In the latest installment of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" (TSITP), aptly titled "Love Fool," we get a taste of Jeremiah's perspective. It is a refreshing shift from Belly's usual narrative. Jeremiah unveils his enduring affection for Belly and the grief engulfing him after the loss of his mother, Susannah.
See Also: The Summer I Turned Pretty - S2, E4 Recap
The episode begins with Jeremiah in a state of disbelief. He is exploring the void left by his mother in the now-vacant family beach house. His Aunt Julia, driven by the necessity to hasten the property's sale, has enlisted movers to clear out the Fishers’ possessions. Their father endorsed this decision. The boys find it difficult to accept this reality, and it casts Julia in an unfavorable light.
Confronted with homelessness for the night, Jeremiah suggests the country club as their makeshift sanctuary. Special thanks to the good-natured Cam Cameron who gets them inside using his mother's ID. Within the club, the gang splits up to source sleeping arrangements, comfort items, and sustenance. Jeremiah finds himself grappling with emotions when Belly pairs off with Conrad. This throws him back to a time when he passively allowed Conrad and Belly's relationship to blossom, despite his own feelings.
Jeremiah has always felt overshadowed by his brother. Therefore he's taken aback when Belly chooses to spend time with him in the club's screening room. They engage in playful shadow puppetry, recall memories of Susannah, and share a LaCroix drink using Twizzlers as straws. It is an intimate moment.
Meanwhile, Steven and Taylor, despite her ongoing relationship with Milo, are having a flirtatiously charged conversation. An impromptu slow dance under Frank Ocean's "Moon River" leads to a romantic interruption when Conrad and Jeremiah come in looking for them.
Jeremiah's mind wanders back to a Thanksgiving evening. The sight of Conrad and Belly's couple-like behavior had ignited a secret resentment within him. This prompts him to express his discomfort at being around them.
In the present, Conrad, preoccupied with financial concerns, hatches a plan to buy back their beach house. He reaches out to Liam Meyer, a kid who managed to gain access to his trust fund for a lavish car purchase. He hopes for legal advice to access his own funds.
Back in the screening room, tensions rise when Taylor attempts to make an apple bong with some found cannabis. The situation diffuses into a relaxed walk to the golf course, where a game of Truth or Dare unfolds. The game takes a poignant turn when Cam reveals his deepest regret of not spending enough time with his late sister. This forges an empathetic bond with the Fisher boys.
Unable to sleep, Belly engages Jeremiah in conversation, questioning his reluctance to kiss her during the game. Jeremiah admits his fear of losing control of his emotions if they were to kiss.
Jeremiah recollects a time when he witnessed Belly's prom photoshoot via FaceTime. His heart aches at the sight of his brother neglecting her. A touching exchange with his mother prompts him to promise never to let anything stand between him and his brother, underlining the deep-seated loyalty he holds.
Interestingly, Belly refers to a quote by Amelia Earhart during their earlier country club exploration, the same quote his mother had shared with him. This realization that Belly and his mother truly understood him leads Jeremiah to hope for a future where he is Belly's choice.
However, reality strikes the next morning when they discover that their Aunt Julia has already sold the beach house. Despite their last-minute attempts to contact lawyers and access their trust fund, they are too late. The loss of their family home cements the end of an era and a bitter start to a new chapter.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
