How Does Laurel’s Story Influence Belly’s Journey
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What Redditors are SayingHow Laurel's Story Influences Belly's Journey
Laurel's Grief and Emotional Availability
Laurel's journey through grief significantly influences Belly's development. Laurel is depicted as emotionally unavailable, partly due to her deep mourning for her best friend Susannah 
[1:2]. This emotional distance impacts Belly, who struggles with understanding her mother's grief while dealing with her own emotions. The lack of communication between them creates tension, but it also pushes Belly to navigate her feelings independently, which is a crucial part of her maturation process [1:4].
Parental Influence and Expectations
Laurel’s subtle preferences and expectations also shape Belly's path. While she loves both Fisher boys, Laurel seems to favor Conrad for Belly, believing in their deeper connection [2:1], [2:3]. This preference is not overtly expressed but can be inferred from her actions and the way she discusses relationships with Belly. Such expectations may subconsciously guide Belly's decisions and self-discovery journey, as she balances familial influence with her desires.
Indifference to the Love Triangle
There is a perception that Laurel is indifferent to the love triangle involving Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah [3:1]. This perceived indifference could stem from Laurel's own past experiences or a belief that Belly needs to navigate these complex relationships on her own. By not intervening directly, Laurel allows Belly to experience the consequences of her choices, fostering growth and resilience in her daughter [3:4].
Reconciliation and Support
The reconciliation between Laurel and Belly is a pivotal moment that underscores Laurel's influence on Belly's journey. Their reunion highlights the depth of their relationship and how much Belly relies on her mother for emotional support [5:5]. Conrad's role in facilitating this reconciliation further illustrates the interconnectedness of their relationships and how each character's actions impact Belly's path [5:4].
Belly's Self-Discovery and Independence
Throughout the series, Laurel's story indirectly encourages Belly to embark on a journey of self-discovery. The absence of direct guidance from Laurel forces Belly to confront her feelings and make independent decisions about her life and relationships [4:4]. This journey is essential for Belly's character development, as she learns to balance personal desires with external expectations and find her true self amidst the chaos of her teenage years.
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POST SUMMARY • [1]Summarize
Why is Laurel's grief so overlooked?
Posted by awkwardchilli · in r/tsitp · 2 months ago
ORIGINAL POSTSo I haven't read the books and completed S2 just 2 days before. From what I remember from S1, belly annoyed ts out of me. Like why is that girl so self centered? Beck was like a mother to belly, they had a special bond and loved each other deeply. But Beck was also Laurel's best friend and her soulmate.
The scene in S2 where Laurel talks to belly about her grades being so low, belly lashes out on her saying that she was absent for the whole year. For the amount of maturity she claims to have, can't she see that her mother is also grieving? Her mother also lost someone very important to her?
And don't get me started on the funeral scene. Why was she making it all about herself? Conrad didn't ask for her help so she was pissed but did she forget that his brother was equally in need of support? Or her support was just selective? She was so into her relationship drama with Conrad that she forget that Beck's cancer was also difficult on Jere and Laurel. And the audacity to victimize herself.
Laurel was the only sensible adult in the equation. I get that and the kids should have come to her first to discuss about the house but it isn't fair how they all lashed out on her. Steven shouldn't have said "At least she was here mom unlike you", I expected more from him. And that belly scene where Laurel was apologising and she had the audacity to say "We all make mistakes mom". Like girl shut tf up. That slap was so satisfying lol.
This turned out to be vent but I just wanted to say that the series didn't explore Laurel's grief well and nobody supported her. Also if it's not clear I am team anti-belly. May she choose herself this season and spare everyone of her shenanigans.
Laurel from the books is entirely emotionally unavailable. Laurel from the show is really skirting between emotionally unavailable and flirting with emotionally stereotypical stone-walled portrayals of Asian parenting. She wants to be close to Belly, but seemingly has no idea how to be. In a lot of ways, the only person we see her have any kind of freely flowing emotional connection to is Susannah.
Losing yourself in grief is normal and Laurel had every right to mourn her dead soulmate…but she also was a parent and needed to have a finger on the pulse of her children and their well-being. Belly failing classes and lashing out at games was a huge personality change. Steven and Belly having to grocery shop and run the house FOR Laurel was too much for two teenagers to carry. For better or worse, she needed to grieve but also still be present for them. She completely checked out on them. She literally stayed in her bed and let debilitating depression take her.
Belly is a teenager. Her frontal lobe is still developing and the only emotionally available mother figure she had, died. Laurel was an empty vessel. Her dad is off fucking his undergrads and not being a part of her life. The relationship with the guy she was obsessed with her whole life fell apart. I think it’s understandable that a self-centric teen might not be able to see the trees through the forest and understand the depth of their parent’s grief. And even then…both Steven and Belly TRIED to take care of her.
Probably bc belly is the protagonist. Plus Laurel tends to keep her cards close to her chest, like Conrad.
She makes it that way to be fair she never want to talk about it and bottles it in belly’s said multiples times u never talk about her and we wanna talk about her there not being selfish. Although majority of the time they are I feel laurel is the one with the issues here as far as communication
Short answer: because they are teenagers and teenagers are very self-centric. Even without immense grief, you are usually a lot older before you come to understand and know your parents as people and not just mum or dad.
Can you say this louder for the people in the back who say that Laurel & Susannah are bad mothers?
Remember that parents are people too. Your mom is just a girl living life for the first time & trying to figure it out (just like you!). She doesn’t have all of the answers & she isn’t going to do everything perfectly. Belly hasn’t quite figured that out yet in S2.
r/TheSummerITurnedPrett • [2]Summarize
Laurel
Posted by livelaughlovely101 · in r/TheSummerITurnedPrett · 2 months agoObviously Laurel loves both Fisher boys, but to me, it seems like she is definitely hoping Jeremiah’s relationship with Belly runs its course by the end of college.
