The Summer That Freed Me from Teen Dramas
I have yet to see a TV triangle made today that can take on the nuance of Pacey and Joey, Angela and Jordan, Peyton and Lucas, and Elena and Damon.
There’s just something about the low-stakes teen dramas that nourishes our soul. Is it a connection to our childhood, a reminder of how the shows we watched influenced our journey in this world? It’s comforting to me, even at this age; I don’t think I will ever outgrow a good TV triangle, and a bit of banter between the lockers. Dawson’s Creek, 90210, One Three Hill, My So-Called Life, I’m powerless to it. It’s my ultimate feel-good indulgence.
This summer, a new TV triangle rolled into town. The Summer I Turned Pretty, an adaptation of Jenny Han’s popular young adult novel. The title held promise, and with my old favorites having been rewatched countless times, I was eager for something new. Also, I was curious to see how this genre is evolving in the current era of television.
The premise of the series revolves around a girl named Belly Conklin, who spends her summers at a beach house with her mother and her mother's best friend's family. The plot focuses on her relationships with two boys, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, who are part of her mother's best friend's family. The series delves into the dynamics between Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah, and other characters as they navigate their feelings for one another and the changes that come with growing up.
Pencil the summer of 2023 as The Summer I Got Cured. I can’t anymore. I’m too cynical for this. I’m tired. I’m also over the trope of the female character being portrayed as stable and self-assured while the male character is depicted as troubled and conflicted, leading to multiple seasons of unpacking his relatively ordinary problems.
How much longer will we persist in this cycle? On both television and in real life? Dealing with the same issues as men while also shouldering the responsibility of guiding them toward stability needed to be equal partners with us?
Why was this genre so much more compelling in earlier times? The writing in The Summer I Turned Pretty is shallow and repetitive. Is this really all it takes to write a bestseller? I didn’t read the books, but given the popularity of them, I can’t believe the series reflects the writing from the novels.
The dialogue makes no sense: “Girls aren’t supposed to know if we are pretty or not. We’re supposed to wait for other people to tell us before we are allowed to feel it about ourselves,” - Belly says in one voiceover. Uhm, what?
Gone are the times of Pacey Witter, a multi-dimensional character written so well you can’t help but root for him from the moment he shows his face on screen.
His famous: “Just what would we be missing from the land of poorly scripted melodramas? Recycled plot lines, tiresome self-realizations. You throw in the occasional downward spiral of a dear friend, and maybe a baby here and a death there, and all you really got is a recipe for some soul-sucking, mind-numbing, ennui. And I for one could skip it.”
Or: “Wanting to kiss you? No. It’s sort of always there… like… white noise, or… the secret service or the threat of nuclear war, for that matter. Just somethin’ you get used to.”
Now, that was writing.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, fittingly for 2023, has a son who’s bisexual, a lesbian debutante, a non-binary cousin, an Indian and Black ex-girlfriend, and a bisexual love interest writer. Television today became a PowerPoint presentation, rather than a realistic storytelling. Representation is important, but realistically - what family has all that, in a single storyline? As a viewer, it felt to me a certain parameters needed to be checked, without spending enough time developing an authentic story.
Belly, the female lead is pretty strong and doing well for the material she’s been given. Conrad, the main love interest is solid, but someone told him he’s a young Leo, and he leans into this comparison a bit too noticeably – often fidgeting with his hair while striking the quintessential River/Leo brooding pose.
Jeremiah, the other brother's performance left me utterly unimpressed, bordering on unwatchable. His on-screen presence resembles that of a TikTok personality attempting to engage their audience with the kind of cringe-worthy antics that Luke Cook makes fun of.
How are we supposed to root for Belly/Jeremiah's relationship when this guy spent 6 episodes talking about kissing and hooking up with guys? He’s so hip and bi-sexual and all over the place at 19, then in one moment they turn him into a stable, viable other option for Belly, the same guy who didn't show any romantic interest in her, for half of the entire season - until she kissed his brother.
Not to mention, Belly didn't seem to be into him at all until he told her he liked her, out of the blue. It’s lazy writing. The premise of these teen dramas is to make these TV love triangles - believable.
The characters are single-dimensional, entitled, fickle. There is no connection, understanding, or sympathy displayed in the dialogue between the characters; it made me reminisce about The Vampire Diaries and how well it crafted its love triangle.
When Elena's choice between Stefan and Damon is driven by her initial meeting with Stefan, only to later remember she had encountered Damon first, thanks to his ability to make her forget - your heart starts pounding at the intricacies of the narrative as a testament to its exceptional storytelling.
I have yet to see a teen drama made today that can take on the nuance of Pacey and Joey, Angela and Jordan, Peyton and Lucas, and Elena and Damon.
Are today's TV teen dramas a reflection of young adults, or are young adults a reflection of the television dramas that shape them? The Summer I Turned Pretty, from its terrible one-liners to random playfighting, just doesn’t scratch the itch.
Fabulous article, bur more the point, while it may be a generational thing, I feel that the intricacy of relationships and the, as you’ve noted, the multidimensional nature of characters on-screen (and off!) is on its way to full distinction. Worrisome, to say the least. I’ll always be yearning for a Pacey Witter. Digits crossed there’s still hope he’s out there.