When the only place that feels like home and keeps you close to the person that you loved the most, who is now gone from this earth, is taken from you – it’s understandable that you feel a lot of stress. It’s understandable that everything feels like it’s falling apart and you don’t know how to react.
It’s understandable that you’re not sure how to feel. But in The Summer I Turned Pretty, leave it to Belly to figure out what to do. Leave it to Belly to figure out that the best thing to do is throw a party. Do what Susannah would have done – celebrate.
Celebrate the goodness. Celebrate the memories. Celebrate the great times. Keep the magic alive.
THE JULIA OF IT ALL
One has to laugh that Julia thinks that taking Conrad and Jeremiah’s keys is going to stop anything from happening. If anything it’s just going to set them off more. Conrad and Jeremiah are loosing their Mom over and over again – this time by Julia’s hands.
Be not surprised that Julia has something big against the house in Cousin’s. But it’s more that she didn’t have the best memories there. Do we know the entire story? No. We get a glimpse in a flashback of the Christmas that Skye had told the boys about.
Julia never felt like she belonged with her Dad and his new wife. She believes that Susannah’s Mom never wanted her around. She believes that she heard something bad said and believes in her whole heart that it’s about her.
The thing is, the whole part of even beginning to understand Julia, we still saw that she wasn’t willing to listen to reason. It was because of her reaction to Skye trying to reason with her and tell her that selling the house wasn’t going to give her closure and the way she reacted to Skye, that we still couldn’t find a way to like Julia.
One of the strongest things about The Summer I Turned Pretty is its ability to tell stories in the past and the present. It allows you to feel multitudes with characters, but with Julia, it doesn’t seem to matter. You just can’t find a way to like her. Instead you find a way to despise her at every turn.
While we do understand that she’s upset, we can’t understand why she’s taking it out on Conrad and Jeremiah. She effectively is and is telling Skye that she’s going to be disappointed, that they won’t care. She’s saying all of this, knowing that she hasn’t tried to even get to know her nephews. She’s only seemed to want to make things worse for them.
Whatever Julia’s resentment of Susannah is, we’ll say that she’s somewhat valid – because feelings are feelings and it’s definitely not fair to act like someones feelings aren’t valid. But it’s also not fair to punish people for being related to someone. Everyone is an individual.
BELLY, BEER AND THE FISHER BOYS
Belly Conrad has a lot going on in her life, but her issues with the Fisher boys… well that’s a lot. In this episode, we get to see both sides and really see the different ways that they love her and the way that everything between the three of them is about to change.
Jeremiah and Conrad both don’t want to lose the house, but it all seems pretty much wrapped up. Jeremiah though, he’s taking it hard. He’s taking it hard because this house is his safe space. When he conveys it to Belly, there is a pool moment. They both are playing around in the pool (fully clothed) and just enjoying their last moments. You can sense the sexual tension between these two – we won’t deny that is there.
But what we will say is that it’s completely different that the sexual tension between Conrad and Belly. But we’ll get there.
It’s when Conrad wants Belly to go on a run for supplies with him, that you see Jeremiah’s insecurity. He doesn’t want them to go without him. As much as at first it bothered us – feeling like it was out of insecurity, we grew to be thankful that he went. The threesome’s whole attempt to get alcohol and it being Belly that was able to get it, that you saw the dynamic between the three of them. You saw that they could be friends. You saw that they could honor Susannah.
You saw that they could honor the dynamics of it all.
The truth is that even though in the books, we could understand the dynamics, in the show, seeing the three of them having their moments and the way that the interactions with Belly, and the other one seeing it, well… it kind of makes me feel for both of them. It makes me see that this whole situation is hurting all three. It doesn’t matter who you ship – all three of them will hurt.
THE KISSING ADVICE
Conrad and Jeremiah and are ready and willing to use their Dads credit card for everything. The entire group is working together to get everything all set up and this party is going to happen.
