This article contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2.The Summer I Turned Pretty creator Jenny Han explains why Minnie Mills’ Shayla is absent from season 2. Han is the author behind The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy, which was made into a hit TV series of the same name by Prime Video in 2022. The first three episodes of the show’s highly anticipated season 2 premiered on July 14 and quickly established that quite a lot has changed since season 1. In particular, viewers noticed that Shayla, one of the main characters in season 1, was absent from the show.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Han explained why Shayla isn’t in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2, despite being mentioned. Before the season premiere, Mills had already announced she was leaving the show. However, Han shed more light on the situation, revealing the show had tried to get Shayla back for at least one episode. However, the schedule was very tight, and the focus is also supposed to be on Belly’s (Lola Tung) journey. Hence, Shayla’s return didn’t pan out for season 2. Check out Han’s statement below:
There was one episode that we were trying to get her for, but it didn’t work out, which is unfortunate because we would’ve loved to have given a proper send-off to Steven and Shayla’s relationship. There are a lot of characters from season 1 that we really wish we could have seen more of this season, but the challenge of season 2 is the tight timeline, which is just over a week. The other challenge is the really narrow focus of the book storyline — it’s a story that’s about Belly’s grief and her journey to forgiving herself, and every other story in the show has to radiate out from that. Grief can make people turn inward and really look at the people that are nearest and dearest to them, people that have been there all along, and this season is going to reflect that.
What Does Shayla’s Departure Mean For The Summer I Turned Pretty?
Considering how prominent Shayla was in The Summer I Turned Pretty and the outpouring of support Mills received upon announcing her departure, the show had to address her absence. In season 1, Shayla was the girlfriend of Belly’s older brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman), and they had a turbulent relationship. Steven cheated on Shayla early on in their relationship and was also very insecure about his family not being as wealthy as Shayla’s. Even though they ended the season as a couple, whether they would stay together was one of the biggest questions that remained for The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2.
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2 answers this question quickly by revealing that Steven and Shayla broke up between seasons. A reason for the breakup has not been given, but Steven seems to be handling it all right. In fact, he will be off to Princeton in the fall and is looking forward to starting his college career. Some viewers may be wondering if Steven’s and Shayla’s break-up will open the door to Steven and Taylor (Rain Spencer) reuniting.
In season 1, Taylor was the girl Steven cheated on Shayla with. Meanwhile, Taylor was upgraded to a main character in season 2. However, it doesn’t seem The Summer I Turned Pretty will go this route, as Taylor introduced her new boyfriend, Milo (Will Spencer), this season. Hence, viewers must wait to see if Steven gets a love story or remains single this season. With Han mentioning that growth and grief were a big part of season 2, The Summer I Turned Pretty might slow down on the love triangles and delve into some deeper themes.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
