The Episode Everyone Has Been Waiting For: The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Final Episode

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty have been waiting 11 Wednesdays for the final episode. I have been waiting 11 Wednesdays to see Belly and Conrad finally get together, which felt like centuries. The entire season dragged on with Jeremiah and Belly’s story, and I thought the day would never come. The last episode left me with a range of emotions. At times, I wanted to punch my TV screen, grab the tissues and let the tears flow out, and other times I found myself jumping for joy. I believe that is exactly what Jenny Han intended for her audience. Even though throughout the season, the only thing I wanted was for Conrad and Belly to finally get together, I gained many different emotions from this specific episode. 

Belly Finally Grew Up

From the first time I ever saw Belly on the screen, I saw her as this young and awkward girl who was unsure of who she was. Before this final episode, she was always allowing others to walk all over her and did not know how to take on obstacles. Now, after seeing her happy in Paris, she is no longer the girl stuck between which brother she wants to be with, but now, Belly has found her happiness. Even though there were times I was angry with the choices she was making, I could see how she has grown as a mature young adult. It was not just the awful haircut she got that made her look wiser, but it was also how she took on life as a whole. She found that Paris is where she belongs, and also made it clear to Conrad that nothing could stop her from moving on with her new life. She was not letting anybody’s opinions keep her from doing what she was doing. 

Erika Doss/Prime Video

The Brother Love Triangle

Now onto the larger topic. The love triangle was the highlight of the show, in my opinion. If I were Belly, I would be stuck between both brothers as well, at least in the first two seasons. Conrad has that intense first love energy that pulls you in so fast, but Jeremiah has that cute baby face where you feel safe when things in life are unsteady. Throughout the entire last episode, I was waiting for Belly and Conrad to finally be together again because Jeremiah does not deserve her after getting with that girl on spring break. It was finally Conrad’s time to propose to Belly, and they went off and lived happily ever after. Well, we know that does not happen. At least they get back together, but 10 minutes before the episode ends is not what I wanted as a viewer. After waiting all this time, I wanted that entire episode to be about them living happily ever after. The relief of seeing Conrad and Belly happy again was worth it, but it still left me with some doubt and a conflicted perspective of the show in general. 

Erika Doss/Prime Video

The Beach House

I do have to say, Jenny Han did a phenomenal job ending off the show, where all the memories were made, at the beach house. I do wish that she had added all of them reuniting there rather than just Conrad and Belly. Throughout the series, the beach house was the staple for all of them, and seeing everyone together would have made such a difference. The beach house itself felt like its own character, holding all of the traditions and memories that came to life throughout the show. Belly always reminds everyone of what Susannah would have loved, and I believe personally, she would have loved seeing everyone together at the place she loved the most. 

Erika Doss/Prime Video

Character Progression

I talked about how Belly has grown as a person, but one thing Jenny Han did really well was show all of the characters’ progression throughout this last episode. For starters, Jeremiah was able to get past his grudge towards Belly and move on with Denise. After the wedding was cancelled, he was upset with everyone and did not even speak to his own brother. He slowly became ok with the idea of Conrad flying to Paris, and even his dad was proud of his progress after cutting him off. Steven and Taylor progressed by going from arguing all the time to talking things through and making a plan to move to California with each other. Lastly, Conrad went from someone who would always hold his feelings in, never showing anyone how he truly felt. Now he can show his emotions and explain exactly how he feels. He is no longer afraid to hide anything from anyone. 

Final thoughts

This episode was relatable by showing the messy, unstable and confusing aspects of life. While it was not exactly what I wanted, I understand why Jenny Han did what she did to bring this show to life. After all, we are getting a movie. I believe the point of this episode was not to have a happy ever after but to show how life often ties our stomachs into knots, which is exactly what I felt after watching this. This show is called The Summer I Turned Pretty. Every year, we are excited for summer to come around, but then it just ends. We have a blast for those three months of summer, but suddenly reality hits, and it’s time to go back to the real world. That is exactly what I see when I reflect on this last episode.