Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? The summer we obsessed over a teen love triangle

You canrsquot miss it Everyone from teen girls to 40yearold millenials and their husbands and boyfriends are trying to decide between Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah The characters from the show based on Jenny Hanrsquos book The Summer I Turned Pretty in its third and final season are all the rage with conversations about fan theories and Easter egg spotting taking over the Internet barring only conversations about Taylor Swiftrsquos engagement and therersquos a TSITP watch party being hosted in a Mumbai bar for the next episodeldquoI started watching it thinking it would be a cute summer show but now Irsquom really into it and drawn to the charactersrdquo says Muskan Rawat 24 a content creator Another content creator Muskan Chanchlani 27 says ldquoI am obsessed with itrdquoThe iconic trio mdash Tina Rahul and Anjali from Kuch Kuch Hota HaiThat seems to be the defining word Obsession Every few years along comes a show that takes over everyonersquos imagination In The Summer Ihellip Belly has grown up with Conrad and Jeremiah both sons of her motherrsquos best friend spending each summer in their summerhouse in a quaint seaside suburb called Cousins She loves brooding Conrad who loves her back but never can quite express it and their romance often feels caught up in bad timing Belly canrsquot take the constant yoyo and opts for Jeremiah Drama ensues and Season 3 is about Belly and Jeremiahrsquos wedding and Conrad finally trying to break up the wedding with his heart wrenching declarations of love Will Belly and Conrad end up together mdash we have three more episodes to find outBut the showrsquos popularity has forced us to ask Why is a teen love story making us cry and hold our hearts When the teen drama first aired in 2022 it didnrsquot become an instant hit But as the drama around the love triangle unfolded audiences hooked on to it ldquoThese shows are an easy watch there is no investment of energyrdquo says Reem Iqbal 35 a marketing professional ldquoI am also rewatching Never Have I Ever mdash itrsquos my white noiserdquo she adds Chanchlani watches Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls when things get overwhelming ldquoAnytime I feel like Irsquom doing too much adulting I go back to theserdquo she saysA still from the popular teen show My Life With The Walter Boys PICPINTERESTPlacesafeChanchlani also points out to the music used in season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty ldquoJenny Han has used some iconic songs This season for me is all about Ariana Grandersquos I wish I hated you I have been listening to the song on loop now In episode eight I caught a bit of U2 and then of course therersquos Taylor Swiftrdquo she says Han who is also showrunner has used the pop starrsquos music and lyrics to drive the point homeThe West may have given us ample content with love triangles including One Tree Hill Twilight The Vampire Diaries The OC and more But so has Bollywood Who can forget the iconic RahulTinaAnjali equation of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or RahulNishaPooja from Dil Toh Pagal Hai Perhaps that has influenced the content we watch today especially millennials ldquoGrowing up on Bollywood romances where love triangles were the big emotional hook I think I naturally leaned into shows with similar arcs That mix of romance drama and friendship just feels very familiarrdquo says Leisha Patidar 23 a content creatorIshita Sengupta Nikhil Kamath and Muskan ChanchlaniBut why would adults be interested in shows meant for teens Audiences say its nostalgia ldquoIt takes you back to your teen years Most of these shows have a similar theme Itrsquos usually teen romance and coming of age stories Besides who doesnrsquot enjoy the drama of a love trianglerdquo says Iqbal Radhika Sanghvi 25 an independent social media marketer says ldquoI think we all want to feel that in our lives toohellip that we are part of that love triangle but without the drama of it in real life That pining and the characterrsquos journey all keep us investedrdquoFor many teen dramas offer the space to live out a fantasy The simplistic nature of teen relationships gives viewers comfort and an escape from their adult relationships which often come with complexities Deeksha Athwani clinical psychologist at Fortis Hospital Mulund says ldquoTeen dramas capture overwhelming intense emotions about teen years Itrsquos about the first kiss first love or first heartbreak Adults feel nostalgic and itrsquos exciting to relive that through characters on screen Adult relationships in comparison are too complicated So itrsquos about comfort versus complexitiesrdquoWhat do teens have to say about adults watching drams meant for them ldquoMost of us watch these shows in the living roomrdquo says Azeeza Reshamvala 17 a student ldquoSo we are often watching it with our parents I watch The Summer I Turned Pretty with my mom I think for her itrsquos probably a story she has not experienced in her teensrdquo she adds explaining that for many parents teen shows are a way to live vicariously