Gen Z’s ‘Sex and the City’ makes up for boring season with final episode
By Annika Salant, September 30, 2025
Author Jenny Han’s beloved “The Summer I Turned Pretty” had the most satisfying season finale I’ve ever seen.
The show wrapped up this week after a chaotic, long-awaited, 11-episode finale, leaving fans divided. Written and directed by Han, the show follows the life of Isabel “Belly” Conklin, played by Lola Tung, and her childhood best friends, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, portrayed by Chris Briney and Gavin Casalegno.
The show begins the summer Belly turns 16 and focuses on her tumultuous and ever-changing relationships with the Fisher brothers as they get older. Season two ended with Belly and Jeremiah coupled up, leaving a heartbroken Conrad feeling completely alone.
Like many Team Conrad fans, I was devastated to see Conrad lose Belly at the end of last season. The issues in her and Conrad’s relationship all seemed to stem from the death of his mother, which took place in the time jump between the first and second seasons. Her lack of empathy for him made her immaturity apparent. I wanted to see Belly step outside of herself and find the compassion TSITP fans knew she was capable of.
Season three picks up during Jeremiah’s senior year at Finch College, and Belly has been with him for the entirety of their college experiences until she finds out Jeremiah had an affair while he was on a trip to Cabo with his fraternity.
Ultimately, Belly exposes herself as an unlikable, though relatable, lead once again, as she chooses to take Jeremiah back, but this time as her fiancé. As someone who has both read the books and been patiently awaiting each season since its initial release in 2022, at times, the plot felt slow and monotonous because all the drama was unspoken. Conrad was telling everyone except Belly he was still in love with her, and he wasn’t serious about pursuing her until episode five, almost halfway through the season.
This left subplots to carry the show since most of the time Belly’s love life was at somewhat of a stalemate.
The show has been simultaneously following the relationship between Steven Conklin, Belly’s brother, and Taylor Jewel, Belly’s best friend. Their on-again, off-again relationship has been charming since it was first introduced.
That said, at times it felt like Steven and Taylor’s love story overshadowed Belly’s love triangle with the Fishers. What should have been an all-encompassing emotional rollercoaster for fans became a passive watch, which left me waiting for the show to get to the main conflict.
But at last, all the waiting and wishing became worth it by episode seven, titled “Last Hurrah.” The episode follows the events of Belly and Jeremiah’s bachelor and bachelorette parties, where Conrad word-vomits his way through a messy profession of love for Belly.
Her anger spirals from herself to Jeremiah and ultimately causes a gut-wrenching breakup for all team Jellyfish fans. With the wedding canceled, Belly runs away to Paris, where she remains by herself for a year.
It’s at this point in Belly’s life when she undergoes rapid character development, which genuinely couldn’t have made me happier. She allowed her inner child, who was so deeply wounded and defensive, to heal and become open to love again, not just romantic love, but a love that can only come from forgiveness and self-acceptance.
Something that made this season so wonderful, entirely making up for the dreariness of some episodes of the season, is how Belly became a likable lead again. It felt like I was rooting for season one Belly, who was still untouched by disappointment, heartbreak and the devastation life so often brings.
After leaving Jeremiah, Belly didn’t immediately run back to Conrad like she had in the past. Even when presented with the opportunity to do so at the airport, she made the mature decision to take some time alone. It was during her time in Paris she recognized how unimportant a relationship was in the grand scheme of her life.
As Belly forgave herself for her mistakes and toxic behaviors, the viewer was able to forgive her as well.
The final episode, “At Last,” rivaled, in my opinion, the ends of prolific shows like “Friends,” “Sex and the City” and “Gilmore Girls.” It brought resolve and the giddy kicking-my-feet feeling I haven’t experienced from a show released in the past two decades. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is a show I already feel nostalgic toward and know our generation will cherish for years to come, and thankfully it’s not over yet. At the premiere of the season finale, it was announced a film is in the works that has fans excited and speculating what curveballs Han might throw the viewer’s way.
