In a season filled with hesitation, longing, and emotional restraint, The Summer I Turned Pretty delivered one of its most powerful turning points in Season 3 Episode 4. It was not a dramatic kiss or a loud confession. It was something quieter and far more devastating. It was a choice. And that choice proved that only Belly could make Conrad break a promise.
At the beginning of the episode, Conrad has already made up his mind. He buys his airline ticket back to California the night before. He packs his things. He prepares himself to leave Cousins behind. In his mind, this is the right decision. Staying away from Belly is his way of honoring the promise he made to Susannah to take care of Jeremiah. Distance feels like sacrifice. Distance feels responsible. Loving Belly too closely feels dangerous.
Then everything changes in a single moment.
On his way out, Conrad sees Belly crying. All his carefully constructed plans fall apart. The strength he thought he had disappears instantly. Instead of walking away, he stays. That split second decision becomes one of the most important emotional shifts of the season.
The dirt bombs scene that follows feels simple on the surface, but it carries enormous weight. Belly notices the baked treats and asks, “Are those dirt bombs? Do you bake now?” As she speaks, Billie Eilish’s Halley’s Comet begins playing in the background. The music is not random. It is a window into Conrad’s mind.
Conrad answers softly, “Only on special occasions. Happy belated birthday, Belly.” When she realizes he remembered, her voice breaks with surprise. “You remembered?” And he responds with a line that says everything: “I always remember…”
That sentence is not just romantic. It is revealing. No matter how far he tries to run, no matter how much he convinces himself to stay away, he has never stopped remembering her. Belly then runs to him and throws her arms around him in a tight embrace. In that moment, Conrad’s expression shifts. You can almost hear his thoughts. What have I done?
As she hugs him, the lyrics of Halley’s Comet quietly echo the turmoil inside him. “I don’t want it, and I don’t want to want you.” That is Conrad’s internal battle. He does not want the chaos, the vulnerability, or the pain. Yet he cannot escape it. “But you’re all it takes for me to break a promise.” The song exposes the truth he cannot say aloud. Belly alone is enough to undo his resolve.
This scene marks one of the two major turning points in Season 3. Until now, Conrad’s instinct has been self denial. He pushes Belly away to protect everyone, including himself. But here, he makes a conscious decision to move toward her instead of retreating. He chooses to stay. He chooses her, even if it complicates everything.
What makes the moment even more heartbreaking is that Conrad stays while fully aware of the consequences. He feels the weight of Jeremiah. He feels the tension building. He understands that loving Belly might mean losing something else. And yet he does not get on that plane. He does not keep his promise in the way he intended.
That is what elevates this scene from teenage romance to something deeper. It is not impulsive infatuation. It is deliberate vulnerability. He knows it will hurt. He does it anyway.
Fans continue to talk about this moment because it proves that Conrad’s love has never been passive. It has always been active, painful, and deeply intentional. He did not stay because it was easy. He stayed because he could not bear to leave her crying without him there.
Sometimes the most powerful love stories are not about dramatic declarations. They are about the flight that is never taken. The promise that is broken. And the person who makes you risk everything simply by being the one you have always remembered.
