Warning: The following contains major spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 finale. Proceed at your own risk!
The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Season 2 finale was fittingly titled, “Love Triangle,” and boy, did it deliver on Belly/Conrad/Jeremiah drama!
After Conrad walked in on Belly and Jeremiah kissing last week, there was a lot of tension, naturally, between the trio as they continued on with their road trip. When a storm forced them to pull over at a motel (with only one bed, natch), Jere told Belly that Conrad’s still in love with her, but she insisted it wouldn’t change anything even if Conrad admitted how he feels. Jere said that the two of them need to have a real conversation, and if she still feels same way afterward, then he will be hers.
Jeremiah also had a private conversation with Conrad in which he urged his older brother to tell Belly that he loves her. Jere didn’t feel like Belly had really chosen him, not when she wasn’t aware that she still had a chance with Conrad. And if she picked Conrad, then Jere would let her go because he wants them to be happy.
So while lying on the floor of the motel room, Conrad confessed to Belly that of course he still wants her, but in the morning, she seemingly made her choice and kissed Jeremiah. Conrad later told Belly that he was just trying to get between her and Jere, but he doesn’t want to stand in their way anymore. Plus, he didn’t mean what he said the previous night. Ouch. Belly’s voiceover remarked that Conrad always gives and then he takes away.
“I release you, Conrad Fisher. I evict you from my heart,” her internal voice declared, just before Conrad returned the infinity necklace to her and took off.
As the finale came to a close, Belly was at volleyball camp, with Jere watching on the sidelines in support, while Conrad was moving things (including the stuffed polar bear he gave a preteen Belly) back into the Cousins Beach house.
Reflecting on Belly’s Conrad vs. Jeremiah decision, star Lola Tung tells TVLine, “I think that her choice made sense for her in the moment. She’s been through a lot with both of them, and I think she’s realized that, at that time, Conrad has not shown her that he will ever be willing to fight for that relationship as much as she will.”
Meanwhile, Jeremiah is constantly putting himself out there for Belly and risking his heart. “Here’s Jeremiah, ready to fight for her, continuing to fight for her, just proving, I think, constantly how much he loves her and cares about her, even in watching her be with Conrad for so long,” Tung describes.
At the conclusion of Season 2, Jeremiah “is the person that she is falling in love with,” Tung continues, “and that feels right for her to choose at that time. So, yeah, I support her following her heart, always.”
Belly is also “at a maturity level now that she wants to kind of spread her wings a little bit and do her own thing, apart from her childhood crush and love interest,” shares Gavin Casalegno, who plays Jeremiah. “And honestly, I’m really proud of her for even trying that. I think so many people wouldn’t, and I’m excited to see the romance that can happen between those two.”
As for Conrad’s decision to take himself out of the love triangle equation when he’s clearly still hung up on his ex-girlfriend, Christopher Briney is of two minds about his character’s actions.
“On one hand, I want to admire him for sort of understanding his place in the situation,” Briney says. “In his mind, it doesn’t feel like his place to get in the way of anyone, because it seems clear what the both of them want, and as much as it may hurt him, that doesn’t involve him. So he’s like, ‘OK, then I’m going to go.’”
“And then, on the other hand, you always sort of want someone to fight for what they want,” Briney continues, “but there’s just a limit, you know? There’s just a limit for how much you can fight for something if the other people don’t want you there.”
Press PLAY above to hear what the actors also had to say about how Belly’s choice will affect the brothers’ relationship next season (yes, the show has already been renewed!), then grade the finale below.
Note: This interview took place before SAG-AFTRA officially announced a strike on July 13.
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