Summer Change. It's the theme of the whole show, but The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1 Episode 7—titled "Summer Sunset"—is where the breezy Cousins Beach vibe finally hits a brick wall. Most people remember this as the "Debutante Ball episode," but honestly, it’s a total wrecking ball for every single character's emotional safety. If you’ve been following Belly’s journey from the girl in glasses to the girl caught between two brothers, this is the payoff. Or the payoff that hurts, anyway.
Everything leads to the ball. The white dresses. The stiff waltzes. The awkward corsages. But while the surface is all glitter and tradition, the subtext is heavy with grief and secrets that have been rotting under the floorboards of the summer house for weeks.
The Dance That Changed Everything
You know that feeling when you're watching a scene and you just know it’s going to be the one fans edit on TikTok for the next five years? That’s the waltz. Belly is standing there, ditched by Jeremiah. He’s MIA. The music starts. She’s humiliated. Then, Conrad steps in. It’s the moment shippers had been dying for since the pilot.
But let’s be real for a second: Conrad stepping in isn't just a romantic gesture. It’s complicated. Conrad has spent the entire season being "moody" (which we later find out is actually just paralyzing depression and anxiety over his mom), yet in this one moment, he chooses to show up. The way they look at each other while Taylor Swift’s "The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version)" plays is peak Jenny Han. It’s cinematic. It’s also incredibly messy because we know Jeremiah is currently having his entire world shattered off-screen.
Jeremiah finds his mom's phone. He sees the emails. He realizes Susannah’s cancer is back and she’s been hiding it. While his brother is playing the hero on the dance floor, Jeremiah is alone in a hallway realizing his mother is dying. That contrast is brutal. It’s why the episode works. It isn’t just a teen romance; it’s a story about the end of childhood.
Why Susannah’s Secret Matters More Than the Love Triangle
A lot of the discourse around The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1 Episode 7 focuses on whether you’re Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah. Honestly? That’s the least interesting part of "Summer Sunset." The real heart—the part that actually makes you cry—is the revelation of Susannah’s illness.
👉 See also: Ted Nugent State of Shock: Why This 1979 Album Divides Fans Today
Susannah and Laurel have been clinging to this "one last perfect summer" idea. It’s beautiful, sure, but it’s also kind of selfish. By keeping the boys in the dark, they didn't give them time to process. When Jeremiah punches Conrad at the ball, it isn't just about Belly. It’s about the betrayal of silence. Conrad knew. Jeremiah didn't. That gap between them is what triggers the physical fight in the middle of the most formal event of the year.
The acting here by Gavin Casalegno and Christopher Briney is underrated. You can see the shift from "angry teen" to "broken child" the second the truth is out in the open.
The Aftermath on the Beach
After the chaos of the ball, we get that final scene on the beach. It’s quiet. The colors are muted. The "Summer Sunset" title finally makes sense because the sun is literally setting on their innocence.
Belly and Conrad finally talk. Truly talk. No more cryptic comments about him being "different" this year. He admits he couldn't tell her because he didn't want it to be real. And then, the kiss. It’s the culmination of years of Belly’s pining. But it feels heavy. It doesn't feel like a "happily ever after" because the house they’re standing in front of is about to become a place of mourning rather than a playground.
Breaking Down the Soundtrack
Music is a character in this show. Period. In episode 7, the choices are surgical.
✨ Don't miss: Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus Explained (Simply)
- "This Love (Taylor’s Version)" – This isn't just a song; it’s the anthem of Belly and Conrad’s inevitability.
- "When the Party’s Over" by Billie Eilish – Used during the realization of Susannah's sickness. It grounds the show in a way that feels much older than its target demographic.
The use of Taylor Swift throughout the season reached a fever pitch here. It’s not just about the "vibes." It’s about how those songs articulate the internal monologue of a sixteen-year-old girl who doesn't have the words for how much her heart is breaking and expanding at the same time.
What Most People Get Wrong About Conrad’s Behavior
People love to hate on Conrad in Season 1. They call him toxic or "too much." But looking back at Episode 7 with the knowledge that he was carrying the weight of his mother’s terminal diagnosis alone? It changes everything. He wasn't being a jerk to Belly because he didn't care; he was pushing her away because he felt like he was drowning.
In "Summer Sunset," we see the mask slip. When he’s dancing with her, he’s happy. For like, five minutes. Then the reality of his family situation crashes back in. It’s a nuanced portrayal of how grief starts before the person is even gone. It’s called anticipatory grief, and the writers nailed it.
The Visual Storytelling of the Debutante Ball
Director Erica Dunton did something clever with the framing in this episode. Throughout the season, Cousins Beach is bright, overexposed, and golden. The ball is different. It’s artificial. The white dresses look like shrouds. The lighting is colder.
Even the way Belly is dressed—traditional, pearl-adorned—feels like a costume. She’s trying to fit into this world that Susannah loves, but the world is already crumbling. The visual irony of everyone looking "perfect" while their lives are falling apart is what makes this episode the strongest of the first season.
🔗 Read more: Big Brother 27 Morgan: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes
Actionable Insights for Fans and Rewatchers
If you’re going back to watch The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1 Episode 7, keep an eye on these specific details that set up Season 2 and beyond:
- Watch Laurel’s face during the dance. She knows the secret is about to come out. Her stoicism is actually a shield.
- Notice the physical distance between Conrad and Jeremiah. Even when they are in the same room, they are on completely different planets until the punch happens.
- Pay attention to Belly’s inner monologue. This is the moment she stops being a passive participant in her own life and starts making choices, even if those choices hurt people she loves.
- Look at the house. In the final shots, the house looks smaller. It’s no longer the infinite sanctuary of their childhood; it’s just a building.
The episode ends not with a resolution, but with a shift in gravity. The love triangle is still there, but it's been eclipsed by the reality of mortality. It's a bold move for a YA show, and it's why we're still talking about it years later.
Next Steps for Deepening Your Understanding of the Series:
To truly grasp the emotional weight of "Summer Sunset," compare it directly to the Season 2 premiere. Notice how the color palette shifts from the golden hues of the ball to the grey, somber tones of the present day. Additionally, reading the second book in Jenny Han's trilogy, It's Not Summer Without You, provides the internal dialogue for the brothers that the show portrays through subtext and acting choices. Understanding the legal and medical realities discussed by Laurel and Susannah in the background of the party also sheds light on why the adults made such polarizing decisions regarding the "secret."