Unfolding Belly’s new life in college
After two whole years since the release of season two, the final season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (TSITP) has finally come out on Prime Video. Will Belly end up choosing Conrad, Jeremiah, or even herself? As the series reaches its long-awaited conclusion, season three promises to deliver both the romance and emotional growth that have kept fans invested from the start. This series has been one that I’ve been interested in for a long time. The show started off with the main characters being young and naive; however, as the show has progressed, we’ve been able to see major growth for all of the characters. Personally, I’ve enjoyed season three just as much as I’ve enjoyed the past two seasons; however, some people prefer the more laid-back, summer feelings that the first season had, which is something to keep in mind while watching the show.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is a TV show revolving around high schooler Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) and her journey in navigating troublesome teenage love. For all the summers that Belly has had since she was little, she has visited Cousins Beach, and her family shares a beach house with the Fisher family. Ever since she was a young girl, Belly has had a strong crush on Conrad (Christopher Briney), the older of the two Fisher brothers. However, the summer when she was fifteen, she and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), Conrad’s younger brother, also started developing mutual feelings towards each other. At the end of season two, Belly decides to choose and date Jeremiah, with the season ending with their solid relationship.
The third and final season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has been long anticipated by fans ever since the first and second seasons, released in the summers of 2022 and 2023 respectively. However, since the show releases episodes weekly, let’s first unpack episodes one and two.
Episode one introduces several major storylines that immediately set the tone for the season. It starts off with Belly arriving at Finch College for the first time as a freshman. We can see that her and Jeremiah still have a good relationship as they’re very affectionate with each other. Soon after, the episode jumps to Belly’s junior year. We learn about Belly’s dream to study abroad, especially in Paris, and that she applied to the study-abroad program at her school. If she were to get in, this would mean that her first semester of senior year would be spent in Paris instead of at Finch.
Although the show mainly revolves around Belly’s love life, we also get a glimpse into the relationship between Belly’s brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman), and Belly’s best friend, Taylor (Rain Spencer). They were a big fan-favorite couple last season, but their relationship dynamic this season is a little different. We see that they’re not in a relationship with each other anymore, however, they’re still very close.
Christopher Briney, Lola Tung, and Gavin Casalegno star in the final season of the hit show. Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.
There is a big plot twist in this episode which definitely messes up the happy relationship that we were used to seeing between Belly and Jeremiah - I highly suggest you watch the show, and if you read the books already, you probably know what I’m talking about.
Episode two opens up with a flashback to the fight Belly and Jeremiah had, which led to their brief “break-up” during Spring Break. Although the fight didn’t seem to be so important at the time, we learn the real impact of it in this episode.
Additionally, Conrad is doing well in California. We see that he’s seeking therapy, showing his desire for self-improvement. He also gets a job in a highly competitive medical program and works under a very strict doctor. We see that he’s made new friends, particularly Agnes, who’s inquisitive and smart.
A major accident regarding Steven also occurs, which changes everyone's mindset regarding life -- especially Taylor’s and Jeremiah’s. Taylor has a lot of regrets about the way her and Steven’s relationship has been, and she confesses her fears that hold her back from fully committing to a relationship with him. This scene was very emotional, and it really helps the audience understand deeper why Taylor acts the way she does.
After Steven’s accident, Jeremiah now realizes how quickly life could change, and thus he decides to do something very unforgettable. His decision is what I would consider the biggest choice made in this entire season so far.
Overall, these two episodes were super packed with a bunch of different plots. This season is a lot more serious than the previous two and deals with heavier topics. However, this is most likely due to the characters being in college or having full-time jobs rather than simply being high schoolers. Additionally, the acting done by the cast was very good, and it made the scenes realistic as well as emotional. Furthermore, the soundtrack was phenomenal, just like the two seasons before, and it featured a ton of songs that I highly enjoy.
Lastly, my personal highlight was the Christmas scene between Conrad and Belly, as I already mentioned, but that’s because I’m definitely team Conrad. I highly suggest you watch these two episodes for yourself if possible, and I hope you enjoy them just as much as I did!
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