Arts and Entertainment
By Rory McNelley, Education and Enrichment Coordinator
*CONTAINS SPOILERS*
The season finale of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (TSITP) was released last week, and the third season remained on Prime Video’s Top 10 TV shows throughout its run from July to September.
I have never been that into watching TV. Besides a good documentary, I would rather read a book.
However, my TikTok feed was poisoned with the clips and controversies from TSITP. I felt like I was missing something, so I watched it and let me say this was the summer I turned into a TV freak.
I have never cared more about the events of a fictional character’s life than I did for Belly Conklin, the show’s protagonist. As soon as I finished catching up on the old seasons, I tackled the third and final season. This season of TSITP is an emotional rollercoaster that viewers have been tuning into every Wednesday since July.
The last few episodes essentially consist of Belly picking at the petals of a flower saying he loves me, he loves me not. Turns out the first one is true.
The first two seasons outline Belly’s life during the summer at their family with their family friends, the Fishers, at their beach house. The moms and kids of both families spend the summer there every year.
The show takes off when Belly begins to mature and do things for herself. Instead of following the boys around town and hanging out with the moms, she makes a life of her own.
Throughout season one, there is tension between Belly and both of the Fisher brothers. At the end of the season, following two love confessions from different brothers, Belly is overwhelmed and returns home for the school year. Season two takes off when one of the boys, Conrad, decides to give Belly a call and see how she’s doing.
The final season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has taken the internet by storm since its premiere in July.
Belly has always loved Conrad, and in my opinion, they are destined for each other. Throughout season two there are arguments and breakups, and Belly ends up with Conrad’s younger brother Jeremiah.
Originally a trilogy of books written by Jenny Han, the show was adapted from the original story. Heading into season three, fans are not sure where the show is headed.
Toward the beginning of season three, Belly gets engaged to Jeremiah and “Bonrad” fans, who ship Belly and Conrad, lose hope. Through a series of events one can only describe as insane, Belly ends up with the man of her dreams while spending summer in Paris as opposed to the summer house.
The dramatic string of events had fans tuned in every Wednesday to see where Belly is heading next. Since Belly’s journey is so complex, the end of the season explains things a bit differently than the book. This led fans unable to predict what the next episode would bring.
This show gripped people all over the country with its plotline and romance. Fans want to see more of the happy couple thriving and living in the summer house. A few hours after the finale premiered, a movie was announced to continue the story that fans were sure was over.
Jenny Han announced she has written the script for “The Summer I Turned Pretty: The Movie,” though production has not yet begun. While fans are frustrated that they will not be getting new content on Wednesdays anymore, they at least have the premiere to look forward to. Fans are hoping the movie will tie up the story with a satisfying and happy ending for all of the characters.
I guess it is the semester we learned patience while we wait to find out what Belly decides her future will hold. Fans speculate a late 2026 or early 2027 release, but limited information has been given about the film.
