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Life + Culture

The Summer I Got Rage-Baited By The Internet

Or, how I started hating fictional teenagers more than actual ones. 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' isn’t just a show anymore — it’s a pop culture battleground.

| Vishakha Punjabi
The summer I turned Pretty

I never set out to care about The Summer I Turned Pretty. I enjoyed watching it in a normal — not-consuming-too-much-space-in-my-head — kind of way. But somewhere between Reel edits, Reddit threads, and unsolicited hot takes from people who’ve never so much as opened Prime Video, I realised I’d somehow formed Opinions™. Strong ones.

Because here’s the truth: whether you like it or not, this show has become unavoidable. You may never have watched a single episode. Yet, you’ll still find yourself dissecting Belly Conklin’s choices over lunch, picking sides between Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher in group chats, or absorbing enough discourse to sound like you’ve written a dissertation on Cousins Beach. My colleague Ipsita Kaul summed it up best when she sighed, “I hate how much I know about a show I’ve never watched.” That’s the internet for you: resistance is futile.

This one’s for the Jere girlies, because someone had to say it. I’ll admit it: I’m Team Jeremiah. Not because he’s perfect (he’s not), but because the internet’s relentless obsession with Bonrad has pushed me into defending him like he’s my do-or-die. And honestly, after this season, it only feels fair.

The minute Belly and Jeremiah started planning a wedding at twenty-one, I checked out. You don’t need a degree in psychology to know that two barely-adult, emotionally wrecked people tying the knot is a terrible idea. Calling it off was the sanest decision anyone made this season. And yet, the internet immediately spun it into more Jeremiah hate. Because apparently, every messy situation is his fault — while Conrad, the human embodiment of hot-and-cold, continues to be romanticised as Belly’s true love, because they dated for a few months when she was sixteen?

The Romanticisation of Conrad’s Brooding

Let’s get one thing straight: Conrad has been hot and cold with Belly from day one. Their love story is built on miscommunication and timing so bad it feels cursed. The tortured, brooding act might make for great edits, but in reality, it’s emotional whiplash disguised as romance. And honestly, announcing your love for your brother’s fiancée a day before the wedding? Not it. Whatever followed made me feel for him — he was vulnerable, sure — but what did he expect Belly to do? Leave Jeremiah at the altar? (I’m looking at you, Bonrad fans.)

Belly Hate Is Peak Internet Behaviour

The tidal wave of Belly slander after episode seven was predictable. The internet thrives on hating complicated female characters, and Belly was the perfect target. But here’s my take: she’s supposed to be messy. She’s spiralling, grieving, and making questionable choices — because that’s what being twenty-one and traumatised looks like. If you grew up revolving your entire identity around one family, one house, one summer, and then lost your anchor (Susannah Fisher), you’d be just as chaotic. But no one’s ready for that conversation.

Jeremiah Is Flawed, Yes

Jeremiah isn’t blameless. Cheating is inexcusable, full stop. But can we talk about context? He found out about the infamous Christmas tans — Belly and Conrad, alone, while she was still with him. She lied. Emotional infidelity is still infidelity, and if you’ve ever been in that position, you’ll understand the paranoia it breeds. Jeremiah wasn’t wrong to feel like Belly was slipping through his fingers; deep down, he knew she still had one foot in Conrad’s world. As a woman in her twenties, I can confirm: when someone feels like they’re slipping away, you cling harder. So yes, I see you, Jeremiah.

Despite his insecurities, his love for Belly is unwavering. When they called off the wedding, she admitted that if she asked him to marry her on the spot — right after confessing she’d always love Conrad a little — he’d still say yes. That speaks volumes about Jeremiah’s lifelong battle to prove himself, and you can also see right through him; he really loves her. 

Staylor Supremacy

Taylor Jewel deserves a standing ovation. She’s the best friend every girl needs: the one who shows up, calls you out, but still defends you to the end. Her relationship with Steven Conklin feels refreshingly grounded compared to the chaos around them. Amid all the angst, they’re the only semi-sane couple holding this show upright. Give them a spin-off already.

The Brother Complex

Both Fisher boys are messy, but Jeremiah’s insecurity doesn’t make him irredeemable. Strip away his need to compete with Conrad, and you find a genuinely good person. Conrad, on the other hand, doesn’t need Belly — he needs therapy. Before pursuing romance, he should start by repairing his fractured bond with Jeremiah. Because what he pulled this season? Not it.

Bonrad: The Internet’s Favourite Fantasy

Can we stop romanticising Bonrad as some once-in-a-lifetime, destined love story? Sometimes chemistry is just unresolved trauma in a beach house. The obsessive analysis of every sigh, glance, or confession is exhausting. Not every spark needs to be stoked into a full-blown fire.

Justice for the Jere Girlies

This one’s for the Jere girlies: the ones who see the insecurity, the hurt, the effort, and still root for him. The internet may call him immature, reckless, or a rebound, but at least Jeremiah doesn’t make Belly question whether she’s wanted. At least he loves her loudly — in a show where most people communicate in sighs and silences. But Belly? She needs to give the Fisher brothers a break, step away from Cousins Beach, and figure out who she is outside Susannah’s ghost.

And yet, here I am: rage-baited into discussing these fictional teenagers like they pay my rent. That’s the maddening brilliance of it all. Whether you’re invested or not, you’ve been dragged into the conversation. You’ve picked a side, defended a character, or at least rolled your eyes at someone else’s theory.

The Summer I Turned Pretty has stopped being a show; it’s internet currency — inflated with hot takes, edits, and dissertations like mine. So yes, I lost this summer (technically, it’s pouring here, but you get it). The internet baited me, and I fell for it. But if you’re still reading this, maybe you did too.

Also Read:

10 Thoughts I Had While Watching The First Two Episodes Of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Season 3

ELLE Exclusive: 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' Team On Heartbreak, Taylor Swift, And Last Goodbyes

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