Senior Staff Writer at TV Fanatic. Nerd. Chronic Whisperer. Tea Connoisseur 🍵 Mistress of Silence & Sarcasm. Lover of All Things Blue. 💙 Twitter/X: @bleuangel88 TikTok: jasmine.jazz.blu
anyone wants to talk about emma basically single-handedly keeping dana from imploding by running around solving anything that could become her last straw without dana even clocking that that's what emma's doing?
lowkey obsessed with how Karadec tells Daphne good job. Like this entire situation is awful. Oz was dead dead. Daphne could've done the best job in CPR in the world and it might still not have worked. But I feel like Daphne likes having control of situations, she likes being able to do something, to help, so Karadec taking the time to make sure she knew that she did good, she did her job well, before returning to check on Oz, oh I love it.
Soft Boys, Sad Boys & Bad Boys: What The Summer I Turned Pretty Reveals About the Perception of Masculinity
John and Adam, Jeremiah and Conrad, The Summer I Turned Pretty quietly reflects society’s perception of masculinity. We dive into how!
The devaluation of soft masculinity, policing of vulnerability, romanticizing of repression, and glorifying of toxicity — it all makes for a fascinating examination of gender onscreen.
Adam
The trappings of masculinity are pervasive throughout this series, and we see it reflected in all of the male characters, but it’s not just about how they behave, but the general reaction to them.
Adam’s emotional abuse has been pervasive throughout the series. Still, it feels particularly glaring during this final one. So much of that lies in his own narcissism and what one can only presume is a pattern of generational trauma he was unwilling or unaware enough to try breaking.
But he’s also so representative of this concept of masculinity that society loves to uphold. Now? We call it precisely what it is — toxic.
However, that hasn’t changed the fact that there’s this idealism overshadowing the toxicity, and sometimes I’m unsure what The Summer I Turned Pretty is angling for when it comes to its male characters.
John
What I’ve found striking is how the series continuously regards John Conklin.
He becomes a perfect foil to characters like Adam or even Laurel, but what amounts to a genuinely decent, emotionally open guy with decent communication skills results in him often on the fringes of the series, and the series treating his “softness” like some form of weakness.
On a series where the bulk of the characters struggle with adequate communication and processing their emotions in healthy ways, it’s fascinating to see how John’s emotional sensitivity, which could ground situations more, is dismissed as often as it is.
By sidelining a character like John so often and keeping him on the outskirts during critical moments and plot points, it does reinforce this idea that his emotional maturity, sensitivity, and intelligence is somehow of lesser value than Adam’s toxic embodiment of masculinity, and how the remaining male characters perform for, seek approval from, and generally suffer under it.
It’s not John, someone who had just as much, if not more, stake and involvement in the Conklin-Fisher’s lives, that the boys look to, try to emulate, or even hold in high regard, regardless of treatment; it’s Adam.
And the narrative continuously reinforces this throughout the series, particularly among John, Laurel, and the kids.
Laurel unwittingly invalidates and emasculates John at every turn, but why? Because unfortunately, his softness, emotional sensitivity, and seemingly passive quality are equated with feminine qualities and thus disrupt the antiquated view society has of masculinity.
It’s frustrating that this trickles down to the kids as well.
Ironically, Belly rarely wants to confide in her father when she’s going through difficult times. She craves the attention and support of Laurel — in part, because she subconsciously associates mothers with exuding feminine qualities that are lumped in with being maternal.
And Steven’s dismissal of his father is particularly galling and unfortunate. John’s career is of a tenured professor at an esteemed college in a subject matter that one doesn’t associate with competitiveness, (toxic) masculinity, and success.
He acted as if John couldn’t possibly understand the hardships of a demanding job or that his career wasn’t as valuable or noteworthy as that of a corporate finance professional like Adam.
Steven acted as if his father had no value or insight to provide, as if he was somehow less of a man — and more frustratingly, less of the man Steven aspired to be, despite John objectively being exactly the healthy type of guy for whom the others should aspire.
Conrad
He’s the strong but silent type who suffers silently, but it’s almost framed as noble in some regard. And the only emotions that are regarded as something that “needs improvement” relate specifically to his ability to express his love for Belly and nothing else.