Reshamvala adds that while she may discuss and dissect the show with her friends shersquos glad her parents watch the episodes with her too ldquoI think it helps them understand what we are thinkingrdquoRahul Desai Leisha Patidar and Muskan RawatThese triangles are often added for effect entertainment and to add a bit of conflict to the story As most love triangles are not very realistic the fantasy draws in the audience while the drama that unfolds keeps things spicy ldquoAt some point I do feel that a love triangle with two brothers is a bit messed uprdquo says Rawat also pointing out to the storyline of My Life With The Walter Boys ldquoBut itrsquos my guilty pleasure a quick escape from my problemsrdquo she says Mumbaibased film critic Ishita Sengupta explains why such stories are popular and says ldquoA love triangle offers more tools for character development The space for narrative levity like confusion happenstance and tension gets more streamlined when only two people are involvedrdquoIn Bollywood though we have largely seen love triangles where the choice is far more clearer We know whom to root for And manipulation is used to steer audiences ldquoManipulation happens on a writing level Bollywood films tend to lean on certain stereotypes to show who the right choice is Itrsquos more simplistic writing where the stakes are low The story is not about whom the protagonist chooses mdash the choice is obvious The story then becomes about how they arrive at it the journey of how they end up togetherrdquo says SenguptaBut love triangles could also be an opportunity for filmmakers to explore dimensions of love Rahul Desai a Mumbaibased film critic says ldquoLove triangles are used as a device to make moral complexities more accessiblerdquo adding that ambiguity is the crux of it but Indian cinema tends to use it to simplify themes and the plot ends up being a commentary on what an ideal partner is culturally ldquoIn India we go to movies for answers not to thinkrdquo he says But Desai believes that love triangles now feel more relatable ldquoThey are more accessible and lifelike now A love triangle is no longer a fantasy or fictional anymorerdquo he says adding that the current audience is watching teen shows out of curiosity and not simple nostalgiaFor The Summer Ihellip social media has played a big part in its popularity The young generation is quick to create memes and video edits about the shows which helps increase awareness For many fans the dissection of episodes adds to the entertainment ldquoSometimes you donrsquot notice small details while watching but then you see an edit or a thread and suddenly yoursquore like lsquoWait theyrsquore actually rightrsquo It definitely shapes how you view charactersrdquo says PatidarBut not everybody is a fan Author Nikhil Kamath 29 says he only began watching The Summer I Turned Pretty because the Reels connected to the show kept popping up on his Instagram feed ldquoI came to know itrsquos a series based on books by Jenny Han so I decided to watch it But I quickly felt annoyed with the characters As a viewer it felt like there was too much conflictrdquo he says explaining that the characters go through things that are too big for teens to deal with The two brothers in the show deal with the death of their mother are exposed to their fatherrsquos infidelity have to fight the sale of their summer house and more mdash all while being in love with same girl ldquoEvery good story needs conflict but this show has too muchrdquo he saysWhy my 43yearold heart beats for ConradI have dealt with guilt and shame the last few weeks mdash thatrsquos because I am in love with a 23yearold fictional character from a teen TV show Conrad Fisher is yummy mdash as Taylor Swiftrsquos song Wildest Dreams says ldquoHersquos so tall and handsome as hell Hersquos so bad but he does it so wellrdquoWell thatrsquos just for starters Why I like Conrad more is his attention to detail Along with being impossibly beautiful he pays attention to details mdash he knows Belly so well and he uses that information to make life easier for her He cares about her tears and that says a lot He would rather hurt himself than see her cry Oh Conrad make more men like you He reminds you of that first boyfriend or first crush when things were easier mdash and putting love over everything else was not a chore Conrad wants to be a doctor but he wants to be with Belly more Because he knows if he has Belly by his side it will all be betterYes he has been indecisive and so caught up in his emotions that he hurt Belly because of his inconstancies But hey he is only 23 and we have seen many make the same mistakes even at 40 mdash an age where we should have matured Conrad goes for therapy to deal with his motherrsquos loss and to learn how to be a better man mdash I liked that part of the show as wellSo yes I have felt a slight bit of embarrassment for pining for Conrad at 43 as much as he pines for Belly at 23 but itrsquos all good For an hour every week I and many women out there get to feel what Belly feels mdash an allconsuming love like it can only be when we are 23 And itrsquos a rush Team Conrad all the way Aastha Atray Banan