Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Summer I Turned Pretty” Season 3, Episode 11.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” series finale saw Lola Tung’s Belly and Christopher Briney’s Conrad reunite in Paris, but their initial reunion sees some initial hesitation from Belly to jump back into their sweeping romance.
It isn’t until much later in the evening, after the pair flirt during Belly’s pre-birthday dinner stroll along the Seine and share a romantic dance, that Belly’s walls come down in what Tung calls her “f–k it moment,” when Belly tells Conrad to come home with her before a steamy cab ride home and walk up to her apartment, where the action continues to the soundtrack of Taylor Swift’s “Dress.”
“It’s this real … ‘f–k it’ moment where it’s like, why not follow our hearts after so many years of just back and forth and pain, and this and that?” Tung told TheWrap on Thursday morning. “We wanted it to feel like it was this completely mutual thing that we’re just waiting for so long.”
“That’s sort of the climax … It’s what the show has sort of been building towards,” Briney said, adding that “from a work standpoint, it’s on the page, and I think it lends itself to the moment.” Briney added they worked with an intimacy coordinator who choreographed those scenes in the cab, the stairwell and Belly’s apartment, with Briney joking, “you’re just trying to not miss your mark, get someone’s light and your DP is telling you like, ‘left, Left, left, turn your head a little.’”
Their hookup doesn’t immediately lend itself to a happy ending for the couple, however, as Belly quickly shares her fears with Conrad that their love might’ve been influenced by Susannah, grappling with whether they would’ve gotten together had Susannah not passed away.
“That is something that you have to do with someone that you love and someone that you’re in love with, if are taking whatever the next step is,” Tung said. “They’re very real fears, and she’s so scared of hurting someone and being hurt again, because they’ve both experienced both of those things in different [ways] from each other. But I think it gets her to the place where she needs to be in order to be like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this thing.’”
Belly and Conrad have their sweeping, romantic reunion onboard a train — with Belly chasing Conrad this — and by the next time we see them, the couple is back in Cousins. The gaps will be filled by the upcoming “The Summer I Turned Pretty” movie that was announced Wednesday, but Tung said “no way” did Belly move to California for Conrad.
“I don’t think Conrad would ever expect her to do that,” Tung said, while Briney added, “[Conrad] was sort of there to get away anyway, so I’m sure he would find some middle ground … he got fired from his job … I know he’s got school to finish, but like …”
“She didn’t just leave Paris, because she’s been having such a lovely time there, and they spent Christmas there, because of the photos that you get at the end of the episode,” Tung said. “I imagine she spent a lot of time there, and they probably visited each other back and forth [for a] little while before going back to Cousins.”
TheWrap: Lola, now that the show is over, can you confirm if you’ve been team Conrad this entire time?
Tung: I have firmly been team Belly, and I will stick with that. I mean it so very much.
Lola, the last three episodes of the series ventured off to Paris in a departure from the books. What do you think are the biggest things Belly has learned there and how has she changed?
Tung: She’s had to really fend for herself and advocate for herself. She learned a new language. She had to learn how to be resourceful when the situation is not set up for her, because, honestly, most of her life has been great at the beach house and in Philly and, I mean, I guess besides the grief and stuff, but she’s been like the baby of the of her family, and always sort of taken care of by everyone. She’s completely on her own now, and it’s a really beautiful thing to watch her grow and meet new friends and create her own sort of little life in Paris.
What are Belly’s initial hesitations when she sees Conrad in Paris and why didn’t she let herself have that romantic reunion that Conrad probably envisioned?
Tung: She’s probably very surprised. It’s a little jarring just seeing him show up at her door — she wouldn’t have expected that in a million years, so she’s probably very conflicted, and is a little like, “What’s the next step? I don’t really know what to do. I did not expect this to happen.” She’s got her own plans. She’s got her own life. And I think also knowing that he’s here, and this is a really big gesture … something big is probably going to happen, and there’s probably going to have to be a longer conversation about everything. So she’s a little hesitant to invite him into her little world. There’s a lot to unpack — it’s scary, and I think she’s trying to keep a little bit of distance, almost in a professional way, even though they’re old friends … even though she knows deep down how she’s feeling.
Chris, what is Conrad’s perception of Belly’s hesitations, and how does he adjust his expectations for their reunion?
Briney: He’s definitely romanticized the experience in his head, and I’m sure he’s hoped for his version of the best case scenario, but I also think that there’s a part of him that knew this was a possibility, and I think he is trying to level himself and be like, “really at the end of the day, I do just want to see her” and remind himself that that’s really what he cares about, is checking up, being there, seeing how she’s doing. He’s sort of bouncing between reminding himself of what that perceived reality is until it’s not.
After Belly basically kicks Conrad out and he heads to the train, does he think it’s completely over between them?
Briney: Yeah, it’s another version of him having to remind himself, it’s not what I’ve been imagining, it’s not what I’ve been picturing. It’s not this fantasy situation that existed in my head, and I have to be okay with that, because I still want this person in my life … in the same way he accepted the wedding and accepted them being together. He thinks it’s real and over and he was probably just trying to accept that.
What’s going through Belly’s mind as she dashes to the train (wearing her infinity necklace)?
Tung: I think she knows how it’ll play out if she can make it on time. I think she’s incredibly worried that she’s missed her chance, and not that it would be the last time. You kind of have that thing sometimes where you’re like, “well, if it’s right, it’s right, it’s not, if it’s not, it’s not.” She probably still would have called it [if she didn’t make it]. She just wants so badly to not miss that opportunity again.
When did you first hear about the movie and when might it be filming?
Tung: There were whispers for a little while, but we found out for sure pretty recently. We don’t know much.
Briney: Nothing.
Tung: We know there’s a first draft that she has.
Briney: We don’t know anything about it or when.
What answers do you want about where your character goes from here?
Briney: General reconciliation. I’m curious about whether we see it or it’s addressed, I don’t know.
Tung: I want to know what’s Adam doing? Is he like good?
Briney: I think he is good.
Tung: Has he healed his relationships with his sons?
Briney: No! I think he’s really good.
Tung: Does he still have champagne from the wedding?
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on Prime Video.
