The Summer I turned Pretty saga is officially done. It has taken me quite a while to finally watch this episode – a bittersweet goodbye to a TV series I have come to cherish.
Episode 11 of The Summer I Turned Pretty is titled ‘At Last.’ It marks a huge turning point in Belly’s life as it teases something we’ve come to know: that Conrad has flown from the US to Paris to see her.
Jenny Han hadn’t teased a Belly–Conrad endgame, nor had she done so with Jeremiah and Belly. Is Belly going to stay in Paris for a few more years? Will she reject Conrad? Or will she simply choose herself? These are the kinds of questions many fans have asked – and thankfully, they’re all answered in this final conclusion.
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Fans will be bidding farewell to Cousins, to the Fischer boys, to Susan, to Steven Conklin, and everything that has made this story great.
After watching the final episode – and feeling very emotional about it – here are my reflections on The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Episode 11. You can also read my take on the previous episode.
What Happened in The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 11
Everything has changed for Belly – not just her future, relationship decisions, but also her looks.
The episode opens in Paris, where Belly – now 22 – has cut her hair and is wearing an iconic red lipstick (which has drawn comparisons to Audrey Hepburn). She appears to be enjoying her new life in the city.
Obviously, there’s a lot of unresolved business between Conrad and Belly. Not giving anything away, but he proves his love to her with an extremely huge.
Belly seems to be at ease with all her life’s decisions, but it seems like her heart is tugging her back to her old life.
Elsewhere in this episode, Jeremiah, who is no longer wallowing in self-pity from his breakup with Belly, has now carved out a new career for himself.
Meanwhile, Steven also faces an epitome with his new-found direction with work and his relationship with Taylor. Everyone appears to be flourishing, but feelings are also resurfacing.
Could we get the finale so many fans have been hoping for? Let’s dive in.
Warning: This section of the post will contain spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 11
Key scenes
Can we talk about the yearner that is Conrad Fisher? This man aches when he’s not with Belly. He has now proven his love for her by flying all the way from America to Paris just to see her.
Yes, he uses the excuse that he’s on his way to a conference in Brussels, but we all know he’d ditch that in a heartbeat to be with her.
I absolutely loved how adorable their little reunion was. Conrad, just sitting outside her home, and Belly casually walking up to him – it’s like their chemistry never left the room.
It isn’t long before Belly takes Conrad sightseeing around Paris, and I can’t get over his sneaky glances at her while they’re together (I squealed every time).
As they spend the day wandering through her favorite Parisian spots, Conrad gives Belly a small vial of sand from Cousins Beach, a symbol of their growing up together at the beach house.
We need a moment to talk about Belly’s birthday. Obviously, we know how much Conrad usually does for Belly on her special day, and it clearly pained him that he wasn’t able to make the effort this time round.
I love seeing how he didn’t judge Belly for anything, where she lived, her life choices, or her friends.
And seeing him jealous over Belly and Benito was also hilarious. But he didn’t act on his emotions (especially before knowing if she was single or not).
At the dinner with her friends, there’s clearly tension between the two, as they can’t keep their eyes off one another.
If we’re talking about another key Conrad and Belly scenes, it’s when she invites him back to his flat.
The two share a passionate moment in bed and also a deep conversation. But Belly eventually pushes Conrad away. This felt really sad, but it also gave us a really good line from Conrad as he pathetically said: “I’ve changed everything about myself, and the one thing that never changes is that I love you.”
But eventually the pair end up in each other’s arms.
As Conrad prepares to leave, Belly races through the station to catch him, and she says: “I choose you … of my own free will. If there are infinite worlds, every version of me chooses you.”
In a flash forward, we see them returning to Cousins Beach together.
Elsewhere, other storylines have been nicely tied up – including Jeremiah finds a connection with Denise.
Meanwhile, Steven and Taylor reconcile and plan a future together as they hope to move into a new home.
The ending of this series has been bittersweet but I love how in the last scenes we have a message from author Jenny Han as she shares a heartfelt thank-you to fans, after fans supported the series.
We all know how important the music choices are in the show, and The Summer I Turned Pretty Episode 11 features an especially memorable lineup. Songs included in the episode are “Je Te Laisserai Des Mots” by Patrick Watson, “Les Champs-Élysées” by Joe Dassin, “Everywhere, Everything” by Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams, “Slow Dancing in the Dark” by Joji, and two Taylor Swift tracks: “Dress” and “Out of the Woods.”
Discussion
Now that Belly has spent time away from Cousins – away from her family, Conrad, and Jeremiah – she’s finally grown into her own person.
She’s not the little Belly everyone remembered. She also realises she’s still the girl who loved Conrad, but now she actually has the confidence to admit it.
Conrad has definitely changed this season, and I’m glad the show didn’t pretend his past behavior never happened. It wouldn’t have made sense for him to suddenly improve without help, so including the detail about him going to therapy wouldn’t have made much sense.
Even though Belly was away from home, I liked that the show still gave us small touches of Cousins.
I’m also happy the show took the time to wrap up its secondary arcs. The finale doesn’t only focus on Belly and Conrad – it gives space to the other characters too.
Jeremiah’s relationship with Denise, Steven, and Taylor moving to California – all of these subplots felt handled with care was handled well.
Jenny Han had hinted that the ending would “surprise” fans and differ from the books in some ways. And while the main outcome – Belly choosing Conrad – still matches We’ll Always Have Summer, the show presents it differently, including the Paris reunion and the train station confession. I did really like this.
Final Thoughts
Episode 11, “At Last,” is a really good finale.
It kept closely to the book, and Jenny Han added some really cool touches.
For a show built on summers, this ending feels like the end of one chapter and the beginning of another (and that’s probably because we are now getting a film of Belly and Conrad’s new life together).
I really enjoyed the anticipation for this series, with each episode coming out on Wednesday.
It really felt like a treat (even though I know a lot of people probably hated this format).
Overall, the characters weren’t annoying this season (even Jeremiah), and the ending was also too perfect. I can’t complain.