By tying his emotional arc and journey specifically to an outcome of winning, Belly, as a result, it does nothing to destigmatize how he suffers under the weight of upholding a toxic idea of masculinity instilled by his father in other aspects of his life.
It shouldn’t have to be this way for this kid at all. Instead, suffering and silence are equated with strength. For as much as we see it and want Conrad to grow from that and be healthy, there’s still this undercurrent of the “tragic hero” that romanticizes his struggle.
Jeremiah
Adam can indulge the aspects of Jeremiah that he feels are distinctly masculine — athletic prowess and a specific ideal of casually pursuing women, specifically, without attachments or strings.
But it’s not lost that he doesn’t abide by the aspects of Jeremiah he associates with femininity — his softness, sensitivity, emotional vulnerability and openness, and, yeah, his queerness.
There are layers to Adam’s specific hangup with Jeremiah in the context of how it also ties into this young queer man.
Not only is his emotional sensitivity and openness deemed inadequate and “less manly,” but his physically affectionate nature and willingness to seek it out are shrouded in this negative stigma of “neediness” and femininity.
And sadly, many of the other characters and even some viewers respond similarly.
But when parsing through his flaws, there’s this innate fixation on deriding him for his emotional vulnerability, especially when comparing him to his brother.
With every berating comment Adam directs toward him, there’s this notion that he’s not only immature or irresponsible, but that his bout of expressing emotions is akin to “hysterics” and childishness.
As if to say that “real men” aren’t so sensitive, soft, or gentle.
Jeremiah’s emotional honesty, something that the narrative celebrates and lauds in Susannah, is rebuffed, trivialized, or demeaned in him.
Why? Because the reality is that we as a society are conditioned to see those traits as distinctly and uniquely feminine — not only that, but the mark of a well-rounded female character.
Read full article here.⬇️
John, Adam, Jeremiah & Conrad, The Summer I Turned Pretty quietly reflects society's perception or misconception of masculinity. We discuss!
The Summer We Had a Much-Needed Reckoning — Accountability Chases Conrad, but He’s Faster
If I started out indifferent to the shipping, I can now say I have never been so radically against Belly having anything to do with Conrad Fisher.
But part of this is because the season has done such a number on the characterization of all of its characters that every installment feels as if we’re watching an entirely different show.
Conrad himself has always been a bit of a complex character, deeply flawed, and at times a bit of a hot mess. But it hasn’t stopped the series from romanticizing the hell out of him as if his most problematic traits are worth championing...
From the beginning, Conrad is a guy who only does things on his terms. He gets to dictate how and when he does something, how it impacts others, and control situations as they suit his needs.
The episode showcased just how manipulative he can be and his inability to respect boundaries, as he continued to force his presence on Belly even after she expressed discomfort and a desire for him to back off.
I’m sorry, it’s not fun for some shippers to hear, but there is nothing remotely romantic about Conrad repeatedly undermining Belly’s autonomy under the guise of him knowing what’s best for her...
He did the same thing he had always done: tell her one thing, then take it back or leaves her reeling. He yo-yos with her emotions, and we’re supposed to think it’s great that he gets under her skin...
However, what has been more concerning is seeing the lengths to which Conrad feels he is the authority on Belly, as well as the arrogance masquerading as humility (along with the self-absorption and selfishness masquerading as selflessness).
The One Where Everyone Was Finally Tired of Conrad’s Sh*t
The way the series distorts love with obsession, limerance, and possession is unquestionably toxic, and the latest episode certainly places that under the scope...
Read more here. ⬇️
Conrad Fisher is a menace to society, and it's time we finally start talking about it after The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Episode 8!
The Summer I Turned Pretty Exposes How Emotional Abuse Thrives in Silence
While most are caught up on teams, The Summer I Turned Pretty delivered a frustration and disturbingly realistic depiction of emotional abuse... and how it thrives because of silence and going unchecked....
Check out the full piece 📖⬇️
Via The Fishers, The Summer I Turned Pretty delivers an uncomfortably realistic look at emotional abuse and how it thrives in silence.
