‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season 2 Goes to New Heights with Character-Centric Outing

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

This feature contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 Episode 4, “Love Game.”

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 Episode 4, “Love Game,” takes a breath after the emotional rollercoaster of its three-episode season premiere, resulting in an episode all about character. With a teleplay by Scarlett Curtis and Isabel Sandoval directing, this teen drama wins the argument that “filler” episodes are meaningful.

Given how competitive the ensemble of characters is, this is a point they should be proud to have in their favor. “Love Game” carves space for levity and character exploration that make growth worthwhile.

Most of the main plot — with the fight for Susannah’s beach house — takes place off-camera, and no big-swing moments move the romantic stories forward. But The Summer I Turned Pretty still earns that final blow in the episode’s closing minutes and lands some heart-stopping pivotal scenes because of the journey it takes.

Shortened TV seasons often lead to fewer “filler” episodes (ones that aren’t plot focused), but The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 prioritizes an adventure that values the characters’ personal lives and the world-building that comes with them.

Cousins comes alive at the boardwalk that now holds memories for every character.

So much happens in any sequence (though not entirely related to the plot) that it’s worthwhile to rewatch certain scenes to catch it all. For example, Taylor and Steven have understated moments as they lag behind the group that highlight how much time they spend together — and how well they’re getting to know each other.

The glimpses at their developing dynamic make it rewarding to see Taylor catch Steven’s reaction to the broken AC or Steven react to Taylor’s comments about a sexier prize. The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 slowly and surely makes it challenging to deny that Steven is falling harder, even though Taylor fell first.

“Love Game” doesn’t include a major confession between Steven and Taylor that moves their story forward, which is a relief for many reasons. Instead, The Summer I Turned Pretty lets the narrative unfold at a pace that gives Steven and Taylor time to recognize and name their feelings — and for Taylor to end things with Milo.

For now, it’s good enough that The Summer I Turned Pretty notes that Steven and Taylor see each other, even when they don’t realize it.

That’s why “filler” episodes support specific arcs, like slow-burn relationships. They can amply explore characters’ depths, with which “Love Game” succeeds with Laurel. Though the episode appears to reignite the spark between her and Cleveland, the best aspect of their scenes is the door they crack open for Laurel.

Cleveland’s openness and vulnerability encourage Laurel to reflect on her unwillingness to do the same with Belly. Although a brief part of “Love Game,” that character work informs much of Laurel’s dynamic with Belly this season. Not to mention, it defines (some of) the weight Laurel carries in the grief of her best friend.

The heaviness of that loss looms large over all the characters. The boardwalk becomes a literal level playing field for them to reconnect after the tumultuous fallings out and fallings back together on the first three episodes.

The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2’s three-episode season premiere showcases a sharper love triangle between Conrad, Belly, and Jeremiah so they can have a little more fun during “Love Game.” The script and Lola Tung and Christopher Briney’s performances infuse Belly and Conrad’s scenes with a necessary light-heartedness.

Belly and Conrad’s chemistry organically emerges in the competitive setting, making the flashback of Belly’s first heartbreak one of many crushing juxtapositions tucked into the episode. TV is all about seeing characters change and grow with longevity, and that BellyConrad comparison underscores the journey’s importance.

It’s nice that this breather of an episode can build on The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s debut season and flashbacks to examine the duality of character and story over time. The characters can have smaller, meaningful moments that add to the bigger checkpoints. So, with “Love Game,” everything that happens later matters more.

The episode details the fluctuations between BellyConrad and Jelly that fortify both as viable points in The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s central love triangle. The use of Katy Perry’s “Never Really Over” scores the infinite connection between Belly and Conrad, while a gut-punch drop signifies a subtle shift between Belly and Jeremiah.

Tung plays Belly’s look of recognition that something has changed in her perspective of Jeremiah so well that the Tower of Terror’s drop just after is a perfect final touch. That sequence pairs nicely with Belly choosing the giraffe — Mildred, if you will — instead of another Junior Mint because she’s “not 13 years old anymore.”

The details are exquisite; they’re not pointless because they have less to do with plot.

Like Cleveland and Laurel, The Summer I Turned Pretty permits its teens to act like teenagers. They spend the day eating ice cream, playing laser tag, and making memories they will look back on later in the season — and series. That freedom hasn’t always been theirs since they shoulder the burden of trying to save the beach house.

The lean into blissful naivety makes the episode’s closing brutal. Cam Cameron tells Belly, which he knows from experience, that “Fun is important. Very important.” Still, that doesn’t ease the pain and guilt of the cold confrontation with adulthood and grief upon returning to the beach house with every trace of Susannah’s touch gone.

It’s like a rubber band snaps the characters back to reality — back to The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2’s overarching plot. 

So, yes, this episode is “filler” in that everything that occurs during “Love Game” isn’t big or flashy. It’s not all wild cliffhangers or sweeping romantic gestures that define relationships. Instead, it’s chock-full of building blocks that elevate character.

Without connective conversations, stolen glances, and low-stakes interactions, the monumental moments lose edge — something this show’s 22-episode counterparts, like The O.C., Dawson’s Creek, or One Tree Hill, often recognized. So, with “Love Game,” The Summer I Turned Pretty solidifies its spot in the ranks of great teen dramas.

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The Summer I Turned Pretty streams new episodes every Friday on Prime Video.

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