WARNING: Will contain spoilers
Cousins Beach, Massachusetts: a coastal haven with a magical atmosphere and dreamlike air. A place where dreams become reality.
Based on the book series by Jenny Han, the hit show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” focuses on Isabel “Belly” Conklin, a teenage girl with a love for books, classic films and her mother’s best friend’s son. Every summer, Belly and her family go to her mom’s friend Susannah’s beach house in Cousins. There, they spend the summer with both Susannah and her two sons: the older, brooding Conrad and Jeremiah, known as the “golden retriever.”
Ever since Belly was a kid, she has been head over heels in love with Conrad. However, the recent seasons prove Belly has feelings for more than Conrad as she begins dating Jeremiah. The love triangle complicates the relationship between all three young adults. Season 3 escalates, making the situation messier than before.
After weeks of restless waiting and anticipation, viewers are finally nearing the end of season 3 and the completion of the show. At this point, one might start to wonder, what is going to happen in the last episode?
Despite the show being based off of a book series, Jenny Han, who is also the creator of the TV adaptation, often strays from the original plot of her trilogy to give depth to the characters and the story. Her creative decisions and alterations also make it difficult to pinpoint what might happen in the show’s ending, though I have a few theories on what may go down in the final episode.
Firstly, I believe that Belly and Conrad will get back together. The third book ends with Belly and Conrad reuniting and getting married, which I feel would be too far of a deviation from the book if that doesn’t happen. I also don’t think the show would make the majority of the audience (who is typically extremely divided on their opinions) root for Conrad for an entire season just for Belly to go back to Jeremiah or stay single.
I also believe that Denise and Jeremiah will end up together. Episode 10 of Season 3 basically confirmed it, but it makes sense for all characters to end the finale happy, in love and for all loose ends to be tied up. In Jenny Han’s work, this usually means new romantic relationships (even though Denise deserves so much better).
Another theory I have is that Belly and Benito have already broken up and are on friendly terms by the time Episode 11 starts, with the episode including a time skip between the break-up and the current day. To demonstrate the growth she has made throughout the seasons, Belly will leave him cleanly in order to pursue a relationship with Conrad, who will be in Paris by the time the episode starts.
I think it’s safe to say that all fans of the show will be extremely excited for the finale, but sad that “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is going to be finished. It will be an adjustment not to look forward to new episodes each week and we will all be wondering what to do with our Wednesday nights once it’s over.