On top of that, while I do think Laurel wants Belly to desperately go on a self discovery journey, I also get the vide she wants Belly to find her way back to Conrad someday.
That scene when Belly is moving into her dorm and Laurel tells her about Agnes? Am I the one thinking she said that to get a reaction out of Belly?
I’d love your thoughts!
Can we also talk about Belly answering that FaceTime with Laurel, while still in bed with Jeremiah, after having sex, and he doesn’t even put a shirt on?
My goodness, that relationship is juvenile, even by college kid standards….
RIGHT! GET DRESSED THEN CALL HER BACK.
That irked me so much, it's so disrespectful to her mom. Connie baby would never.
The difference in intimacy levels between Bonrad and Jelly is also astounding.
It’s just night and day.
Yeaaaa to me she definitely would favor Conrad for Belly (I mean he’s her special guy!) but she loves Jeremiah of course and is ultimately on team Belly. I do think though that her reaction in the book after the engagement announcement is totally valid though as she’s like look I’m on your team as long as it’s good and healthy for you and this ain’t it. I do think she wanted to see what Belly thought/how she would react hearing about Agnes. I think she and Beck both knew that Belly/Conrad were endgame.
She knows Belly is settling by being with Jeremiah. She loves Jere, but understand that, he is not right for Belly. That Belly will be stuck by being with him.
Maybe Laurel sees how she is holding herself back because of Jere.
She definitely sees that already.
Oh she knows her daughter is not ending with that guy 😂
She obviously has a soft corner for Conrad , he is her special guy! I also feel that both Laurel and Susannah knew that Belly and Conrad have a deeper connection.
I too found it weird how she mentioned to belly about a girl with Conrad, like the way says it and so randomly.
I think she was genuinely wanting a reaction out of her, because she knows there’s unresolved feelings there.
r/TheSummerITurnedPrett • [3]Summarize
Laurel view on Belly
Posted by Full_Guest9297 · in r/TheSummerITurnedPrett · 1 year agoDoes anyone else find it strange that Laurel seems really indifferent about the whole 'love triangle' between Conrad, Belly and Jeremiah. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't think of any time where she expresses any view to Belly about her actions and the consequences of her actions. Personally, if my daughter was in such drama with my best friends sons, I would speak to her about it and I would probably be pretty dissapointed - especially if it is when my bestfriend is battling cancer! The only thing I can recall is Steven mentioning that there are others involved not just her and the boys. I fully understand as a parent its not our role to police our children's love lives, but offering some wisdom and advice may have been beneficial. Does she even know half of the drama that has been going on? Is this something that is explored in Book 3? I've never read the books only watched the show.
I don’t think Laurel really knows the extent to which Belly was involved with Jere. I would not be shocked if Laurel doesn’t know about Jere or just thinks they shared a few teenage kisses but not real feelings. I don’t see Belly really opening up to her mom about specifics, and I could Susannah kind of sweeping that mess under the rug, therefore Laurel’s kind of in the dark. Laurel knows Belly’s always been in love with Conrad and she loves and trusts Conrad, so I think she was excited for her daughter to date a boy she really liked and trusted.
In the books, nothing happens between Jere and Belly that first summer, Belly and Conrad aren’t as committed when they date, and the whole announcement to family of Belly and Jere dating is completely glossed over. Since the show has changed things, I’m kind of hoping we get some kind of scene of Laurel trying to talk to Belly about her whiplash move in dating Jere so quickly after dating Conrad, especially on the heels of Susannah dying and all the grief that entails. I think Laurel is going to be supremely shocked at the Jelly dating announcement, because I think she thought Belly was talking about only Conrad in their motel conversation. Had she known Belly was oscillating between the two brothers, I think she would have given her different advice, such as, “take time for yourself before jumping into a relationship with someone new because you’re clearly confused and that’s not fair to the new guy.” It will be kind of weird if we don’t get Laurel’s reaction to Belly and Jere showing up all lovey dovey in Philly after Laurel thought Belly was confused about whether she still had feelings for Conrad. But will time allow it in the show? Who knows.
Belly was only talking about Conrad on the phone with Laurel. How do you know if you are not in love anymore, then she said she was not sure if she was thinking about what they had together or what they could have together, that was all about Conrad. I still believe that if Conrad confessed his undying love to Belly in the motel room, even after she kissed Jere outside, she would have been with Conrad. She still loves him and wanted to be with him, she even took the necklace and immediately hid it from Jere when he walked in. It’ll be interesting to see if she ever pulls it out during her relationship with Jere. I believe she will from time to time.
In one of the books, there are a couple of lines that mention that Adam dated Laurel first. At some point, she decided Adam was not for her and handed him over to Susannah. We are told nothing about the extent of Laurel and Adam's involvement. But maybe that precedent is why neither Susannah nor Laurel seem pressed about the love triangle.
Just a shot in the dark on my part.
yes for me personally i would provided ik all the info - so if belly told me EVERYTHING thn to an extent i will talk to her bc i wouldnt wnt the boys(jere and con) to thn be alone , going through sussanahs death. nd this drama
Obviously Belly full on dated Conrad during that period before Susannah's death, so Laurel knows all that, but I don't think ultimately she knows the extent of the drama between those boys and Belly leading up to that, or during that time we see in season 2. Laurel was away from the three of them last season - hopefully we get more of her during season 3.
In book 3, her thoughts on the Jeremiah relationship is a point of contention between her and Belly, and she is still close to Conrad so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
r/tsitp • [4]Summarize
I don’t agree with every single point in this article, but I do think it makes a lot of great points. Thoughts?
Posted by CelebrationBubbly102 · in r/tsitp · 1 month ago
It feels like this season, Belly is reacting pretty lukewarm to her own life. None of her relationships seem to matter or deserve exploration at all outside of her relationships with the Fisher boys. Steven almost died, but her reaction to that is centered on how this causes her to interact with Jeremiah and Conrad. Conrad fixes Laurel and Belly’s relationship, but we don’t get a substantial conversation from Laurel and Belly on their feelings. There is almost no mention of how Belly feels about now that she’s been back in Cousins when her relationship with Susannah was central to Seasons 1 and 2.
