Cousins Beach is the place to be this summer as the Conklin and Fisher families reunite for a second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah waste time thinking about summer; it’s the time of year they count down to from the moment they pull out of the drive away at the end of the season.
For Belly, another reason summer is so special is that it’s the time of year when reality slows down and Conrad comes in. He’s the sun, he sets the standard, and he’s the embodiment of all of Belly’s dreams come true. The intentional creation of physical and emotional tension in season one captivated viewers, as Conrad evoked a myriad of emotions within Belly, and their romance resonated deeply with us.
The cast of TSITP recently spoke with E! News about what team they’re on, be it, Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah — because Jeremiah and Belly had a summer romance moment, too. Admittedly, we aren’t big fans of the Jeremiah/Belly “falling in love” thing, but we love their friendship.
Lola Tung, who plays Belly, is moving back and forth between both teams; and she said quite honestly, it comes down to a moment-by-moment thing.
“I think it literally changes every single second of the show, because the boys constantly show up for her in different ways and then also make mistakes. So I think it’s really dependent on every single moment.”
The boys do make mistakes and show up for Belly in their own ways, but something about the Jeremiah and Belly bond isn’t our favorite because it seems rooted in jealousy and a desire to win, although that’s what he accused Conrad of.
Speaking of Conrad, Christopher Briney, who breathes life into our favorite character, says that having read Han’s books, he feels that their paths are meant to find each other, but he also respects the choices her heart makes.
“Having read the books I think he eventually is. At times in their lives he’s right for her. I think whatever choice she makes is the right one.”
As for Gavin Casalegno, who plays Jeremiah, he is clearly on the team of himself being with Belly.
“I have always said you should marry your best friend. You should date your best friend, and I think Jeremiah is her best friend.”
Sean Kauffman, who plays Belly’s brother, Stephen, says that while he’s Team Belly, he’s also very much Team Conrad:
“I’ve been saying Team Belly this whole time. I think, genuinely, the better guy is Conrad. He’s emotionally invulnerable, which does not make him better, but he also is a little sweetie pie,. He’s just the cutest little thing.”
Conrad is the cutest little thing, and quite frankly, with the weight of the world on his shoulders — it’s to be expected that he wasn’t exactly himself. Despite the heartache and the pain he was feeling, he still showed up; and showing up was a lot for him.
All things considered, we heard the name Conrad far more often than we heard the name Jeremiah — so we think it’s safe to make the following assumption.
The consensus is: we’re all Team Conrad — and rightfully so.
Belly has loved Conrad since she knew the meaning of the word. While it’s clear that Jeremiah realized that his feelings for Belly were deeper during the “summer she turned pretty,” it also seemed a bit like a competition; his jealousy shows in moments when he thinks Conrad doesn’t deserve her love.
At the moment, we can see why he acted the way he did — he thought Conrad was taking Belly for granted, but upon realizing that his brother knew the secret of their mother’s cancer returning, we thought Jeremiah might give Conrad a break, knowing he was keeping everyone at arm’s length to protect them and take a step back.
What happened instead will soon unfold as new episodes begin streaming on July 14, but fans already know that Jeremiah is staying in the fight, and things will get more complicated before they make more sense.
The Summer I Turned Pretty season two returns with a new chapter of Belly’s love story in just under two weeks, and you won’t want to miss a moment of it.