The long-anticipated season three of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” finally premiered on July 16 on Amazon Prime Video, with the series’ final episode airing Sept. 17. The show, based on author Jenny Han’s best-selling trilogy, followed a similar plot structure to the young adult books.
Paralleling the books, Belly (Lola Tung) forgives Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) for cheating on her, and the two get engaged shortly after. Yet, she still finds her way back to Conrad (Christopher Briney) in the end. The season diverged from the source material with the addition of new characters in the narrative and expanded storylines for existing ones.
These changes were introduced to enhance character development, particularly through a more active role for Conrad’s close friend, Agnes (Zoé de Grand Maison), during his time at medical school. Belly, like in the first two seasons, navigates heartbreak, love and family drama as she makes decisions that drastically affect her life.
This season tackled the indecision that accompanies betrayal. Belly struggles to forgive Jeremiah for sleeping with somebody else over spring break. The controversial decision to not only forgive Jeremiah but also agree to marry him created uproar across social media about whether Belly was making the right decision. Han believes it’s “debatable” if he “technically” cheated or not, as Jeremiah thought that they were on an unexclusive break, but Belly felt betrayed nonetheless.
Regardless of whether or not Belly made the right decision, Jeremiah’s willingness to allow a minor disagreement to throw him into the arms of someone else exposes a major flaw in his character and his inability to love Belly the way she deserved. It encourages viewers to think about the cost of forgiving a loved one — at what point is there no more trust left to give?
Conrad himself asks Belly how she could forgive his brother, insisting that she isn’t “the kind of person that would take that from a guy.” The show emphasizes the confusion in staying true to yourself, especially while in a relationship, despite the overpowering emotions of loving somebody. This internal conflict is also touched upon through Belly’s solo trip to Paris, France, where she spends months discovering her own identity separate from the beach house she grew up in, the Fisher brothers and familial influence.
The increased focus on Conrad’s storyline this season also helps viewers understand how his character has evolved with insight into his life in California, his new friends and his ambitions toward his future career as a doctor. He decides to go to therapy and seek out support for his mental health struggles, including recurring panic attacks depicted in previous seasons.
It was a thoughtful development to feature his emotional journey more in-depth, allowing viewers to empathize with Conrad’s attempt to take care of himself and see that it isn’t shameful to express one’s emotions. Viewers can take from the show the importance of prioritizing mental health above all else.
This season faced significant pressure as audience members, who had sided with all teams, anxiously awaited the finale, whether they proclaimed themselves to be “Team Belly,” “Team Jeremiah,” or “Team Conrad.” Jeremiah, although he was someone who clearly loved and treated her well in most cases, didn’t share as deep a connection with Belly as Conrad did. The pull that the two felt toward each other was undeniable and as strong as ever in the last season, demonstrating that one can’t hide how they really feel from themselves forever. The truth is bound to find its way to the surface, just like it did for Belly.
Season three excelled in revealing thought-provoking relationship values and depicting how the complexities of life can often get in the way of love. It also reflected on the difficulties that come with proximity to the people you love.
One critique that arose from the season finale is that viewers are left wanting more from Conrad and Belly’s love story. They resolved years’ worth of problems in the span of half an episode, and there was no further exploration into their relationship after the audience had waited so many seasons for it to work out between them.
Besides the pacing, the season definitely lived up to expectations, and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” will remain a comfort show for viewers.