Even her relationship with Jeremiah makes no sense- there’s no anger, jealousy, or resentment when he acts outrageous, just acceptance. We’re on episode 6, and it feels like she’ll only leave that dynamic because she loves Conrad more, not because of realizations about Jeremiah.
As someone who was invested in Belly’s story and seeing how she will grow and change, it is a little disappointing that it feels like her development is being shafted to give her sufficient “shipping” moments with both boys. Nothing can just be about Belly, even the downfall of her relationship with Jeremiah- it has to be about her love for Conrad, not Jeremiah’s own behavior.
I agree with some, not with all. I do think they’ve glossed over a few things that could have added way more depth to her character. They have opted to build out the Taylor and Steven stories out more…I get that, but it was at the expense of learning more about Belly’s last 4 years…
I think the love story was always going to be the key draw - and as shallow as it sounds, that is why we all got hooked to start. I think Jenny is taking the story exactly where she wants to because it is HER story, it’s made up. Belly is her character.
I would argue she has given Belly way more depth than she had in the books. I mean, I sfound Belly in the books totally unlikable and obsessed with Cousins. At least in the show, they have mellowed that out and given her more justifications to feel what she feels.
I agree that the side characters have made it harder for us to really focus on Belly as the main character. The lack of her narration has also stripped away her thoughts. If we were more inside belly’s head, she could be talking about Paris, her dreams, etc. but instead they have really pushed away her inner monologue to make jelly fans less likely to abandon the series.
It would have been much more interesting if Taylor and Steven had grown to have a healthy, stable relationship and have that be a foil for Belly and Jeremiah
I believe Jenny wrote it like this on purpose to show how co-dependent Belly and Jere are in their relationship. They are both holding each other back. Belly has lost herself and will find herself again when she goes to Paris. Once she gains maturity and finds her true self and passions again, she will be ready for Conrad. Conrad has already had his growth through counseling and so he will be patiently waiting! He knows the Belly he fell in love with is in there somewhere.
This could end up being a beautiful story, I'm trusting Jenny to deliver!
I just don’t think her focus on Jeremiah can be blamed for all of it. It can be blamed for her lack of internality for herself, but her relationship with Steven for example is being neglected after a big life event for both of them. Same with Susannah. Belly is arguably with Jeremiah in part due to her love for Susannah, but she never thinks of her. She arguably thinks about Conrad more than she thinks about Susannah or Steven.
I can buy Belly neglecting herself, but not caring about her other relationships feels like a missed opportunity instead of purposeful writing.
I agree. I think there is something thematic about Belly sort of being relegated to the passenger seat of her own life. It is my hope this version of her will be bookended by a Belly who takes back her agency and chooses how she wants to move forward with her life. I think we're supposed to be troubled about seeing Belly this way (unless you're so invested in Jeremiah that it has ceased to become Belly's story for you). I, too, wish we saw an inkling of something else to grab onto besides the very tell-don't-show details of Belly's major and dream study abroad program, because even if it is thematic of Belly's place in her journey, as a piece of media this season does read like Belly's heart and mind are incapable of passing the Bechdel test, and we know she's capable of more.
People will argue that this is the point, but no. It's one thing to write a well-rounded character who is losing themselves, being put in a box and overlooking other relationships in favor of their significant other. It's another thing to write a character in a really one dimensional way, neglecting to show any part of their life that isn't their love life.
I'd understand if it felt like Belly was a whole person who is limiting herself. That's not the case, though. The very valid criticism this season has been that Belly doesn't feel like a whole person or a character in her own right.
Whether she chooses to focus on Jeremiah or not, she still has a family. She still has friends. She still has her dream of going to Paris, whether she gives that up or not. She's still affected by a knee injury that killed her volleyball career, even if that means she's clung to Jeremiah harder because of that.
They should be showing us that her other interpersonal relationship have suffered while she's been dating him, including her familial relationships. They should show us that it's a problem that she's only made one friend at Finch in four years, that it bothers her. They should show us why she wants to go to Paris and why it's important that she does and a tragedy that she is giving it up, so that we care. They should show us that getting injuried affected her, if it's made her more codependent on him, or lonelier, or anything.
Instead, they simply decided not to show any of this, any facet of Belly's life that isn't Jeremiah. And no, that's not the same as writing a character that is prioritizing her boyfriend too much, because if we're not shown what's going on (or not going on) outside of him, anything could be true. Belly could have more friends at Finch and we just didn't see them (a lot of girls showed up for her shower after all). She could also nust be not at all bothered to only have met Anika. She could have not given a crap about losing volleyball. Paris could just be a fancy of hers because she thinks it's pretty.
Jesus, they even took away her voiceover for half the season. She's been lacking any kind of interiority because none of actions have felt motivated or justified. They're literally asking the audience to just make something up to explain how she's been acting and how her behavior flips from scene to scene. And even now that the voiceover is back, they'll keep prioritizing the love triangle over her by having her still be super cozy with Jere (despite his behavior that supposedly annoy her) while also having intense moments with Conrad. Without much self reflection, of course, because if there's too much of that, it will ruin the suspense.
They haven't even established in the show, why Belly is choosing to lose herself in this relationship. Is it her clinging to her childhood? To Suzannah? Is it still a reaction to Conrad breaking her heart? Is it because she feels guilty? Why does she still feel so guilty when it's been 4 years? Has she's been in denial about her feelings for Conrad? Have they been buried instead? Did they go away for the most part and are only just coming back? Why is she so rude towards Conrad a lot of the time? Why did she encourage Jere to propose and accepted it right after he cheated and "hurt her more than anyone else"? None of that is even touched on. They're just hoping the audience magically fills in the gaps. That's a problem.
YES. YES YES YES. I wish I could like this 1000 times. I'm frustrated with the fact that this leaves viewers trying to make sense and justify the writing.
But it's not the story and writing leading us to conclude and generalize that Belly is suddenly behaving this way because of her relationship. It's viewers inferring that because they don't have anything else to go on because our brains are trying to pick up the slack because of the writing. That's NOT good writing. It's not the audience lacking "media literacy" it's the writing being bad.
"Why" is exactly right. It's the biggest question for most of the plots this season and there's no answer to anything.
YES THIS IS SO TRUE. The audience shouldn’t have to immediately go to social media to consult ‘Easter egg experts’ figure out why a character is acting the way they are. And you also shouldn’t need tons of background knowledge from the book to understand a character’s motivation. Maybe you could argue that’s fine for a specific type of show, like severance or something. But the summer I turned pretty is not that 😂
I also don't agree with every point but I agree with the person's overall point. She has no personality anymore. We see her doing the twist with Jeremiah to recreate the scene in Pulp Fiction >!whereas in the book, she expresses her frustration at not having their first dance to Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs 'Stay.'!< It's really sad to see Belly reduced to this--she's more immature than she was in season 1 when it was actually understandable since she was a teenager. (Technically, her prefrontal cortex has not finished developing and won't for a few more years but still.) In season 3, I can't stand her. I hear what you're saying about shipping moments. It feels like the story was sacrificed so that each ship could have an equal number of moments to create video montages on YouTube.
I think the whole series, especially the characters of Conrad, Jeremiah and Belly suffer from the battle team J or Team C.
That competition brought a lot of hype and attention. But that same attention and hype caused adjustment and changes in the script and the characters to keep this hype alive.
I think the characters are suffering from that. Belly who is more immature and self centered than ever. Conrad who is slowly becoming a martyr. And Jeremiah becomes a bit of a vigilante, irresponsible cheater.
Their characters become a bit over the top and i think that is a shame. And of course i will watch it till the end, and of course i will always be team C. But i like the book more than the series now.
the polarizing is getting a bit insane for me. I feel like there was more nuance in season 1 before anything happened - now, jeremiah is evil, Conrad is a saint and belly is a plot device.
r/tsitp • [5]Summarize
anyone else cry during the laurel and belly reunion?
Posted by Narcissa_Nyx · in r/tsitp · 1 month ago
I was reminded of that part in Gilmore Girls where Rory and Lorelai were estranged, and it honestly broke my heart. Contrary to the popular shift, I cannot hate Belly with much conviction at all, not when she's reaping the awful consequences of her choice and has been so painfully isolated. She's seemed the most sorry little child, particularly in the last episode, that it's very hard to do more than pity her.
For all that people, especially jellies, like to demonise Laurel for her very human reactions, it's so obvious that her absence in Belly's life utterly destroys the two of them. The show does familial love really well within the Conklin family, when it tries, and this is just a brilliant example of it.
When Laurel inconspicuously entered the frame, with Lauper's 'Time After Time' lilting in the background, I genuinely started crying. Both women looked so small in that moment and it was just so obvious how much they've needed each other. I love that they didn't need to resolve their issues in that moment, or make any decisions, but only really just be near each other.
I hate when people call things domestic abuse when they aren't, but a lot of Jere's behaviours do mimic the experience I've had with abusers, particularly how he lets Belly become isolated (and urges her to not go back to her house because it'll prove Laurel right). Regardless, Laurel is such a grounding force in this moment and I think it was perhaps the most important moment in the episode (albeit the bathtub scene was very nice, obviously..)
(also seeing Belly finally get some food in her, and some nice rice at that was such a relief.) bit of a bloody long rant, but after my mum and I started full on crying within a second of this scene, I figured it merited some discussion.
I just kept thinking, what a gift Conrad gave them
I so badly wanted Belly to ask Laurel what changed her mind, so she could say 'Conrad talked me around'. So Belly would realise the quiet work that mans is doing for her happiness, always 😭
I cried when she saw her mom at the shower and I cried even harder when I realized that Conrad loves Belly so much that he convinced her mom to give in, even though you know it must have killed him to take the side of 'the wedding'. He is so selfless in the way he just wants for Belly's happiness. I'm getting choked up again just thinking about it!
I bawled 😭 I lost my mom almost two years ago so Belly’s sadness surrounding her mom not being at her wedding really got to me. Then when they had their movie night 🥲 I miss my Laurel every day ❤️
And the fact that Conrad never mentions or boasts about convincing Laurel to fix things with Belly. He’s just silently happy from afar 🥹
I think “Time After Time” playing in the background was the perfect song choice and I’m glad you mentioned it because I started to feel emotional as soon as I heard it. It just brought a wave of longing and nostalgia
The look that Conrad gave his father when his dad said Jeremiah didn’t need to go see Belly after the steak house said everything. Conrad was mad because he wants Belly to be happy and he knows Jeremiah does that for her. He’s so unselfish out of love and Jeremiah just wants his dad’s approval for once. It’s heartbreaking.
I cried too. These two have one of the most fraught yet beautiful relationships on the show. I love them together and you can tell how much both of them needed it.
Belly is def going to end up using that extra airline gift card with her mom! Gonna be such a beautiful full circle moment.
It reminds me of when she and Conrad had that fight on the beach, and Belly ended up on her bed drunk calling her mom and sobbing about how she just needs her to be there. The fact that Jeremiah doesn’t understand how important Laurel is to Belly is really telling of how little he sees her and what’s important to her despite the fact that he’s known this family his whole life.
Jeremiah is playing a game that unfortunately, no one else is competing in and it’s honestly so sad to watch.
I know Conrad needs to open up and express his shit, but Jeremiah is boiling and stewing over so many things. “Hey Bells, my dad is waving for us”…..no Jeremiah, he’s not. you just couldn’t bear to talk about Conrad with her for one more moment. Why are jere and belly so scared to touch that topic. All I’m saying is Conrad isn’t the only one withholding and not being truthful.
