MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for the Season 2 finale of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, called “Love Triangle.”
The tumultuous second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty came to an end with an episode that couldn’t have a more appropriate name than “Love Triangle.” After the penultimate episode ended with Conrad walking up on Belly and Jeremiah sharing a very big kiss, the finale picked up with a tiny blast to the past to show Conrad’s state of mind before making that unwelcome discovery. By the end of the hour, Belly was presented with her options and made a pretty decisive choice between the Fisher brothers. While I’m a huge fan of how it ended, I also see it setting up a problem for Season 3.
Since the episode was about as messy as expected in light of how the previous episode ended, let’s start at the beginning (and some important context) before getting into the problem!
Belly Chose Jeremiah
Belly and Jeremiah locking lips may have been a long time coming for the two of them this season, but Conrad was completely blindsided, and it's hard to fault him for an ugly reaction to discovering them. He gets a little less grace when it comes to his behavior in the car when he dropped some remarks to both Jere and Belly that went beyond pettiness and seemed intended to wound, particularly about Finch vs. Stanford. (More on that later!)
Jere revealed to his brother during their snack stop that he hadn't known about Conrad's lingering feelings for Belly, since he had to ask for confirmation about whether or not he still liked her. That tracks in light of Conrad explicitly telling him in the previous episode that they were just friends again. Learning that the feelings were still there was enough for the old wounds to reopen for Jeremiah.
Belly noted that he was being very quiet after Conrad's reaction to their kiss but that her feelings hadn't changed, and Jeremiah started a much-needed discussion with his brother. Jere insisted that Conrad tell her that he still loves her so that she could make her choice, and said that he'd give her up if she still wanted Conrad. He wanted both of them to be happy.
Conrad didn't exactly profess his love, but he did tell Belly that "of course" he still wants her. She decided to stick with what's "real" for her, which is a decision that seems more than justified after Conrad tried to take his confession back the next morning. Did she take the necklace back while "Exile" played as Belly and Conrad's latest Taylor Swift song? Sure, but pretty much because he insisted, and that was shortly after she reassured Jere that she wanted him and they kissed in the sunshine with Beyoncé's "XO" playing over the soundtrack.
The Season 2 finale ended with Belly happily rejoining her volleyball team, Jeremiah watching and cheering, and Dua Lipa's "Love Again" playing. Team Jeremiah triumphs!
Why Context Matters
Since it can be tempting to just choose between Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah as fans on Belly's behalf, I think it's important to look at the context for the characters' conflicts and claims leading up to her making her choice, and why some seemingly huge issues aren't actually a big deal. Let's break them down:
Conrad knew Belly's favorite candy while Jeremiah didn't. Conrad and Belly spent months dating each other (albeit mostly long distance with him at Brown) while Jeremiah spent months not talking to Belly. It would be weirder if Conrad didn't know, and knowing her preference for Sour Patch Kids vs. Swedish Fish isn't a sign of who loves her the most.
Belly and Jere kissed where/when Conrad was bound to catch them. Belly actually has a valid reason for her spectacularly bad timing: she and the boys were set to go their separate ways until July 4 after they drove her home. The clock was ticking for her to make her move while they still had time alone together and Jeremiah did everything to resist until he finally broke. It wasn't a great look to be caught making out on Conrad's car, but TSITP did set it up.
Conrad was completely shocked by the kiss. This isn't entirely Jere and Belly's fault, for all that he found out in the worst possible way. Conrad spent the season – flashbacks and in the present – not taking Jeremiah or his feelings seriously. If he had, he might have paid more attention to how Jere and Belly were interacting and picked up on what was brewing.
The kiss was supposedly about Conrad. Belly herself debunked this theory to both Conrad and Jeremiah, and she was the one who had insisted on establishing that she and Conrad were friends and even tried to tell/warn him about her feelings for his brother in the previous episode.
Both brothers started liking her romantically during the summer she got pretty. See: Conrad's conversation with Cleveland in Season 1 and Jere's flashback in Season 2, Episode 5.
Belly has been clear on who she wants. Belly flip-flopping between the brothers may be the source of the love triangle conflict, but actions speak louder than internal monologue about a past-tense love, and she's been pursuing Jeremiah since the boardwalk.
Why Belly's Choice Could Be A Problem For Season 3
If it somehow isn't already clear by now, I've been Team Jeremiah ever since I did a spoiler-free binge-watch of Season 1 with my Amazon Prime subscription and only afterward discovered that I might be rooting for the wrong brother. So, I was of course thrilled that Belly chose the guy who strikes me as by far the healthiest option in the Season 2 finale, and I'll take Beyoncé's "XO" and Dua Lipa's "Love Again" changing the soundtrack up over repeatedly relying on Taylor Swift songs to elevate romantic scenes. (And I say that as somebody who adores "Exile" and was all-in on Jeremiah/Belly getting "Delicate.")
I personally have absolutely no problem with her choosing Jeremiah; the only problem I see is if (or when) The Summer I Turned Pretty tries to turn Belly and the Fisher brothers into an believable love triangle again. "Love Triangle" went the extra mile in portraying Jeremiah as the better man for Belly at this point, both with his actions and Conrad's reactions, and TSITP could have a very hard time trying to come back from that and restart the triangle.
I actually have gone on at length with examples about how Season 2 built Jere as the romantic hero for Belly, but "Love Triangle" went above and beyond with contrasting the brothers. While I cut Conrad a break for his outburst at seeing Belly and Jeremiah kissing since I cut Jere a similar break earlier this season, his commentary in the car had a cruel edge to it that included borderline shaming both of them for their past hookups.
Some pettiness would have been fine, given the circumstances. In fact, it would have been weird if Conrad was totally cool with everything. But this went beyond petty, and why would Belly fall back into his arms after that? Especially when Jeremiah was offering to sacrifice his own happiness if that meant Belly being happier with his brother! Plus, when I compare Season 1 ending with Belly picking Conrad and Season 2 ending with her picking Jeremiah, I know which one is more celebratory and optimistic and not rooted in fantasy.
And if The Summer I Turned Pretty wants to go back into the love triangle with both boys as valid options for Belly, I'm afraid that it won't reflect well on Belly after she went all-in on Jeremiah. In the end, it shouldn't matter if Steven ships her with Conrad while Taylor is on Team Jellyfish, or what Laurel says to try and reconnect, or Susannah's deathbed request of a crying 16-year-old girl. It's not even about the books by Jenny Han.
The Season 2 finale of the TV show went hard on setting up Jeremiah as the healthiest choice for Belly, and that could be a problem in Season 3 if we're supposed to buy into the love triangle again. TSITP showed me that Jeremiah is a good match for Belly, which matters more than TSITP telling me that Conrad understands her best. Showing always beats telling with television!
Unfortunately, in light of the current WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA actors strike, it may be a while before we see what's in store for Belly and the Fisher brothers in The Summer I Turned Pretty's third season, but you can always revisit the first two seasons streaming on Prime Video.
