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Episode 8 “Last Kiss” Details
- Available On: Prime Video
- Public Release Date: August 27, 2025
- Director(s): Katina Medina Mora
- Writer(s): Sarah Kucserka
- Check out our page for this series, featuring more recaps, reviews, and articles.
Storylines/ Recap
- It’s Belly’s wedding day, and as she wanted, all secrets between her and Jeremiah come out, and once all is laid bare, they decide not to get married.
- With Denise and Steven kissing and feeling nothing, they recognize their compatibility as people and focus on how they will be partners in business, not love. Thus opening the door for Steven and Taylor, who begin to rekindle things before the wedding was called off.
- Lastly, using the voucher Laurel gave her, Belly seemingly was on her way to Paris but then she sees Conrad at the airport. Leaving you to wonder if he knows about the wedding being off, and whether she may jump ship again.
Review and Commentary
Highlights
Being Able To Accept The End Of Denise and Steven [83/100]
I appreciate the depiction of that often-heard backstory of two long-term friends trying, maybe them hooking up when they were in college or early twenties, but it didn’t work out. What especially makes Denise and Steven special is that we got the complete story, from the banter, to the looks, to getting this sense that there is compatibility there, to exploring it.
In my mind, we don’t get to see that enough. I’d even add, we don’t get to see that in a way that doesn’t feel like it was a drunken moment, a process of elimination scenario, or one side presenting themselves as lonely and their friend just so happened to be there. These two were rooted in something which felt like it could be real, not just a fantasy to stir the pot, and it ultimately being a friendship is something I’m not mad at.
Look at it this way, too many people think, especially if someone is their gender preference, if they get along, they recognize that person is attractive, and they feel comfortable with them in intimate settings, that person is the one. They should kiss, hook up, get married, have a family, the whole fantasy. But, therein lies the problem: A lot of us are following a blueprint, a fantasy, a storybook, not made by ourselves or in conjunction with the other person.
So when it comes to Denise and Steven and the path they took, while I would like to see a equally yoked couple, at the same time, getting to see the complete story of “We kissed once but the spark wasn’t there” feels notable, necessary, and I think could be illuminating for those in a similar situation to Steven and Denise.
The Question Of Whether Laurel Subtly Blew Things Up On Purpose [85/100]
Something I enjoy a lot about Laurel is that she can be messy and cause drama, but she does it on her terms and in a way that doesn’t feel geared towards being the victim or perpetrator. Take note of this off-and-on situation with John. You don’t damn her for playing with this man’s emotions, but unlike the other relationships going on, you don’t get the same push to see her, or them, as toxic, dysfunctional, or anything like that.
What Laurel gives is sophisticated, adult, a mature type of drama, since it seems logic and calculation are put into her actions, rather than everything being about her feelings or libido. Hence, the need to wonder, when it comes to Jeremiah being given Conrad’s letter from Susannah, was whether it was on purpose?
Take note, as close to Conrad as Laurel is, to the point of being able to read him, let’s not discount that she was there for Jeremiah throughout his life, too. Surely she knows the sibling rivalry that exists, especially regarding Belly, and how Susannah has more than enough influence to cause a fissure. Never mind that Jeremiah, who is as much still figuring himself out as Belly, has a level of insecurity that could be exploited.
To me, whether for herself, Belly, Conrad, or a combination of the three, I firmly believe Laurel knew what she was doing, and from the moment she got that travel voucher, she has been setting things up to fall apart – and I lowkey respect it. Heck, I don’t even know whether to see her as a villain in all this.
Emotional Cheating v. Physical Cheating [86/100]
Because of Jeremiah physically having sex over spring break, and how the act of physical cheating is seen as one of the greatest taboos, I think we, as a collective, disregarded how long Belly was emotionally cheating. Which, in some ways, can be a bit worse.
Take note, we’re not giving Jeremiah a pass or saying that his knowing about Belly lying about Christmas, and his insecurities, justified him starting a fight so he could party and hook up with another girl. However, the big thing about emotional cheating is that it allows you to gaslight people and present the idea it is all in the other person’s head since there is no concrete evidence.
