That one scene of Conrad Fisher
Fangirl society will never forgive Jenny Han for the conceivably perfect character she created in Conrad Fisher. Conrad is the older brother of Jeremiah, and if you haven’t heard those two names in the last few years, then let me catch you up.
The brothers have been in constant comparison since the unmissable, cringe-yet-addictive series, The Summer I Turned Pretty, began; after all, that is the premise of the original books, which Han published from 2009 to 2011.
The TLDR of it all is that the brothers are forced (a strong word, but none of this would have happened if a certain character hadn’t dated them both) into a love triangle with their childhood friend, Isabel “Belly” Conklin. Over a few years, they both find themselves in a romantic relationship with Belly at different times.
I simply haven’t got the word count to talk about Belly and her decisions, or lack of perspective to see that there are plenty of fish in the sea outside of TWO BROTHERS SHE HAS KNOWN HER WHOLE LIFE!
Today is dedicated to the final scenes of season three’s episode 6, which you should watch here if you want to feel something today.
From the top, I must personally thank Frank McGough and Paul Lowery, who are, according to a quick Google search, the lighting technicians on the series and, therefore, presumably for the lighting in this shot. In my professional opinion (I didn’t attend film school), I have no notes. Bravo.
The way Conrad’s eyes are filled with light, softly, even politely, entices Belly into their sea of hope and memories of their love. No, it was not Conrad’s intention when he cut his leg on the fin of his surfboard that Belly would nurse him to health, kneeling over the bathtub to dress his wound. But this injury is another example of why everything happens (is meticulously scripted) for a reason. Although the light of the sea invited Belly, it was she who almost dove in headfirst, even though she is engaged to be married to second-tier brother, Jeremiah.
The stills from this scene that grace my desk (social media feed and DMs) every day since that episode came out are perfect. They are ready for print and framing if anyone needs a present ent idea for me. Reminiscent of Harry Styles’ debut album cover shoot, they’re straight out of a teenage girl’s dream sequence.
The show’s nostalgic powers may explain why so many millennial women, Gen Z’s and X’s alike are glued to this narrative. We return to a state of mind where all of our empathy for Belly is gone, and only one thing is clear: we want the good guy to win. We want Belly to choose the fantasy we might want for ourselves.
I documented the Five Stages of Watching The Summer I Turned Pretty on my TikTok, and you can see my visceral reaction to this very scene in real time. You can see the hope for the future sparkle in my eyes while I watch Belly and Conrad (my preferred couple of the show) share a moment, which gave me the same butterflies I feel right before I kiss someone. That is the power this damn scene had over all of us.
If Belly’s love triangle with the brothers has taught us anything, it’s that women writing characters for women will almost always win out. So thank you, Jenny Han. No matter the ending, please have Jeremiah and Belly not get married.
