The Future Mrs. Isabel Fisher

Let’s start this post by stating the obvious fact: We know Belly should’ve gone and dated multiple fine young men before settling for the person she knew was suited for (literally either of the Fisher brothers). I’ll get more into that later as I talk about the two boys and the teams that back both of them.

Also, I’d like to clarify that although I am 100% Team Conrad and will probably not change my mind about that, I will do everything to try not to be too harsh on Jeremiah just because of this. Please feel free to call me out in the comments if I do a terrible job at this.

Let’s get going on this post; it will probably be longer than I want.

Team Jeremiah, in my mind, is for the girls who wished they just went for their best friend, or the good guy, in high school or university, instead of the so-called bad boy who’s no good for them. I get the appeal; I do, but I sometimes don’t understand the reasoning beyond that.

Jeremiah, like many of the TSITP characters, could be better. I get that he’s like this happy-go-lucky golden retriever with a carefree nature. In many ways, I understand why people think Jeremiah is the better option. I’ll go more into why Conrad is in his section.

Jeremiah is Belly’s best friend; at least, that’s how she portrays him for the majority of Books 1 and 2, and even in the TV Series. He knows her, she knows him - that’s how it’s always been. Conrad’s a mystery to her in the books, but somehow she always loved him - at least that’s how she narrates their life; but Jeremiah was there, consistent, and known.

Taylor, Belly’s best friend back home, is the only one in the show who seems to genuinely be Team Jeremiah. This is seen in the various people who bring up Conrad being Belly’s one true love, or whatever variation of the saying.

Back to Jeremiah. What we know about Jeremiah and Belly is that their relationship was simple, laid back, and honestly not always 50/50. Belly was so in love with Jeremiah while Conrad was far from them in California at Stanford. But, when Conrad returns, and she and Jeremiah are engaged, we see her slowly noticing what she wasn’t noticing about Jeremiah before.

Although Jeremiah is a 10/10 supportive and loving boyfriend, he wasn’t always husband material - who can blame him? Mr. Fisher wasn’t husband material either. In the show, we see this in the instances where everything is Belly’s fault, but sometimes it’s both of their faults - or even just his fault. Or when he’s leaving a mess, or not making his bed - I won’t fault him too much; driving for so long all day can be tiring, but it’s like he can’t function without his mom or someone doing things for him.

Jeremiah’s best quality, and I know it’s the main reason he was chosen - by fans and by Belly: his openness to loving Belly. I will say, though, and I’ll get into detail in his section, that in Belly and Conrad’s POV, we can see that Belly’s the one shutting Conrad down for the three books.

Jeremiah’s other qualities depend on the person, though some aren’t great. First of all, he’s a big Mama’s Boy - this isn’t bad, but only because it’s Susannah, and we all love Susannah, but any other mother, it’d be weird. Also, his love for his dad, despite his dad showing all the red flags - first as a father, then as a husband; and even just how he constantly disrespects Laurel (btw, side note: Mr. Conklin is the best husband in the series and he’s not even married to Laurel anymore). He’s definitely way better in the books - to everyone around him. It’s not until he and Belly are happily in a relationship that he relaxes too much and lets Belly replace his mom in many ways.

In the TV Show, it’s a lot easier to see the wrong side of Jeremiah - mainly if you’re Team Belly or Team Conrad, not so much if you’re Team Jeremiah. He’s constantly making Conrad the bad guy - making it impossible for Conrad to just let Nicole know he’s not interested, continually getting in the way of him and Belly, making it seem like Conrad will break up with Belly so that Belly will overthink everything with Conrad.

Jeremiah is a terrible friend, although he spends most of it claiming he’s Steven’s best friend or Belly’s best friend. He treats them both terribly during the show. I’m not going to sit here and act like Belly or Steven were the most fantastic friends alive, but they definitely didn’t shut Jeremiah out. Especially when Susannah died, they both tried to be there for him. Yet early on in Season 2, we see Jeremiah complaining that he had to do everything on his own, then that he had no one. Even though they both contacted him countless times, he ignored them. Also, admittedly, the second his dad wasn’t there to help Susannah (I know it was her choice) was when he should’ve realized his dad was useless to them now and that he was expected to step up if Conrad was going to continue with college.

