TV Romance
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’: What Belly’s Heartbeats Symbolize in Season 3
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Episode 6, “Last Name.”]
The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s final season may be approaching its ending, but it feels like things are only just beginning for Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), who has seemingly woken up to her still-existent feelings for Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney), despite being engaged to his brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
While Belly and Conrad have had another close call with some peaches at the farm stand, her tending to Conrad’s injured leg conjured even stronger feelings in Belly, as she essentially leaned in to almost kiss him, before he hobbled his way back to his room for a nap. “What just happened? What did I almost do? This time wasn’t like with the peaches; this time, it was all me,” said Belly’s inner narration.
After she’d wrapped Conrad’s leg in a bandage, viewers were greeted by the sound of her heartbeat, but it isn’t the first time they heard it this season. The last time the show had clued us into Belly’s heartbeats, it was seconds after she learned about Jeremiah’s spring break fling with Lacie Barone (Lily Donoghue).
Prime Video
Additionally, in a show that has been known for playing Taylor Swift tracks during its run, the only two Swift songs to feature in Season 3 so far were preceded by Belly’s heartbeats. The first was her heartbreak over Jeremiah’s infidelity, and the other was her reignited feelings for Conrad.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition because one set of heartbeats feels like the marker of the end of something, while the other set appears to indicate a resuscitation. Did the Jeremiah revelation kill the romance Belly had for him, only for Conrad to revive that romance in her later on? That’s for viewers to interpret for themselves, but when it comes to Jenny Han‘s series, we’ve learned that nothing is included unintentionally.
Additionally, using “You’re Losing Me” with one set of heartbeats only to use “False God” with the other also sends two different messages to viewers. Will we hear Belly’s heartbeats again before the season is through? It feels like a real possibility. But what do you think of the parallels here? Sound off in the comments section and stay tuned for more on The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 as it plays out on Prime Video.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3, Wednesdays, Prime Video
