In Season 3, Episode 5 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, the story pivots around Conrad Fisher’s inner life as he joins Belly on a day of wedding errands and reflects on choices that have shaped his relationships and his heart. The episode is narrated from his perspective, giving viewers a deeper look at the emotional undercurrents that have been building all season.
Conrad’s central struggle in this episode is his growing awareness of regret and unresolved feelings, especially as Belly prepares to marry Jeremiah. As he helps out around the Cousins Beach house — often in ways meant to keep himself busy or out of sight — Conrad’s narration reveals how much he wishes he’d handled the past differently, particularly in how he dealt with his feelings for Belly over the years. Flashbacks to moments like teaching young Belly how to ride a bike underscore how long and deeply those feelings have been with him.
While Jeremiah is tied up with wedding details, Conrad refuses to ride with Belly into town, choosing instead to keep his distance. This avoidance is part of his larger pattern of pushing people away rather than confronting the messiness of the past, a pattern he has to reckon with as the episode unfolds.
Belly, for her part, navigates the practical stresses of planning a wedding without Jeremiah by her side — who is stuck at work helping with important reports, and without Taylor’s help, as her friend deals with her own obligations back home. The episode lightly touches on other subplots, like family dynamics and secondary character moments, but Conrad’s internal reckoning with what might have been is what anchors the narrative.
By the end of the episode, viewers get a sense that Conrad’s regrets are not just about lost chances with Belly, but also about his own reluctance to be vulnerable and face what he truly wants. The episode uses small interactions and Conrad’s introspective voiceover to paint a picture of a man caught between love, fear, and the possibility of finally acknowledging his truth, even if it comes with pain.
This installment stands out for how it deepens Conrad’s emotional arc, showing that behind his sometimes aloof exterior is someone wrestling with the consequences of choices he wishes he could change.
