Love, At Last

The Final Episode of “The Summer I Turned Pretty”

Photo from Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” follows Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) and the Fisher brothers, Conrad (Chris Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalengo), as they navigate through love and heartbreak. The series started with the three main characters in high school, following Belly as she navigated her love for both brothers. Based on the bestselling book series by Jenny Han, the romance show has had a major influence on its fans. The final episode, called “At Last,” released on Sept. 17, 2025, delivered the long-promised conclusion to the love triangle that has captivated fans since the very start.

One of the finale episode’s greatest features was highlighting the character development of Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah, as well as other side characters. Viewers get to see the way all the characters have developed a sense of belonging. Throughout the season, watchers see the life that Belly has built for herself in Paris, and how she seems at peace with her surroundings. It shows how independent she has become, which is very different from her behavior in past seasons. By moving to Paris and stepping out of her comfort zone, it is easy to see that she has matured. Character development is also shown through Conrad and Jeremiah, as they both come to terms with each other and accept their relationships with Belly. Additionally, their development is portrayed through their passions, with Conrad studying to become a doctor and Jeremiah discovering his passion for cooking. Other characters, like Belly’s best friend Taylor Jewel (Rain Spencer), and Belly’s brother, Stephen Conklin (Sean Kaufman) also seem to be at positive places in their lives. 

Unlike the character development in the last episode, the narrative focus in the finale wasn’t well executed. The episode felt very uneven, spending lots of time focused in Massachusetts with the characters' families and what is going on there. Meanwhile, it only squeezed in small parts of screen-time that features Belly and her situation in Paris. This narrative arrangement was very undesirable, because ultimately, Belly is the main character more than the Fisher boys. Fans watch to find out what will happen to Belly, so finding out who Belly ends up with should have been featured more during the episode. Additionally, multiple events, such as the conflict of Stephen moving to San Francisco had no previous screen-time, which could be very confusing. These events felt random and unnecessary, leading the episode to be relatively confusing.

Another impact of this episode is that it marked the end of the Conrad vs. Jeremiah debate. Since the release of the third season, social media has been buzzing with fans weighing in on who Belly should end up with. From T-shirts to key chains, Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah merchandise shows how invested fans are in the love story. When the finale finally revealed who Belly ended up with, some people were happy with the resolution, while others were disappointed. Whether on Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah, the show succeeded at keeping their audience engaged. 

“The Summer I Turned Pretty” finale episode delivers the long-awaited conclusion to Belly’s romantic journey between the Fisher brothers. Through some rushed narrative choices, the finale portrayed strong character development and evoked passionate reactions from fans. Despite minor flaws, the last episode provides the final conclusion for Belly’s love story as it wraps up the series.

<Star Ratings>

Character Development: ★★★★★

Narrative Focus: ★★★★★

Acting: ★★★★★

Overall: ★★★★★