photo courtesy of @thesummeriturnedpretty on Instagram
BY MEGHAN BAEHL, OPINION EDITOR
From the beginning, I was Team Conrad. But after the most recent season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” I am now the unofficial president of Team Jeremiah.
For those who haven’t seen “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” (Have you been living under a rock? Be honest!) there are now two seasons on Amazon Prime Video that follow teenager Belly Conklin and the Fisher boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. They are in a classic love triangle, much like Damon, Stefan and Elena in “Vampire Diaries.”
I should preface that I am by no means a Conrad hater or a Jeremiah apologist. Conrad sucks and Jeremiah is still cringe, but this past season I was fighting for my life. Like the presidential election of 2020, there was no good choice.
Going into the show’s second season, I knew my standing as a Team Conrad member would enter choppy waters. I have read the books in passing — which means a long time ago and skimming them because boy, oh boy, can Jenny Han write a snoozefest.
But enough about the lovely Han. That is not what this article is about.
In the show, Belly has a best friend named Taylor, and she is diehard Team Jeremiah. I used to hate Taylor, because she was annoying in the first season, but now she is exciting and a really good friend to Belly. I know that is what contributed to my shift from Team Conrad to Team Jeremiah.
I don’t want to give away too many spoilers, because I know you are just dying to watch the show, but Conrad is the definition of “boys ain’t s-—.” He is moody and unpredictable and not at all what Belly needs. She needs Jeremiah. He is sweet and considerate of Belly’s feelings. He has loved Belly as a friend longer, and he is more deserving of her affection.
That being said, Jeremiah isn’t great about communicating his feelings, and he purposely does things to get between Belly and Conrad.
But I am such a sucker for love, man. I know that Jeremiah and Belly are going to crash and burn — but it will all be in the name of love. And I think that’s beautiful.
baehlma21@bonaventure.edu