You can share a moment with someone, live out your fantasy, feelings, and desires, and as long as nothing physically happens, you can tell yourself you did nothing wrong. But, when it comes to Conrad and Belly, it isn’t like if they were Steven, Taylor, and Denise, and Steven was with Taylor, but there was this banter and connection with Denise that caught him off guard – all parties knew what they were doing.
Conrad still harbored feelings and, as we said in a past episode, he teased and emotionally pushed, if not manipulated, Belly to make the first move, so he could say she kissed him. But, at the same time, Belly, knowing what was still lingering, didn’t create firm boundaries. She still engaged with Conrad, knew he was playing games, like when he repeatedly acted injured after the fin incident, and she entertained it.
Heck, taking note that John wasn’t like Laurel and was willing to support her, Belly could have long called her dad, hoping he’d give her a place to stay, if she truly wanted to avoid enabling Conrad’s pursuit of her. Yet, instead, she spent Christmas with him, a good part of the summer, almost as if she wanted to live out those childhood dreams one last time as a gift to herself.
Conrad Being Nice To Kayleigh [80/100]
I’ll admit this is a very minor thing, but I do like the fact that it seemed most came around when it came to Kayleigh. Conrad notably through taking note of her work, without it seeming like a dig towards her. In my mind, it was one of those rare moments where you can see Laurel’s influence on him, and an effort to recognize that, while Kayleigh isn’t innocent in her part of Adam’s affair, he wasn’t the one who was married.
On top of that, while she may never evolve into an affectionate term, Kayleigh has also shown herself not to be a gold digger or to have done anything to actively disrespect Susannah’s influence. She presents herself more as someone who met the potential right person at the wrong time, thus having a complicated and messy relationship like everyone else, than someone who should be seen as a woman who should be burned at the stake to show your loyalty to Susannah.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [83/100]
With 11 episodes this season, it means roughly three hours left to see what becomes of Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and the rest. Will there be another time jump? Is it possible that the show will stick to how the book ends? The excitement for the next episode has yet to cease, and we can’t wait to get answers to all our questions.
Video Recap/ Review Text
- Intro Slide
- Recap: Conrad’s love confession leads to confrontations as Taylor and Steven find themselves talking to him, and Taylor is left wondering if this wedding should happen, considering how affected Belly is.
- Recap: But, them addressing the situation with Conrad doesn’t compare to when Jeremiah finds out. It leads to him doing as the Fisher boys do, in walking away, with Jeremiah’s excuse being, unlike Conrad, he does come back.
- Recap: However, between Laurel potentially dealing a major blow with a Susannah letter and Belly, once again, struggling to have a real conversation with Jeremiah about their future, the wedding is off.
- Recap: As a silver lining, though, Denise and Steven kiss, there are no sparks, and he eases his way back to Taylor. Not as a backup, to lick his wounds, but potentially picking up from where they were before the accident.
- Review: While I liked Steven and Denise as a couple, seeing the rare depiction of two people equally yoked, I also appreciate the depiction of the classic “We kissed and decided just to be friends” story play out in full.
- Review: Also, the push for viewers to recognize, just as Jeremiah physically cheated, Belly emotionally cheated, furthered why the relationship wasn’t going to work, and made it clear that blame could be equally distributed.
- Review: With that said, I don’t think we can side-step Laurel’s role in what happened. Her giving Jeremiah the letter meant for Conrad, whether that was for Belly’s sake, Conrad’s, or because she knew it would blow up the wedding, was diabolical.
- Review: But, lest we forget, the adults are as messy as the kids, and for Laurel, as shown by how she is off and on with John, she isn’t above causing drama if she thinks she is in control.
- Overall (83/100): With three episodes left and the question of how The Summer I Turned Pretty will handle the fallout, it seems undeniable that this show will end with a bang and earn(ed) its pedestal as one of Prime Video’s best series.
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