This one’s for all the romance lovers out there. Love triangles always have that stirring, exciting feeling, throwing their audience through many different emotions, leading the reader/watcher to pick a side on who is the best match for the main characters. However, the love triangle tropes can be stressful and may not be the best trope to romanticize, as they are starting to be overdone.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, also known as TSITP, was written by Jenny Han in a series of books and has become a very popular TV show seen on Prime Video. There are currently three seasons to correlate with the three novels in the series, with the third season just coming to completion. The main characters within the series are Belly, her brother Steven, their mother Laurel, and the Fishers, Conrad, Jeremiah, and their mom Susannah. The mothers were very close friends, so naturally, their kids, having grown up together, also had a powerful bond. Every summer, Belly, Steven, and their mother would go to Cousin’s Beach to spend the summer with the Fishers. Feelings began to change when Belly and the Fisher brothers grew older and began to see each other in a more romantic way. This led to the famous love triangle trope, prompting viewers to talk about the TV show and pick sides on which brother was a better fit for Belly. However, the love triangle between them has become complicated as the show alternates between the brothers. This caused drama between everyone involved and led to Belly and the boys constantly arguing and getting their feelings hurt. This also led to its watchers not getting that “happily ever after” feeling, and causing constant disputes on who Belly should end up with.
The trope began to feel overdone when a similar series called My Life With the Walter Boys premiered on Netflix shortly after. It’s a similar plot; the main character, Jackie, moves in with the Walters after her biological parents and sister pass away tragically. She becomes romantically involved with Alex Walter, whilst also having romantic interactions with Cole Walter. This again became very popular, and viewers began to pick sides, as well as comparing the two popular shows. This produced negative feedback, including tiredness with the plot and people criticizing and belittling one show or the other. This takes away from the creator of the series and negatively impacts the writer, rather than showcasing the meaning behind the show, physically and morally. Both shows are actively producing new seasons and episodes, so the overall happy ending hasn’t been reached yet. However, fans are getting tired of the back and forth, same plot, and drama. Han announced on the day of the season three TSITP and series finale that a movie is in the works to continue the Belly/Conrad/Jeremiah journey.
After all is said and done, negative talk is still talk. The shows benefit from good or bad press, but when several shows follow the same trope and the same overall vibe, viewers tend to get tired of feeling the same emotions, or worse, negative emotions. That can cause the show to reach fewer watches, and fewer people will tend to rewatch as a comfort show.
Overall, a good triangle love trope is an eyecatcher for viewers, especially when made relatable; however, when multiple shows are gaining much media attention, viewers can feel they are stuck in a loop watching the same story, with the same outcomes. Whether you are team Conrad, Jeremiah, Cole, or Alex, one aspect they have in common is that all viewers want a positive outcome with less of the same plots. Whether one loves all the drama or hates it, one conclusion to take away is that even though a trope may feel tiring and overwhelming, the cute main characters, their journeys, and the love are what make the watch worth it.
