<i>The Summer I Turned Pretty</i> Season 3, Episode 3 Recap: The News Is Out

Spoilers below.

After last week’s surprise proposal, Belly and Jeremiah start season 3, episode 3, “The Last Supper,” celebrating young love with a classic morning makeout in bed, before Belly has to rush off to meet Taylor. Before she goes, the newly engaged couple discuss how they’ll break the news to everyone. First, Jeremiah asks Belly to marry him again, this time with an actual ring. Belly is just as enthusiastic about her “perfect” diamond, which is more like a grain of sand.

Taylor isn’t doing as well after her fight with Steven. She meets Belly at a coffee shop, where she tells Belly she wouldn’t take Steven back if he begged...unless?! Belly, showing off her incredible sense of timing, can’t keep her good news in and shares her engagement with Taylor, who loses it. After asking if Belly is pregnant, she wonders why they’re rushing into marriage, landing on Steven’s accident as the obvious catalyst. (Lola Tung has suggested something along these lines during her recent ELLE interview, too.) Belly then says she wants to get married in Cousins this summer, which Taylor points out is very fast considering how recently Jeremiah got busted for cheating. Belly won’t take the advice and leaves to meet her dad, John, annoyed with her friend and still convinced she and Jeremiah will be together forever.

Steven is trying to log on to work during bed rest, but gets blown off by his co-worker. He is not adjusting well to quiet recovery. Laurel busts him and reminds him that he has a traumatic brain injury and shouldn’t be staring at the screen all day. She’s tortured by the guilt of missing the first emergency call when Steven was hospitalized—because she was in bed with John, her ex-husband.

Meanwhile, Agnes and Conrad are running buds and the red-headed young med student is proving to be very wise. When Conrad says he’s not ready to work with patients and plans to entomb himself for the summer doing lab work, she suggests he head to Cousins instead for “exposure therapy” as an antidote to his obvious love for Belly. She’s also very critical of his excuses for skipping his mom’s dedication. She tells him to go and “normalize the situation.”

Belly meets her friend Anika as she packs her dorm room in preparation for next semester in Paris and they wax nostalgic. Belly decides to torture herself by asking what Anika thinks about her getting back together with Jeremiah so soon after the cheating fiasco. Anika doesn’t fall for it, and simply tells Belly, “I trust you to make the right decisions.” Very diplomatic.

Driving to her mom’s house with John, Belly is once again tempted to break the news, even taking out the ring in the passenger seat. They end up talking about what Laurel and John were like pre-divorce, like “really in love.” John also almost spills the beans about sleeping with his ex, but saves it at the last minute.

When John sees Laurel again, she makes it clear their conference hookup was a one-time thing. After they spar, John suggests that he skip Susannah’s dedication ceremony so they can keep some distance from each other, and Laurel agrees with a downcast look. Belly checks in with Steven, trying to advocate for Taylor, but Steven isn’t having it. He admits that he needed to get off the “Taylor Jewel rollercoaster” and find some solid ground. Belly says she understands, but steals his computer away as punishment. John checks in and gets his career choice as a history professor insulted by his irritated son. He promises to get the computer back, but the patriarch isn’t feeling like a part of the family right now.

Taylor looks for some comfort from her mom, Lucinda, and discovers that she’s finally split with her boyfriend, Scott, who it seems Taylor never liked. Maybe it’s her recent breakup, but Lucinda is very insistent that Taylor needs to make it work with Steven.

That same night, Belly and Jeremiah have an awkward conversation on the phone about how they’ll tell Conrad about the engagement, agreeing everyone might think they’re crazy. (Foreshadowing.)

The next morning, Taylor visits Belly and apologizes for her reaction to the engagement news. They make up graciously then gossip about the wedding plans. Taylor says she is “ride or die” for Belly and supports her decision. She tries to show her enthusiasm for the situation and gets rewarded by Belly asking her to be maid of honor. She’s prepared with a scrapbook they made as kids for their dream wedding.

When Taylor leaves, she finds Steven on the couch and things get tense, but as they part ways, it’s clear they’re both aching to be together again. When Lucinda sees Taylor’s sadness, she calls Steven. They chat about how Steven is doing before Lucinda hits him with a business question. She asks him to come by and check out her salon’s accounting books for a financial assessment, and to work with Taylor, naturally. The only thing this leads to is Steven ratting on Lucinda to Taylor about her mom’s financial straits. After checking the accounts, he sees things are dire and warns her. Taylor confronts Lucinda for letting Scott run her business and embarrassing her in front of Steven.

Belly and Laurel look at some old photos for Susannah’s remembrance board and reminisce together. Laurel says how proud Susannah would be of Belly’s life plans, like her academic achievements and studying abroad in Paris—but definitely not her daughter marrying before turning 21. They chat about Conrad and it’s clear Belly still has some anxiety about her former lover finding out about her future wedding.

Belly gets ready for the dedication ceremony, tucking her ring away, as Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” plays in the background. At the event, Jeremiah comes through with his speech, thankfully, and Conrad shows up, surprising everyone. Belly and Conrad embrace awkwardly and then Adam, the boys’ oblivious dad, makes things more uncomfortable by calling Belly the “lil’ sis.”

Belly and Jeremiah drive to the restaurant, and Jere is worried Adam might say something else obtuse after they announce the engagement. As they talk, they decide to wait to share the news—after all, Belly’s dad is not there and she wanted to tell both of her parents together.

Adam gives Steven a card from his office and then he and Conrad have a conversation about the shifting dynamic of their families. Steven tells Conrad he wants to “make things,” not stay the eternal intern in training. Conrad says Steven is more accomplished than he is, but Steven brings up the fact that Conrad helped save his life by making a key phone call during his accident.

The vibe at dinner is rough. Laurel plans to pay, so Belly decides to skip over entrees on the expensive menu. But Adam gets high-handed and orders for Belly, choosing the seafood tower. Belly seems hyper-aware of the class difference between her family and the Fishers, and gets especially annoyed when Adam talks over Laurel after she suggests a toast.

Laurel finally gets to speak, toasting Belly and Steven. Adam celebrates Conrad, but then takes a jab at Jeremiah for being a “super senior.” Pushed to her breaking point, Belly announces their plans for a wedding in August. Laurel asks if she’s joking and Adam loses it, asking if Belly is pregnant. Conrad sits in silent horror.

Laurel suggests they do anything else besides get married. Steven is equally appalled. The seafood tower arrives, but Laurel cancels the rest of the meal. Belly and Jeremiah leave together, shaken. Laurel then keeps Belly from staying in Cousins for the summer as she had planned, splitting the lovers apart. Conrad is forgotten as everyone else drives off, left to suffer in the parking lot of the seafood restaurant. The exposure therapy has begun.