The Summer I Turned Pretty: The love triangle that broke the internet

"Are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah?" 

This debate has been all over the internet;  people are crashing out in frustration, arguing which one should be chosen, creating memes, hosting watch parties, and whatnot. For the past month, "The Summer I Turned Pretty" has been the talk of the town,  more accurately, "the talk of the globe."

With a staggering 25 million viewers globally in the first seven days of its premiere, the final season has proven to be an organic hit. Adapted from the novel trilogy under the same title by Jenny Han, who is also the executive producer and showrunner of this series, the third and final season closes the chapter on the epic love triangle between two dashing brothers and their mother's best friend's daughter.

It is the perfect show to be called a 'guilty pleasure'. 

The story revolves around a girl named Belly whose family spends the summer in her mom's friend's beach house in Cousin. Tragedy strikes as Susannah (her mother's friend) loses her battle with Cancer, and Belly is torn in a love triangle between two brothers. 

In the third season, Belly has been in a relationship with Jeremiah for almost four years, which is jeopardised when he cheats on her during Spring break after a heated argument. 

They reconcile shortly after Steven's accident and plan on getting married. It comes as a shock to the whole family, even Taylor, her best friend, responds by saying, "Belly, you have been back together for like 30 seconds!'.

Despite her mother's disapproval, she adamantly sticks to her plan, but things stir up as Conrad comes back to the beach house after getting fired, and their feelings rekindle. Belly is once again stuck at mortal peril, between two brothers.

At the beginning, one may revolt at the idea of a love triangle between brothers (guilty here), but this is not one of your typical love triangle dramas. Jenny Han presented this coming-of-age story in such a palatable manner that it was not only accepted but also raved about by the audience. 

The great striking point of this series (at least for me) was not necessarily the love triangle but the close-to-heart accurate depiction of female friendship, whether it was between Susannah and Laurel or Taylor and Belly. 

Though Susannah has very little onscreen presence in season three, in moments such as before Belly's wedding, Laurel admits that she misses Susannah, and she has to witness it without her; we feel not only the everlasting impact of their bond but also the grief of losing a loved one and carrying on life without them. 

Another commendable aspect of the show was that Susannah's death remained relevant in season three, long after the actual event. This enabled a more realistic portrayal of loss and grief and how it sets an entire chain of events. 

In the final moment, where Belly asks Conrad if they would have ever gotten together if Susannah had lived, this highlights how intertwined the two events are. 

Now coming to the love triangle, one of the core reasons for the success of the show lies in the fact that they have balanced both brothers equally (at least till season 3), which resulted in a more heated debate and keen anticipation for the final outcome, setting it apart from the other dramas of a similar trope. 

However, the entire plotline falls a little short; it feels packed at certain parts but too spaced out at others, especially this season, as the time jumps happen more frequently, and it feels all over the place. Except for the last two to three episodes, the plot may seem a bit too tedious, and it lacks adequate character growth. Paris was a good decision, but it was rushed too fast. 

For a show with plenty of emotionally revealing and vulnerable moments, the dialogue needed more work. The most awaited moment of the entire series, where Belly declares her love for Conrad; she says, " I choose you. If there are infinite worlds, in every one of them I choose you," it is glaringly evident that not a lot of effort was put into the dialogue even for the crucial scenes.

The unsung heroes of this show were the cinematographers, Tarin Anderson and Sandra Valde-Hansen. What kept viewers hooked when they were frustrated with all the naive decisions of  Belly was the show's signature dreamy romantic visuals.

In season 3, these visuals were more neutral and natural; the careful use of lighting and color to shape the mood based on what each character was going through was brilliantly executed. 

The shift from warmer and contrasted visuals in season one signifies the characters stepping into adulthood, and it complements their growth. When it came to storytelling with visuals, this series delivered, and brownie points for the background tracks, which blended seamlessly with each scene. 

This show is nothing groundbreaking, but it is comforting. It is not something that will reside in your heart for a long time, but it will grant you enough adrenaline to start a debate online. It is the perfect show to be called a 'guilty pleasure'. You know it's not the best, but you will love it and yell twenty times at the screen, screaming, "What is wrong with you, Belly?" 

Perhaps that is the success of this series.

The Summer I Turned Pretty is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.