culturallyinept

[culturallyinept]

team jeremiah is so misguided and wrong. i wonder how it feels to be so misguided and wrong.

[culturallyinept]

The Summer I Turned Pretty S2: Reflections of Belly and Conrad

I fear there are a lot of wrong opinions about The Summer I Turned Pretty, but one I wanted to shed light to the whole Conrad vs. Jeremiah situation (a pretty common topic), and just add an unnecessary analysis of the situation, primarily focusing on Belly's relationship with Conrad. Please bear with me, I haven't read the books and I am doing this analysis purely on situations from the television show, not taking any scenes from the novel into account.

Let me start this little rant by saying I'm Team Conrad. Anyone who is not Team Conrad can start packing their bags at this point, just enjoy the trailer and move on. Jellyfish supporters are just plain delusional. It was always going to be them. This is not me saying that Conrad has an infinitely better personality than Jeremiah, because that's not true. Conrad is messed up. Jeremiah is messed up too, but for different reasons. A fundamental truth about Conrad and Belly's relationship, though, is that this is it for them. It's a magnetic force; it's one of those indescribable feelings. Susannah knew it. Conrad and Belly are meant to be together. And it's not in a "you were the one that got away, I'm taking you back" sort of way it's in the "it could never be anyone but you way." We see that their relationship is so much more complex than a traditional family-friend situation. In early season 2 we finally understand that Conrad needs Belly as much as Belly needs Conrad. He finds peace in her. She looks at him as if he's hung the stars, even when he wants to destroy everything in his sight. Some may call Belly's infatuation with him limerence (especially in their earlier childhood), but limerence is just one of those words that can become a red herring when it is not used appropriately. Yes, Belly is fully obsessed with Conrad. But no, it is not a crime to be obsessed with the person you are in love with. And Belly and Conrad are in love.

The reasons Conrad and Belly are not dating as we leave off season 2 are complex and dramatic, but they really come down to 2 main points. The first one, is admittedly, Conrad is not ready for any kind of relationship. Conrad is already a guy who doesn't know how to express his feelings--he lets them all brew until everything is boiled up, and the only thing not evaporated is hatred, depression, and a bit of self-loathing. Susannah's death has only made things more complicated in the realm of exploring his feelings. He has been navigating his anger with everyone: with his father for being a prick, with Jeremiah for being naive for so long (couldn't help it) and at himself for just being in an impossible situation. He is trying to be better.

The second reason, however, is the plain fact that both Conrad and Belly have underestimated the power of their connection. They do not know that they are inevitable: it will take distance and time to let them know this. Belly thinks that she just had a cute but frustrating relationship with her best friend's brother--a good guy who makes things ten times more difficult than it needs to be. Conrad knows he loves her, but he has still convinced himself of the age-old adage: "This too, shall pass." He does not yet have the willpower and mental fortitude to fight for Belly amidst his brother's longing for her. And he doesn't want to risk everything to destroy the relationship with his brother that his already tenuous. He knows his actions towards Belly belie his feelings towards her, and he doesn't want to lead them back down the path we left off on season 1. They do not understand that their love is not simply first love material, the kind of story you joke about with your spouse while you're on your rocking chair. Their love is Florentino Ariza's obsession with Fermina Daza. It is unchangeable. Their beings sing to each other.

But, come season 3, these problems will be solved. A reminder, once again, that I have not read any of the books, but there is still a clear path for how these problems will be resolved (with evidence pulled from the season 3 trailer/teaser of course). One of the most obvious ones is that Conrad will stabilize. Life in California (where he will always be in his happy place: beaches) and medical school will give Conrad the purpose and independence to shake off a lot of the dark thoughts that have governed his life. Escaping New England will also put some distance between him and his father and give Conrad a better chance to make peace with that relation, freeing him even more from the angst that plagued him as a teenager. Conrad should see personal growth that can enable him to take on a healthy relationship. You can tell by the trailer that college has changed Conrad: Stanford has let unspeakable light into his life that Susannah would approve of.

