It’s difficult to separate The Summer I Turned Pretty (TSITP) from the experience of watching TSITP. For the past 11 weeks, swathes of viewers have been held captive by the intense, perhaps galling, perhaps haunting final series of this teen summer drama. From bar watch-alongs in New York to big-name fans stating their allegiances to Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah, it’s been difficult to escape Cousins Beach and its inhabitants. Yet as the final episode came to an end, a question remains: was this actually a good show?

This season takes place a few years after the end of the second, with Belly (Lola Tung) finishing her penultimate year of university and in a long-term relationship with Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Things appear to have been going well for the young couple, but given that this is TSITP, it doesn’t last. The pair end up engaged, much to the horror of their family and friends, and the return of Conrad (Christopher Briney) from medical school in far-flung California provides another layer of drama. As the wedding day draws closer so do Belly and Conrad, while Jeremiah becomes an increasingly petulant presence. Once again, Belly must make a choice between the two brothers.

There’s something enviable about the fact that Jenny Han has been able to adapt her own work for the screen, building out the characters and their world in a way that the original trilogy of novels never did. Unfortunately, though, some of this depth is lost in later episodes. Despite this, the chemistry between actors, especially Tung and Briney, is compelling. Tung has really come into her own over the three-season run. Supporting cast members also put in the work to make their characters feel as close to real people as teen dramas can achieve, with Isabella Briggs as Denise an excellent addition.

Part of the appeal of the TSITP‘s first season was the way it gave the adults within the story their own plot lines. As it begins, the third season seems to continue this approach, particularly in the relationship between Laurel (Jackie Chung) and John (Colin Ferguson). However, this part of the narrative falls by the wayside fairly quickly. Similarly, a plotline centring the relationship between Taylor (Rain Spencer) and her mother, Lucinda (​​Kristen Connolly), peters out.

Although the focal point of the show is, of course, Belly’s life and romantic decisions, leaving other characters and storylines behind lessens its strength as a complete piece. The last few episodes of the season – where Belly has moved to Paris – further neglect the stories of supporting characters. Back in the US, there’s a rushed attempt at salvaging Jeremiah’s character (who becomes an almost cartoonish villain this season) through a sudden reveal of culinary talent which feels unearned. Belly, meanwhile, is almost entirely cleaved from her family and friends. When so much is made of the relationship she has with her mother and brother (Sean Kaufman), it’s an odd choice.

Bigger issues in characters’ relationships are whizzed past in a few lines, especially in the last episode. While we’re told that things have been resolved – namely, Belly’s concern that her love for Conrad is some type of obligation – it feels more like an afterthought to include this brief conflict between the pair, a recognition that viewers may question the legitimacy of their feelings.

Despite its shortcomings, though, TSITP’s final season is gripping. Sometimes it’s akin to watching a car crash in slow motion. Desperate to change the course of inevitable events, you might have to watch through your fingers. It’s almost too easy to become far too invested in the lives and relationships of these people, the melodrama of it all a seductive draw.

So, is TSITP a good show? Sometimes. Perhaps a more pertinent question is whether that matters. It’s a deeply entertaining but imaginary version of youth and young love that few, if any, will really be able to relate to.

11 out of 11 episodes were available to view. 

All three seasons of The Summer I Turned Pretty are available to stream on Amazon Prime now.

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