The first three episodes of season 2 of The Summer I Turned Pretty have been beautifully edited, and the complexity of Belly’s emotions have been conveyed to us as if we were actually reading the book. It is no secret that we are not fond of Conrad, despite wanting to like him, and we get to know why in this episode. Let us see what happens through this recap.
Spoilers Alert
Why Was Conrad At The Beach House?
We had always suspected that Conrad was not very intelligent, emotionally or otherwise, and we got proof of that right at the beginning of episode 3. The reason he came to Cousins Beach was because he got a call from one of his friends asking if his house was on sale. He came to the beach house to check on that and found that it was true. The house belonged to Susannah and her half-sister, Julia. Since Susannah’s death, Julia has had complete ownership of the place, which she wants to sell. Conrad and Jeremiah’s father, Adam, did not have the money to buy it out from her, so Conrad wanted to use his trust fund to do that.
His plan was to settle everything, aka, buy the house, and then tell Jeremiah what was going on. We are not denying the impossibilities of the plan, but couldn’t Conrad have at least responded to Jeremiah’s messages with something made up so that he wouldn’t have worried? No matter how much we sympathize with Conrad’s situation, we cannot look past the fact that he is a very one-dimensional adult, as in, he cannot handle more than one emotion at a time, which always ends up consuming him. That is why he is unable to see how he was wrong in taking off the way he did, and why Jeremiah being mad at him doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about the house. Conrad is the kind to want to do things alone, even when he can’t do them properly, as we just saw. Meanwhile, Jeremiah is the kind to seek help to ease his burdens, despite being more than capable of executing the tasks at hand. This exact reason is what makes Jeremiah a better person. The comparison had to happen since it is a love triangle we are talking about, and we will never be Team Conrad.
Why Did Belly And Conrad Break Up?
When Belly’s prom was around the corner, Conrad was completely consumed by Susannah’s failing health, and he couldn’t focus on the present. Belly understood what he was going through, but she couldn’t help but feel that he was slipping away from her. He was stressed about his mother being on new medicines and what was going to happen. On the day of the prom, he forgot to bring Belly’s corsage, and she was somewhat upset about it but told Conrad not to worry. But when they were at the prom, Conrad’s head was somewhere else, and he simply wanted to leave. Conrad was not the only one stressed about Susannah, but he was definitely the only one who was letting life pass him by. Though Belly had taken on the role of an emotional caretaker, she couldn’t do anything if he treated being with her as a chore. It is important to understand that though Belly has liked Conrad for ages, she is only now getting to know him. She may have been there for him as an emotional support, but she couldn’t ignore her feelings of neglect and wonder whether Conrad still loved her or not. When he leaves the prom midway, unable to be among people any longer, Belly follows him and demands to know whether their relationship is over. As usual, all Conrad could do was give a non-committal answer. It would have taken so little to preserve his relationship that day. All he had to do was tell Belly that he loved her but needed time. Conrad was unable to do such a simple thing, and he and Belly broke up.
Weeks later, at Susannah’s funeral, as Belly was trying to take care of everyone, she found Conrad with Aubrey. Belly knew that there was nothing going on between those two, but she was hurt because she had spent months trying to take care of Conrad, yet he had chosen someone else at a time like this. Even if Belly let go of his behavior at prom, considering how worried he was about Susannah, the fact that he was so careless with Belly’s feelings and efforts convinced her that she must not have mattered to him that much. When she says that, Conrad tells her that being with her was a mistake.
Unfortunately, this entire scene takes place in front of everyone at the funeral, and that is why Belly has been blaming herself ever since because she thought she ruined an important time and moment for Susannah. Nobody seemed to blame Conrad for the same thing, and that is really unfair.
What Happens To Conrad At The Beach?
Jeremiah and Belly decide to meet Aunt Julia to get a complete read on the situation and see what they can do about it. However, when they meet her, she is instantly disinterested in what they have to say. Julia knows that the two have come there to try and convince her to go back on her intention to sell the house, but she is adamant about it since the house doesn’t mean much to her, to begin with. Jeremiah and Conrad already don’t look at Julia positively since she didn’t come to Susannah’s funeral, and her decision to sell the house earns her a sharp retort from Jeremiah.
Meanwhile, after Lauren leaves for New York, we suppose Steven’s FOMO kicks in, and he decides to go to Cousins. He ardently convinces Taylor to accompany him, and for whatever reason, she is unable to deny him. The tension between these two is very evident, and they talk about Milo being okay with Taylor taking this trip and how their kiss at Belly’s birthday party doesn’t mean anything. Steven asks Taylor if it was insensitive of him to celebrate, and she assures him that Belly’s outburst had more to do with herself than him. Yet he could do better by being a little less insufferable. He tells her that Conrad and Jeremiah don’t know that they are going to show up, but there is no turning back now. On the other hand, even Belly opens up to Jeremiah about how she lost her place on the volleyball team and how she is trying to pick up the pieces now. The best friends are finally reconnecting, and they look good together.
Back at the beach house, Conrad has calmed down a little, and he tells Belly that she has a right to be involved in the matter of the beach house. They talk to Adam, who refuses to release the funds from Conrad’s trust as it is money for his future and his education. At the end of episode 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jeremiah and Conrad have an honest heart-to-heart about how they need to be there for each other. Jeremiah doesn’t want Conrad to handle it all alone and wants to be able to stand by him and help. Conrad sees sense and agrees with what Jeremiah says. As the episode closes, we see all the kids preparing for a movie night when Conrad has to rush outside as he gets a panic attack. Steven is there with him, and it is the first time we see the effect that the events of the past months have had on him.
Final Thoughts
We would like there to be a narrative that allows us to dislike Conrad less and root for him and Belly getting together. But so far, this season has followed the pattern of last season, where Conrad is operating from the background, and we see Belly spend a lot of time with Jeremiah while being attracted to his brother. Only time will tell what happens between the three of them.