Also, my biggest issue with people who’ve read the books but act like Jeremiah’s plot line in We’ll Always Have Summer is character assassination is that it wasn’t. I know it seems like that because there was always supposed to be some reason Belly would choose Conrad instead of Jeremiah. But in the first book, when it’s implied he dates around a lot, he likes to party, and Conrad is always doing things around the house for their mom. This is amplified in the third book when Belly recalls some of the things in the past that annoyed her about Jeremiah - he always cared more about himself or his frat. Although he loved Belly, it was clear that he loved himself the most.

I will never understand the need to say Conrad cheated on Nicole with Belly (when he didn’t kiss Belly until after they ended things) or that Conrad cheated on Belly with Aubrey at the funeral, yet Jeremiah didn’t cheat in Cabo. I understand that situationships are somehow more valuable than relationships. Still, Jeremiah loved Belly and wanted to be with her, but wanted to be single in Cabo. He told her there was nothing to worry about him in Cabo, but he caves into Lacie Barone the second he’s there. And I’ll explain the difference between them and Ross and Rachel - Ross and Rachel both thought it was a break, but Rachel changed her mind; Jeremiah thought it was a breakup, but it changed to a break the second he came back from Cabo with a gift for Belly and doesn’t acknowledge what happened in Cabo. I still will never understand how Belly forgave Jeremiah for it; I get that he felt guilty about it - but he also would’ve pretended nothing happened if Lacie hadn’t told on herself.

Then the engagement - oof. I love a good old young couple getting married trope, but when the two clearly are in the right mind space or have been dating since all of high school. The wedding planning could have been better. I get it, boys or men don’t really like planning weddings, it’s so tedious. But Belly is such a hopeless romantic; she wants the perfect wedding. Especially if, in her mind, this is the only wedding she’ll have because there would be no coming back if she marries Conrad’s brother, not just has a relationship with him. And, of course, she’s expecting more from Jeremiah. If you look at Susannah and you look at Conrad, of course, she expects Jeremiah is going to help her. Then we have Conrad over here, doing his Conrad thing and helping Belly. We can see the frustration starting to come out. Then she pushes everything aside and goes to the wedding, telling herself she’ll marry Jeremiah and life will be perfect. He’s her Jeremiah - golden sunshine and a lifetime of happiness.

But on the day of the wedding, when Jeremiah reads his letter, it’s evident that he and Belly are oblivious to Conrad’s feelings for Belly. That’s when Jeremiah gives up Belly, and you can tell by how Belly narrates the book’s final bit that it hit Jeremiah. So, it’s clear that Jeremiah was in love with Belly. Still, even he in the book realized that he and Belly were fooling themselves, thinking they could be together when Conrad’s always been there.

So, I’ll say this: The Book Jeremiah is definitely better than the TV Show Jeremiah - and I say that fully noting that he cheats on her in the books and treats her like a bad boyfriend. But in the show, it’s shown that he isn’t oblivious to Conrad’s feelings, but he’s using them to get Belly. And I’d definitely say that Jeremiah is having his character assassinated in the TV Show.

In conclusion, if you’re Team Jeremiah, please do. I don’t care; isn’t that the whole point of having teams. Instead, I would put up with Conrad’s moodiness and indecisiveness rather than Jeremiah’s lack of self-awareness and pending narcissism.

For as long as Belly’s known of feelings beyond friendship, she’s been in love with Conrad. This is seen in flashbacks and spoken in the present day by her brother, mother, Susannah, and Taylor. I get it; this is precisely why Belly shuts it down when Conrad shuts her out as his mom is dying. Belly loves Susannah, but she’s the last one to accept that Susannah is dying, so she thinks Conrad’s just being an asshole.

Conrad is a complicated character; to many, he’s not understood - in the books and shows, and honestly, it takes a specific person to understand him. Everyone will tell you he’s toxic because he doesn’t express himself - and although I’m not going to sit here telling you he’s not - if that was the case, Belly and Laurel and Susannah are also toxic.

