This post contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 episode 5 from this point forward.
Following Conrad's decision to stay in Cousins in last week's episode, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 episode 5 opens with his narration describing how difficult it's been to be this close to Belly. His dad calls him about the absurdity (his words, not mine!) of Belly and Jeremiah getting married, but Conrad is resolved to stay on the sidelines, help how he can, and suppress his feelings for Belly.
The episode marked a point of view shift from Belly to Conrad for the first time this season. We finally spend some time in Conrad's head and learn how he's been feeling, though that hasn't been difficult to figure out. For a lot of fans, especially those who read Jenny Han's books, this was an episode that was highly anticipated and featured moments (and quotes) that we've been waiting for.
However, even The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 episode 5's change of pace couldn't solve the problems that have been dragging down what should be an exciting, celebratory, and can't-miss final season. Prime Video's teen drama misplaced its spark in its instance to meander through mundane side quests, but there's definitely a way to find it again in the season's second half.
Sorry, Belly and Jeremiah aren't interesting
First of all (and based on the endless barrage of criticisms of the show and its current central couple that have been flooding every social media platform imaginable, I'm not the first person to call attention to this), Belly and Jeremiah's relationship isn't interesting. It's like watching a car accident in slow motion. You know something bad is going to happen, but you're forced to see it step by step.
The moment Jeremiah admitted to cheating on Belly twice and then lied about it, a lot of viewers checked out. Their subsequent engagement and wedding planning disaster certainly didn't boost their approval rating. In season 3 episode 5, Jeremiah lets Belly down again by staying back at work. Taylor also ditches her, leaving Conrad as her only option for wedding planning errands.
Sure, Conrad is the better option of Belly's current two choices (as messed up of an equation as that might be on paper), and seeing their chemistry together was nothing if not a breath of fresh air. We can see his very real feelings and care for her juxtaposed by Jeremiah's crash out over his preferred wedding cake. There are flashbacks to intimate moments and awkward peach eating sequences.
Pick up the pace, The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3!
But again, even an episode focused mostly on Belly and Conrad didn't resolve the final season's insistence to leisurely move through these 11 episodes. For the most part, episode 5 did not push the story forward. Steven and Denise have stationary conversations on a train. Jeremiah fawns over his dad's manipulative admiration. The only real "action" is Belly and Conrad shopping.
Just when you think Belly and Jeremiah have the disagreement that's going to change directions for the season, they dance together on the dock at the Cousins house. In the episode's defense, Belly and Conrad's storyline, if you can call it that, did move forward. He was finally honest to her about being fired from his job after Steven's accident. That's something at least?
We also see Conrad's promise to Susannah before she died that he would always look out for Jeremiah. There's slight character development, in the sense that some motivations and details in the past are shaded in to underscore what they're feeling now. It's not much, but it's movement. For an episode that was over an hour in length, you'd hope to walk away with a lot more, you know?
Again, there's still a way for The Summer I Turned Pretty to stick the landing with its final season. We're almost halfway through, and there's a lot more story to tell in the lead up to the love triangle's conclusion. If the series can manage to breathe more life into the pacing and allow Belly to learn from her mistakes faster, then all of the frustration will have been worth it.
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 releases new episodes Wednesdays on Prime Video.
More recaps from Show Snob: