“The Summer I Turned Pretty reboots for season two
Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” released its first season in 2022 and quickly became a phenomenon. It has created a strong fan base composed of both people who have read the books and those that had never even heard of them before. The show does a great job of bringing the books to life in most aspects, including the chemistry between the characters and the scenery. However it does lack in terms of writing and some acting.
For the most part, the acting effectively conveys the story. The performance of actors like Christopher Briney, who plays Conrad, and Sean Kaufman, who plays Steven, are what keep the watchers interested. Briney has a way of bringing his character so accurately to the screen whilst also bringing some of himself to the character, and Kaufman is perfectly timed comedic relief, and probably the most likable character in the show. However, the scenery and sets are what truly make the show. For me, I love watching the show because of the summer-feel it gives me, which comes from watching the characters swim at the beach house and run down the beach.
In terms of negative performances, I did not like Gavin Casalengo’s, who plays Jeremiah, or Lola Tung’s, who plays Belly Conklin. While I don’t completely blame Casalengo for his cringy performance because the writers are partially to blame, I just did not like the way he chose to portray Jeremiah;where he was lacking, Briney had to make up. For Tung’s performance, I felt as though she did not bring as much to the table as the main character should. In general, I felt annoyed toward her character, again, because of the writing, but I still think that she could’ve done more to make Belly a character with depth and at least one likable trait.
The next season has already been announced and many people, including myself, cannot wait to see how it turns out. It was one of my favorite book series and even with its flaws is also a great TV series. Team Conrad!
