The Summer I Turned Pretty Fans Spot A Gilmore Girls Parallel

It’s easy to see why many Gilmore Girls fans love The Summer I Turned Pretty. Both shows follow a young woman in an idyllic East Coast town as she grows up and navigates a polarizing love triangle.

But according to several fans, the latest episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 took those similarities up a notch. Here’s why viewers are seeing Rory and Jess in Belly and Conrad (or #Bonrad), and what it might mean for the show’s looming conclusion.

Conrad’s Jess-Coded Moment

In the Aug. 20 episode, “Last Hurrah,” Conrad overhears Jeremiah’s friends talking about how he slept with Lacie over spring break. He tracks down Belly to tell her— only to find out she already knew.

This troubles Conrad, who says it’s not like Belly to forgive such a betrayal. “Belly, your wedding’s at a f*cking country club! Who are you?” he yells during their impassioned conversation on the beach.

Several viewers on social media were reminded of the Gilmore Girls Season 6 moment in which Jess — like Conrad, an ex-boyfriend — questions Rory’s decision to leave school and get caught up in Logan’s social scene. “I know you better than anyone. This isn’t you,” he says. “What are you doing? Living at your grandparents’ place, being in the DAR, no Yale — why did you drop out of Yale?”

(Sorry, it’s more like: “WHY did you DROP out of YALE?”)

The comparisons have gone viral, with one TikTok user writing that they’ve “been waiting for conrad to have his jess mariano moment.” It’s even blocked very similarly!

Jess’ speech is a fan-favorite scene among Gilmore Girls fans, and an important turning point in the show. Soon after his comments put Rory’s internal conflict in sharp relief, she changes course and gets back to herself — making up with her mom and re-enrolling in school.

Similarly, Belly has been feeling torn during the run-up to her nuptials. In fact, the Episode 6 scene where she visits her wedding venue and wistfully watches the young girls getting ready for the debutante ball felt reminiscent of the moment in Gilmore Girls where Rory sees new students touring Yale after she’s dropped out. In both cases, there’s a gnawing sense that something isn’t quite right.

Cousins Beach Meets Stars Hollow

If you’ve been watching closely, this isn’t the first time the worlds of Gilmore Girls and The Summer I Turned Pretty have collided. Earlier in the season, when Taylor returned home from school, her mom, Lucinda, said she was excited to watch Gilmore Girls together.

Back in Season 2, fans quickly noticed that Belly’s cozy Thanksgiving sweater looked a lot like one Rory wore on Gilmore Girls. Whether or not it was an intentional nod, Jenny Han — the author of The Summer I Turned Pretty books — is a fan of the show, recently telling Brit + Co that she ships Jess and Rory. “I think everyone knows ... like, come on! It’s Jess,” she said.

Indeed, it’s hard to imagine that the scribe who so lovingly depicted a romance with a brooding but tender-hearted suitor is anything but a Team Jess girlie.