Love Scene – As the episode opens, Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) sneaks out to meet Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney). He is surprised to see her without a coat before offering her his sweater and a visit to the beach. Back to the present, she is on the school bus. Sending several texts, she contemplates telling Laurel Park (Jackie Chung) about her and Conrad’s secret meetings but decides against it.

Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) learns Brian and Aubrey (Mohana Krishnan) haven’t heard from his brother either. Conrad and McIntyre are no longer friends.

Boxing “It’s Not Summer Without You” memoirs, Laurel prepares for her impending book signing when Steven Conklin (Sean Kaufman) approaches. She confronts him about his text to Taylor (Rain Spencer) offering support now that she and Milo are no longer a pair. She informs him of her bookseller event in New York.

Belly meets Jeremiah at a dorm where they eventually find Conrad’s room with a still made-up bed. Trusky (Samuel-Taylor) bursts in to find out what is going on before recognizing Jeremiah. He claims to have last seen Conrad Thursday when he was arguing with someone on the phone. While he tries to call Conrad, Sophie (Becca Breitfeller) enters looking for a sweater. She tells them that he planned to meet someone at the beach. With the mere mention of Belly’s name, Sophie says his depression is to do with her. Belly collects his laptop and textbooks when she discovers her infinity necklace. Jeremiah later questions Sophie and Trusky’s claims. He questions if Adam Fisher (Tom Everett Scott) was the person Conrad was arguing with on the phone.

The Mall – Laurel and Steven have breakfast which he offers to pay for. She tells him to save the money for his textbooks. He says the Cultural Celebration Scholarship has it covered. She suggests encouraging Belly. He informs her of their argument.

On the way to Cousins Beach, Belly has a flashback of her and Conrad going to Cousins Beach without their parent’s permission. She assures him that her parents won’t discipline her when they find out she was abducted. They discuss Christmas gifts. He says after his mother’s illness, he is contemplating going into Pre Med.

The Mall – Steven emerges from Barnes and Noble to encounter Taylor. It instantly comes to mind Belly said she was going to be with her. She claims Belly went to get some food across the street. Changing the subject, he apologizes for her breakup with Milo. She sounds hopeful about them rekindling their relationship. When he mentions talking to Belly, she says she is still upset about last night. He texts Belly asking about Taylor. Belly’s return text claims she is better and they are watching “Titanic.”

Jeremiah and Belly get a flat tire. Agreeing to change the tire, she tells him that it was a stipulation for getting her license. He admits to still being sore over her hooking up with Conrad while they were seeing each other. She assures him that it wasn’t their intention to hurt him before apologizing. He suggests she is only sorry Conrad dumped her which was in the writing. She feels guilty about not being there for him when Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) died. He accuses her of being too focused on Conrad before breaking down. She promises to be there for him from now on.

The Mall – Laurel receives praise from a fan. They briefly discuss her impending book signing in New York. Trying on a dress, she is surprised by how amazing it looks on her.

Taylor’s House – Steven finds himself confronting Taylor. She eventually tells him that Belly and Jeremiah are looking for Conrad. He questions why Jeremiah would contact Belly when they aren’t speaking. She urges him to call Jeremiah.

Jeremiah and Belly are at Rosie’s when Nicole (Summer Madison) greets them. Belly gets caught up on Marisa (Jocelyn Shelfo) and Gigi (Lilah Pate) who is strugglings with her father’s insider trading allegations. Nicole claims Gigi’s family was forced to sell their house. A documentary of Shayla’s (Minnie Mills) tenure in Europe covers the final member of the Debs. While watching Nicole peddle away on her bike, Belly has a flashback of her and Conrad at Cousins Beach. They enjoy hot cocoa before heading outside to enjoy the snow. Back inside, she confesses to wanting her first time to be with him now.

Back to the present, Belly asks if Conrad still had feelings for her. She doesn’t want to see him, but at the same time, she can’t wait to see him. Jeremiah is happy to see Conrad but feels perturbed. Conrad tells them that he doesn’t want to return to school. They discuss the beach house being put on the market when Belly chimes in. Her presence sidetracks him as the episode ends.

 

The Summer I Turned Pretty Review

Not the most awful episode I’ve ever seen. For me, it has some very enjoyable moments and some not-so-attractive scenes. This is just the second episode I’ve seen of the series and did not read the books, so I do not share the connections to the characters as many do. I can understand the importance of the Laurel and Steven characters, but a lot of their stuff I don’t particularly find arousing. I will say that I did enjoy the exchanges between Taylor and Steven, especially the Barnes and Noble scene where Taylor cleverly covered for her friend. Her continued steadfastness later at her house was also amenable.

Although it wasn’t much to me, I imagine the catching-up scene with Nicole would have been pleasing for veteran viewers. The flashbacks I still enjoy, but cannot deny that at times they seem a bit much. Other than that, it’s a neat narration technique.

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