And the solution to the second problem, which will definitely manifest, is one which Jellyfish supporters refuse to see: that it doesn't matter how long they are apart, their love will endure. Their hearts are irrevocably entangled, and because of that, relationships with other people (regardless of how bright they are) will eventually fail the minute they cross paths. In the teaser, you can feel time stops as Belly sees Conrad at her doorstep, despite a montage of bliss with Jeremiah. On the other side of that aisle is Conrad. It's Conrad. It has been Conrad. The show cannot end without it being Conrad.

[culturallyinept]

Mississippi Masala (1991)

This movie exited my expectations. I do not want to use "surprised" or "defied" because that is not true. I was expecting (as advertised) a movie about a love story. On the whole, the love story didn't appeal very much to me. (I find it difficult to believe love with short timelines, and this movie did not change that.) But this film exited my expectations.

Jay's love for Uganda, the home in which he sticks out like a pattern, was the ribbon of this narrative. Beneath the coming-of-age and excitement we see Jay. He is writing his letter. He has written five letters before that, writing in proper English style. Appealing, as a lawyer knows, how to appeal. He is suing for his property. He is suing. There is a difference between lamenting for home and actively pursuing it. Jay has not given up on Uganda.

Americans love the word immigration. They love to define who gets to come here, who gets to share some part of their disgusting street corner. The ethnic makeup of the people bagging their groceries, driving their ubers, cleaning their floors. They care so much because immigrants don't believe in American values. They don't kneel down to a dilapidated, faded flag, and pretend it is above divinity. Americans are the stupidest, most irredeemable bunch of people ever. They are so against immigration it has made them rotten and evil. And the worst part is that they think they are Christian. They think that God will support their crimes, and lend them legitimacy.

What are they safeguarding? Are they afraid that after working 50 years in some no-thanks job, an immigrant will steal the slice of the American dream, they can at some rate afford to their great-great-grandsons? Or are they afraid that someone else on planet earth won't get the chance to die of diseases built a second ago?

I went to Nigeria a couple years ago. I did not feel right: I felt out of place, I felt foreign, I wanted to leave. I am ashamed that this is my home.

Unlike Jay, I have given up.

[culturallyinept]

One of Them Days (2025)

this was definitely just what i needed after a frustrating day: being mad at my classmates and myself for surrounding myself with them. this movie is a testament to the power of female friendship, but i believe i enjoyed it most because i watched it alone. it was funnier than anything i've watched with adam sandler in it, while still having a capitivating storyline that had me rooting for the characters. i am now at the age that i do not envy the characters of movies i watched, but i can still appreciate the beauty of dreux and alyssa's life. and to top it off, through and through, it was a movie about two women who you can't help but love. i am so happy that i go to college in a time of media. and after a week of being surrounded by women who center men, this was like a glass of water.

[culturallyinept]

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

my favorite part of pride and prejudice is at 01:04:36 when mr. darcy tells elizabeth that he does not have the talent of conversing easily with people he has never met before. that revelation gives insight into the fact that despite her coldness, mr. darcy longs for elizabeth's approval. he wants, more than anything, for her to understand him. he is smart enough to see, even beneath her veil of humor, that her opinion of him is waning, and he desperate to save it. i believe, even in his first and second confession of love to her, he is never as vulnerable in that moment. him admitting a difficulty, something so challenging to verbalize that he only adds it at the last second, is extremely everything to me. when we look in his eyes, and upon elizabeth's sharp response, we are drowned, almost entirely, into the pool of pity that lies beneath the eyes. his pride, which up to the point was exercised most extensively, takes a backseat. we, the audience are almost exclusively on elizabeth's side, but at this moment of time, these couple words are enough to let us realize mr. darcy. i confess to be a tilney girl, but those couple of words from mr. darcy make my heart (shamefully) pause. there is something so beautiful, so distraught in being vulnerable, that it makes me want to not have a crush on another guy again. i can easily be one of those girls who turns to novels and movies for their dose of romance. because mr. darcy does not have the talent of conversing easily with people he has never met before.