This summer, fans of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” have been anxiously awaiting the series finale in the hope that it would finally end the never-ending online debate of Team Conrad versus Team Jeremiah.
Viewers, rejoice. The ending everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived — and in great fashion.
In the show’s third and final season, released this summer, viewers watch Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung) after she follows her boyfriend and childhood best friend Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) to college. Back in high school, Belly dated Jeremiah’s older brother, Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney), but their relationship ended just before the Fisher brothers’ mom, Susannah Fisher (Rachel Blanchard), died of cancer.
Throughout the show’s first two seasons, there was one truth that all viewers could rely on: The comically named Belly made a lot of bad — albeit entertaining — choices. But during season three, viewers watch as she, for the first time in her life, makes a decision for herself that is focused on nothing other than self-discovery.
Belly is not alone on this journey. The main trio — consisting of Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad — consistently makes life-altering and last-minute decisions that lead them closer to who they truly are. From an impulsive engagement and a last-minute love confession to breaking off a wedding the morning of the ceremony, season three is full of moments that leave fans equal parts alarmed and perplexed.
When Belly impulsively gets on a flight to Paris following her cancelled wedding with Jeremiah, then struggles to adapt to life abroad, viewers clearly see how much Belly has lost herself. But as she begins to find herself, Conrad and Jeremiah are forced to confront the love they have, both past and present, for their childhood friend. Jeremiah’s growth, in particular, is remarkable: He finds new passions and a budding romance, all without financial support from his father. The brothers reunite at their mother’s grave and repair their relationship after years of tension and unresolved angst. Luckily for the show’s fans, Jeremiah ends the season as more than just a narcissistic boy in a college fraternity. And, even more luckily for the show’s fans, Conrad finally gets the girl.
While the iconic trio finds their way, Belly’s best friend, Taylor Jewel (Rain Spencer), finally gets her happy ending with Belly’s brother, Steven Conklin (Sean Kaufman), after their painfully long on-again, off-again relationship. Hopefully viewers will get to see more of the couple in the movie epilogue/adaptation of the series that was announced on Wednesday.
Although Conrad and Belly’s reunion in the series finale is painfully cheesy, complete with lines like “I’ve changed everything about myself and the one thing that never changes is that I love you,” it’s good to see Belly finally thinking through her choices before making them. Her newfound common sense and chic Parisian haircut really highlight her character development, and it’s clear that by the season finale, Belly has come a long way from her days of broken French.
While Belly’s Paris adventures are a bright spot of the series, the number of plot holes grows with each new episode. How is she still in France for over a year without a visa? How can she afford a nice one-bedroom apartment in Paris as a college student taking online classes and working two under-the-counter, part-time jobs?
But the only thing larger than the number of plotholes was the season’s budget. From on-site filming in Paris to a seemingly infinite amount of Taylor Swift songs in the show’s soundtrack, it’s clear that Amazon spared no expense. Nonetheless, the music in the show is reliably well-timed — especially in the fifth episode, which was directed by Jenny Han and is told from Conrad’s point of view.
Thankfully, fans can rejoice knowing that almost all of the loose ends have been tied up, and after a three-season run, the finale did the characters justice. Loved by all ages, from elders to teenagers, Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is a cultural phenomenon that can speak to anyone — no matter if they’re Team Jeremiah, Conrad or Belly.
Talia LeVine is a section editor covering arts and culture. They study Political Science and Visual Art with a focus on photography. In their free time, they can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee.
