For the last two months, we’ve been doomscrolling The Summer I Turned Pretty content like it’s our part-time job. Every week sparks a new discourse: Taylor’s suspiciously crunchy hair at Belly’s wedding, the infamous raspberry coulis cake, or why Anika was ever introduced just to vanish without a trace. The show has mastered the art of rage-baiting, dangling messy subplots for us to dissect and discuss on a growing number of subreddits. But buried beneath all that noise is the real gem of season three: Denise Russo.
From her first scene in Adam Fisher’s office, Denise feels different. While Steven and Jeremiah are too busy performing their respective neuroses, she is focused, ambitious, and already ten steps ahead. A tech sis who could casually hatch a start-up plan before lunch, she radiates competence in a show that so rarely allows its characters to act like functional adults. Watching her manoeuvre through the boys’ drama without getting sucked into it feels like spotting a rare species: a Cousins character with actual boundaries.
What really stands out is how the show’s creators give Denise more dimension than some of the leads. In one episode, she bumps into Steven on the train wearing a bubblegum-pink outfit and a pearl necklace while on her way to a gaming event, a space dominated by hoodies and dude-bro energy. It’s such a small detail, but it speaks volumes. Elle Woods would be proud.
Denise and Steven’s subplot is honestly the season’s best side quest. Their banter has that perfect “are we about to kiss or are we about to launch a start-up?” tension, which is a blessed relief from Steven’s never-ending merry-go-round with Taylor. And when they finally do kiss and realise there is no spark and mutually decide to move on without making it messy and awkward? Iconic.
Plus, Denise isn’t written into a corner either. When she shows up at Cousins for the wedding weekend as Steven’s plus-one, for a second it looks like the show might saddle her with the classic “I just get along with guys better” energy. Instead, she swerves. She blends in with the groom’s party, lets Taylor whisk her off to the bridal crew without hesitation, and proves she can hang with both sides without losing herself. It’s girls’-girl energy done right.
Denise even manages to be Jeremiah’s accidental therapist. While everyone else is ready to dismiss him as the Fisher brother least likely to succeed, she gives him empathy, perspective, and actual solid advice about heartbreak. And now the finale looms with a tiny flicker of tension between the two. Is the show about to toss Jeremiah and Denise into a “wait, what if…” situation? Personally, I hope so. So yes, tomorrow’s finale will still circle back to Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah. But let’s not forget who season three’s real MVP is: Denise with her pearls, her pink fits, her bullet-point business plans, and her Big D energy.
