Season Three of The Summer I Turned Pretty is over (technically, it's been over for a few weeks) and I have a few thoughts to share! Here are my (very chaotic) thoughts on Season 1 and Season 2.
I read We'll Always Have Summer, which is the third book in Jenny Han's Summer series, in June 2024, so my memory of the book isn't as clear as the show; however, I'm going to do my best comparison!
WARNING: Don't read this if you don't want spoilers!!!
Things I Liked
First off, a couple very random things that have nothing to do with the integrity of the story, but which made me irrationally happy:
1. In Episode 3, Steven is reading Tress of the Emerald Sea!!!!
2. Also in Episode 3, timestamp 50:10, Steven accidentally calls Conrad Steven. Steven says, "Steven, did you know about this?" to Conrad. This tickled me.
All right, now for more serious thoughts.
- I like that the show gave Agnes a bigger part than she has in the book. If I'm remembering correctly, she's only mentioned briefly in the book, whereas she's a recurring, albeit minor, character in the show. She's good for Conrad.
- I also appreciated that the show gave more airtime to side plots (e.g. Steven and Taylor's relationship, although I still REALLY don't ship them; Lucinda's business, which I don't think is mentioned in the book at all; Conrad's employment woes; Steven and Danielle's startup; etc.)
- I really liked that the show spent longer on the aftermath of the disastrous wedding; after episode 8, I think it was, I looked up how many episodes were left in the season and was flabbergasted that I had three more episodes to go, but I ended up enjoying the closure those three episodes lent to the story. I felt that We'll Always Have Summer ended very abruptly, despite the epilogue.
- Jere has more of a character arc in the show than in the book, which I liked, although to become a chef in nine months seems a little unrealistic.
Things I Didn't Like
So. Much. Drama. I mean, I get that the drama is kind of the point, but it just felt over the top to me. Steven's car accident, especially, struck me as very soap opera-esque.
I mentioned above that I liked the lengthened ending, and I did. But the last episode left a bad taste in my ... brain? When Conrad visits Belly in Paris and she invites him back to her apartment and they have sex, Belly is only thinking of the short-term; she doesn't want a long-term relationship, or at least doesn't think she does. It's lust, pure and simple. Only after he leaves does she commit. (Cut to another soap opera-worthy moment of Belly racing through the train station.) This isn't a Christian show by any stretch of the imagination, and I'm not saying it should be, but watching this as a Christian, I was very put off by Belly's behavior.
Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?
I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but after reading all three books and watching all three seasons, I am forced to conclude that I'm Team Neither. I used to be Team Conrad all the way; the fact that Jeremiah cheated on Belly and then proposed to her almost as soon as she found out (and she accepted?! Like what are you even doing, Belly?!?) was the dealbreaker on Team Jere for me. But ... even though Conrad truly loves Belly and was faithful to her in both heart and body, he did his brother (and Belly!) real dirty by re-declaring his love for her at the eleventh hour. Belly did a good job running away to Paris and creating a new life for herself there. She should have stayed with Benito! She needed a fresh start. I hate that Conrad followed her to Paris. There's just too much history there and she'd be much better off with someone new.
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