Prime Video has brought back The Summer I Turned Pretty for a final season. Season 2 of the series showed Belly (Lola Tung) as she tried to navigate complicated emotions after the death of Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad’s (Christopher Briney) mother, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard). The bond between Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah was tested when the beloved beach house was at risk of being sold, forcing them to confront their feelings and their past. The boys called their dad, Adam (Tom Everett Scott), to help with getting the house back. Steven (Sean Kaufman) and Taylor (Rain Spencer) continued to go back and forth between dating and separating. During the difficult times, Belly had to choose between the two boys and pick which one she wanted to be with. Ultimately, she chose Jeremiah.
The episode begins with Belly, her parents, and Steven riding to help her move into her dorm at college. It’s her first day at Finch College. Jeremiah meets them outside, and when they see each other, he runs to her and hugs her.
Belly’s family leaves campus, and after she finishes setting up her room, she and Jeremiah lie in her bed, talking about their future before and after he graduates from college.
Next, we see Conrad seeing his counselor. He says that he hasn’t been to Cousins in a while and that he doesn’t know why he doesn’t want to. He speaks about his dad, Steven, Jeremiah, and Laurel (Jackie Chung), only skipping over Belly.
Later, we see Steven working at his new job. He bickers with his coworker, Denise (Isabella Briggs). After his shift, he visits Taylor. Taylor is cheating on her boyfriend with Steven, while Steven is cheating on his girlfriend.
Jeremiah and Belly hang out in his dorm, and he tells her that he won’t be graduating. Earlier in the day, he went to get his cap and gown, but he wasn’t on the list. He switched his major, and he didn’t know that he had to take extra classes. Now, they will be able to spend more time together, as he won’t be graduating until later.
The next day, Conrad is with his friend Agnes (Zoé De Grand Maison). She tells him the news that they both got the job they wanted.
Belly and Jeremiah go to a finals bash party on campus. Jeremiah doesn’t feel the excitement now that he knows he won’t be graduating. Jeremiah and Belly join Taylor and her boyfriend on some field races during the party.
Belly gets accepted to study abroad in Paris for the summer, but she hasn’t decided on if she’ll go or not.
Jeremiah and Belly are in the car, and he gets a call from his dad. Adam is upset that Jeremiah isn’t able to graduate, beginning to complain about how much more money he’ll have to put into Jeremiah’s education. He compares him to Conrad, which makes Belly uncomfortable.
Jeremiah drops Belly off to have dinner with Steven. Belly tells her brother about the phone call, and Steven isn’t surprised that Adam reacted the way he did. Steven tells Belly that Jeremiah has always waited until the last minute to do things, even if they’re important and time-consuming. Belly brings up that Steven’s been hooking up with Taylor. Steven admits that he’s been cheating on his girlfriend with Taylor for two months.
On his way home, Jeremiah gets a call from Conrad. He tells his brother about school and their dad. Conrad feels bad about the situation. Jeremiah asks him if he can write the speech for their mom by himself, since he doesn’t feel up to doing it. Although he doesn’t like it, Conrad agrees to write it alone.
After dinner, Belly goes back to meet Jeremiah at a house party, and she tells him about Paris. He’s excited for her, and she tells him that she wants to stay there with him. Jeremiah tells her she should go for it. He’s eager for her to go, reassuring her that he’ll visit her.
Conrad is at a bar with Agnes. She asks if he’s ever been in love, and he says yes. He tells her about Belly. He tells her that he was a bad boyfriend and that he ruined their relationship. After he leaves the bar, he leaves Jeremiah a voicemail, letting him know he won’t be able to make it to the dedication event in Cousins because of his new job.
At the party, Belly uses the bathroom, and she overhears two girls talking. One of them mentions that she hooked up with Jeremiah while he was in Cabo during spring break. Belly storms out and grabs Jeremiah immediately. She confronts him, and he explains that he did it when they were “broken up,” but they were just on a break.
Belly runs and leaves the party and Jeremiah.
Overall, this was a good first episode of the last season. It’s nice to see all of the familiar faces again. Conrad isn’t over Belly still, and it’s clear that he avoids talking about her or to her at all. It’s good that he’s seeing a therapist, trying to keep in touch with his emotions and being more vulnerable, since he’s struggled with that in seasons 1 and 2. Now that Jeremiah’s secret was revealed, what will happen? Will Belly go to Cousins for the dedication event?
Rating: 8/10