The Summer I Turned Pretty has peaked in interest amongst MHS students for the past few years. As the show is coming to a definite end, another show is now slowly taking its place. My Life With The Walter Boys, an almost carbon copy of the TSITP’s plot, has recently been moving up in the ranks.
Of course, you have probably been asked the question, “Are you team Jeremiah or team Conrad?” Now people are being asked, “Are you team Alex or team Cole?” Have you ever considered how similar the two shows are? Their shared plot has been used in numerous shows, but now that these shows have gained popularity simultaneously, the similarities are more apparent.
Both shows contain a clueless teenage girl main character who can’t choose between two brothers. Of the two brothers, one is often seen as more successful, more kind, more of a gentleman, and overall a better option compared to the other. Of course, the main character chooses the wrong brother, because what else would she do? She then regrets her decision and realizes she has feelings for the other.
The plots have their differences, too, of course, especially in their characters’ backgrounds and the overall setting of the shows. Could MLWTWB completely copy everything about TSITP? No, they could not, but they sure did the best they could.
Overall, the audience prefers Conrad and Cole; that’s not up for debate. Conrad and Cole are basically the same person, even considering their differences. Both love interests have a troubling past. Conrad, with his mother’s recent death, and watching Belly, the main character, choose his brother. Cole, with the end of his football career, and, you guessed it, also watching the woman he is in love with, Jackie, choose his brother.
The opposing brothers, on the other hand, Jeremiah and Alex, aren’t as different as they appear on the screen. Jeremiah is a man-child, sorry to say it. He created a relationship with Belly solely built on tension, and not the good kind. His controlling personality makes everything with Belly end in a fight. This can be compared to Alex’s passive-aggressive attitude we often see, and the anger issues he has expressed multiple times.
Most importantly, the main characters, Belly from TSITP and Jackie from MLWTWB, are extremely similar. They are both pretty shy at first, but very outgoing once you get to know their characters. Both girls have lost parental figures in their lives. Belly lost Susannah, who was basically a second mother to her. Jackie lost both of her parents, plus her sister. Throughout both shows, we see the girls processing their losses and learning to cope with grief. A key way to grieve, for both of them, was to distract themselves with boys. The boys they chose both ended up being brothers, what a coincidence, right?
This could obviously just be a coincidence. The plotline of a woman choosing between two brothers isn’t a new concept. Many shows have used the same base for their plot; for example, The Vampire Diaries also follows a similar script. Even though MLWTWB isn’t the first to share a common plot with TSITP, the only way they got away with their similar plots is the differences that are often more noticeable to viewers.
Most commonly recognized is the setting. TSITP is based in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and most recently, Paris. The main setting is at the Cousins beach house in Massachusetts, which is quite different from the small town farmhouse setting that MLWTWB chose instead. It has a more “yeehaw” high school drama vibe. TSITP is a little past that level of maturity. This show gives off summer vibes, obviously, since the majority of all three seasons are based in the summer. The characters seem more mature compared to those in MLWTWB, in the sense that they aren’t as “cringey”, and they act more like adults rather than high school students.
Overall, The Summer I Turned Pretty has a more serious tone compared to MLWTWB. As TSITP is coming to an end, I don’t blame MLWTWB for following in their footsteps. This show would probably aim for a younger audience based on the fact that it is less mature. The main plot of both shows are extremely similar, but includes differences that set the two apart from each other. If you enjoyed one of the two shows, I would recommend watching the other. They both give off the drama and excitement that many love, but if you didn’t enjoy the “can’t pick which brother I want” plot that one show embodied, maybe don’t watch the other.