👑 Malcolm-Jamal Warner gave us characters we loved, lessons we needed, and representation we didn’t know we were missing. He was a cornerstone of Black television, a symbol of excellence, and someone who felt like family.🖤
Here's how we lost a cultural touchstone. 🕊️ (By Jasmine Blu)
😢 📖 more ⬇️
Malcolm-Jamal Warner gave us characters we loved, lessons we needed, and representation we didn’t know we were missing.
Summer Lovin’: Which Teen 💕Love Triangle 💕 Will Heat Things Up — The Summer I Turned Pretty or My Life With the Walter Boys?
Which teen love triangle is vying for first place in your heart? Surely, there’s one you’re anticipating more than the other, right? VOTE 🗳
TSITP gives us Belly — occasionally annoying, indefinitely messy, and making chaotic decisions with her whole chest. Bless her heart. We love her, though, weird nickname and all.
We have Jeremiah, the human version of a golden retriever (not just because of those blond curls). He presently has the edge. But for how long? Well, we’ll see.
Flirty, suffers from Little Brother Syndrome, for some reason, frequently shirtless, and totally fails to be considered in conversations about his own mother’s death. Seriously, the kid lost his mother, too.
He’s mostly a green flag, but still a teenage boy.
Conrad? Leading the charge in fandom’s hearts.
Broody trope on steroids, poetic, introspective, and emotionally constipated. He brings 90% of the angst, struggles with his mental health, and his hair does that thing. You know the thing. We love the thing.
Our emotionally unavailable king is a hot mess, but he’s our hot mess, you know? It works.
Meanwhile, in Colorado…
My Life with the Walter Boys gives us uptight but endearing Jackie.
Our girl is carrying her fair share of trauma. Somehow, the lighter show of the two has a protagonist who only falls into this love triangle because she’s an orphan who has moved in with her mother’s old college friend.
She’s “not like the other girls.” Is that annoying? Sometimes, but we still ride at dawn for Jackie. Protect her at all costs, you know?
And the hot brothers? Similar setup.
Cole is more emotionally repressed than should be legally allowed. Tortured? He has that in spades. Battling mental health issues? Of course, with a sprinkling of chronic pain and identity issues.
He somehow manages to pull off being the biggest jerk and most vulnerable, thoughtful sap at the same time. The guy contains multitudes.
And he’s also the most likely front-runner. But who’s keeping tabs? Just kidding, many of you are.
Alex? He’s bookish, nerdy, and sweet.
Does he, too, suffer from Younger Brother Syndrome? Totally. However, it also adds the necessary tension to the love triangle.
He’s perfectly imperfect, a little aloof at times, and occasionally treats Jackie like a prize worth winning. But he knows her worth, and he’s ready to earn her, so we can’t be too mad about that.
Will he prevail next season? It’s hard to say. Our girl chose herself and avoidance after lip-locking with both brothers — personally, my favorite ship is Jackie and therapy, you know, BECAUSE HER PARENTS JUST DIED, but to each their own.
Read more and Vote in Our Poll here! ⬇️
Summer is heating up with teen love triangles. Which should take the crown? The Summer I Turned Pretty fan or My Life with the Walter Boys?
I Finally Watched the Grimm Pilot, and I’m Not Sold … Yet
In between rewatching bits of The Originals and losing sleep to late-night ER marathons, I decided to finally check out Grimm — a series that many have recommended to me countless times.
So, because everyone has spoken so highly about this series, I popped in the first episode of Grimm.
And it was … fine.
But to be fair, I vividly recall Grimm and Once Upon a Time out around the same time.
And if there’s one pilot I’m obsessed with, it’s the OUAT one.
They went big, and it was majestic. Moments into the series, they transported us to a magical world, and it was glorious.
It’s also hard to top. Keeping that in mind, Grimm had a quieter opener, and it’s apparent that it may be more of a slow burn.
As far as pilots go, it simultaneously throws us into the dark undercurrents of its world without giving us quite enough to understand what’s going on.
I appreciate that, as viewers during this first installment, we’re just as befuddled as poor Nick Burkhardt.
It makes the premiere disorienting. Enough to keep you tapped into it until the credits roll as you try to figure out what’s even happening.
The downside, however, is that it assumes we’ll invest with very little to go on in the first place.
It was time for me to see what the hype is about with Grimm. I finally watched the pilot, but I'm on the fence.
snowghoul
turnnoffyourmind
romaincrisis