In the first book, he struggles with his dad’s behaviour. He’s 18 - I think book ages are always confusing - and he’s given up pleasing everyone. Susannah wants everything perfect, Adam wants him to be the golden child, Laurel wants him to be like her - fixing everything, protecting the kids, etc., and Steven and Jeremiah look up to him to be perfect. Belly was his safe haven - although she’s always thought he was perfect, she’s also the only character that seems to fully get him. Laurel does when she sees her in him, but we can tell she expects too much from him.

Conrad tries to show Belly his feelings in the books and the TV show. Like many people, boys do this a lot; when someone likes you first, it feels almost embarrassing to tell them you like them years later. He’s beating around the bush, flirting, asking questions, implying she’s always been pretty. Belly misunderstands this, and most readers or audience members misread this.

Conrad is and will always be an action guy. He will do little, big, important things for those he loves. Teaching Belly complex ideas when she was young, teaching her to dance. Teaching Jeremiah things their dad wouldn’t teach them. Being the older brother Steven probably always hoped for. Even in the brief flashbacks, we see Conrad doing anything and everything Belly was expecting or wanting while they dated. We see this even in the flashbacks when she was younger.

The critical part to remember is that it is heavily implied that Belly is an unreliable narrator. This is shown in Book 3 when she’s remembering things with Jeremiah that was actually Conrad, and she starts thinking of other things she misremembered or saw differently because of her emotions.

Conrad has shown he’s cared for Belly. And I think there’s this misconception with both brothers that they loved Belly before. They did, but it was heavily platonic for most of their lives. I know Conrad was getting those budding feelings, but I think their age gap was what was really pushing him into ignoring these feelings. Jeremiah, on the other hand, if he was getting feelings for Belly, he pushed it all aside to kiss and date other girls the entire time.

When we see the moms in the show and the books discussing Conrad and Belly, It’s always implied that it’s not just Belly that they recognize has feelings, but Conrad. Although Belly loves Conrad, she gets that same “I don’t know when my crush likes me back because I can see it in everyone else but me” feeling. Susannah and Laurel, who have both watched their kids grow together and separately, know almost instantly that they’re falling in love - or at least, that it’s inevitable.

Conrad further proves this in his POV. When he’s explaining to Agnes, his study buddy and kind of fling of a sort, the first time he loved someone. He’s describing Belly, who, as we see in the books, is the only person he had a serious relationship with - even with Aubrey. It didn’t seem too serious, but she did seem to be the one who understood his emotions best. Conrad fell in love with Belly, and maybe it was that day she returned to Cousins Beach, prettier, but it’s also all the little moments before. You can see in the flashbacks that even though Belly fell first, Conrad was the one who really fell hard. He remembers all the little details from their childhood, from when they dated to the moments after.

Conrad’s most significant moment in the series was letting Belly go. Although he loved her, and you can especially see it in the show, you can also notice he was genuinely hoping things would work out with Jeremiah. He loves his brother, and maybe he doesn’t idolize him like Jeremiah does in the book or implies in the show, but he loves him enough to know he’ll treat Belly right. Then we see him move to California, live out his dream, away from his brother and the girl he wants most. He focuses on school and focuses on being a better version of himself. Even if he doesn’t get Belly back, he needs to be a better partner to whoever he ends up with.

When he returns in Book 3, the thread loosens on Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship. Belly is constantly annoyed with Jeremiah - not doing enough, doing too much, and still feeling conflicted about the Cabo Incident. This is when we really see Belly rethink her and Conrad’s relationship. Although Jeremiah was all words, Conrad was all actions. He would drive to Belly; for Belly, he would help her with school work or help around the house when he’d visit her.

This gets amplified when Conrad finds himself wishing he had just returned to California after discovering they were engaged. Still, he ends up getting roped into wedding planning. Belly was constantly asking Jeremiah for help, but when he wouldn’t, Conrad would offer. He, or anyone really, didn’t understand this. But then, Belly thinks about how things are different with Conrad back, that she’s getting help and support, and it’s like the old days.