I started crying at this and the clip of them watching a movie together. I made a comment that I wished my mom was like that and my boyfriend said well you have a boyfriend like that so I started crying more lmao. And he said I could be a mom like that so that was sweet too
Laurel and Belly's moments always bring out my mommy issues so I feel ya 🙃
Right 😭like im no contact with my mom right now, since January and oof. Seeing how close they are is a hit that I never expect. But it's also kinda cathartic to see a mother/daughter relationship be so sweet and genuinely caring about each other. I love laurel, she's a great mom even if she does have some faults but that makes her human
Yes cried so much it was such a beautiful moment Lola and Jackie were so fantastic in that scene, it just pulled at the heartstrings, it feels like we are getting Belly back little by little every episode 😁
r/jellyshippers • [6]Summarize
Will Laurel be supportive of Jeremiah and Belly's relationship? (unlike in books)
Posted by El-Sol-Nunca-Se-Pone · in r/jellyshippers · 1 year agoI posted part of this comment the other day, and a few folks encouraged me to make a full post on it, so here it is--
Essentially, I've been wondering if other people think they will have Laurel be supportive of the relationship between Belly and Jeremiah, at least for the most part. Obviously I *hope* they make this change, but it also feels impractical that Laurel and Jeremiah wouldn't have bonded some over the last year.
From original post: I cannot stop picturing that fact that Laurel is one of the ONLY people who would have witnessed what all Jeremiah went through during his senior year. She would have been taking all of those trips to Boston to see Susannah, watching her slip away, and spending a ton of time in that house. She would have seen first-hand how hard Jeremiah had it. Him taking care of Susannah, getting her Ensure-type drinks from the store, making her smoothies, having movie marathons with her, etc.
How on earth are we supposed to believe that this woman will turn around and say- Jere doesn't take anything seriously? He's immature? Not a good partner, etc.?
We don ’t see how involved Jeremiah was in her care. We know he obviously cared for her but they had Laurel, Adam and a nurse. So who knows what Laurel saw l, didn’t see, and from the sounds of it Laurel was focused on one person… Susannah.
I think Laurel may disprove at first because of Conrad not because of Jeremiah. I’m sure she’ll think when I told you to date lots of people I didn’t mean brothers. There is no way that Steven or Laurel could be happy with this dynamic in the beginning. It’s very convoluted and messy, but I’m sure two years later Laurel will of course be supportive as long as Jeremiah treats belly right. What more can a mom ask for?
Just to break down a few things-
- Laurel did not live at the Boston house. She was making some weekend trips, so yes, there were other people involved/around, but nobody else was living there with Susannah and Jeremiah- full time.
- Adam had moved out of the house. He moved out after the summer. This is why we see Jeremiah closing the front door/saying goodbye to him at Thanksgiving. Also, Susannah tells Laurel that he will be moved out when they get home for the summer (S1).
- We never see a nurse so we have no idea if what other help existed. That being said, I'm confident they had hospice help or someone, especially at the end to dispense pain meds and take care of the more "medical' pieces of her care.
- We see Jeremiah being involved in several ways.
- He makes her food/smoothies. Several references to that.
- The vanilla drink he references, while I can't confirm 1000%, is more than likely a calorie-replacement drink, like Ensure. He specially says, "the store was out of vanilla, hope this is ok"-- so it is likely that he is doing the shopping, or is heavily involved in ordered groceries, etc. And that drink was different than the green drink and other smoothies he'd made in the past.
- When Conrad goes to ask for his "blessing" we literally watch Jeremiah compile receipts and another items, there's a notepad out with numbers, so he is at the LEAST organizing and making a tally of medical bills for the insurance. He is also familiar enough with insurance to understand what all he needs to be tracking.
- He talks about the movie marathons and themes and watching 3 movies in a row with her. It would seem he was spending a LOT of time with her, which makes sense, but also wears people out, because of the emotionally-heavy knowledge that time is ticking. He probably would have felt like he shouldn't leave her/should spend as much time as possibly with her.
- Watching someone die from cancer is an EXCRUTIATING thing to witness. Most folks lose weight rapidly, many start losing the ability to go to the bathroom on their own, they have accidents, have to have "pee pads", adult diapers, etc. They have bruises from IVs, meds. Some get mean/angry (we see a taste of this with interaction between Susannah/Laurel when Belly visits). Folk will start to smell like death-- Hospice nurses are very familiar with this odor.
--- So regardless of what level of medical help there was at the house, it would have been hard to see, especially for a young person. And one who stated multiple times that- she was the "only person who got him"
- I never said Laurel lived at the Boston house but she was there a lot considering that was a huge bone of contention in the Belly/Laurel dynamic
- Where do you get Adam moved out of the house? We never see Adam leaving at thanksgiving. Laurel and Jeremiah both say Adam really stepped up for Susannah.
- There is a nurse in the books and as a child of a parent with cancer for 9 years and a dad who’s had multiple strokes even though my parents have multiple children we also have other responsibilities so my parents have personal support workers and no we are not rich. But it’s necessary.
- Again of course he would do those things and watch over his mom and go the extra mile my point is he didn’t do it alone. He would be dead himself if he did. It’s not possible. So it’s hard to say what Laurel saw him do when she came to help. Because maybe when she came to help he would go and be a kid and take a break so Laurel wouldn’t know anything other then Jeremiah going to homecoming or on a date. Why? Because she’s given him a break. Doesn’t mean anything other then through your question you can’t know what Laurel sees or doesn’t see Jeremiah do
- Cancer sucks. What more can anyone say. F cancer.
So Again my comment stands I don’t think Laurel would be judging Jeremiah based on what he did or didn’t do for Susannah. I think she would be thinking that it’s a bad idea given the family dynamics and close friendship but once some years passed and belly and Jeremiah seemed happy she would have to move past that reservation and be happy that her child is happy.
