Spoilers below.
After last week’s emotional roller coaster of a season 2 premiere, The Summer I Turned Pretty coasts into lighter territory in episode 4, “Love Game.” It is summer after all, and now all the kids are gathered in the beach town they’ve grown up in together. Between the grief and real estate battle, the Fishers, Conklins, and co. learn that there might be room for a little bit of joy, too.
But first, the series picks up right where episode 3 left off, with Conrad in the middle of a panic attack on the beach. Steven has followed him outside and starts talking to him to help him calm down. (He opts for a memory of his first time learning how to surf.) Conrad has been having more panic attacks since his mother, Susannah, died. Turns out, this latest one was triggered by his discovery that he got into Stanford. It should be good news—this is something he and his mother had dreamed about for years—but Conrad doesn’t want to leave his brother going to college on the East Coast alone. Jeremiah doesn’t even know that Conrad applied to Stanford.
The next morning, Aunt Julia is already in the house with Sky, preparing for the open house. She maintains that the house will be put on the market. Even though she gets a little nostalgic seeing Conrad’s room, which used to be hers, Julia maintains that the house will still be up for sale. She lives on the West Coast, thousands of miles away from the property, and can’t afford to maintain it.
To Conrad’s chagrin, the realtor arrives; but to his relief, the open house is canceled when they realize the AC is broken and there’s a forecasted heat wave. While Julia handles the maintenance issue at home, the kids head to the boardwalk with Sky in tow. Belly invited them, hoping to charm them and change Julia’s mind. Jeremiah approves.
The boardwalk is a bit of a fraught landmark for the Fisher-Conklin clan. It’s where Belly, Steven, Conrad, and Jeremiah used to compete against each other in made-up tournaments. (The last time they were there she cried, threw up, and had to be carried home.) It’s where Belly had sweet memories with Susannah and her own mother, Laurel. It’s also where Belly had her heart broken at age 13; she and Conrad went together—alone—but he just wanted to see the girl at the ring toss. (He still won Belly a stuffed polar bear though!)
There are hard memories for Sky’s side of the family also. Julia always hated the boardwalk, but Susannah loved it. Sky is being kind of a downer until the kids decide to throw another tournament: it’s Belly, Taylor, and Sky versus Steven, Jermiah, and Conrad. On the program? Laser tag, capture the flag, arcade, basketball, DDR, and go-karts. Oh, and a reunion with season 1 sweetheart Cam Cameron. (His whaling internship fell through, so now he works at the arcade.)
As the ice melts between Sky and their cousins, the group reminisces about the last time they all saw each other. It was about a decade ago, the first Christmas after their grandfather died. Their mothers fought, leaving Julia and Sky to leave early Christmas morning. Susannah was hurt because her sister left; Julia was hurt because Susannah wanted a perfect Christmas, seemingly dismissing their grief and the painful history between them.
Belly and Steven make their own realization about their mother. For the first time, they see someone in public reading one of Laurel’s books. Steven reveals to Belly that their mom went to the New York booksellers’ convention after all, but she was nervous, which Belly doesn’t believe. He tells Belly she’s wrong about their mom.
Over in New York, Laurel’s potential nerves are eased when she runs into Cleveland Castillo (Alfredo Narciso), her love interest from season 1. Over drinks, she vents that she doesn’t know how to help Belly cope with Susannah’s death. Cleveland encourages her to let Belly know that she’s not alone in her feelings, but Laurel doesn’t want to scare her with caliber of her grief.
At the end of the competition, Belly’s team loses, which means she has to ride the Tower of Terror as punishment. Luckily, Jeremiah volunteers to keep her company. Despite some playful banter between Belly and Conrad this episode, the sparks between her and Jeremiah are more powerful than ever. She realizes that Jeremiah has always been there for her, including the time when she was sick one summer and he stayed at home with her (and even built a fort!) until she recovered. On the ride, they hold hands and give each other reassuring—and totally romantic—looks. Even Taylor notices watching from below.
When it’s time to go home, Cam reminds Belly that “fun is very important” in the midst of their sadness. Conrad comes to a similar realization in the car with Steven. He’s not fully comfortable with the fact that he enjoyed himself when he should be grieving, but he knows that his mom wanted them to be happy. Steven, on the other hand, can’t help but note that he caught a vibe between Conrad and Belly. (He should talk; he and Taylor were flirting too. She even guessed that he purposefully broke the AC to sabotage the open house.)
The euphoria was short-lived. The fun’s over when the group returns to the beach house. All the furniture is gone—the house is completely empty.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
