‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Is the Best Teen Drama Since ‘Dawson’s Creek’
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from Season 2 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
The teen drama isn’t a new genre — it’s been around for decades. But on television, the offerings have been lacking in recent years, with shows feeling pressure to add something more — usually in the from of a supernatural creature — than just relationship-based storytelling. Many shows appear to be afraid to do just that, despite the fact that it’s what The WB (RIP) and The CW (RIP x2) were built on. The word “ship” started circulating more on social media during “The Vampire Diaries,” which thrived when it leaned into Stelena, Delena, Klaroline, etc., rather than the bloodsucking. Years later, the remake of “Roswell” succeeded most when Malex’s growing love was examined, rather than the aliens in town.
More from Variety
Then there’s Netflix’s “Outer Banks,” which began as a coming-of-age teen drama about a group of friends but later began focusing more on the twists — a scavenger hunt, a murder, a treasure — than the actual relationships.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” isn’t adding in any twists: It doesn’t have to. In its second season, Jenny Han’s Amazon Prime Video show, based on her YA book series of the same name, has leaned in to the teenage characters and how they’re feeling even more. At its core is Belly (Lola Tung), a young woman who finally got what she’s always dreamed of — a kiss from her longtime crush, Conrad (Christopher Briney) — at the end of the first season. Of course, she also realized feelings for her longtime best friend Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), who also happens to be Conrad’s brother. Season 2 continues this story, hopping between the events that followed last summer and the present day, months after the boys’ mother has died of cancer. Plus, the inner circle has been dismantled.
That’s a lot to dive into, but Han and the writers found a way not only to navigate it smoothly, but to keep the storylines realistic.
Especially its second season, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” shows each teenager learning both who they want to be with and more important, who they want to be. Plus, they show that’s completely OK to still be figuring that out.
As a viewer (and a 31-year-old woman who had to deal with the torture that is teenage dating), it’s easy to yell at the screen to tell Conrad to express himself when Belly is clearly there for him no matter what while Susannah is sick. It’s also delightful to cheer Belly on when she, in the first episode of the season, lets Jeremiah yell at her for not being there as his best friend when his mom was sick (he’s right), and then being adult enough to apologize and cry with him.
I found myself frustrated a few times by Jeremiah and Conrad’s reactions to their aunt (an excellent Season 2 addition of Kyra Sedgwick), who is selling their mom’s house. They have every right to be upset, but she’s the adult — and even though it’s clearly a selfish discussion, it’s almost silly that they all throw a temper tantrum at every chance they can get. Then I stopped myself and reminded myself that they’re teenagers. The feeling came up again when Belly continuously lied to her mom about looking for Conrad with Jeremiah. Why would she do that? Doesn’t she know she can be honest with her mom about wanting to help her friends?
Stop. They’re teenagers. This is how young boys and girls act. Han isn’t afraid to let these characters act their age — and knows how immature that will seem because, well, kids are immature.
In the third episode, Jeremiah vents to Belly about Conrad, saying, “There’s only so many times I can take being pushed. It’s fucking exhausting.” It’s unfortunate that Belly doesn’t incorporate that in her own life, allowing Conrad to break her heart at prom because he’s just too immature to tell her he needs space and isn’t in the headspace to be at a prom — something completely understandable, but not when you’re saying nothing and instead rudely moping all night.
When he tells her he’s not going to stay the night with her after prom, I could physically feel my heart sink for Belly, immediately transported back to that young heartbreak that’s so brilliantly illustrated in the writing of this specific episode.
He’s treating her badly, then punishing her for it — making her break up with him when really, he was pushing her until she snapped. Yes, that’s a form of gaslighting. (Don’t even get me started on him telling her at his mother’s funeral that he never should have dated her because she is a child.) But again, unfortunately, these are real things that happen in young love. People say really hurtful things and they don’t know how to communicate — Belly and Jeremiah, and even Taylor, included.
But because the love triangle is so well done, it allows the audience to do multiple things: have high hopes for one couple while also cheering on each character individually and actually appreciate each of their points of view. Sure, we all have favorites (#TeamJeremiah, although Belly is totally #TeamConrad), but what I don’t have is characters I’m rooting against.
Although it’s been used for years, in shows for all age groups, there’s something about the love triangle trope successfully done in a teen drama, at a time in life when nobody knows who they are or who they want to be, that creates a strong base.
Twenty plus years ago, the love triangle was perfected by Kevin Williamson and the writers of “Dawson’s Creek.” But that wasn’t the only parallel I saw between the two shows. In fact, it was one of many.
In “Promicide,” a Season 4 episode of “Dawson’s Creek,” Pacey (Joshua Jackson) acts uncomfortable in the days leading up to prom, just as Conrad does. While Conrad forgot Belly’s corsage, Pacey didn’t — but he forgot to put in the fridge, so the flower is dead by the time Joey (Katie Holmes) gets it. She shrugs it off — she clearly doesn’t care, but cares about why Pacey’s acting off. Instead of communicating it, it builds up and up until he snaps, yelling at her that he feels like he’s constantly disappointing her, and will never be good enough. She ends up in tears, and they break up.
During “Love Sick,” the prom episode of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Belly (also in a purple dress!) faces similar issues with Conrad. While he’s going through a lot, he’s also pushing her away — and tells her he feels as though he’s continuously disappointing her. Ultimately, they also break up, as she cries into her brother’s arms. (Important to note, Pacey leans on his sister.)
Prom night isn’t the only parallel; the penultimate episode of Season 2 closely mirrors “The All-Nighter,” the seventh episode of the second season of “Dawson’s Creek.” Both includes the key characters engaging in an all-night steady session, followed by jumping a pool fully clothed.
All three books were published many years after “Dawson’s Creek,” so these similarities could be coincidences, or they could be nods to one of the best teen dramas of all time. I choose to believe the latter.
Best of Variety
'House of the Dragon': Every Character and What You Need to Know About the 'Game of Thrones' Prequel
25 Groundbreaking Female Directors: From Alice Guy to Chloé Zhao
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