I feel like people usually ask "Did you read the books?" in these types of situations, but in this case, the question is "Did you watch the show?" Because your #1 is all kinds of inaccurate.,
Did she dislike him as Belly’s boyfriend in the books? I knew she wasn’t supportive of the wedding but I didn’t know she said negative things about him…
I would honestly like to see her reaction but more of a “omg you were just dating his brother” kind of way and not in a way that brings down Jere.
You are right- we don't really see her showing negativity toward Jere in the book, but that's because of where book 3 picks up in the timeline. So I don't know how it was before the engagement. My thought was, even though I agree they were too young to get married, it seemed like if you were fairly supportive of the relationship BEFORE-- that your reaction wouldn't be SO severe, to the point of forbidding Belly from getting married, not going dress shopping, planning to skip the bridal shower AND wedding, etc.
Obviously if they scrap the wedding plot (which I know would make a ton of us happy), they wouldn't necessarily need to have Laurel be unsupportive of Jere (from a plot point), so I guess that could be good. LOL.
I have a couple thoughts about this. One I feel like someone other than Taylor should be upset with Conrad having Belly coming home from her Prom shaking and crying. Also noticed that she had her worst year academically and socially when she was with that man. Snuck out the house and ran away to Cousin during the holiday seasons. I just think it would make sense for Laurel to be put off by that behavior. Coupled that with her time spent with Jeremiah while they took care of Susannah. So to that end, I am not sure why Laurel wouldn’t be supportive. I also don’t see why she wouldn’t develop a stronger bond with Jeremiah.
But the other thing is that the show loves propping up Conrad. Plus I doubt that the writers even would remember that. They’ll have her be team Conrad for no real reason. I doubt she would say those things about him in the show, but Idk if she would be supportive. I think it would be indifference for the most part.
WHAT? She's Team Conrad because she's always been team Conrad, ever since he was born. Conrad is The Son.
Really, the book vibe is so similar to the Belly-Conrad one, which is that Laurel and Conrad always just had a special bond. They like to tell us these things about Conrad and other people.
Edited to make it more clear I was being sarcastic. Sorry!
I mean I said no real reason. Her being team Conrad, 2 years before Belly was born proves that point of her not having a real reason to be team Conrad. It’s the same, they just have a special connection and then we never actually see said connection. I’m just saying her and Jere taking care of Susannah would be a bonding experience vs Conrad who’s been closed off as of late. Add in the fact that he completely broke Belly’s heart and the whole mess tanked her junior year and volleyball season. I’m not really seeing where show Laurel would be crazy about him after all that.
Ugh...to your 2nd paragraph- that is my issue/concern too. Since that's how they handled the Steven situation. He gave those blanket reasons for not thinking Jere was a good choice (that were basically just Team Conrad talking points) and he had no substance, examples, or REAL reasons. And I'm like, I'm gonna HATE seeing that from Laurel even worse that Steven, b/c Steven doesn't know how much pain Jere would have experienced.
I did wonder if it would be indifference, or how it will come into play. We already know she wouldn't let Belly visit Conrad at school, so I did wonder if part of the lack of support could be as a result of something like Belly sneaking out to go see Jere at college, or something else during her Senior year.
I feel like she would. She seems to like Jeremiah in the show, and she’d honestly have no reason not to be supportive of them being together. Especially since she’s the one who should’ve seen everything he went through with Susannah before she died.
I hope she likes Jeremiah for Belly (she better), but I hope she has the sense to say that flip flopping between brothers isn’t a good idea lmao. Let’s see.
r/tsitp • [7]Summarize
Laurel’s Gift
Posted by greaterthanyou_ · in r/tsitp · 1 month agoI loved Laurel’s gift to Belly. The passport and the airline cards! Do yall think Laurel’s gift is foreshadowing Belly and her studying abroad? ( I havent read the book, so I wouldnt know)
Has belly actually formally cancelled her semester abroad? Or do we think shes secretly left it at confirmed. I too haven’t read the books so I don’t know how it plays out. Does she still go abroad to study or to travel?
In the books the failed wedding takes place after her freshman year. She studies abroad in Spain her junior year and reunites with Conrad at her graduation.
Im really think she have not cancelled her semester
Im not sure either!
Oh definitely. She’s going to take off right after the wedding is cancelled
r/TheSummerITurnedPrett • [8]Summarize
Why no grace for Conrad?
Posted by advanced_lazy · in r/TheSummerITurnedPrett · 2 months agoOk I know this has been talked about ad nauseam but there are so many contradictions happening here in episode 1 and 2.
Belly tells Conrad in season 2 flashback that her mom wouldn’t care if her dad cheated. Fast forward 4 years and she easily forgives Jere and giddily accepts the proposal. Is this her following Laurel’s footsteps of not really caring because IF Conrad had done this, she would have probably burnt Finch and him to the ground and been devastated to the point of no return. Make it make sense!
And also while we are talking about Laurel, when belly says she can’t be with someone who doesn’t make her feel like fireworks, does it mean she has started to have fireworks with Jere?
Or is she following Susannah’s footsteps that they need to get past the cheating because of how much time she has invested in the relationship and that cheating is nothing but a blip in their relationship. But again, then why couldn’t she get past Conrad being depressed and not with it at prom not something she could see?
And also, the patience she has for Jeremiah. How she always says the right thing to him and rarely wants to say anything that could hurt his feelings. Again, she is never shy to give Conrad her piece of mind whenever he does something she doesn’t like to the point that his image in her head has become one that leaves and doesn’t really care.
In short, why is belly so easily giving grace to Jeremiah for something far worse when she didn’t do the same for Conrad? Was it just because they spent less time together and more long distance? Or was it the age? Or was it something else?
Would love to hear your thoughts?
Absolutely. I think the conversation she had with Anika after the Lacie fight was really revealing. She factored in losing Cousins if she lost Jere. In S2E1 Belly is so depressed bc says she lost all of them. I think she gives Jere more grace bc he’s all she has left. Jere holds on to Belly bc she’s similar to Susannah, and I think Belly holds on to him bc he’s her last connection to Cousins.
