Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for the show.
Season three of the series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” proves that Isabel Conklin, known as Belly, isn’t just the main character, she’s the main problem. Her character is entirely male-centered, which makes this season incredibly frustrating.
Have any of you ever literally cried, screamed and proceeded to turn off your TV, all in the same episode? I have done all of the above by the influence of Belly and her actions alone.
Based on Jenny Han’s book series, the Prime Video show follows Belly, her family and the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, who grew up spending the summers together at a beach house. Belly’s lifelong love for Conrad eventually tangled into a triangle that included Jeremiah as they got older.
Season one built Belly’s relationship with Conrad while hinting at Jeremiah. Season two showed her relationship and breakup with Conrad after his mother’s death and ended with her choosing Jeremiah. Season three focused on Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship, or lack thereof, while revisiting her unresolved love for Conrad.
Senior Marisa Fernandez, a student at California Lutheran University, said this season felt very rushed and had random plot lines, but Belly made it the most frustrating.
“She annoyed me a lot in this season,” Fernandez said. “There were certain times where I’m like, ‘Why are you doing this? You actually look like the villain.’”
Some viewers’ frustrations, including my own, came from a lot of different decisions Belly made.
The majority of viewers seem to be #TeamConrad, as that hashtag on TikTok had 13.5 billion views and #TeamJeremiah only had 5.3 billion, so just Belly being with Jeremiah over Conrad alone set the viewers off.
Not only that, but how consumed by Jeremiah she was made the season very frustrating. She made many decisions that were catered toward Jeremiah, including her decision to forgo traveling to Paris to study abroad for him.
“It’s just giving male-centered,” Fernandez said.
According to EBSCO, male-centeredness (androcentrism) is “the practice of prioritizing male perspectives, interests, and experiences over those of women.” This can be a subtle yet negative way of thinking that can diminish a woman’s potential in so many ways.
Throughout the season, it’s unfortunate, but Belly falls into this category every time, which is where the frustration of “GIRL WAKE UP,” popped into my head often.
The biggest frustration of all, early in the season, was Belly taking back Jeremiah and accepting his proposal after he cheated on her over spring break. They were broken up for about a week when it happened, but the terms of their breakup are debatable, as many, including Belly, categorize it as just a break due to an argument.
Meanwhile, this proposal occurred while Belly’s brother, Steven Conklin, was in the hospital after a car accident.
“That was frustrating because I feel like she kind of dismissed everything with her brother…and it was all about her again,” Fernandez said. “He’s in the hospital and you’re here outside accepting a proposal from someone who just cheated on you. That just doesn’t sit right.”
According to a research study done on why people forgive cheaters, cognitive dissonance’s role in forgiveness is huge, as this explains why many people may change “new cognitions so they support pre-existing attitudes and beliefs.” In this case the example is, “I must forgive because, if I don’t, my investment in this relationship will amount to nothing.”
Belly’s decision-making falls into this category again, as she would repeatedly mention not wanting to “throw away four years.” However, this reasoning was still very frustrating to watch, especially since so many people knew Conrad was the better man and the better option overall.
The way Belly treated Conrad the entire season was, in my opinion, the biggest frustration to watch.
“It was so sad. He does nothing wrong, he’s just trying to help and she’s like really mean to him,” said Brooklyn Kleiser, a junior at Cal Lutheran.
During the wedding preparations, Jeremiah was busy working, leaving Belly at the beach house with Conrad. Conrad’s inner dialogue revealed how hard he was fighting his love for Belly, even as she fueled his thoughts by sending mixed signals, despite being engaged to his brother.
“She can’t choose between the two brothers, like, that’s kind of crazy,” Kleiser said. “She just pulls both of them along. She doesn’t know what she wants.”
It was aggravating because viewers could see Belly wanted Conrad all along. It was pointless to drag out a whole season pretending otherwise, especially after he confessed his love. This scene was the final straw and nearly made me stop watching.
After learning Jeremiah cheated on Belly, Conrad confessed his love and begged her not to marry Jeremiah. It was the moment viewers had been waiting for, but Belly’s response was a dagger.
Through tears, Conrad was more vulnerable than ever, risking everything, yet Belly rejected him and replied, “You and I were never anything.” Then, she broke down crying afterward. Like many viewers, I screamed at my TV out of pure outrage.
“He’s like spilling all his feelings and his guts to you and you’re just here, tearing him apart,” Fernandez said. “Then you go back to the beach and you’re crying because a part of you still cares.”
It was very irritating because viewers could see how she really felt, yet the same pattern continued through the final episode, even after the wedding was called off and she was living in Paris.
After receiving Conrad’s letters, Belly finally responded with her new address, and he came to visit her for her birthday. They shared an intimate moment after Conrad explained Jeremiah was fine with them rekindling their relationship.
Of course, Conrad confessed he had always loved her and asked if she felt the same. Instead of being honest, Belly complicated things again, saying she wished she could be as sure as he was, even though it was obvious she was still in love with him.
Hurt, Conrad left to catch a train. Yet, minutes later, Belly suddenly realized she did love him and ran after him, ending in a “happily ever after.”
I wish I could tell Belly that really wasn’t worth all of the commotion. Time and time again, she makes things more complicated and dramatic when she already knows what she’s feeling.
The real frustration comes from her lack of care for other people and their emotions.
“She doesn’t care about anyone else,” Kleiser said. “She’s all about herself and what she wants.”
Despite the widespread frustration online, some fans still defend Belly and argue she doesn’t mean to hurt others.
In a Reddit post titled “In Defense of Belly Conklin,” the writer mentions how Belly’s co-dependent four-year relationship with Jeremiah caused her not to become her own person, which they say is important to share when discussing her behavior this season.
“She was so young, then we had a giant time jump where she was supposed to mature,” Fernandez said. “I just feel like she was in a four-year-long relationship so it was hard for her to change. I didn’t see much character development with her.”
The writer said people need to have sympathy for Belly, and while I agree with that and what Fernandez said, I think it’s important that the behavior doesn’t get excused and normalized.
As women, we cannot allow ourselves to become male-centered individuals. We cannot allow a relationship to define us and shape the decisions we make and who we are.
So, while I agree, we can find ways we relate to the characters in their struggles and have sympathy for them, it is important to not glorify these shows for the drama they bring and the relatability they have.
We must remain critical, not passive consumers who let toxic patterns on screen romanticize experiences in our own lives.
