The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 returned to Amazon’s Prime Video airing three episodes at once ahead of its adjustment to a weekly release.
But the return to Cousins Beach was a little rocky and far less magical than all those times Belly visited when she was a child.
Things were much different this season than the first when we were just getting to know this found family and experiencing a summery escape from reality in the idyllic beach town through their eyes.
Season 2 brings forth a much more somber mood as most of the storyline is propelled by Susannah’s untimely death. While we all hoped that the clinical trial that she enrolled in would be successful, her cancer took an unfortunate turn and stole her from those who loved her most. And they’ve been left trying to pick up the pieces and make sense of life ever since, all while managing their grief and happiness—which Taylor, at one point, assures Steven can co-exist, according to her therapist.
Anyone who has ever experienced even an ounce of sadness after losing someone knows those happy moments tend to be all too fleeting, and the grief all too consuming, which rings especially true for Conrad.
Conrad continues to be Conrad—the guy that pushes people away and hurts them when he’s hurt or feeling vulnerable. It’s his toxic trait and one that once again ruins a good thing with Belly.
The timelines this season go back and forth, with the present-day serving as a stark reminder of the better days when Belly and Conrad were all consumed by their love for each other. Of course, they didn’t want to hurt Jeremiah, so they broke up at the end of summer only to find their way back to each other, eventually becoming inseparable. They were both madly and deeply in love, so it bodes the question—what happened that they are no longer in each other’s lives in the present?
There are multiple references to something terrible taking place at Susannah’s funeral, and we finally get to see the moment unfold in the third episode of the season. By that point, Belly and Conrad have broken up as he’s spiraled into a bit of a depression after dealing with the reality that his mom isn’t getting better. No one can blame him—again, the grief trumps the happiness—and though Belly tries to support him as best as she can and give him space, it’s not enough. Conrad is his own worst enemy, that much we’ve come to know in Season 1, and it continues to hold true in the first three episodes.
He ruins prom for Belly, leaving her mid-dance to go home to “study.” When she confronts him, he explains that he’s just going to keep disappointing her, and the fact that he chose this moment to deliver the blow is the true disappointment. Belly honestly deserves so much better than this kind of treatment over and over again, even if Conrad is dealing with much. She’s given him space and a shoulder to cry on/lean on, but in his fear and anger, he hasn’t given her much of a choice.
In your teens, when you fall, you fall hard, and you keep giving your first love the benefit of the doubt, but eventually, you have to stop accepting that kind of treatment for your own sanity, a lesson Belly learns the hard way.
At the funeral, Belly attempts to comfort him by being there for him and bringing him a snack, but she finds him curled up on another girl’s lap, which leads to a very public outburst that, quite frankly, is warranted. Is it also extremely dramatic? Yes, but Belly’s emotions have been toyed around by this man that she’d do anything for, so I can’t fault her when she finally has the decency to call him out on his bullshit. Of course, no one blames Conrad for anything that transpired at the funeral, but they all look at Belly like some kind of disrespectful troublemaker.
Yes, Conrad’s mom died, but the truth is that Belly’s been harboring a lot of the pain as well. She’s been trying to be strong, but Susannah was like her second mom, so she feels the weight of her death just as much as anyone. And the effects are felt in her suffering schoolwork, which threatens the possibility of her getting into college. Not only do her grades start taking a nosedive but she’s also ousted from the volleyball team.
Here’s where the blame game comes in as everyone tries to make sense of their new reality that’s so far from the fuzzy escape in Cousins. Belly blames her mother for not being present for her when she needed her most, and, in turn, Jeremiah blames Belly for that exact same thing. And the truth is, Susannah was the glue, and without her, everything kind of just fell apart.
A summer in Cousins wasn’t even on the agenda for any of them, but when Belly reaches out to Jeremiah, he informs her that Conrad went missing, and a short while later, they find him at the beach house where he delivers the final blow—Susannah’s half-sister owns the house and she’s going to sell it.
This very event is the catalyst that brings them all back together and gives them a shared purpose while seemingly reigniting the magic that they felt for all those years growing up. It might not be the same as it once was, and it never will be, but it’s up to them now to create that magic and make sure that their bond flourishes no matter the obstacles.
Operation Save the Beach House isn’t exactly promising as they don’t have a real plan in motion. Conrad tries to take it all on himself, the same way he did last season with the knowledge of his mother’s cancer last summer, and he clearly hasn’t learned that the only way through is together. His plan to tap into his trust is foiled when the bank tells him he needs his dad’s signature, and his dad, rightfully so, tells him that he won’t let him spend all his money on a beach house. While I don’t support his dad’s passive approach to the situation, he is right about ensuring that the money stays put.
Jeremiah’s friendly chat with his Aunt Julia doesn’t do the trick either—though Jeremiah was convinced this was yet another situation where his good looks and charm could come in handy. And while Julia seems like a tough one to crack, she simply hasn’t seen the potential in Cousins in the same way that her half-sister did for all those years. It seems as though she has some bad memories of her time here, which are clouding her judgment, and the way to change her mind is to show her what they all see in this place. Maybe she’ll come around. And if not, I think her child will play an integral role in making that happen.
If she was really being smart about it and wanted to turn a profit, she’d rent it out during the summer season–though it seems like she’s in dire need of cash and wouldn’t have time for the upkeep.
Maybe Laurel’s mom will make enough money from her book about the profound loss of losing her best friend, which will help them save a place they hold so dear to their heart.
Other Major Moments
- Belly and Jeremiah end their feud, finally, and all is right in the world. There’s nothing romantic about their relationship, but they are really great friends who need each other.
- Conrad and Belly visit the Beach House in the winter and seemingly go all the way, and while she trusts him wholeheartedly at the moment, their fracture relationship in the near future might make her regret it
- Steven graduates and prepares for Princeton, though it’s very clear that he has puppy-dog eyes for Taylor, who is now dating some musician rocker named Milo. These two are definitely going to explore a romance this season, and I cannot wait.
- Steven also witnesses Conrad’s panic attack, and I’m hoping it will finally break through a wall and allow him to feel honest and vulnerable with his friends instead of always putting up a front like nothing is wrong.
What did you think about the first three episodes of TSITP Season 3? Are you still rooting for Belly and Conrad to be together after everything he’s put her through? Does he just need a little TLC? Or should Belly move on?