An article by Lara Walsh
The finale episode of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’(TSITP) has claimed pride-of-place in my calendar since early August. On the fateful night, three of my childhood friends came to my flat and we bundled up on my singular, IKEA sofa with Tesco-brand ice-cream to watch our ‘Bonrad’ dreams come to life. It was an experience akin to (I imagine) the final of the Premier League or Superbowl Weekend.
As we watched Belly stroll through Paris with heartthrob-of-the-season Conrad Fisher, a certain nostalgia filled the room. A bygone day where cinema and television were communal, social events, not eternally available through a £7.99 monthly subscription. Where family and friends would devote themselves to an episode or movie, where the watching formed the experience itself. With the increased accessibility of visual media comes a sense of ease that removes it from its past. We joke that an ideal evening is spent with two to three screens and a cup of tea; the idea that we could last a ninety-minute movie without the dual stimulation of TikTok or Instagram Reels becomes frighteningly ambitious.
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ was released on a weekly basis. A break from the cycle of binge-watching, the show returned to an older model of anticipation and excitement. The resulting product was a pleasantly agonising week of debate and yearning towards the next. Whilst there is something undeniably impressive at the modern efficiency with which film and TV are produced and disseminated, there is likewise a truth to the phrase ‘good things come to those who wait’. To wish for something, to have the patience to commit even when there are easier alternatives, made TSITP a memorable, formative event of summer 2025, as opposed to yet another teen drama that will inevitably dissolve into the mish-mash of discourse in a few years.
Storytelling is a pivotal mark of human nature, from finger-painting on cave walls to Corbet’s 215-minute ‘The Brutalist’ (2024) to 15-second short-form online content. It is how we share emotions and experiences, and form deep, meaningful connections with others. Though times change, the desire and need to storytell has not. Until very recently, families would commune around a central television, flicking through a limited number of channels, watching a variety of shows, and butting in with thoughts and opinions.
But what does this mean for television? Will the success of TSITP prompt a reharking back to previous ages, similar to the resurgence in vinyl records and film cameras? Platforms like Letterboxd and TikTok provide infinite avenues to deepen engagement and understanding of consumed media (if you’re anything like me, your ‘for you page’ has been recently flooded with Belly edits and hot-takes); the community persists.
Forbes commented on the future of TV, emphasising the importance that we ‘don’t just watch, but that we connect, share and experience stories together’ (K. Valory, The Future Of TV Is Social, 2024). Whether that comes in the form of families gathered around a singular screen to bemoan the latest episode of Coronation Street, or online watch forums with live commentary, it seems we have an innate disposition to share and discuss the things we watch. Following its success, winning ‘Bingeworthy Show of the Year’ at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards and becoming the ‘most-completed’ show on Prime for women aged 18-34, there is a strong argument for the nostalgic nature of communal television.
Whether you are Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah (although, after becoming one of the most hated men in TV, ‘Jere Bear’ stans are an increasingly rare breed), ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ brought back a lost art of visual media. Hearing my flat echoing with shrieks of excitement and despair, it reminded me of days spent at my grandma’s, watching yet another age-inappropriate, excessively violent thriller on her carpet. Sprawled with bellies on the floor and legs kicking behind us, we would sit through Sunday afternoon football and endless cooking shows, waiting impatiently for our movie pick. TV and film are personal experiences; they make us turn inward and question the beliefs we guide our lives by, but they are infinitely better when shared. And from the cave walls to the subscription era, we become closer as humans when we congregate.
The Violet Post 
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