“The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Prime Video’s fifth most-watched returning show of all time, recently came out with its season finale. After many months of waiting to see what the ending of this show would be, the wait is finally over. However, like most shows, controversy surrounds how it ended.
In the show, Isabel (Belly) Conklin cannot choose between two brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. She spends each summer at a beach house with them, and as they grow up, a love triangle starts to form. After years of wavering between the two brothers, she finally made her decision after her wedding with Jeremiah was called off.
The show is based on the book series written by Jenny Han, who is also the show’s director. The book’s ending differs from the show in certain ways, so people who have already read the book and were watching the show still had some uncertainty about how it would end.
This show has caused a lot of upheaval on social media. The question “Are you team Conrad or team Jeremiah?” has been a huge debate. For the first two seasons of the show, Belly went back and forth between the two, which sparked many people’s differing opinions.
But, as the show fizzled out, she finally chose one brother over the other. Lots of people tend to have the belief that there was only “one right answer” regarding which brother she should pick. Mississippi State University students generally agreed with that thought process.
Lots of the MSU girls were quick to answer that they were Team Conrad over Team Jeremiah and that Conrad is the only way to go. After watching the show, the deep and romantic connection that Belly and Conrad had is incomparable to that of Belly and Jeremiah. The episodes did a good job at giving both sides plenty of chances to show which side is truly superior, and Conrad seemed to take the cake.
However, that is not the case for everyone, which means the debate between the two brothers is still being talked about after the show’s ending.
Isabelle Smith, a kinesiology major at MSU, really enjoyed the show overall. She was happy with the way it ended but was not completely pleased.
“I feel like we were, as viewers, expecting more–a bigger ending,” Smith said. “But I’m happy with the outcome.”
She still recommended this show for other students, however.
“Especially if they like Gilmore Girls or romcoms, then this show will be perfect for them,” Smith said.
There were some harsher reviews of the show from others.
Eden Goodwin, a psychology major, loved the show but still had some things to say.
“I think the ending was rushed and kind of disappointing,” Goodwin said. “As a book reader, it didn’t fulfill my wants.”
She also had a complaint about the fandom of the show.
Goodwin said, “People don’t respect other people’s opinions in the fandom, which can lead to toxicity.”
Regarding her recommendation of the show, Goodwin said that it is a “silly, immature show about love… So if you’re into silly romance, yes.”
There are many differing opinions surrounding this show, but its popularity seems to be a driving factor in the fact that it is not a terrible show.
On the same day as the release of the season finale, Sept. 17, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” movie was announced. There is not much known about this movie, and it is still in the works. However, it has caught many show watchers’ attention. There is one more piece of Belly’s story that needs to be shared, according to the book author and TV writer Jenny Han.
Goodwin had some guesses about what the movie would include. She thought the wedding would be included, and she brought up Belly’s life with Conrad and their children.
She thought Steven and Taylor’s life in California and Jeremiah’s life as a chef, as well as his relationship with Denise, would be included in the new movie too.
Smith had similar assumptions.
“I think the movie is going to be about Belly and Conrad and their life together now,” Smith said.
She also brought up Susannah, Jeremiah and Conrad’s late mother.
“It’ll even go back more into the past when Susannah was alive again,” Smith said.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” grabbed America’s attention pretty quickly, and with a movie on the way, it may continue to do so. Based on students here at MSU, the show seems to be an enjoyable if divisive one, especially for those who like romance.
