This season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” ccaptured me as a fan of both the books and actor-narrated audio-books. The show was a faithful translation from book to screen, with changes that served the story rather than took away from it.
Han’s involvement allowed for the show to become something other than a copy and paste of the books. For example, all members of the main cast were aged up four years after the ending of Season 2, whereas the third book only utilizes a two-year jump. The change allowed for more character evolution and maturity in the story. Han also expanded Taylor Jewel and Steven Conklin’s relationship, whereas the books were more centered on Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly. The show gave a well-rounded story where all the characters were important to the plot.
For Swifties – fans of singer Taylor Swift – and hopeless romantics everywhere, the soundtrack of the show was almost as important as the plot itself. With the usage of “Dress” by Swift, the show’s creators turned what could have been a simple, intimate reunion into a religious experience as it captured the emotion between Conrad and Belly perfectly.
Swift is known by her fans to drop “Easter eggs” that give hints about future music, music videos and when she’ll make public appearances. She does this both in her words and in her fashion, sometimes even utilizing nail polish to hint at a new album.
Han regularly cites Swift, specifically her album “Fearless,” as integral to her own writing process for the series. As a Swiftie herself, Han incorporated many Easter eggs in the visual storytelling of the show through the costume design.
The costume design was particularly expressive, as the color palettes would often refer to which brother Belly was with at the time, and hint to who she would end up with. It was widely agreed among fans that Jeremiah was blue and Conrad was red, referencing Swift’s song, “Red.” Specifically referencing the lyrics, “Loving him was red” and “Losing him was blue like I’d never known.” When Belly is in scenes with Jeremiah, she is often wearing varying shades of blue. When she is in scenes with Conrad, or thinking about Conrad, she can be found in shades of red.
In addition to the use of color in costume design, Belly wears a a yellow dress in the last scene of the final episode when she stands with Conrad. This references a line from Season 1 in which Laurel, Belly’s mom, says, “For Belly, Conrad is the sun. And when the sun comes out, the stars disappear.”
The set was also indicative of the plot. The significance of infinity was woven throughout the episodes in many forms.
The addition of the Easter eggs contributed to making the show into the phenomenon it was. Many creators on TikTok and Instagram are posting and dissecting the Easter eggs they included and sharing their reaction to each episode as they dropped. With the encouragement of watch parties, the target audience of young women started to include fathers, boyfriends and brothers sharing their emotions regarding the show.
With the series coming to a close, fans everywhere are overjoyed at the announcement of a movie that will continue the story, where there will be more Belly and Conrad content, giving the fans their own infinity.
