It’s finally time for us all to return to Cousins Beach, with the long-awaited second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” available now on Prime Video. Despite being one of the most heart-warming, feel-good new shows in recent memory, the love triangle of Belly and the two Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, has literally split the fandom in half.
Every generation has its iconic movie and television love triangle, and this year fans will once again be asking themselves: Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?
Before you head to Prime Video to dive into the show’s second season, we’re breaking down the reasons Belly should (and maybe shouldn’t) end up with both Conrad and Jeremiah in “The Summer I Turned Pretty”.
Team Conrad
There are a few obvious arguments for Conrad, starting with the fact that he is Belly’s first major crush. Cast your mind back to your first crush in your teens. Didn’t you feel that thing so hard you thought your mind, heart and body would just explode? It’s intense, even if deep down you know it’s not forever. There’s always going to be a soft spot for that first crush, and it’s totally realistic for Belly to want to follow that route.
That first night by the pool in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” season one, Belly and Conrad’s chat by the pool is practically daring you to ignore the tension and attraction. In the pilot, Conrad literally starts swinging when Belly gets hit in a fight trying to separate Conrad and another guy. His feelings for Belly are real, and evident, from the start.
However, as the season draws on, Conrad’s more withholding nature allows his feelings of affection for Belly to stew into jealousy — a major dong against him. The number of times he says “I don’t care” when he very so clearly does is almost adorable. His eyes linger on her when he’s talking to almost any other boy, including Jeremiah. However, when it comes to crashing Belly’s date with Cam, he’s the only one out of himself, Jeremiah and Belly’s brother Steven to decry the idea as stupid and give Belly the privacy she deserves. So, there’s that silver lining.
The other obvious tick for Conrad is that he’s the last person we saw Belly kiss. Sitting on the beach, absorbing the then-newfound knowledge of Conrad and Jeremiah’s mother Susannah’s cancer, it was an emotional moment under emotional circumstances. But who knows how that relationship will blossom, or falter, once dust settles and summer comes back around?
We know season two begins with Conrad going missing, with Belly teaming up with Jeremiah to find him. But how will Conrad react to being found, and how will he, jealous at the best of times, react to Belly and Jeremiah teaming up to do so?
Team Jeremiah
While Conrad is aloof and will always keep his cards close to his chest, Jeremiah is the perfect antithesis. He’s open with his feelings, an open communicator, and will go out of his way to make others feel warm and comfortable.
Despite Belly’s feelings toward Conrad being pretty clear and strong from the start, Jeremiah’s radiant personality inevitably works its charm. At the same party Conrad was getting in a fight, Jeremiah made an obviously uncomfortable Belly feel like she could have a good time. It’s reminiscent of those flashback scenes with Belly and Conrad in their younger days, but now Conrad has become a little distant, and Jeremiah stepped into that role perfectly.
Beyond that, Jeremiah gets Belly a gift for passing her driving test in lieu of Conrad not getting her a gift. Jeremiah always seems there to pick her up when Conrad is nowhere to be found.
Yet, one of the biggest moments of the first season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is the debutante ball, which Belly and Jeremiah attend together. It gives serious endgame vibes, until it’s time for the couples’ dance and… Jeremiah is nowhere to be found. Goneskis. After the fact, we learn he has just discovered information about Susannah’s illness, so we can’t blame him. But, in a major role reversal, Conrad steps up to join Belly for the dance while Jeremiah is AWOL. Despite the circumstances, the couples’ dance was a really special moment and symbolic for Belly, so Jeremiah fleeing without warning will inevitably play on her mind. And the reason why Jeremiah left makes it all the more complicated — Belly can’t help that she’s upset, but she might think she shouldn’t be.
But Belly’s last moments of the summer are spent kissing Conrad, so how will Belly and Jeremiah be able to co-exist and move on from their tension when it comes time to return to Cousins Beach?
See which team Belly chooses by watching “The Summer I Turned Pretty” S2 now on Prime Video. The first three episodes are available now, with weekly releases after that. Start your 30-day free trial today.
