as the victim. But seeing him actually develop a skill like cooking and pursuing it was refreshing. Although it took a lot of hand-holding from his friends, especially once his dad cut him off financially, it was good to see him heal from his traumas, take accountability for his own life and gain some independence. I did find it annoying that he ended up with Denise, though. It lowkey felt forced. If it were me, I would have made him end up with a man. But that was unlikely due to rising conservatism and the bad response viewers had to past queer characters on the show.
My biggest critique is how effortlessly we saw Adam Fisher go from an evil Daddy Warbucks to an emotionally mature father figure ⊠or as close as he could get to it. Most of the strife between Conrad and Jeremiah was because Jeremiah was fighting for his dadâs approval. I even think this is why he wanted to âwinâ Belly so badly. It was his way of being better than his soon-to-be doctor brother. Adam suddenly saying he is proud of Jeremiah was needed, but, in my opinion, too little too late.
As for Taylor and Steven, I loved how we see so much character growth within this season. Unlike my critique of Adam, Taylor and Steven evolved in a way that felt true to their characters. Watching Taylor let down her walls and be vulnerable with Steven was so healing after having to be strong for her mother and for Belly her whole life. And Steven stepping up as a friend, brother and boyfriend was also nice to see.
Although this ending was pretty perfect, Amazon Prime announced that Han will be back at it again to write a movie to continue the love story between Belly and Conrad. Looking at the ending scene of the show at the summer house in Cousins and Hanâs note, we can assume that the movie is going to be about this coupleâs romance as adults in the house that started it all. Itâs hard to tell what will come in the next chapter of Bellyâs life, but I know I, alongside millions of people, will be watching.