The Summer I Turned Pretty used Conrad’s highly anticipated POV episode to make another change from the book series — this time with an extra sex scene.
During the Wednesday, August 6, episode of the hit Prime Video show, it was Conrad’s (Chris Briney) time to shine as all of Us watched him yearn for Belly (Lola Tung) while they spent time alone at Cousins. Conrad tried to stay away from Belly as she planned her wedding to Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), but that didn’t last long. Soon enough, Conrad and Belly were buying flowers, cooking together and basically acting like a couple.
Fans of Jenny Han‘s books got to see some of their favorite scenes come to life as Conrad and Belly made a stop at a farm stand where he wiped her chin after she ate a peach. The show also did all of Us a favor by keeping most of Conrad’s inner monologue — including iconic quotes such as, “I would rather have someone shoot me in the head with a nail gun repeatedly than have to watch [Jeremiah] touching her.”
But Han, who directed the episode, still found ways to surprise the audience. The biggest difference was the introduction of a flashback scene showing the last time Conrad and Belly were together before their breakup. And by together, we mean … together. For those who haven’t read We’ll Always Have Summer, Us can confirm that there was no mention of Conrad and Belly having sex. In fact, the books made it clear that Belly wasn’t intimate with Conrad or Jeremiah.
The author teased in May that there were “definitely changes” in the third season of the show, telling Entertainment Weekly, “There are surprises. And there are things that aren’t exactly like the books.”
Despite the big swings, Han confirmed there would be a “satisfying” ending for everyone.
“A successful love triangle is one where, no matter what happens, people are going to be devastated and heartbroken,” Han hinted. “Because if the answer feels really clear and easy, then there’s no real conflict. No matter what you do, someone’s going to be hurt by it.”
While fans are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what comes next, there is one idea that seems to be off the table — and that is possible spinoffs.
Vernon Sanders, who is the head of television at Amazon and MGM Studios, appeared to walk back his past comments about expanding Jenny Han’s fictional universe, telling Deadline in July, “That was probably wishful thinking for me at the time, and Jenny has stayed really focused [on] getting these seasons right.”
The executive noted that he hoped to continue to collaborate with Han on other projects.
“We’re pursuing new and different things with Jenny right now,” he noted. “She’s presented some other things that are related to this.”
Sanders concluded: “So once the full season is launched, we’ll get into conversations, and we’ll ask her to pick from the many things that she’s surfaced. But we’ve moved away from those conversations.”
There are still six more episodes left in the third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. In addition to the love triangle at the center of the series, Wednesday’s episode also followed Jeremiah reconnecting with his dad at work, which led to his father offering to support the wedding financially. Steven (Sean Kaufman), meanwhile, found himself bonding with his coworker Denise (Isabella Briggs) during a trip to New York. Some of Us, however, aren’t sure what to make of Steven and Denise’s budding friendship since there are theories floating around that Denise will actually start dating Jeremiah in the future. But more on that later …
The Summer I Turned Pretty airs on Prime Video Wednesdays.
