The Summer I Turned Pretty Recap: The Taylor Show

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In the realm of both fictional characters and real-life individuals I’ve encountered, none exude the charisma and spirit of a main character quite like Belly does, making her the undeniable star in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” However, there are instances when the narrative shifts focus, such as in “Last Supper,” where the story revolves around Taylor, a bright and resilient girl, brought up by a young single mother. With the weight of pseudo-parenting her mom, navigating complexities with Steven, her turbulent yet potentially enduring love interest, and dealing with Belly’s erratic confessions, Taylor, much like an ordinary college junior, is simply trying to navigate life’s challenges.

At the beginning of the episode, Taylor is on the verge of starvation as she impatiently waits for Belly at the coffee shop because Belly, preoccupied with her rendezvous with Jeremiah in his Pottery Barn Teen “Surfer Dude” room, is running late. Given that the purpose of their get-together is to console Taylor following her breakup with Steven, it’s especially frustrating for her. However, before she can lament about love being a fallacy, Belly surprises her with her engagement news, leaving Taylor bewildered and asking questions like “What the hell did you say?” and “Oh my God, are you pregnant?” Naturally, these questions might arise in this situation, but Belly takes offense. As a result, Taylor now has to juggle keeping this secret and dealing with Belly’s anger on top of her existing emotional struggles.

In another development, Steven, who’s been part of the will-they-or-won’t-they scenario, is currently recuperating at home following his medically induced coma, under the watchful eye of his mother. She’s considering setting a parental lock on his Slack account, oblivious to the fact that in the VC world, even when recovering from a serious health issue like a medically induced coma, one continues to work tirelessly. It’s hard to express how fully recovered Steven is after being put into a medically induced coma. He feels everyone is overreacting about his health situation, except for Taylor, who he expected more understanding from.

1) It’s clear that Taylor only gives Steven the occasional flirtatious comment as she leaves, following an apology to Belly. On the other hand, Steven can regain Taylor’s favor with just a bit of consistency. Unfortunately, both seem to be acting foolishly. As for Taylor’s mother, Lucinda (who might appear younger due to her persona, but is actually 45 years old and could realistically have a 20-year-old daughter), feels compelled to intervene. Though Taylor leads Team Jellyfish, Lucinda holds the reins as CEO and President of Staylor Inc. She decides it’s best to contact Steven directly, inviting him over to assess her nail salon business accounts since he has a background in business. However, Steven is not easily fooled and requests that she email the accounts instead.

It’s quite fortunate that Lucinda is so dedicated to her work and sends books via email to Steven, as it turns out she’s on the verge of financial collapse. Her ex-boyfriend has left her business in ruins, leaving her nearly penniless. Steven proposes a loan to help them out, but Taylor rejects this idea because it’s inappropriate. However, Lucinda suggests reaching out to Meemaw, and while Taylor is hesitant, there seems to be a mysterious character named Meemaw involved. Taylor is reluctant to ask for financial aid from Meemaw as it may come with conditions attached. Although I anticipate that Taylor will eventually agree to let Steven assist them in obtaining the loan, thus learning to embrace affection, we’ll first need to catch up with our principal characters. The reference to “Gilmore Girls” at the start of the episode is a bit confusing given the storyline’s similarities to the show, but it adds an interesting twist.

Primarily, Belly and Jeremiah were struggling with the timing and method of informing their families about their engagement and also organizing Mother Susannah’s 987th memorial service. They chose to make the announcement during the memorial since it would gather everyone together. However, things didn’t go as expected. I was all set to criticize Belly for misjudging the situation and causing the turmoil, but Dick Dad shows up. And Dick Dad is such a jerk that he monopolizes all the resentment in the room, leaving none for Belly, Jeremiah, or even Conrad. By the way, California seems to have improved Conrad’s temperament; he’s no longer bitter about Agnes keeping the job he was let go from.

Initially, Laurel volunteers to cover the dinner bill, prompting Dick Dad to order an expensive surf n’ turf and seafood tower. In an attempt to balance the extravagance, Belly opts for a tomato bisque. The toasts that follow are quite noteworthy, starting with a passive-aggressive one directed at Laurel. She counteracts this with a boastful toast about Steven, a Princeton semester scammer who survived medically induced coma. Dick Dad then honors his favorite son Conrad, followed by a toast from Laurel for Belly, who travels to Paris frequently. In response, Dick Dad belittles Jeremiah for amusement. With no other option, Belly declares that Jeremiah is planning a wedding with her in August, bringing some resolution to the situation, albeit temporary, as she stands by him.

Instead of chaos breaking out, there’s an uproar. Dick Dad mistakenly believes Belly is pregnant, but his reaction is uncalled-for. Laurel ponders why they can’t adopt a cat instead if they’re eager to advance their relationship. Belly is puzzled since wasn’t this what Susannah had always desired? Laurel essentially tells Belly, “Forget about dinner, hop in the car.” Now, isn’t it questionable to confine a 20-year-old adult? In other words, isn’t this essentially abduction? I concur with Laurel forcing Belly into her car for principles, given she has a bandage with floral prints on her leg; she’s not mature enough to be someone’s spouse. However, we’re only encouraging a Baz Luhrmann “Romeo + Juliet” scenario now, and good luck freeing Belly from this emotional entanglement while she’s locked in her room.

Among all responses to Belly and Jeremiah’s engagement, Conrad’s reaction is the most dramatic – he says nothing at all, instead choosing to stand in the parking lot, gazing off into the distance with “No Surprises” by Radiohead playing softly in the background. Naturally, this is exactly what happens.

Good Luck, Babe

I enjoy a storyline where a Golden Boy meets his match in the real world as much as any empowered woman, but it seems to me we need more reality checks than just a slightly disappointing first job that’s still connected to my desired career. I’m thinking of characters like Steven and Conrad; they could use a significant setback or challenge.

To make sure Jeremiah knows how excited she is about their engagement, Belly continues to loudly proclaim it even when there’s no one around to listen.

Belly and Laurel are creating a “memorial board” for Susannah. Here’s an idea: at my funeral, I’d rather have just one, I don’t want any eulogies or speeches. Instead, let’s share all of the funniest moments from these recaps that we remember.

It’s just hilarious how Belly made fun of Laurel for her 2003 side-bangs and then copied the worst 2003 hairdo herself!

The poster for Steven’s “10 Things I Hate About You” leaves me puzzled. For some reason, I felt compelled to jot down my thoughts about it.

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2025-07-24 00:57