The Summer I Turned Pretty fans are finally getting answers about why one memorable Conrad and Belly moment didn’t feature the Taylor Swift song they expected.
Executive producer Jenny Han, who created the show and wrote the book series that inspired it, recently offered insight into why she saved Swift’s “Snow on the Beach” for later in season 2.
Fans initially expected to hear the Midnights track in a flashback sequence which showed fan-favorite couple Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Belly (Lola Tung) arriving at Cousins Beach in the winter while snow is falling. Han, 43, opted for the Folklore hit “Invisible String” instead.
“[The episode] was very controversial because everyone wanted me to play ‘Snow on the Beach,'” Han told Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday, December 7. “That was not the vibe!”
Han eventually incorporated the 2022 song four episodes later when Belly went through an emotional spiral after she found herself caught between her feelings for both Conrad and his brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). The moment resulted in a tense confrontation where Belly and Conrad finally address what led to their breakup.
“[There was a] bittersweetness [to] it and the sadness is that they had this perfect moment on the beach and then returned to that and being so far apart,” Han noted about the second scene, which was also set on the beach. “When you hear those bells at the beginning of ‘Snow on the Beach,’ it’s almost like a faraway memory. That night [in episode 2] is. I was always going to put it in [episode 6] because it’s a reminder of the last time they were there and now they are just worlds apart.”
Director Sophia Takal also weighed in on bringing that heartbreaking conversation to life.
“We talked about mirroring certain elements [from the episode 2 scene], but having the emotions change. The emotional collaboration of the scene is so different. I think there needed to be that catharsis that comes from this fight and also that moment that Belly realizes how much has changed,” she told the outlet. “Jenny and I talked a lot with the actors about that moment you realize things could’ve been different, but they’ll never be able to be the way you wanted them to be and make that feel real.”
Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty focuses on Belly and her brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman), who spend the summer visiting a beach house belonging to their childhood friends Conrad and Jeremiah. After initially having a crush on Conrad, Belly’s life gets more complicated when she finds herself developing feelings for Jeremiah.
Han, who is a self-proclaimed Swiftie, has discussed how the show’s viewers influenced its soundtrack.
“I think for me just as a fan, to be able to give the book fans that moment is what is really meaningful to me, because if you’re a fan of The Summer I Turned Pretty, I’m pretty sure you’re a fan of Taylor Swift,” she told The Wrap in June 2022. “And I know this because so many fans have asked me to put her music on the show and I just never knew if we were going to be able to or not. So when we were, I just, I couldn’t believe it. That’s probably the most excited I’ve been in the whole process and the fact that we got like five total, which I’m really excited for the fans to see, because it will be like, I think maybe unexpected at times at certain big moments.”
Season 1 used Swift’s discography for romantic cues revolving around Belly’s crush on Conrad, with “Cruel Summer,” “Lover,” “The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version)” and “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” setting the scene as the characters fell in love.
The second season of the hit series, which premiered in July, raised the stakes with nearly twice as many Swift songs. Some of the selections included “August,” “Sweet Nothing,” “Delicate (Taylor’s Version),” “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” and “Exile.”
