Americans have spent hours debating ‘Team Selena Gomez or Team Hailey Beiber’, to ‘Barbie or Ken’, maybe even ‘Team Stefan or Team Damon,’ the newest cultural rivalry has emerged for their entertainment within the scenes of Jenny Han’s popular TV show The Summer I Turned Pretty (TSITP).
Initially a book published in 2009, TSITP follows the story of two families connected by their mothers’ friendship: the Fishers and the Conklins.
While the show often leaves viewers cringing, fans, like myself, are blinded by investment in the show’s love triangle between Belly Conklin and the two Fisher sons: Conrad and Jeremiah.
Throughout season one, the main character Belly, a 16-year-old teen, and her family spend the summer at the Fisher Beach house in Cousins, Cape Cod. During this season, the crush Belly has fostered for Conrad is revealed to the viewers. All while, Belly and Jeremiah, share a passionate kiss, leaving viewers and other characters confused. Searching for answers, the swarm of fans turned to the establishment of brother fandoms: Team Jeremiah OR Team Conrad, with nothing in between. While this competition for Belly’s love carries itself throughout the eight jampacked episodes, the brothers’ mom, Susannah, gets diagnosed with cancer. Conrad, who accidentally finds out, becomes consumed by her diagnosis, leaving him emotionally unavailable and, therefore, distant from Belly. At the same time, neither Belly nor Jeremiah are aware of Susanah’s health concern, adding dramatic irony to an already thick plot line. Season one ends on one of the worst cliffhangers: a surprising kiss between Belly and Conrad, despite the lingering relationship she holds with his brother. This season finale left Jeremiah fans in tears and Conrad fans on the edge of their seats for season two.
Junior Emily Williams mentions the agony she felt in the year between the newest season: “I was so invested in the show, and then all of a sudden it just ended. I was left impatiently waiting for Season Two to come out to discover what happens between Jeremiah and Conrad.”
July 14 was a crucial date for the fandom: Season Two Episode One dropped. This episode, titled “Love Lost” is illustrated through flashbacks, as it displays Belly’s long lasting relationship with Conrad.
However, throughout the season her feelings she continued to display feelings for both brothers, and it grew evident that Belly had to make a decision.
Would Belly be Team Conrad:
Senior Guya Babila, an incredibly passionate Conrad stan states, “I Guya Babila, am team Conrad.” She continues, “I am team Conrad because, throughout the whole second season, you can truly see the deep love that Conrad feels for Belly. He has genuine feelings towards her, unlike Jeremiah who craves the competition.” She rebutes, “Even though Conrad has hurt Belly’s feelings in the past, he only did that because he was scared, and was holding the secret of his mom having cancer.
Or, Would Belly be Team Jeremiah:
Senior Molly Turboff, and Jeremiah aficionado, disagree, “Jeremiah is the better option because even when he was hurt, he had continuous love for Belly, and that’s what she needs. He never failed to be respectful or tentative of her feelings, whereas Conrad lashed out at her multiple times.”
While both Babila and Turboff, along with many other TSITP devotees carry strong opinions in relation to this love triangle, Jenny Han makes it clear that Team Jeremiah took home the trophy at the end of the day, with a season 2 finale that affected many. But, Conrad enthusiasts have not lost hope, with junior Emily Williams sharing, “[I] don’t think this is the end of the love triangle.” So for now, the saga continues…
