Author and showrunner Jenny Han has explained why the iconic peach scene inThe Summer I Turned Prettyseason 3, episode 5, “Last Dance,” had to be filmed at the perfect moment.The Summer I Turned Pretty’s “Last Dance” is a game-changer: the episode is narrated by and filmed from Conrad’s (Christopher Briney) point of view, giving insight into his lingering love for Belly (Lola Tung).
In a scene lifted almost directly from the third book in Han’sSummertrilogy,We’ll Always Have Summer,Belly and Conradmake a pit stop at a countryside peach stand. As Belly eats, Conrad wipes the fruit juice off her chin with the bottom of his shirt, a seemingly innocent yet sexually-charged and intimate move.
During an interview withVariety, Han, who also directed the episode, explained the painstaking process of getting that scene right, which included rescheduling the shoot several times and timing production to coincide with the setting sun.
“We rescheduled that shoot date three times because we picked the location and they told us the flower beds were going to be up by a certain date, and then the weather just wasn’t cooperating. So it was just a dirt patch. And I was like, I’m not doing the scene without the flowers. We needed that. And then where the sun was going to be setting, we just needed it all to light up exactly how we needed it. That was one of the times when it’s very fortunate that I’m the showrunner, because I was able to say, ‘We need to reschedule!’ Luckily, they came up beautiful. The flowers really add to the magic of the moment. And we knew we had a really short window to get what we needed with the sunset and magic hour. So, it was really about 15 minutes. We were doing run-throughs, our DP Sandra Valde-Hansen would drive by on the way home during sunset, just to be sure we knew exactly where the sun was hitting and timing it. She was a really wonderful partner for me, as a first-time director, because she was just as invested, and she knew how important it was to me to get it right and make it as beautiful as it could be.”
Why The Peach Scene Is So Important In The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3
Han’s dedication to getting the peach scene right inThe Summer I Turned Prettyseason 3, episode 5, is understandable. The scene isn’t just important because we’re seeing Belly through Conrad’s eyes for the first time. It’s also vital to the story because it’s the moment when Belly’s repressed feelings and attraction to Conrad are reawakened.
Though it’s subtle, Belly has a physical reaction to Conrad’s proximity. As “Last Dance” marks the halfway point ofThe Summer I Turned Pretty’s third and final season, it’s the perfect time to reintroduce those feelings. Belly may be planning her whirlwind wedding to Conrad’s younger brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), but for Belly,“Conrad is the sun.“She just needed to be reminded why.
Our Take On The Peach Scene In The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, Episode 5
The Summer I Turned Prettyproduction crew’s dedication paid off. It’s a beautifully romantic scene, one with far-reaching narrative implications for Belly, Conrad, and, by extension, Jeremiah. Briney’s and Tung’s performances sell the tension; Conrad’s yearning, in particular, leaps off the screen. The sunlit visuals combined with The Rolling Stones' “Wild Horses” make for a genuine triumph.
Hopefully, as we jump back into Belly’s perspective in the next episode, we’ll get to see the scene from her point of view. Conrad has always been a romantic hero in her eyes. What was going through her head when Conrad stepped so close to her? How will she deal with spending more time with him asThe Summer I Turned Pretty’s story continues?
New episodes ofThe Summer I Turned Prettyseason 3 premiere on Wednesdays exclusively on Prime Video.
