Season three of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” is in full swing, and once again, Jenny Han proves she’s playing the long game – with genius precision. This series is a television adaptation of Han’s book series, a story of Belly Conklin stuck in a love-triangle with two brothers, Jeremiah and Conrad. The books have Belly ending up with Conrad, but Han has previously stated that the television version isn’t a direct recreation. This leaves fans wondering: just who will Belly choose? One thing is clear though – Han has been leaving clues along the way.
Here’s a quick refresh if you aren’t quite caught up.. Belly had previously dated Conrad, after a lifelong crush on him. They eventually break up, and Belly starts dating his younger brother, Jeremiah. Currently, in the season, Belly is still with Jeremiah, and they are set to get married at the end of the summer. But, many are speculating that Han’s clues point more closely to the original book ending, or Conrad.
One of the most prominent clues is the use of colors throughout the entire series. As fans have noticed, the color red is primarily used to symbolize Conrad, and blue for Jeremiah. Fans speculate that the red is meant to represent more passion, while blue is comfortability. Which doesn’t really mean anything, until you notice another color symbolism.
In the first season, Belly’s mother, Laurel, makes a comment to the Fishers’ mother, Susannah, that “For Belly, Conrad is the sun, and when the sun comes out, the stars disappear.” This sets in motion sunshine, or yellow, to be representative of Belly’s love for Conrad.
In the most recent episode, “The Last Dance,” is in the perspective of Conrad, the first time fans have been let into his point of view. At one point Belly is seen wearing a red bathing suit (!!) and another part shows Conrad playfully tossing her a yellow rag. That color representation continues throughout the entire episode, leading up to one of the most important scenes – the peach stand.
Conrad is driving Belly down the road when he notices her admiring a peach stand off to the side. He asks her if she wants to stop, she says no and he does so anyway. Not before making a U-turn, which could mean nothing, but many believe it’s a return for their love of each other. They approach the peach stand which is set in front of a field of yellow and red flowers. Coincidence? I think not.
But one of the most telling moments? After Belly finishes her first peach she says to Conrad “This is a perfect peach. I almost don’t want to have another one, because there’s no way it can be as good.” Conrad then says that she should test it out, and fans believe this is symbolic of their relationship.
All signs point to Conrad – even the promotional pictures. In Belly’s solo poster, she is seen wearing a yellow dress. Perhaps for the sun?
The series finale is set for the second week of September. Until then, fans are left only to speculate if these clues really mean anything. But, does Jenny Han ever do something coincidentally?
