‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3, Episode 6’s Final Scene Has Fans Swooning: “Even Better Than The Book!”
Last week, The Summer I Turned Pretty delivered a juicy peach scene that delighted fans of Jenny Han’s bestselling book series. And this week, Season 3, Episode 6 nailed another highly-anticipated moment from the text: the wound cleaning scene.
Spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Episode 5 ahead.
TSITP Season 3, Episode 6, “Last Name,” showed Belly (Lola Tung) head home for her bridal shower, while Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad (Christopher Briney) went suit shopping with Adam (Tom Everett Scott). Though the episode kicked off with Belly and Jere crashing at his dad’s house and hunting for an apartment of their own, it ended with Belly back at Cousins, sharing an unexpectedly intimate moment with Conrad.
So far this season, Belly’s lack of narration —which was more heavily present in seasons past, and the third book, We’ll Always Have Summer — has majorly frustrated fans. And Belly’s voice wasn’t the only signature element of the show missing! Since the Season 3 premiere’s devastating “You’re Losing Me” needle drop, TSITP has woefully lacked Taylor Swift songs, something Decider recently explored in depth. In “Last Name,” however, Belly and Taylor’s voices are so back. And their presence — especially in the episode’s final five minutes — has fans utterly crashing out.
When Belly returns to the beach house as the episode nears its end, she walks in the front door, clocks Conrad carrying his surfboard outside, and stops to catch her breath. Since their quality time together in Episode 5, she’s been noticeably more guarded around him, but when he limps inside later as she’s writing thank you notes and says he cut his leg while surfing, she follows him upstairs to make sure he’s OK.
Despite his efforts to put on a brave face, Conrad is clearly going through it. He leaves a trail of blood through the house and winces in pain as he straddles the bathtub. Belly frantically searches for something to clean the wound, then she sits across from him and demands he let go of the towel covering his gash. For a moment, Conrad clings to his med student pride, but when Belly says, “Can you just let me help you, for fuck’s sake?” he obeys and hisses in pain.
Belly turns on the water, washes the blood off his leg, wipes the cut, and scoots closer to him. He lowers his head, audibly pants, and leans his head on her shoulder as she wraps the wound and attempts to lighten the mood, saying, “Don’t be such a baby. It’s barely even a scratch. See? All better.” As Belly’s hand lingers on the dressing, however, Conrad’s wet hair drips onto her shirt. In a breathtaking swirl of déjà vu, Taylor Swift’s “False God” starts playing, and the parallel Han is trying to create becomes crystal clear.
The tension between the exes is palpable this entire scene, but when “False God” swells, it’s impossible for detail-oriented viewers to fight off the same emotions that consumed us in Season 1, Episode 4, when the same song played as these two almost kissed on the dock under July 4 fireworks. (In case Belly’s repeat bathing suit in 305 wasn’t enough, Han really said, “Here’s a Fourth of July Bonrad parallel y’all CAN’T ignore.” And we love her for that.)
As the meaningful needle drop sets the mood in 306, a glowing, painfully gorgeous Conrad looks up at Belly with his hair and face still dripping and dreamy green eyes glistening in the sunlight. He thanks her, the two let the silence between them linger seconds too long, and though there’s no peach juice dripping, the scene is still swoonworthy as hell. Belly bites her lip, looks down at his, and he parts them to say her name, as he so often does. Instead of confessing his feelings or playing into the intensity of the moment, however, he asks her to help him up so he can take a nap. When Belly suggests he shouldn’t sleep because he’s lost a lot of blood, he reminds her that’s the case for concussions and grabs her shoulder to support himself as he stands. He leans closer, and Belly VISIBLY considers going in for a kiss. But before she can act, he stands, grab her hand, then limps out of the bathroom. Once he’s gone, Belly collapses on the tub ledge, breathless once again. JOIN THE CLUB, GIRL!
“What just happened? What did I almost do?” her voiceover asks as she clutches her chest, as though it aches for him. “This time wasn’t like with the peaches. This time, it was all me.” *SCREAMS!!!!!!!!!!*
Though the peach scene was shown through Conrad’s POV in the series, in the books, it was all Belly. Her inner monologue let us know her head and heart were still swirling with feelings for Conrad, and in turn, doubts about her wedding to Jeremiah. Until now, viewers were largely isolated from those emotions within, which is why this scene is such a major game-changer. On its own, the scene would have been powerful, but the return of Taylor Swift AND a repeat song accompanying those familiar feelings? An A+ creative choice, and NATURALLY, fans approved.
How TSITP‘s Wound Cleaning Scene Played Out In The Books
If you didn’t read The Summer I Turned Pretty books and are wondering how the surf injury scene played out in We’ll Always Have Summer, here are some key excerpts from Chapter 42:
“Don’t be such a baby, it’s barely a scratch,” I lied. I was wondering if he was going to need stitches.
Conrad leaned in closer to me, his head just barely resting on my shoulder as I cleaned. I Could feel him breathing in and out, could feel each sharp intake of breath every time I touched the cut. When the cut was clean, it looked a lot better. I dabbed Bactine on it and then wrapped his calf in gauze. Then I patted his knee. “See? All better.”
He lifted his head up and said, “Thank you.”
“Sure,” I said.
There was this moment between us then, of just looking at each other, holding each other’s gaze. My breath quickened. If I leaned forward just a little, we would be kissing. I knew I should move away, but I couldn’t.
“Belly?” I could feel his breath on my neck.
“Yeah?”
“Will you help me stand up? I’m going to go upstairs and take a nap.”
“You’ve lost a lot of blood,” i said, and my voice vibrated off the bathroom tiles. “I don’t think you’re supposed to sleep.”
He smiled weakly. “That’s with concussions.”
I scrambled up and then pulled him up next to me. “Can you walk?” I asked.
“I’ll manage,” he said, limping away from me, his hand on the wall.
My T-shirt was samp from his head on my shoulder. Mechanically, I started cleaning up the mess, and my heart was pounding out of my chest. What just happened? What did I almost do? This time wasn’t like with the peaches. This time it was all me.
Conrad slept right through dinnertime, and I wondered if I should bring him some food but decided against it. Instead I heated up one of the frozen pizzas I’d bought, and then I spent the rest of the night cleaning the downstairs. I was relieved that everybody would be here tomorrow. It wouldn’t be just me and him anymore. Once Jeremiah was here, everything would go back to normal.”
If Han continues to follow the text, we’re in for a lot more of Belly’s inner voice. And don’t think for a second that this is the last time Belly questions her feelings for Conrad as the wedding rapidly approaches! For now, though, another TSITP episode, another entry in our running list of signs that Conrad and Belly are endgame!
New episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 premiere Wednesdays on Prime Video.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples
