This summer Amazon Prime released season 2 of the hit show “The Summer I Turned Pretty”. Based on a book trilogy by Jenny Han, the show follows teenager Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) as she goes into her first summer after a noticeable improvement in her looks, all while noticing other bittersweet differences between this summer and previous ones.
During season one, Belly visits Cousins Beach with her family to stay with her mom’s best friend and her two teenage sons, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno). As the summer progresses, Belly notices that both brothers have a newfound interest in her. After the unexpected ending of season one, Belly is forced to go back to her way of life before the monumental summer, leaving her developing romances with Conrad and Jeremiah behind while she returns to school. Throughout season two, Belly is conflicted over which brother to choose.
With the release of the second season, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is “one of the 10 most watched seasons of any series ever on the service” according to Amazon Studios’ press release from Aug. 3rd. It is not only popular on Amazon Prime but has also been trending on social media sites, with teens and young adults giving their opinions on the central love triangle. With all the online popularity and viewer feedback the show has been receiving, it makes people ask the question, “What is it that makes this show so entertaining?”
In the past two decades, the media has seen many iconic love triangles, from the beloved movie “The Notebook” to the forever iconic “Twilight Saga”. Recently this trope has been showing up even more frequently, appearing in other trendy shows such as “Never Have I Ever” on Netflix. These movies and TV shows all feature love triangles where the main character favors one of two supporting characters. While there is some media divide between ‘Team Conrad’ and ‘Team Jeremiah”, most fans are firmly Team Conrad.
“Conrad makes Belly blossom and he brings out a side of her no one else really does,” senior Isabel Briscoe-Brun said. “Conrad has had his faults, but Jeremiah is so cringey and can’t flirt for his life. Jeremiah only noticed Belly the summer she ‘turned pretty’, while Conrad has loved her since they were kids.”
Those who are ‘Team Jeremiah’ have a similar defense when asked the same question.
“Team Jeremiah 100%,” senior Breariana Foster said. “Jeremiah always went out of his way to make sure Belly was okay.”
But one thing most fans agree on was the unplanned creation of ‘Team Anti-Belly’. As of recently, most fans have taken a liking to ‘Team Anti-Belly’ and believe that both brothers should put themselves first.
“I’m anti-Belly. Conrad was grieving the whole part of their relationship and Belly couldn’t understand that,” junior Kate Donderis said. “But at this point, she doesn’t deserve either of them.”
