TV & Streaming

[This story contains major spoilers from the series finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty, titled “At Last.”]

Amid Belly (Lola Tung), Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah’s (Gavin Casalegno) love triangle drama throughout Prime Video‘s The Summer I Turned Pretty, Rachel Blanchard believes Susannah “didn’t mean to cause this kind of chaos.”

Before Conrad and Jeremiah’s mom, Susannah, died of cancer between seasons one and two, she was always secretly hoping Belly, the daughter of her best friend Laurel (Jack Chung), would end up with one of her sons. But what she didn’t know was the pressure it was actually putting on Belly, as revealed in the season three finale before Conrad and Belly ultimately end up together.

“She probably saw something in both of them, and I think it was a bit of fantasy for her. But if she knew the chaos that would ensue and the hurt, she would have said it differently, I think,” Blanchard says.

Despite all the messiness after her death — from Laurel and Belly fights, and Conrad withholding his true feelings for Belly, to Jeremiah and Belly becoming codependent on each other in their relationship and rushing to get married — they all matured throughout the final season and eventually, all found clarity as individuals and with love.

Below, Chung and Blanchard unpack the drama-filled third and final season, their thoughts on the show’s ending, if Laurel would actually be open to going on a single’s cruise and their thoughts on a potential prequel with their characters.

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How does it feel to see the series come to an end after spending so many years with your characters?

JACKIE CHUNG I feel very lucky that we’re able to be here in Paris and watch it together, not only with an audience, but with each other. Because I think when I spoke to you [previously], people would ask me, “How did you feel?” I ould say it doesn’t feel over. I’m still seeing everyone. I haven’t seen all the episodes. I still have to experience those, and now this feels like a finale; it feels more complete. 

RACHEL BLANCHARD A really special finale. I’ve never had a screening for the last episode of anything, let alone in Paris and being together with everyone, so it feels really special. 

Jackie, why do you think Conrad was able to convince Laurel to come to the wedding, but she instantly shut Jeremiah down when he came earlier to ask her with Belly?

CHUNG Part of it was because I think they do have a close relationship and she really does value his thoughts and opinions, because they think similarly. He’s not impulsive, he’s very thoughtful and measured as she is, but I also think when Jeremiah and Belly came to her, it was still so fresh. Belly was still in the house. By the time she talked to Conrad, as she mentions in the scene, everybody else has turned. John was a quick one and Steven was also a quick one (laughs). I think she was feeling the loss of Belly in her home and in her life, and more time had passed. I think she was hopeful she would come around, and she didn’t. So I think he came at an important moment and was able to just push her further to the other side. 

Rachel, knowing Susannah knew the way Conrad felt about Belly, what do you think she would have thought about Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship?

BLANCHARD I think she would have thought they were too young to get married. But I think Susannah would have been supportive of whatever her kids and Belly wanted to explore. I don’t think she was set on Conrad at all costs. 

There’s no doubt Susannah would have hated seeing Conrad and Jeremiah fight, so what do you think she would have thought of their confrontation, which turned into a resolution, at her grave in season three?

BLANCHARD I think she would have been so disappointed. She didn’t mean to cause this kind of chaos and fracture in their relationship. All I think she ever wanted was everyone to look out for each other, and maybe her message got a bit misconstrued and taken a bit too seriously. 

Jackie, why do you think Laurel hasn’t gone to visit Belly in Paris? Especially since she stayed longer than Laurel was expecting, and it’s clear she misses her daughter.

CHUNG I imagine they’ve spoken. They’re close enough that Belly’s probably given her updates. If it were up to me, I would have been there (laughs). But in terms of the story, Belly needed this time to discover who she is and to explore this Parisian version of herself, and really come into her own. I think it was important for her to be on her own without her mom voicing some opinions in her ear. 

I have to ask your thoughts, Jackie, on fans saying Belly got a Laurel bob in the finale?

CHUNG I did not hear that (laughs). No way! She looked so cute, but she could have any haircut and look so cute. She’s so beautiful. Laurel would be like, “Twinsies!” And then Belly would be like, “Ugh. I’m going to change it.” 

Rachel, since Susannah has only been seen in flashbacks since season one, was it hard playing this character that is essentially still the glue that brings everyone together, but now as a memory?

