The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 8: Last Kiss

I am destroyed. The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3, Episode 8 destroyed me. It took my heart, pulled it out, stomped on it, and broke it apart. I’ve been staring at this computer, trying to figure out the words, but I am not sure I can.

From the first scene to the last scene, I found it hard to breathe. I stared at the characters as they flashed across the screen, and I wondered, if just for a second, if anything would be as perfect as this episode. I wondered if people would study The Summer I Turned Pretty when they went to adapt books to television shows.

I remembered the strength of every actor who has brought these characters to life. I recalled all of the moments that I first read these books and the voice that played out the words in my head, and I had that feeling that I had when I read the books the first time. I had hope. I believed.

The biggest thing is that I had a belief in love.

FISHING

The thing about Belly – some may say that she’s got to come to her senses. I have said that before, and I realized as I watched the opening of this episode that it isn’t a fair statement to make. She’s looking for something to believe in, and somehow, Conrad is giving her that.

And that is scary.

Jeremiah is safe. He is safe because he’s capable of being who she needs, but that’s not always the right thing. As we’ve seen over the season, Jeremiah is everywhere. He’s sometimes what Belly needs, but sometimes (a majority of the time), he’s the carbon copy of his Dad. And a mini Adam is not what Belly needs.

Conrad tries to make up for the night before – but Belly won’t let him off the hook. He’s laid everything out for her, and she rejected him with her words but not with her body and soul. You can see that the two are drawn together like magnets. Only she’s trying to push that out of her system.

And that’s not easy. Especially when those moments, those feelings aren’t going to be there.

Taylor tries to put Conrad in his place when she catches him on her way back in from a run, but he’s not hearing it. He wants her life to blow up so she can be with him. But, I do believe above all that what he wants is for her to be happy.

REHERSAL

I am kinda glad that we didn’t see much of the rehearsal ceremony. The dinner, though – that was different. I sat watching it and thinking about what all these people have gone through, and I lost it. I wished Susannah were there. She would make everything right. She would make it less painful, right?

There were so many people at that table who were experiencing a lot of pain. Pain of Susannah being gone, pain of secrets, pain of love and lies.

And the red flag that came across – when Jeremiah didn’t tell her about the job with his Dad. Instead, she has to cave and tell him that it’s okay. But isn’t that part of the problem? She’s telling him what he wants to hear time after time instead of telling him her truth.

The only person who seems to know that Conrad needs support is Laurel. She’s there to try and talk to him because he’s hurting.

And that must be a hard line to tow.

CAN’T SLEEP

I wonder – what is the night before a wedding like? I am not one who believes in marriage. But here I am – sitting and wondering – is there anything that will ever be the right decision for Belly?

Either way, she ends up hurt.

She ends up broken.

The summer house has always been her safe space. The pool is the place that she goes to think things out. It’s the place that she can disappear to and just be with her own thoughts.

I don’t think that telling Jeremiah what Conrad said is the right thing, necessaril,y but I do understand why she felt the need to tell him. I do get what made it important to her.

To him.

It’s no secret that Jeremiah isn’t my favorite, but I can understand why what Conrad did hurt him. I can understand why he needed space. But what you did, leaving her to feel like she’s not enough, as if she’s a mistake, and scared, isn’t right.

Enter Steven.

BIG BROTHERS

Jeremiah left. He disappeared. Belly telling Steven that he’s gone and that Conrad told her her loved her – well, these are things that not everyone needs to know. But, in this strange and twisted way, I am happy that she did it. I am happy she said something because we got to see Steven rise to the occasion and be the big brother she needs.

Steven is trying to listen and trying to comfort her. He tells her that he’s going to find Jeremiah, and she believes him. She needs him.

I need Conrad to be a snitch when Steven walks in the room and starts going off on him. I needed Conrad to tell Steven why he did it and what Jeremiah did. But he just took the verbal lashing as if it was what he deserved.

And maybe he did. But Steven also needs to calm down a bit because he doesn’t know everything.

Maybe, just maybe, that’s okay, though. His not knowing. But I think if he knew, he’d understand. But he tells Conrad that he needs to fix it and be the good guy that they would all know him to be.

This episode isn’t about Conrad or Jeremiah – it’s about both. See, none of this has anyone winning. Everyone loses. When Jeremiah is finally found and Conrad and he have it out, you see just how much both of them are losing and have lost.

And hopefully one day, they’ll find their way back to each other. To be brothers. To know that everything happens for a reason.

Even Susannah making the mistake of putting Conrad’s letter in Jeremiah’s envelope.

HE’S BACK

Jeremiah makes his way back, and on the table is a note from Conrad. A note that Belly should have Susannah’s ring.

And maybe she should. Susannah, I believe, would have loved that.

I can understand Belly’s nerves and her anger. I just don’t understand how she can think it is okay to take it out on Taylor. Sometimes a best friend has to tell you the things that you don’t want to hear, and Taylor dares to tell Belly that she shouldn’t be doing this – that’s real. That’s friendship.

That’s trust in a relationship.

But Steven having to tell Belly to stop it, and how loyal Taylor has been to her, Belly should have already known. I know that at times you take it out on the people that you love the most, and that’s okay, and yet so wrong.

Taylor having Steven come talk to her and tell her that Belly was out of line, as well as that he and Denise aren’t together – I am glad that Taylor has some hope and something happened where she could see that she is loved.

I fell into a crying fit when Conrad walked in to tell Belly that he’s not going to stay for the wedding and that he needs to go, but that no matter what happens, it was worth it – I was a mess. Because Conrad was so real and it felt so final, and I can’t with that.

I love Conrad and Belly together. I want them together. But not now. They need to find themselves first. And yes, it may hurt, and it may break them.

But it will make them grow.

IT’S OVER

For once in my life, I will tell you that Jeremiah Fisher got the short end of the stick. I will tell you that his conversation with Belly broke my heart for both of them. He’s not wrong; he does deserve to have all of her.

But he wasn’t ever going to get that.

Belly was always going to love Conrad – there was always going to be a part of her that was only going to be Conrad’s. It didn’t matter that they weren’t together. The same way that Conrad knows that Belly will always own his.

It’s not to say that she doesn’t love Jeremiah. I believe that she does. I think that she always will. But watching this, I have to admit that I was happy that Belly was honest with Jeremiah and herself.

Yes, the wedding being called off is a lot, and it’s painful. Belly and Jeremiah are both going to go through it.

I am, however, proud that Belly took the step for herself and decided that the best next step for herself and go to Paris.

Belly won’t be known as the girl who didn’t go to Paris.