It's pretty obvious Belly is more sensitive to Conrad because she truly loved him. She literally couldn't function without Conrad and probably loved him more than her own life. So whenever he did the slightest thing wrong, it hurt her so much. And whenever he did the smallest thing right, she felt fireworks. This is why Belly hates Conrad so much. Because he ruined what they had. She truly believed they would be together forever.
Meanwhile with Jeremiah, she loves him but not to the point where she loses her logic or goes nuts. This causes her to be calm about him overall. She doesn't go nuts when he does something wrong and doesn't get super super happy either. They are just a steady force. Basically relationship goals. Best friends. Less drama
With Conrad she feels the passion. She turns into a little girl again....the truth is that they are very compatible and love each other equally. Susanna's death just ruined everything for them. But Susannah knew that Conrad only needs Belly. He can't have another girl, it will never be the same. Meanwhile Jeremiah loves belly sooo much, but he could be with someone else. He would survive.
I think it’s because Belly loves Conrad so much more than Jeremiah. When we see Jelly in S3, their relationship is more mother/son than anything else. They are sickeningly codependent. Also, they bring out the worst in each other. When she’s with Jere, Belly holds herself back because she’s scared of leaving him alone (Paris). When he’s with Belly, Jere can’t grow because he knows that she will take it upon herself to “protect” him and he doesn’t want that to stop. Bonrad, on the other hand, help each other become the best versions of themselves. They’re happy when they talk to each other, they can exist together in silence, and they share the same values. It’s easier for Belly to give Jere grace because she can’t be hurt by him the same way she can be hurt by Conrad. Like you said — if Conrad cheated, Belly would never be able to come back from it. Because she loves him so deeply, he can hurt her more, too. But with Jere, Belly just doesn’t love him to the extent that she’s in love with Conrad. When someone can’t hurt you, it’s easier to forgive them. I’m not saying Belly wasn’t hurt about Lacie — obviously she was, but can you imagine how destroyed she would’ve been if it had been Conrad who’d done that?
TLDR: when someone can’t hurt you, it’s easier to forgive them.
I have this feeling that Belly is paralleling her mother’s choices.
Laurel married her Jere (John) and it ended in divorce because although she loved John (she was also pregnant so maybe shotgun?) and Belly is going down the same path. John deserves a woman who really loves him and is in love with him and only him. Even though I dont like Jere he also deserves a woman who will love him with butterflies.
This is so accurate. It’s just maddening to see how Belly has regressed. She is constantly defending and protecting Jere. Some part of me was wondering is this what the show wants us to see? (Codependency, maternal dynamic, walking on eggshells) or am I reading too much into this because I am a Bonrad fan and not a jelly fan. So I am always doubting what I am seeing because all I see are shadows and cracks in jelly’s relationship.
Day 3 of processing how unhappy I am with this release and this is the best I’ve come up with. Even though she absolutely loves Conrad, she builds him up too high and has unrealistic expectations for him. When they fail, bc they’re bound to, she at least has Jere as a backup bc he loves her. Now she really believes there’s no hope left for a relationship w/Conrad (and I think Conrad believes he has no chance with Belly too). All she has left is Jere, who she genuinely loves. He’s also the only and last Fisher she could have a relationship with (now that Susannah is gone and Conrad is out of the picture). He signifies her final connection to Cousins. Since she built her entire college life around him too, memories of them are all over Finch. If she cuts Jere off, all of that is gone. She’d be back to where she was in S2E1 with nothing but memories.
Also Belly just assuming Conrad left Christmas 2.0 without a note or a goodbye, acting like “This is who he is, this is who he’s always been”, someone who just keeps leaving her and not caring. Then he surprises her by leaving the note and crossword puzzle. She assumes the worst of him. I believe this is also a change from the books because in there, Conrad did leave without a note.
I’m going to contradict myself and say the book does make her have a few lustful “chase” Conrad moments but I hope Han knows we are going to need old Belly back and she goes to get her man.
She’s also had Jeremiah and Taylor for years tell her he never loved her and left her bc he abandons things don’t work. She believes it and believes the worst things about him. She now carry’s the flag for the Jeremiah fan club.
Hahaha! It makes sense! I also wrote this post in a daze! lol! I think he does kind of bring it up in the end of the book how she has changed (or maybe I am hallucinating) when he tells her Jere cheated and she says she knows
She’s pledged allegiance to Jeremiah despite herself. Remember she says he loves and will never leave her despite her flaws. She’s lost herself.
I think this is kind of the point - for us to see the parallels between Belly’s behavior towards Conrad and the reality of how she allows herself to be treated the same way, if not worse, by Jeremiah. We have to remember that she’s a grief-stricken teenager/early 20s throughout this show, desperately clinging to Susannah, Cousins, the boys, and her place in their world. I think once Conrad is back east she’ll start realizing just how poorly she’s been treated and and the double standard will become more apparent and she’ll stop making excuses
r/tsitp • [9]Summarize
In response to the “This is Belly’s story” narrative
Posted by Rich-Procedure5912 · in r/tsitp · 23 days agoWhile the story is told from Belly’s perspective, we actually know very little about her beyond her relationships with the Fishers and her summers in Cousins. Jenny Han chose to focus the narrative almost entirely on that. As a result, we don’t see Belly as a full character…just an empty vessel defined by others. Is she a good friend, sister, or daughter? We don’t know. Those aspects of her life are either absent or underdeveloped. We have seen Taylor be a good friend to Belly, we have never seen the opposite. We don’t know what Belly wants in life beyond being in Cousins or ending up with one of the brothers. If this were truly Belly’s story, we would have seen her make real choices, face challenges, and grow independently of the love triangle. We were not given that. We didn’t even get to see her college years, arguably some of the most formative in a young adult’s life. Those years were skipped entirely, and with them, any real opportunity to explore who Belly is outside of the Fishers. Instead, the central question has always been: Who does Belly end up with? That’s the story we’ve been told, in both the books and the show. It feels disingenuous to now insist that the story is about Belly’s personal journey when we’ve never been given the depth to care about her outside of that context. If viewers are more invested in who she ends up with than her personal growth, it’s because that’s the narrative Jenny has chosen to give us from the start. To ask the question “who is Belly” now, with only three episodes left in a series that has only ever been about her relationships is just bad storytelling.
