Despite reading all the books and knowing which Fisher brother Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung) will end up with, I often find myself fuming in anger at every character’s decision in author Jenny Han’s TV show adaptation of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
When Season 3’s finale airs Sept. 17 on Amazon Prime Video, we must say goodbye to the show that influenced my past three summers. While striking an interest to me for its fun, summer-like vibe, that tone is immediately abandoned at the start of Season 3 as the show takes upon a significantly more serious aspect.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” gained its popularity by pitting older brother Conrad (Christopher Briney) and his younger brother Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) against each other over who would be the best love interest for the protagonist Belly. Her mom Laurel (Jackie Chung) and the brothers’ mom Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) were best friends that spent every summer at a house in Cousins Beach, leading to the group, including Belly’s older brother Steven (Sean Kaufman), becoming childhood friends.
Tragically, it is revealed that Susannah, who had previously survived breast cancer, has once again been diagnosed with it during Season 1 and passes away before Season 2.
Despite everyone knowing Belly has loved Conrad her whole life, in Seasons 1 and 2, she starts getting her feelings mixed up between him and Jeremiah. After a failed six-month relationship with Conrad between the two seasons, she starts a relationship with Jeremiah that goes on for four years by the start of Season 3.
Though Jeremiah is not necessarily a bad boyfriend to Belly, at least before the third season, they lack depth to their relationship, and the fact that Belly has dated both brothers is just messed up.
Similar to the book, Belly and Jeremiah, after a near breakup, decide to get married despite their young age and families’ rejection of it. Their concern is valid as the couple is not financially stable and the proposal was a spontaneous decision. One thing Season 3 did well was show the inner conflict Belly had between the Fisher boys. Belly is supposed to be in love with Jeremiah, but she mentally can not stop going back to Conrad. Even in simple moments such as shopping at Michaels, there is clear chemistry between her and Conrad that is never shown with Jeremiah.
Though I often criticize Jeremiah, I could not help but feel a bit bad for him throughout the seasons. He does have many immature moments, but he is always compared to Conrad. The concept of Belly tearing apart a family because of her indecisiveness is one of the things I dislike about her the most, especially because she acts like she is entitled to Jeremiah, Conrad and the Cousins Beach summer house.
Belly also makes bad decisions on her own behalf, such as ditching her dream of being a foreign exchange student in Paris. I understand that she is a young adult, but it is obvious she prioritizes relationships over her well-being. As Season 3 nears conclusion, Belly begins to find her sense of self, giving herself the opportunity to embrace independence. Still, it was a difficult watch as it took her two and a half seasons to come to this revelation.
I will definitely continue to watch “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” for it is an entertaining watch, but overall the characters and plot are too problematic for me to completely enjoy it. Ω