Alright, let me simmer down my Team Conrad a bit. Conrad is the second most imperfect character in the series - Belly is the first. He’s definitely moody in the books, and that doesn’t stop. But I honestly think a lot of that was Belly’s doing - she was imagining things differently. She was pushing Conrad aside to save her emotions. And my biggest issue is that, sure, he’s a lousy communicator. Still, everyone in the series expects they know what he will say or think, and his biggest issue is that he doesn’t correct them. I think he’s human and has problems, but… unlike many of the show’s characters, he apologizes when acting out of line. Although I know Book 1 vs. Season 1 were different reasons he was moody, he did acknowledge he was an awful friend, brother, son, etc.

I want to apologize if I sound like I’m defending Conrad’s destructive actions. I’m trying not to, but unlike the other characters, he does owe up to being a shitty person sometimes. I’d especially like to apologize if you’re Team Jeremiah and just saw me shitting on his entire character arc. Conrad is flawed, but he has many of the negative values he owned up to, and then he grew and changed his ways.

I understand that everyone was mad when he made a move on Belly right after he told her he knew Jeremiah cheated. But, in all fairness, he did apologize - he also acknowledged he expected Jeremiah to take care of Belly. So him sleeping with another girl, even while they were temporarily broken up, then getting engaged so young…was all reason for Conrad to try to remind Belly he wasn’t that bad. And honestly, I liked the books for making it messy between them in the final book. Belly wasn’t so flip-floppy with the boys in the books, as it naturally occurred that she ended up dating Jeremiah, then eventually ended up dating Conrad and marrying him in the future.

Show Conrad honestly shows more flaws than books Conrad - but I think that more relies on the fact that it’s not only Belly’s POV. We see this when he is annoyed about Belly and Jeremiah after they kiss. But then we see him calm down, apologize, and force himself to move on from Belly. But like books Conrad, he acknowledges his flaws. Conrad is probably the only character who is harder on themselves than Belly.

In conclusion, I might have to re-read the books to understand why Conrad is terrible, other than that Belly paints him that way. I’m sorry if you’re a Team Jeremiah fan and made it this far. If you’re a Team Conrad fan, please tell me why he’s better for Belly if there are any reasons I missed. But I think Steven in the show said it best: Conrad challenges Belly - and even if she doesn’t think that yet, we know that’ll be true if the season goes like book three.

I still don’t care what Team you’re on; if you want to pick a team, you can be that Team wholeheartedly. I don’t care if you’re delusional and think the other brother is toxic or even if you don’t understand how Belly pulls these two’s heartstrings the entire series.

Team Jeremiah is for the girls who like a simple life; maybe you want to be doing things for your man or not being 50/50 in a relationship. Perhaps you love a Mama’s Boy. Maybe you love it when guys push their emotions down and pretend to be happy until they break. I don’t know, but you can do that. Jeremiah’s still a great guy; I think he proved many times in the show and books why he wouldn’t be the right choice.

I'll give you guys this video. It's evident, or at least if you pay enough attention, that Belly and Jeremiah are more lust-based than love-based. They've got their romantic moments, but they're usually friends who kiss passionately.

Team Conrad is for the girls who like some complicated thoughts, feeling challenged, and having a partner who is 50/50 with you but will tell you if it’s time for some 30/70 action. Maybe you like the moody around everyone but you type of guy. Perhaps you like the guy who liked you before you were conventionally pretty (although that will apply if you’re Team Cam, too). Maybe you are just like a guy who sees flaws in people but still manages to love them, and if there are flaws in them, they will acknowledge it, apologize for it, and grow from it. Maybe you just like being on the Team you know will win. Either way, it’s all up to you if this is the Team you’re on.

This video perfectly showcases Belly and Conrad's complex relationship, both song-wise, and what Conrad will do for Belly.

If you’re neither Team nor even better, if you’re Team Cam Deserved Better, that’s OK too. Both boys are perfectly imperfect, and that’s OK. They were all teenagers and young adults. They make dumb decisions that make you cringe and want to turn the TV off or throw the book at a wall. I hope this post helped you choose a team or understand the teams.

Thank you for reading this, and please do follow me on Twitter or Instagram if you want to see my thoughts or talk to me about my thoughts. And if you have any recommendations for shows or books, I’m open to them. I was having a conversation with my friend the other day about Michael or Rafael, so I might rewatch Jane The Virgin and write about that love triangle, too, so motivate me to do that if that interests you.