TV Romance
7 Things ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Series Finale Got Wrong & Right
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s series finale.]
There we have it. The Summer I Turned Pretty era is officially over. We spent three years wondering which brother Belly (Lola Tung) would pick to spend happily ever after with: Conrad ( Christopher Briney) or Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Heck, at one point, we were thinking she might ditch them both and choose herself. The series finale, which dropped on Prime Video on September 17, elicited many strong reactions from Swooon’s staffers.
Now, we know that the Prime Video series didn’t deviate too far from author Jenny Han‘s source material. Bonrad was endgame! (Whew.) Happy as we are with Belly’s romantic outcome — Swooon is unashamedly Team Conrad — we have to admit that Season 3 wasn’t our favorite. The finale, in particular, left a lot to be desired. We went into it thinking, “How in the world can the show wrap up all of its loose ends and deliver a satisfying conclusion in one episode?”
We’re sorry to say, reader, that the finale wasn’t absolutely perfect. To be fair, there were a fair number of things we did like about it, too. Read on for everything we think the series finale got wrong and right about its storylines.
Wrong: Jeremiah ending up with Denise
This pairing makes absolutely no sense to us. After his dad (Tom Everett Scott) cut him off, Jeremiah was forced to mature and get it together… But did he really, though? It just felt too rushed to be believable, since most of his “growth” happened over the off-screen months.
When the show introduced Jere and Denise’s (Isabella Briggs) romance in Episode 10, it felt like it came out of nowhere, and we still aren’t buying it in the finale. Sorry, Jeremiah defenders, but Denise is just on an entirely different level.
Honestly, we’re still stuck on Jeremiah and Redbird (Tanner Zagarino). It would’ve made entirely more sense for Jeremiah to end up with his frat brother rather than Denise. Jeremiah’s bisexuality was completely forgotten about. We would’ve even preferred Jeremiah being alone. Sigh…
Right: Belly and Conrad’s chemistry in Paris
We’re thanking our lucky stars that Belly wasn’t still with Benito when Conrad arrived in Paris. Watching them learn how to have fun with each other again was straight serotonin. The rooftop scene? Inject it into our veins. The birthday dinner scene (and what came after)? Off-the-charts hot. Sure, the whole episode felt a little bit like fan service and a little too perfect for our tastes. But hey, we can’t complain too much.
Wrong: Jeremiah and Belly got no onscreen closure
The fact that we never saw how things shook out with Jeremiah and Belly feels wrong. Sure, we’re promoters of the Bonrad agenda, but in Season 3, Jelly lasted for eight whole episodes. You’re telling us we don’t even get to see them have a face-to-face conversation after calling off the wedding? We have too many unanswered questions. If they’re both so mature now, have they made up?
Right: Belly chasing Conrad through Paris and declaring her love
Was it a rom-com cliché? Totally. But we’d be lying if Belly running after Conrad and hopping on a train didn’t make us smile. Conrad’s been doing the declarations and gestures for the entirety of The Summer I Turned Pretty, so it’s about time Belly finally realized she’s been pushing Conrad away for no reason. We wish that they didn’t have one more conflict before we got to the love declaration, though. But of course, Conrad can’t be happy onscreen for longer than five minutes.
Wrong: Every character felt like an afterthought (besides Belly and Conrad)
Let’s be real: The finale was The Belly and Conrad Show. We aren’t mad about it, but we’ve been watching Taylor (Rain Spencer), Steven (Sean Kaufman), Jeremiah, and the parents for the past three seasons. And we’re supposed to be fine with barely seeing them in the end? What was that random drama between Taylor and Steven about moving to California? It was completely unnecessary, and the resolution felt rushed. We needed more sweet Staylor moments!
Not to mention, John (Colin Ferguson) and Laurel (Jackie Chung) breaking things off after forcing them back together this season? Make it make sense.
Right: Belly not immediately going back to Cousins
It’s nice that Belly didn’t immediately uproot her life in Paris for Conrad. We like Paris Belly. She’s more likable than Cousins Belly, and she’s not going to give up everything immediately for a guy.
Still, we knew she had to go back home eventually for the show to be full circle and all. But again, we’re back at the no-closure issue. There should’ve been a little more screentime of Belly back in the States, having conversations with Jeremiah and her family. Even if we didn’t get a Fisher-Conklin reunion in full, we could’ve at least used a brief flashforward of them all back together again. It would’ve made us believe in all of the characters’ growth.
Wrong: No wedding flash forward
This issue ties in with our previous point. What is with there being no Bonrad wedding flash forward? We totally understand making changes from the book, but this one didn’t make any sense. It brings all of the characters together and wraps things up in a nice bow. We don’t mind a semi-open ending now and again, but in this case, it just feels unfinished. A Bonrad wedding seemed like a necessary step in their journey.
What did you think of The Summer I Turned Pretty’s ending? Do you agree with our rights and wrongs or have any of your own? Let us know in the comments!
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Seasons 1-3, Streaming Now, Prime Video
