What Does Lemon Jelly Belly Mean in ‘TSITP’?

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Episode 8 came, it devastated, and it left fans wondering what the heck Jenny Han has in store for the rest of the final season.

In addition to being jam-packed with highly-anticipated book moments, Episode 8, “Last Kiss,” featured a surprise ending that has everyone unsure what comes next. But the fate of Belly (Lola Tung) and Conrad (Christopher Briney) isn’t the only thing fans are curious about! TSITP‘s latest installment also left people asking, “What does Lemon Jelly Belly mean?!”

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Episode 8 spoilers ahead.

After Conrad and Belly had their first confrontation post-beach confession, “Last Kiss” showed Belly and Jeremiah’s (Gavin Casalegno) rehearsal dinner go off without a hitch. The night before their wedding, however, Belly told Jere about Conrad’s feelings for her, and in the morning, he was missing. With the ceremony swiftly approaching, Conrad went to find his brother and the two finally hashed things out. Jere punched Conrad, and Conrad revealed that he knew about Cabo and still loved Belly. In an effort to make things right, he gave Jere the letter Susannah wrote him for his wedding day, unaware that the letters inside the envelops were accidentally swapped. Instead of his own letter, Jere read Susannah’s loving words for Conrad, which included her praise of his and Belly’s relationship.

Just like in the book, Conrad said an emotional goodbye to Belly and apologized for hurting her. When Jere returned, it seemed like the wedding might still be on. But when he asked Belly if she still loved Conrad and she said yes, Jere decided he couldn’t go through with it. The two called off their ceremony and tearfully parted ways. As Belly was processing everything that unfolded in the past 24 hours, her mom knocked on the door, and when Belly saw her, she simply said: “Lemon Jelly Belly.”

Who Does Lemon Jelly Belly Mean In TSITP?

In response to those three words, Laurel replied, “Aw, Bean,” and gave Belly a big hug as she broke down crying. Laurel knew what Lemon Jelly Belly meant instantly. But for those who forgot what the lemon jelly bean codewords stand for, we’re here to help!

Back in Season 1, Episode 2, Belly goes to her first debutante tea at the beach club. As Laurel is dropping her off, she says, “Belly, I just want you to know that if you decide you hate it, or if the girls are mean, or even if the food is bad, you can text me. I promise, I won’t say I told you so.”

“I’ll be fine,” Belly replies. But Laurel isn’t satisfied. “Humor me. Use our code phrase and I’ll be right there,” she tells her daughter. “You remember it from when you were little, right?”

In unison, the mother-daughter duo recites, “Lemon Jelly Belly” and Belly walks off.

Cut to present-day, when Belly uses the code phrase to quickly communicate to her mom that she’s in a sour situation: The wedding with Jere is off and she’s utterly devastated. Those three simple words act as a touching callback to Belly’s childhood, emphasize her strong connection with Laurel, and also show what a loving mom Laurel is.

Laurel nearly missed the wedding because of how hard she disapproved. She outlined a number of potential obstacles and ran down a list of reasons why Belly and Jere shouldn’t settle down so young. Though she eventually came around to support her daughter’s special day, when everything fell apart in the final hour, she easily could have said “I told you so.” But her swift “Aw, Bean” and comforting embrace made it clear that the same terms as Season 1 applied. And without saying so, as Belly broke down in her arms, it was clear how eternally grateful for that.

Stay tuned for more TSITP Season 3, Episode 8 Easter eggs, like the one we spotted in the final scene that points straight to a Belly/Conrad endgame.

New episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 premiere Wednesdays on Prime Video.