I made similar comment when she posted the story on this is belly’s show before episode 9. We do not know belly outside of her love triangle with the boys. Even her conversations with taylor/steven/anika/her mom are all around the boys or how each boy react to her.
What is more surprising that after taking away her voice over in s3, we are supposed to be like yeah this is belly’s show. We literally do not know anything about her. I mean whole show has now become like who will she chose 🤦♀️
Thank you. I’m an older viewer so haven’t read the books. I genuinely feel like I know nothing about belly. The show has shown absolutely no personality from belly. I’m 9 episodes in and I still don’t understand why Belly is with Jeremiah, why did she have to pick one or the other at the end of season 2. If she loved Conrad that much how can you go to his brother. In all honesty, the show makes it seem like she wants the beach house.
The summer I ended up single with a beach house
Omg I was hoping someone would bring this up. I genuinely don’t believe this show is about Belly, it’s about the Fisher brothers. We see more of her brother’s personality than hers. She is an empty vessel who likes two brothers, chocolate and volleyball.
I also do not find the Jeremiah / belly chemistry believable at all. It feels like two teenagers performing at having a relationship.
It feels more like Conrad and Jeremiah‘s story because over the 3 seasons they get personality traits outside of their feelings for Belly, they get life experiences that we see or are at least impactful enough that they get brought up regularly, we explore their brotherly relationship and how it fractures over the years, how they try to rebuild it and then how it derails again.
We also see both of the relationships with their dad and how that’s impacted and continues to impact them, we see their bond with their mother and how her death changes them. Belly does not get this depth with any member of her family, despite her mum, dad and brother all being more prevalent characters than Adam for example.
I also feel like the Belly and Taylor friendship has added more depth to Taylor‘s character but adds little to Belly as she never seems to care that much and only uses Taylor as a sounding board for her feelings about boys.
Absolutely. Like, she’s had a knee injury and ended playing college volleyball - that’s seriously impactful on a person. Why don’t we see any of that struggle and how it impacted her choices when it came to her degree or is she that shallow?!
I agree
Jenny told us before episode 9 that it's Belly's show and went on to have an episode full of Jeremiah crying lol
That’s such a good point. Jenny might keep saying “this is Belly’s story” but then doesn’t actually give her the space to exist outside of Conrad, Jeremiah, or Cousins. We know way more about how the brothers feel about her than who she is as a person. If her journey was meant to be the focus, we should’ve seen her choices, her growth, and her life beyond the triangle. Instead, the narrative keeps circling back to which boy she’ll end up with. That doesn’t make her the center of the story; it makes her the prize.
It’s also bad storytelling. Show us why Conrad is so in love with her, after all these years!
r/TheSummerITurnedPrett • [10]Summarize
How did Belly know the girl Laurel was mentioning was Agnes?
Posted by Here4TheExperience · in r/TheSummerITurnedPrett · 2 months agoThis was in episode 1 and I’ve been thinking about it and can’t figure out how Belly knew about Agnes?
it was one of the most bizarre reactions from belly i’ve seen..
Glad you bring this up. There are a lot of weird reactions from Belly that aren’t landing, her reaction to her mother’s comments is definitely one. The part where she looks at Conrad really quickly at the restaurant following her outburst, she looks low level smug to me, like she is checking his reaction and she got the desired effect? This cannot be the intention, but it reminds me of when she laughed while telling Jere about having kissed Conrad.
Oh I missed her looking at him. I’ll have to go back and watch.
😂😂 omg i forgot about that!
She was giddy talking about it! Essentially cut him off but she’s giddy talking about his new gf?
Also I hope Agnes name comes up later and Belly gets a little shifty
My guess is someone mentioned Agnes to her (probably Jeremiah).
My other guess is Belly stalked her socials, after learning about it, and is trying to play it cool.
Listen to how fast Belly tries to change the subject, after Laurel brings it up, while trying to remain chill….
Also, compare this exchange, to ones she’s had after seeing Conrad at Christmas.
When he’s mentioned post Christmas, her body tenses a lot of the time, and it seems painful to talk about him.
I feel like this will be revealed in a later episode. This show tends to do things like that…mention something in one episode and then provide more clarity and context in a future episode.
Yes! There's so much intention with a lot of the dialogue and scenes, which is part of why I enjoy it so much I think. All these "aha!" moments
I like to believe she was stalking
Either social media stalking or Jere said something for some reason.
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AI Answer
How does Laurel’s story influence Belly’s journey
Key Considerations on Laurel's Influence on Belly's Journey:
Parental Guidance: Laurel serves as a guiding figure for Belly, providing wisdom and life lessons that shape Belly's understanding of love, relationships, and personal growth.
Emotional Reflection: Laurel's experiences and struggles often mirror Belly's own, allowing Belly to reflect on her choices and emotions. This connection helps Belly navigate her own challenges.
Role Model: As a mother, Laurel's decisions and actions set a standard for Belly. Belly observes how Laurel handles her relationships, which influences her own approach to love and friendship.
Conflict and Resolution: Laurel's past conflicts, especially regarding her own romantic life, create a backdrop for Belly's journey. Belly learns from Laurel's mistakes and triumphs, which helps her make more informed decisions.
Theme of Growth: Both characters experience growth throughout the story. Laurel's journey often serves as a catalyst for Belly's development, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's past to move forward.
Takeaway: Laurel's story is integral to Belly's journey, providing emotional depth and context. It highlights the themes of growth, the impact of parental relationships, and the importance of learning from the past. This dynamic enriches Belly's character development and enhances the overall narrative.
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