I wanted to talk about the Summer I Turned Pretty tv show because it's had me thinking for a while and I don't have much of an outlet for my thoughts.
After catching up with season 3 and seeing a lot of discourse online (very similar to the old Team Edward or Team Jacob era) I wanted to rewatch Season 1 and refresh my brain. I got the idea to do this towards the end of Season 1 so most of my screenshots will be for the end.
We very clearly see a big problem with Jeremiah. Taylor gave up her spot on Belly's team to try and wingman him (which only causes unnecessary confusion between Conrad, Belly and him.) He plays because he wants to get closer and bond with Belly but he doesn't get her competitive side as well as the reason she needs/wants to win.
When Conrad comes in, Jeremiah is obviously upset because he knows he blew his chance with Belly but Conrad is clearly better for the team. Taylor already plays with Belly and she understands the need to win that Belly has, Conrad understands as well and wants to follow her direction immediately.
The two of them fully understand each other. Belly knows this, Conrad knows this. They both see eye to eye when it truly matters, as if they're genuinely linked. The connection is extremely easy to make. Conrad is also more "sacrificial", ready to make the necessary dives to stop the ball.
The volleyball tournament scene is a very hard watch, specifically when Jeremiah is on Belly's Team. It feels forced, it feels wrong, it's so out of place, partially because it was literally forced by Taylor. But Conrad and Belly have an easy relationship which is why it's so hard to pull away.
Jeremiah and Conrad are two very different people. Conrad wants to make people happy and he seems to try his best without thinking much about himself. He rarely makes selfish decisions, and when he does, it doesn't take much for him to go back on them.
Jere isn't like this. This one seen, albeit a bit nitpicky, shows his problem in a subtle way. Previously, Conrad was in a similar spot and he saw Susannah on the couch asleep. He let her sleep and relax, even putting the blanket over her. When Jeremiah comes along, he invades Susannah's space and sleep, focusing on his own needs. Susannah is a loving mother so she doesn't mind spending time with him but he wants to do it on his own terms, asking her to play a game instead.
In the third season, the one-sided rivalry between Conrad and Jeremiah becomes a little more intense. Jeremiah is constantly focuses on it, whether it's with their Dad or with Belly. This scene in Season 1 showcases that same one-sided rivalry that continues throughout.
Here, he doesn't seem to understand that the rivalry is one-sided because Belly isn't a prize to be won. She has her own feelings and emotions and Conrad is willing to give Belly up if she doesn't choose him, not pressure her into making a decision or hiding that there's even a decision to make.
There's times when Steven has something to say about Jeremiah and usually they're pretty true. I think questioning his motives here is fair because of the way he usually goes about his dating life.
These are moments when Belly genuinely needs to be called out. First she messed around with Cam, which wasn't fair on him at all. Then she chooses Jeremiah only to keep going back to Conrad. Conrad does a similar thing with Nicole but it doesn't have the same punch necessarily because he doesn't genuinely believe that he's moved on from Belly and is ready to be with someone else.
Belly is an unreliable narrator in the show, one because she doesn't understand what the other characters are thinking but also because she constantly deludes herself and misinterprets her own feelings. She needs this reminder from Nicole and Steven because she doesn't seem to fully care for Conrad, Jeremiah or Cam's feelings.
This episode goes very hand in hand with Season 3 and certain events. First off, we have the episode where she has to go out and do all of the planning alone because Jeremiah decides to focus on his Dad and work. Then we have the wedding where Jeremiah disappears and everyone is wondering if the wedding is still going to happen. Each time, Conrad is there to help or to pick up the pieces and each time, Jeremiah hates him for it.
His reaction to the news about Susannah's cancer being so public is another representation of his selfishness which keeps creeping in over and over again.
Belly understands that Conrad and her Mom had to carry the weight of the truth with them and they both did it because that's what Susannah wanted. Although it shouldn't have had to be this way because she should have been a bit more upfront with everyone, Laurel and Conrad both has a respect for Susannah's say in the matter but Jeremiah doesn't seem to have that.
Jeremiah needs his mother. Conrad does too but he's mature enough to see why she wants what she wants. He doesn't have the courage to ask her get any treatment because he's thinking about her happiness and not his own.
This last part says a lot about what Belly wants and why her and Jeremiah aren't necessarily a good match. Belly is Susannah's replacement and it's very easy to see that with how reliant he is on her and how she feels the need to constantly put him first and be everything he needs to her be. Jeremiah needs her and I think that's why he goes to such lengths at times to try and almost deceive her or trap her in his space.
Conrad doesn't need Belly and he knows he can give her up if it's what's best for her or Jeremiah. His love for Belly is consistently selfish and one of the only times he really gives into that selfish desire for her is during Season 3.
