Love Triangles. We all know them, and we all love them. The current love triangle in most teen conversations right now is most likely from the popular Amazon Prime show “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The series is based on the book series written by Jenny Han in which main character Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) gets stuck in a love triangle with her childhood friends, brothers Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney).
The Conklin and Fisher families spent every summer at their beach house, and Belly couldn’t help but grow a burning love for Conrad after all the years.
On the other hand, in regards to Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship, she had seen him as no more than a best friend, or so she thought.
Right now, the world is torn on who the better suitor is, and the conversation’s crept its way into the newsroom:
Grace: Anyone who believes that Conrad Fisher is the better choice for Belly has to love toxic men. Jeremiah on the other hand is the definition of a golden retriever boyfriend. He’s always happy to see Belly and willing to do whatever it takes to make her smile. Whereas Conrad is often moody and sometimes even rude to Belly. We see this in the first season of the show as Belly starts expressing herself more. While Jeremiah hypes her up and encourages her to break out of her shell, Conrad makes Belly feel as though she’s just a little kid, frequently telling her to “grow up” throughout the series.
Myajah: People can call Conrad toxic as much as they want, but regardless of that, it provides for an entertaining plot. And, toxic doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s incapable of love, it just means that he shows it differently. Throwback to season 1 real quick, when Jeremiah nearly blew up Belly and Conrad with fireworks on the Fourth of July to stop them from kissing. I don’t think that it gets more toxic than that. Also, to say that Conrad was “moody” and “rude” would be unfair considering he was dealing with the burden of being the only one to know that his mother was battling cancer. You can try to paint Conrad to be this villain as much as you want, but at the end of the day, he’s just a growing teen with an overwhelming amount of responsibilities.
Grace: Belly always has to fight for Conrad’s attention, but Jeremiah is always willing to be there for her. In season 2 Jeremiah stays home with Belly while she’s sick, despite having plans with his friends on the boardwalk. This further proves the fact that her and Jeremiah have had a stronger bond than her and Conrad since they were kids. This is also evident in season 1 when Belly shows up at the first bonfire of summer. While Conrad barely even notices when Belly arrives, Jeremiah lights up in excitement and even leaves the girls he was previously talking to behind to greet her.
Myajah: Seeing that Jeremiah and Belly have had a strong friendship since they were young, Even though Jeremiah had claimed to be in love with Belly the whole time, he didn’t start showing any signs of real interest until a few episodes into season one after he noticed Belly and Conrad’s relationship developing. It seems as though the two might be confusing platonic love with real love. It is clear that Conrad is the better choice because of the deeper connection that they have. In season 2, episode 1, Belly and Conrad share the first phone call of many. Despite him being in college and them being miles away from each other, that didn’t stop them from talking for hours every night, confiding in one another about things that they didn’t feel comfortable talking about with anyone else. I guess what they say is true: absence does make the heart grow fonder.
Grace: Jeremiah spent his whole life feeling second to Conrad, so sitting by and watching the girl that he was in love with fall for his brother only fueled his inferior feelings. In season 2, episode 3, Conrad took Belly to her Junior prom, and by the end she was left heartbroken. He was acting unlike himself in the weeks leading up to prom, and was clearly not as invested as Belly was. Not only did he forget when prom was and to order his tux, but he also forgot her corsage. Later on in the season, Jeremiah emphasizes that he would have never done that, and would treat Belly ten times better than Conrad ever has.
Myajah: For those who have watched the show, it is no secret that Conrad has very poor communication skills. Since we’re discussing the prom scene, it’s important to mention that the reasoning for Conrad’s behavior was because he was overwhelmed by his mother’s dwindling condition. It’s also pivotal to note that he too was devastated by the end of the night, as he and Belly had just broken up. However, Steven, Belly’s brother, who witnessed the entire prom ordeal, declares multiple times throughout season two that he was team Conrad. He says that unlike Jeremiah, who happens to be his best friend, Conrad “challenges her.” Jeremiah and Belly’s relationship is very lustful, whereas her and Conrad’s has substance. He and her help to bring out different sides of each other.
Grace: Conrad fans also bring up Jere’s love for Cam Cameron and assume that because you couldn’t see his issues with Belly dating Cam, his issue with Conrad and Belly is based on jealousy. I think his love for Cam stems from the idea that he just wants to see Belly with a good guy, even if that isn’t him. Seeing as the entire family knew Belly had been in love with Conrad for years, it’s unlikely that Conrad never knew about her feelings for him. That being said, Jeremiah doesn’t want Belly to be with someone who’s kept her waiting for years when what she deserves is someone who knows what they want.
Myajah: They say that first loves never really go away, and that holds true for Conrad and Belly. During one of their phone calls, they both agreed that they could never be with someone who didn’t make them feel “fireworks.” Their love is electric. Neither brother is perfect, but let’s be real, Conrad has always been the right answer.
