‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3 Episode 7 review: “Last Hurrah”

The confession heard around the world — Conrad’s confession. “Last Hurrah” is a powerful episode for Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, one that didn’t waste any time or tears. The truth is now out, and it has left our favorite characters shaken for what comes next. Belly’s overwhelming doubt, Conrad’s emotional truths, and Jeremiah’s cautious looks. The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 7 hit new highs for a tender and emotionally gripping season so far.

Giving up the ghost.

“Last Hurrah” was fueled at its core by metaphors. Belly spent much of Season 3 feeling alone and dealing with the pressures of planning her quick wedding. Her summer at Cousins Beach spotlighted the doubts and feelings she was unsure about communicating, even to herself. So, for “Last Hurrah,” the subtle and building tensions we’ve spotted throughout the previous episodes came to light in an explosive outlet against Conrad. All of it paired against the perfect music needle drops. Cheers to whoever decided on “we can’t be friends (wait for your love) by Ariana Grande! (*chef’s kiss*)

Once Belly found out that Conrad was the one who convinced Laurel to attend the bridal shower, it was all over. The floodgates were open – Belly reached her emotional breaking point. The Summer I Turned Pretty created a perfect scene by showcasing Belly’s growing doubts without saying any words. Specifically, it’s when she’s dancing in the club while flashback clips of Conrad pop in every few seconds. These clips captured Belly’s thoughts flashing into her brain and her inability to get Conrad out of her head. And for a voiceover show like The Summer I Turned Pretty, simply having images trusted its audience to showcase the feeling, vs. telling us.

The emotional weight of Belly’s bathroom reveal felt like a glass shattering moment – a hidden truth that neither girl can ignore. Lola Tung and Rain Spencer, who play Belly and Taylor, respectively, did an amazing job portraying the hidden tension of the bachelorette scenes. From Belly’s breakdown, admitting that she saw her future wedding with Conrad, to Taylor’s reaction to hearing that news. We can only imagine what Taylor’s thoughts were when she heard Belly say those words. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a mix of Taylor realizing that Belly still loved Conrad and that her BFF shouldn’t get married, let alone probably won’t get married. All of that can be felt in her look at Belly.

A party left unchecked.

Over at the bachelor party storyline, “Last Hurrah” focused on the narrative of Conrad being there for Belly vs. Jeremiah’s not being there. It’s an interesting position because some of Belly’s previous doubts have been her feelings that she might not know Jeremiah as well as she thought. Whereas for Conrad, she’s much more confident. Even down to Belly’s flashbacks and voiceover, there’s a light-hearted easiness when reminiscing about Conrad, almost as if he’s been placed on a pedestal. It makes sense since Conrad is her long-time first love, but arguably, both brothers are at fault for their actions during “Last Hurrah”.

Jeremiah should’ve taken his promises to Belly more seriously. If they promised to meet up after the parties, he should’ve honored that. Continuing to drink and getting convinced to party more was a self-centered move; he could’ve stopped at any time to sober himself up. And this has been an ongoing theme through The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, where Jeremiah hasn’t prioritized Belly or innately known what she wanted. Belly continually had to plan the wedding herself, and through scenes like him not being at the beach or him not waiting up for her, The Summer I Turned Pretty wants to emphasize Belly’s fears.

Conrad made choices that benefited his wants vs. supposedly honoring Susannah’s promise. For example, there’s the confession on the beach (we’ll get to this shortly!) and Conrad encouraging Jeremiah to party more. Sure, he passively told Jeremiah that it was alright, but he heard Jeremiah’s plan for what Belly wanted, and he still encouraged him. Jeremiah is his own person and deserves all the consequences of his actions. But it’s still fine to admit that Conrad has been making some shady moves of his own, whether he realizes it or not. Chipping away at Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship through every longing look, conversation, and decision.

The confession.

Now, let’s debrief Conrad’s confession on the beach. It can’t go unnoticed that Conrad was there instead of Jeremiah, which highlights our earlier discussion above. He always finds a way to be there for her, but it’s also questionable that he was there when he knew Belly planned to meet Jeremiah. I’m keeping a side-eye on Conrad for the supposed coincidence, but luckily, this moment on the beach needed to happen!

Conrad finally telling the truth was long overdue and so emotional. These were the words he should’ve told Belly almost a season ago, back when their relationship was rocky but fixable. Instead, he chose to let her go and live a life without him, taking away any chance of her being with him. Still, his words were so heartfelt; I’m glad that he didn’t hold back. Conrad has always been a person who kept everything close to his chest. If he had been as open, even like in his voiceover episode, the events of The Summer I Turned Pretty would’ve turned out much differently.

Would you have reacted like Belly? She finally had Conrad pour his heart and tell the truth, but she pushed him away. While we might be predicting that Belly will cancel her wedding for Conrad, I loved that she spoke her feelings and reminded him of her truth. The truth. Conrad was hot and cold in their relationship; he did take away his feelings. He made decisions that disregarded their love and what Belly wanted. It’s all well and good that he’s back to pour his heart, but he’s choosing now, two days before her wedding. Choosing to say this when HE’S ready, not when she was ready to hear it. Belly’s reaction was justified, and a part of the love triangle that can’t be disregarded, no matter what side you fall on.

Making the first move.

Elsewhere on “Last Hurrah,” the beginning of some new romances looked promising. We called it that Laurel and John were reigniting their romance! Ever since they hooked up early in the season, they’ve had sparks brewing in the background. It was only a matter of time before they would hook up again. Will they get back into a relationship, or will it just be sexual? Time will tell, but let’s cross our fingers for the former; they have sweet chemistry together.

The same goes for Steven and Denise. We all saw their chemistry develop before they even realized it. Seriously, it was so obvious from their bickering that they liked each other. It’s great that Taylor gave her blessing for Denise and Steven to get together, but it would be better if Lucinda didn’t interfere. In the long run, it may have been a blessing that Steven and Denise didn’t get to hook up after the parties. Now they can focus on talking things out before they let all the sparks fly.

Overall.

“Last Hurrah” delivered a big, powerful episode for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3. Big confessions, big emotional moments, and big reveals. It took seven episodes, but the developments we’ve long waited for came to be. Belly and Conrad left all their emotions out in the open, breaking the dam of what they kept hidden. “Last Hurrah” might be the spark that pushes the pacing into the final climaxes of Season 3.

The Summer I Turned Pretty airs new episodes on Wednesdays on Prime Video.

Images courtesy of Prime Video