The Summer I Turned Pretty Is Back — We’re So Back!
It’s actually perfect how as soon as Love Island concludes, my other favorite summer show starts back up again. The final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty is finally here after a long two years without visiting Cousins Beach with my first initial thought being hiiiii budget! The soundtrack in this show was perfectly curated to sound like inside the mind of a young woman. The pop songs chosen for the storyline about heartache, love and new beginnings creates a sense of comfort and connection for fans of the show. The producers of the show have nailed the perfect soundtrack that speaks directly to their audience’s vibe.
I’m usually not a fan of time jumps in a show — but this one actually works. The show’s been around for years at this point, the audience has matured, so it’s exciting to see the characters growing up. Unfortunately, Belly and Jeremiah are up to their same old shenanigans that disappoint probably more than half of the fandom. Speaking of shenanigans, it’s unfortunate that my favorite ship of the show — Taylor and Steven are in a cycle of toxic patterns that’s frustrating to witness. My favorite character (most likely everyone else’s too), Connie Baby, is seriously not getting enough screen time for me. It’s refreshing to see Conrad working on himself through therapy as well as having a new found friendship with Agnes.
Jeremiah’s insecurities are brought to life as he’s constantly comparing himself to his brother, Conrad. The competition between these siblings makes me wonder if Jeremiah’s intentions with Belly are pure or out of spite toward Conrad. Belly being hesitant to jump at the offer of studying abroad in Paris because of her relationship with her cheating, soon to be super-senior boyfriend is disheartening. I’m hoping Belly’s character development in the final season results in her thinking more for herself, and is less reliant on a boy’s opinion.
Conrad drinking while venting to Agnes about his regret to Belly is heartwrenching. I feel as all the brooding Conrad does is what draws so many fans to be Team Conrad. Conrad yearning for Belly is nostalgic as we are lacking in the angst of a man missing the love of his life in media today. This side of Conrad reminds me of how Lucas in One Tree Hill would act toward Peyton, which was all so charming.
“You’re Losing Me” by Miss Swift playing during Belly and Jeremiah’s fight about the Cabo cheating scandal is the perfect song choice. I believe everyone who’s experienced heartbreak can relate to the raw emotion that song conveys. Transitioning into the second episode, I appreciate how on the nose “lacy” by Olivia Rodrigo playing is as the other party in the Cabo cheating scandal’s name is Lacy. Jeremiah not owning up to his actions when he get home from Cabo is cowardly, yet not surprising.
The theatre kid in me was internally screaming as I saw the Bye, Bye Birdie poster on Belly’s door as the heartthrob of that show’s name is Conrad! Taylor is the realest character on that show for getting so upset at Jeremiah for her heartbroken best friend. All girls know the feeling of hating a friend’s shitty love interest. This show brings such a sense of relatability, despite how unrealistic some of the storylines are.
The color symbolism shown through Belly’s wardrobe is such a clever touch — it’s little details like this that make a show so addicting to me. Belly is mostly seen wearing blue when she’s with Jeremiah, and seen wearing red when she’s with Conrad. Taylor Swift said it best, “Loving him was red!”.
I feel the most empathetic toward Laurel, a divorced mother who is newly living in her lonesome right after the passing of her best friend. I’ve noticed a pattern in these first two episodes of characters making dumb decisions, which leaves a messy taste in my mouth for season three… but hey, it's exciting! Taylor’s avoidant reaction to Steven getting serious about them is sad, they could be so great together. This argument leading to Steven’s car accident was super unexpected. Again, I am reminded of the iconic 2000’s show, One Tree Hill as some of the most iconic episodes in that show revolve around a car accident. Taylor beating herself up over the accident is hard to watch, yet completely understandable.
Can something positive please happen to my Connie Baby??? I simply cannot handle all of the disappointment he receives. The breadcrumbing of Conrad and Belly’s scenes is going to drive me insane. I’m hungry!!! We”re all hungry!!! Their quiet time together at the beach house was bittersweet to watch, but as a Team Conrad stan, I’ll take what I can get. We can only go up from here as season three progresses.
Taylor and Steven are in a never-ending pickle of playing emotional tag. I hope those two, along with the rest of the characters can get their priorities in line, but we have a long final season ahead of us. The ending??? The engagement??? Ok yes this is a very very long season ahead of us. It can only get better from here for us Connie Baby stans. This scene resulted in me needing a pomegranate margarita (iykyk).