What we loved most about the setup was when Sky is asking for kissing advice from Belly and Taylor. We get to see Belly contemplating her relationship with Cameron, Jeremiah, and Conrad. Sometimes we think that Belly should look back on her relationship with Conrad with disdain, but we think that she doesn’t and won’t. We think that for her, yes, it was painful. But also she doesn’t really understand what happened. She obviously looks at her relationship with Jeremiah differently than her one with Conrad.
There is a comfort with Belly and Jeremiah. Maybe it’s that they have been best friends forever and that brings an undeniable trust. Yet, if we’re being honest, we’re not sure that is enough. On the other hand, with Conrad, there’s also complication and maybe that’s what it is and what we relate to. Sometimes complication is easier than simplicity.
Seeing Belly and the way she looks when she talks about them all, for the first time we feel conflicted over who we want her with.
THE PARTY
When Conrad and Jeremiah are getting things ready, they are going through the garage, the find Susannah’s old skates. Belly decides to wear them and the best part of the party – well she slips and Jeremiah catches her, “You don’t need to hurt yourself to get my attention.”
Yes, we may be Team Conrad, but at that moment, if we’re being honest, we may have screamed and switched teams. Jeremiah, you’ve got swagger. A lot of swagger.
But if things already weren’t complicated, it’s made worse because across the party, Steven is telling Conrad that he believes in him basically, shoot his shot, just don’t hurt Belly again.
Why all these boys are choosing what is good for Belly, I am not sure. It’s Belly’s choice. What she wants. But that’s not the only drama happening.
Skye’s had her first kiss with Cam and things between Taylor and Steven are getting hot and heavy. He’s fallen hard for her and Steven, well he’s finally giving into his feelings. After what is the cutest dance off to Party in the USA, they are having a moment when Steven finally admits his feelings for Taylor.
“But now you’re my favorite person.”
This episode is filled with lines that make us mush. Steven and Taylor are about to kiss when Milo shows up. These two fight and it’s kind of embarrassing. Taylor ends things with Milo and we’re definitely good with this. We’re good with Taylor and Steven together. Hell, we applaud this.
THE TEXT AND THE BEACH
When Skye gets a text that Julia talked to the new owners and they have agreed to let Conrad and Jeremiah rent the house for a week each summer. Appreciate Julia’s sentiment, but honestly, she’s still evil. Jeremiah and Belly are happy that they will be able to return, but Conrad is like I am not renting my own house.
It was only a matter of time before Conrad and Jeremiah got into an argument. There would be a time where they came to blows and we all knew it. We knew that the brothers have a lot of pent up anger. But in this conversation both of them are in the wrong and also in the right.
Jeremiah has a lot of pent up anger about all the stuff that has happened with Belly, but it’s also all of the stuff that has happened with his Mom. He feels like Conrad deserted them, but it’s not fair to say that. Conrad was at college and doing his best.
Granted, I am not defending either one, because both were in the wrong. Both made their choices. But they need to honor their Mom and they need to understand that the life they lived, their Mom knew that they were loved and she knew they loved her. Jeremiah was flat out cold.
But the issue for me was that they brought Belly into their bullshit. Both of them should know better. While Belly is no saint, I would have reacted the same way that she did. Angry that Jeremiah used her to get at Conrad. It’s not right.
If we’re being honest, Belly needed to know that Conrad had fought for her. But she also needed to know what was happening with him and until he stops her drunk ass from walking in the ocean, she doesn’t know. She doesn’t know about his panic attacks. She doesn’t know he thought she knew. She doesn’t know how much he loves her.
“I thought that we loved each other,” she says to an obviously distraught Conrad.
“We did,” he replies, pain radiating.
“I guess not enough,” she answers. Belly was destroyed. So destroyed that she goes upstairs to sleep and calls her Mom.
“Mommy. I need you.” she cries into the phone.
We all need our Moms sometimes and we have a feeling that Laurel is going to do everything that she can to fix it.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Cam Cameron is adorable.
- Steven and Taylors kiss – about time.
