The TV show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” became a popular show in recent years. It’s a love triangle with chaos, drama and heartbreak. It has a large fanbase and has become worldwide. Even becoming one of the most watched shows on Amazon Prime.
The end of season two left the fanbase on a cliffhanger, Jeremiah and belly had gotten together, on the other hand Conrad revealed his feelings to the audience. People didn’t know if season three was going to seal the deal with Jermiah or lead to Belly ending up with Conrad. When season three trailers came out, fans were ecstatic. Tiktok was filled with videos of lores and theories for season three. Many were excited to see Taylor and Steven in the trailer, and were concerned when they saw Steven in a possible fatal accident, and Taylor sobbing after that scene. Fans were also shocked to see Belly and Jermiah announcing their marriage in the trailer. Belly went on about how Conrad was now her past and Jermiah was her future in the trailer. Then also flashing back to the memories she has with Conrad and the scene of them being together in season three. The last sentence, “Life is too short not to spend it with the person you love” sparked anticipation and fear on who Belly ends up with in season three.
It was one of the most anticipated seasons; however, it turned out to be unexpected. There was always a rivalry between who Belly should date, Jeremiah or Conrad. In season three, Jeremiah’s character was being portrayed in a more negative light. He was made to be immature, insensitive and almost toxic. With Conrad we saw scenes with Belly where there was romance but it was shut down by Belly as her and Jermiah were “getting married”. Belly and Jermiah were still adamant on getting married, even after the disapproval of others. For Belly especially she ignored the toxicity and unhappiness of the relationship. It wasn’t until the wedding where she realized that it’s not a good decision and she backed out at the last minute. Soon after she left for Paris, where she started to focus on herself again, the focus turned from Conrad or Jermiah to self-discovery. In the end, though, Conrad came to Paris too, and that’s where they reconnected, ending the episode with their reconciliation and a peek into their first Christmas together as a couple.
Many were expecting to see a wedding or the other characters present in the ending as well. Many who supported Belly and Conrad were ecstatic to have an ending focused on them; others were disappointed over Jermiah being turned into a negative character.
Team Bonrad had a lot of positives about the season. Seeing the special moments between them and the ending where they confess. A fan favorite being the end where they show the two celebrating Christmas. Although they felt like it was rushed and missed plots that they’d hope to see. Bonrad fans were expecting to see an ending with a wedding to pull everything together. Especially because a wedding was in the books. It made the ending feel smaller-scaled than initially assumed.
“I like that the ending was about Belly and Conrad. I think the scenes and the book at the end had adorable moments. However, I hoped to see a wedding, but that didn’t happen, so it was disappointing.” Suhaina Aashiq, a Sophomore at OHS, said.
Many team Jelly fans were completely disappointed with the season overall and especially the ending. For one Belly ended up with Conrad which made the ending unfortunate. Also a big part of why Jelly fans weren’t thrilled by the season was because Jeremiah’s character was changed so much.
“I rooted for team Jermiah in the beginning, and towards the end, they completely ruined the character. Joylena Fair-Hariss, Sophomore at Coffman Highschool said.
Many also felt that the other characters weren’t shown enough. The narrative of Taylor and Steven becomes sideline and overshadowed by the love triangle between Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad. This season they try to include them in season with the accident and break-up sequence. That didn’t workout because it felt unnecessary and rushed when the focus was on the love triangle. People also felt that the show lost its essence of all the characters being together. The fight between the brothers created a barrier between them. Belly and her relationship with others after the whole wedding fiasco. What is the reaction to her running off to Paris?
“ I hated how the ending didn’t include many of the other characters, leaving questions like what’s gonna happen to the relationships between Conrad and Jeremiah? And what is going to happen when all characters unite?” Joylena Sophomore at Coffman High School said.
The ending left a feeling of uncertainty for every watcher. Even if they supported Conrad and Belly or Belly with Jeremiah. The ending felt rushed; it left room for interpretation. Fans of the show wanted to see a wedding and a reunion, which was not in the season finale.
