Amazon's biggest show sounded like hot garbage - now I'm completely hooked
Warning: Spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty.
When Amazon Prime Video's The Summer I Turned Pretty came out in 2022, I rolled my eyes and wrote it off.
The cheesy teen drama about two brothers (Conrad and Jeremiah) fighting for the love of their childhood best friend, Belly (yes, that's really her name), was so far out of the realm of my usual taste that I already knew I would hate it.
There would be the cringey dialogue, the on-the-nose needle drops from Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo (who I love when they're not the backing track to a completely bonkers love triangle), and a plot so infuriating I simply wouldn't be able to take it seriously.
Up until now, everything I had gathered about this show was pieced together from glimpses of a trailer on Prime or I'd occasionally stumble into online discourse about 'Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah' (my only thought at the time – they'll never be Edward and Jacob)
That said, I didn't want to criticise it too much. After all, I'm not in the business of yucking people's yum.
Especially since many of the fans of the show seemed to be longtime fans of the original book series released by Jenny Han in 2009, and it's always exciting to have something nostalgic for you brought to the screen.
But, quietly, every summer while people tuned in to see whether Belly was pretty yet (that's the plot, right?), I grew more and more baffled as to the appeal.
Of course, I understand the allure of slightly too-earnest teen shows (my not-so guilty pleasure is XO, Kitty on Netflix). Sometimes you just want to watch something that you can switch your brain off to and know, ultimately, that everything will be okay.
However, there seemed to be something so off-putting about a brotherly showdown (already an outdated plotline) filled with characters that seemed to grow increasingly annoying as the years went by.
How hard can it be to pick a brother? I found myself wondering.
Fast forward to early August this year. The sun is beating down, I'm in a TV show drought, and my TikTok feed launches a concerted campaign to get me to finally break as the third and final season airs.
After the 10,000th video of my favourite creators dissecting the show in all its craziness, I decided it was time to make the plunge and see what all the fuss is about. It's not topping the charts with millions of viewers for nothing.
This was all last week. Since then, I have watched 20 episodes and have almost entirely caught up. I could happily write a thesis about why Belly should end up with neither brother (Cam Cameron for the win).
In other words…. I'm hooked. I put my hands up. I hang my head in shame! 'I was wrong', I cry from the rafters as I watch my fourth episode of the night.
Don't mistake me, this show is utterly absurd.
Why do the brothers treat each other like acquaintances forced to hang out with some mutual friends a couple of times a year?
Why has everyone just got over Belly going from one brother to the next in the space of a month (with the funeral of their mother jammed in between!)
Why hasn't Conrad found literally anyone to date while studying at Stanford? Instead, he remains hung up on his ex, who is dating his brother (just in case you need another reminder).
Why hasn't anyone sent Jeremiah to therapy to work through his self-esteem issues? (Come on dude, your girlfriend is clearly not over… you guessed it… your brother).
Why is no one batting an eyelid at the weird, weird episode where Belly has to share one motel room with both brothers, whom she is still choosing between. (I love the one-bed trope as much as the next person but…)
None of this matters, though, because it (begrudgingly) makes for excellent TV. More Trending
Frankly, for a teen drama, the stakes are so messy that I simply have to see how this gets resolved. Will Belly tear this family apart, or will they find a way through this?
I don't know, but unfortunately, I have to find out.
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The Summer I Turned Pretty is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video with season three episodes airing every Wednesday.
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