While it was going to be challenging to live up to the masterpiece of an episode that the previous week, The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 6 manages to hold its own. Titled Last Name, this episode ramps up the drama in many subtle ways. At first, it may seem like a filler episode, but there is plenty of slow buildup that will eventually boil over into the rest of the season.
Check out our spoiler-filled The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 6 recap below!
The Staylor/Stenise Side-Plot Develops in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3
“Last Name” holds a new record, as it’s the first time the Staylor Side-Plot was actually…interesting? Perhaps, it’s because the focus is shifting from Lucinda’s (Kristen Connolly) salon to Steven (Sean Kaufman), Taylor (Rain Spencer), and Denise (Isabella Briggs). Denise introduces the idea of creating a video game startup to Steven, who is intrigued by the concept despite his initial reservations. Later in the episode, at Belly’s (Lola Tung) bridal shower, Taylor and Steven have an angst-filled conversation that ends with them deciding to be friends.
If there’s any takeaway from these moments, it’s that Steven and Denise are making a huge case for themselves. Although Steven and Taylor have a lot more history, Steven and Denise’s ability to work together makes them a pair worth rooting for in The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 6.
Cracks Break Through in Belly and Jeremiah’s Relationship
When The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 6 begins, we learn that Belly has been crashing at Adam Fisher’s (Tom Everett Scott) loft for the past two weeks. Much to Adam’s annoyance, she’s made herself right at home. She makes a huge mess, clogs the drain, and unintentionally breaks Adam’s coffee maker. She’s taking after her fiancée! After Adam jumps on the opportunity to get Belly out of the loft, she and Jeremiah go apartment hunting around Finch’s campus.
Unfortunately, Jeremiah completely blows up their chances of getting approved, as his credit check goes poorly since he ruined his score to get free hockey tickets. He is literally the worst. While Belly tries to be optimistic, the rest of their tour goes equally as poorly. Throughout the tour, there are many moments where the cracks in the pair’s relationship grow even bigger.
Conrad Works Behind-The-Scenes to Help Belly in ‘TSITP’ Season 3 Episode 6
As if Conrad (Christopher Briney) could get any better, just wait until you hear what he does in TSITP Season 3 Episode 6. Since Belly’s mom, Laurel (Jackie Chung), is so opposed to their wedding, Conrad begins softening the blow. At a diner, he finally manages to convince Laurel to attend Belly’s bridal shower. He explains that Belly hasn’t been eating, how she feels alone, and that she “really needs her mom right now.” When Laurel asks what Conrad will get out of doing this, the only thing he can come up with is “I just want her to be happy.”
Spoiler alert: Conrad’s persuasion works. When Belly anxiously walks up to Taylor’s house for the bridal shower, she sees her mother through the small crowd and immediately bursts into tears. Knowing how she got to that moment makes this hit even harder. Later in the shower, Laurel gifts Belly with a new passport and two airline flight vouchers, so that if she ever wanted to see the world, she could go whenever she wanted.
Belly Makes a Big Realization in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3 Episode 6
At her shower, Belly plays a game of Jeremiah-themed trivia and answers every question correctly with ease. However, all that changes when she reaches the last question. When asked about Jeremiah’s first pet, she immediately answers with Rosie, a lost golden retriever that he found in Cousins. Rosie stayed with the Cousins gang for three days until she was reunited with her owners. When it was time for Rosie to go, Jeremiah sobbed. Belly calls it the “sweetest thing she’s ever seen.” However, Steven steps in to set the record straight.
Steven claims that Jeremiah wasn’t the one to find the dog. It was actually Conrad. Belly shuts him down, and they enter a brief back-and-forth. When Belly gets home, she calls Jeremiah and jokingly tells him about the Rosie incident. Jere actually backs Steven up, saying that the one who cried was in fact Conrad. This causes Belly to spiral. “I pride myself on how I remember every little detail. It scares me to think I got this one wrong,” she narrates. Although the detail is small, it completely reshapes a core memory that she thought she had of Jeremiah.
TSITP Season 3 Episode 6 ends on a historic note. Conrad cuts his leg surfing, and Belly volunteers to help him, innocent enough, right? As she tends to his wound, the pair then lock eyes, with their faces so close to each other that if they moved even one inch, they’d be kissing. If this sequence wasn’t already heart-pounding enough, “False God”, the Taylor Swift song that played when Conrad and Belly almost kissed in Season 1, starts playing. Conrad looks up at Belly with his beautiful green eyes, but the tension is broken just as quickly. Conrad leaves to go nap, and Belly sits there stunned (as does the viewer).
“What did I almost do?” She narrates as she clutches her chest. “This wasn’t like with the peaches. This time, it was all me.” We cut to black. The Belly-Conrad tension has never been more palpable, as Jeremiah falls further and further behind.
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Just Kiss Already!
TSITP Season 3, Episode 6 is like an iceberg. While the events that take place seem skippable on the surface, the amount of subtext that lies below is crucial for understanding these characters. Although the large period of time spent on the Rosie situation may seem insignificant on the surface, it’s clear that this moment is a wake-up call for Belly.
What else has she misremembered? How has her faulty memory clouded her judgment? If she can’t remember things as she thought she could, what does this mean for her decision-making up to this point? This is the type of introspection that viewers been missing from Belly, as her narration has been mainly absent this season. Overall, TSITP Season 3 Episode 6 is a nice addition to the series that lays the groundwork for where the second half of the series is heading.
Best Moment: The wound cleaning scene. No question.
Worst Moment: Belly being rude when she saw the stationery. I know you have your issues, but come on, girl, be nice!
Best Needle Drop: “False God”.
Episode MVP: Matt Malloy, the gaffer for this episode. Conrad was beautifully lit in that last scene. Thank you for your service.
Quote of the Episode: “There’s a lot of world to see, Belly.”
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'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 3, Episode 6 Review
'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 3, Episode 6 ReviewThe Sour Patch Kids (Pros)
- The episode explores character motivations in new ways.
- The stakes are raised in interesting ways.
- Lola Tung and Chris Briney once again bring the chemistry.
The Swedish Fish (Cons)
- The episode moves somewhat slowly.