BLANCHARD I knew it was going to be like that because it’s based on the books. But it wasn’t hard. It was just really fun. For a while I was just doing dying scenes and those got sad and are pretty heavy. So even though I really enjoyed doing it, they were interesting scenes to do. I also really loved doing the scene at the bar [in season one.]  

Do you think it was wrong for Susannah to push for Belly to be with one of her sons? Especially since viewers learn in the finale that this has been an internal fear for Belly.

BLANCHARD I don’t know if Susannah knew they were interpreting it as pressure. If she had known that, she would have maybe expressed it differently. She probably saw something in both of them, and I think it was a bit of fantasy for her. But if she knew the chaos that would ensue and the hurt, she would have said it differently, I think. But I also think she’d be happy they ended up together, but only if they both really wanted it. She didn’t want it at all costs. 

In episode 10, fans started to panic when Belly’s dad, John, had some heartburn, leading them to theorize that he may have a heart attack in the series finale as a reason for Belly to come home. Did you all see those theories, and if so, what did you make of them?

CHUNG We did see and hear about those. It never crossed my mind at all. I think it’s so amazing that fans are so invested and also that they want to know so badly what’s gonna happen in the story that they’re just so open to creating theories, but that was a very unexpected one. 

In the finale, it seems like Laurel is on good terms with John and Adam. Since she’s now an empty nester, what do you see next for Laurel? Maybe she’ll actually go on that singles cruise Adam suggested?

CHUNG I don’t know if Laura would go on that singles cruise (Laughs), but I think she is open to exploring different relationships and building probably new friendships, not just romantic relationships, and hopefully more professional goals for herself. She has so much room to grow even at this age and stage of her life. And the three of them, they’ve been in a family already for decades, so they will always be family. They do fight and bicker and they know the annoying things that each of the other one does, but there is always going to be a closeness between the three, and I think they can have a good time together sometimes. 

Maybe the Summer I Turned Pretty movie should just follow them on this singles cruise.

CHUNG I actually would love to see a movie of the singles cruise. 

BLANCHARD Yes! That would be really funny. 

With this newly announced movie to wrap up the story, what do you know about that so far?

BLANCHARD I don’t know anything about it, but we’re excited about it.  

CHUNG Yeah, we just know that it’s happening, but we don’t know any other details. 

Did you know about the movie going into filming for season three?

BLANCHARD I’d heard rumors, but you can never put stock in rumors because there are so many all the time. So yesterday was the first time that I officially heard. 

CHUNG Yeah, that it was happening for sure.

Do you think fans can expect to see Belly reunited with Laurel and her family since we didn’t get that in the season three finale?

CHUNG I would love to see Belly reunited with her family. I know we saw Laurel and Jeremiah make up and connect, but I’d love to see more of them too. I feel like everyone thinks Laurel skews more Conrad, but she really does feel close to both of them. 

BLANCHARD And I’m so curious to see what happens in the wake of everything, but then it would also be fun to see, like in season one when we were all together in flashbacks, what brought them to where they are, but some of the fun stuff.  

CHUNG A full family dynamic would be lovely to see. 

Jackie, with Laurel knowing everything Belly has gone through with love, what do you think her reaction was to learning she and Conrad got back together?

CHUNG She would be half surprised and half knowing. But still holding firm to her belief that Belly should take her time. She should see if this is indeed the right relationship. She should pursue her studies and her career, and then see how it plays out. 

What are your thoughts on a prequel series with your characters that I know fans have suggested? And who would you want to play your younger selves?

BLANCHARD I think it would be really fun to see when they first met, so I’d love to see a prequel. I thought Maddie Ziegler and then someone also mentioned Elle Fanning. 

CHUNG And I recently saw Maybe Happy Ending, so I was thinking maybe Helen J. Shen from that [Broadway] show. I think she’s pretty brilliant. 

What would you hope to see explored with your younger characters in a potential prequel?

CHUNG I think it’d be interesting to see how Laurel decided to become a writer. Obviously, how she met everyone in her life, all these important relationships. There’s mention of John and the basement wedding (Laughs). I would love to see that. 

BLANCHARD I’d love to see where [Susannah] was with her art and the decision to let that go for a little while, and really the beginning of our friendship. 

CHUNG That and the styles. I’d like to see the wardrobe. 

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The Summer I Turned Pretty is now streaming all three seasons on Prime Video. Read THR’s coverage here.