The Summer I Turned Pretty recap: The magic of second chances
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The penultimate episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty wraps up most of the major storylines (sold house! mom angst! brother conflict!) before launching Belly (Lola Tung) toward a whole new Fisher brother collision. Let's recap!
Belly's drunk voicemail summoned Laurel (Jackie Chung) to Cousins Beach, where she's furious to discover Susannah's (Rachel Blanchard) furniture gone and party debris all over the empty house. She's confused to learn it was Julia (Kyra Sedgwick) who removed all the furniture and that the boys learned about the house's fate from the For Sale sign on the lawn.
This leads to a long-overdue confrontation where Laurel admits that she's still furious that Belly made Susannah's funeral all about herself, and Belly shouts that Susannah would never forgive Laurel for abandoning her boys. In response, Laurel slaps her daughter. Suh-LAPS her!
Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) finds Belly on the beach afterward, but their conversation jumps immediately to their complicated romantic history. He says his problems with Conrad (Christopher Briney) are bigger than just Belly, and although she swears there's nothing left between her and Conrad, Jeremiah doesn't look convinced.
In the trashed house, Steven (Sean Kaufman) tells his mom that Belly's the one who stepped up for the Fisher brothers, which prompts Laurel to find Belly and apologize. For hitting her, for holding on to her anger, for running away from her emotions. They cry and hug and forgive each other, and it's honestly such a relief that they're finally clearing the air.
Laurel then apologizes to the rest of the group for her absence and promises to talk to Julia, who arrives unexpectedly to find the once-immaculate house now in breach of the sales agreement she signed. (Presumably, that agreement stipulated "no spray-painted walls.")
And here's where Laurel works some magic, getting Julia to disclose that Susannah sent a letter rather than calling her to talk about the trust and the house. That's how she found out that the cancer was back, and all of Julia's hostility has been masking deep regret that she wasn't able to reconcile with Susannah before she died.
Laurel owns her own part in occupying the place of a sister in Susannah's house and life and heart — a title she even claimed in her memoir. The conversation's as healing as the earlier one with Belly, and the women come back inside to announce that Julia's pulling out of the sale.
After much celebrating, during which Jeremiah swings Belly around in an exuberant hug, everyone gets to work cleaning, although this is the tidiest party aftermath I've ever seen, made up of mostly streamers and non-sticky cups. Where are the store-brand Doritos ground into the carpet? The half-full beer bottles tipped over on the bathroom counter? Where's the vomit?
Conrad grabs Belly to say he never should've ended their relationship the way he did, and she assures him that she doesn't regret any of the time they spent together, including cocoa night. Her face is peaceful as they hug, but Connie's is significantly broodier.
We also get a nice moment with Julia and Skye (Elsie Fisher), where we see what a strong relationship the two have when they're not at loggerheads over real estate. Especially delightful is Julia's excitement over Skye's first kiss, along with the fact that they're having this conversation on inflatable furniture.
The next obstacle for the group is Adam Fisher (Thomas Everett Scott). He's frustrated to learn that Julia unsold the house and snaps that it's not Laurel's house and therefore not her business.
Adam eventually admits that even though he and Susannah had a strained relationship, it's painful for him to be in her house: "She's everywhere here."
Laurel wins the day by pointing out that even though she tried to talk Susannah out of marrying Adam (ha!), her best friend chose him and loved him, just like she loved this house and all of their children.
This gets Adam to agree to sell the Boston house so he can buy this place without using the boys' trust. The boys are elated, and there's much hugging. Okay, but where's Adam going to live now?
No time to dwell on those details; we've got more apologizing to do! Conrad tells his brother that he didn't realize how much Jere was struggling underneath his easygoing smiles, and they agree to be honest about any conflicts moving forward. Conrad swears that he and Belly are friends now, although he can barely get his mouth to shape the word.
The first challenge they confront is Conrad's acceptance to Stanford. Jeremiah won't hear of his brother not going, so everyone jumps in to help Connie study for the next day's bio final, which he has to pass to transfer.
Julia and Laurel chat easily about everyone getting together in the future as they head out, leaving the core four behind for a study blitz. Belly swears to herself that it's the last thing she does for Conrad before letting him go.
Erika Doss/Prime Video Lola Tung as Belly
After a Fisher brother power nap, which Belly ends by grabbing a water bottle to spritz Conrad and douse Jeremiah, she introduces her reward system of McDonald's burgers and fries for successful studying. A sleepy-eyed Conrad wants to know what else he gets, but Belly briskly tells him it's fast food or nothing.
The quizzing, drilling, and flash-carding eventually turn into a dance party to the Strokes' "Last Nite," a Susannah favorite, and Belly voice-overs that it's a different kind of beach house magic, but Susannah would approve.
As the night wears on, Steven and Jere conk out, leaving Belly and Conrad on loungers by the pool. He's worried he screwed up his life too badly, but Belly wistfully talks about not blowing the second chances you're lucky enough to get. Then she starts to confess something about her feelings, but Conrad's asleep before she can.
The next morning, Laurel recalls a bittersweet memory of Susannah urging her to finish her book while she's still around to read it, then in the present takes the obligatory group pic of the four kids.
Everybody's happy and laughing, and Steven even gives Conrad his blessing to pursue Belly again. After all, people can change; look at him and Taylor, who left Cousins Beach the day before with a warning for Belly to guard her heart as carefully as she guards the Fisher brothers'.
Laurel gives Belly three iced coffees and sends her to Brown with the boys so she can finish what she started. Before they all depart, they make plans for the Fourth of July at the house, and the three boys carry Belly to the pool for the traditional Belly flop.
In the car, Belly assures Jeremiah that she's not cold, but she slips on Conrad's Brown sweatshirt when he wordlessly hands it to her from the backseat. Jeremiah clocks this, of course. He notices every interaction Belly has with his brother.
After they drop Conrad off to take his final, Jeremiah offers to show Belly around Finch, having remembered that her counselor said it would be a good college choice for her.
She's still wearing Conrad's Brown sweatshirt as she and Jere goof off on campus. Their day ends with Belly buying her own Finch sweatshirt — it's a metaphor! — and telling Jeremiah that she'd like to play volleyball here. Jere wants that too, and there's plenty of strong eye contact as they talk about what going to the same college would be like: going to her games, sharing meals, studying late into the night...
Jeremiah breaks the mood and drives them back to Brown to wait for Conrad. Unable to hold it in anymore, Belly asks if he'll ever give her a second chance.
"Belly," Jere says cautiously, trying like hell to guard his own heart, "if I fall for you again, I-I don't think that I can take it if you change your mind like last time."
But she swears she won't. They're different now. Her Conrad dreams were just that: dreams. But Jeremiah is real, and he's who she wants.
He tries to resist when she turns his face toward hers, hesitantly asking, "Do you still…?"
He scarcely pauses before breathing, "Yes. Yes, I still." Then he kisses her like her lips are oxygen and he's been suffocating for years.
But they're quickly interrupted by a pointed throat-clearing. It's Conrad, getting a taste of his own "my brother is kissing the girl I want" medicine. And he doesn't look too happy about it.
Kissin' cousins corner
Worth noting: even hungover, Belly is still pretty.
If this is the last we see of Skye and Julia for the season, I do hope they came back for the show's third outing. They bring interesting dimensions to the show, both separately and together.
Please raise your hand if you know where the Golgi apparatus is located.
Season finale next week! With pretty much every other plotline wrapped up, it seems like a safe assumption that the focus will be on the fallout of Belly and Jeremiah's second chance at love. Connie fans, buckle up. Jere fans, enjoy the ride.
Okay but seriously, is Adam going to live at the beach full time?
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