Poll
Jeremiah & Redbird in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’: Should They or Shouldn’t They Get Together?
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for We’ll Always Have Summer.]
Bonrad this, Jelly that. What if we start talking about a Jeremiah and Redbird endgame instead?
All of that might sound like gibberish to those not tuning into The Summer I Turned Pretty, but if you are, you know exactly what we’re talking about. Whether Belly (Lola Tung) will stay with Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) or ditch him for Conrad (Christopher Briney) is the big question as the show’s third and final season continues. So, who is this Redbird (Tanner Zagarino) character, and why do some viewers think Jeremiah should be with him instead?
Redbird, who made his debut in Episode 1, is Jeremiah’s charismatic fraternity brother. In Jenny Han’s book, he briefly catches Taylor’s eye at one point, but it seems like the show might not be going that direction. In fact, this version of Redbird might not be straight like his book counterpart. While consoling Jeremiah after he and Belly break up, Redbird mentions being devastated after his relationship with someone named Sean ended.
View this post on Instagram
That’s all it took for some fans to think that maybe Jeremiah, who’s bisexual in the show, would be better off if he ended things with Belly and struck up a romance with his college friend instead. We can’t say we considered it before now, but we wouldn’t actually be too mad if that’s how things played out. As soon as we caught wind of Jedbird (?), we knew we had to put them through Swooon‘s Should They/Shouldn’t They rubric. Check out the pros and cons below, and give us your input in the poll and comments!
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3, Episodes 1-2, Streaming Now, Prime Video
CON: There's the Belly of it all.
Jeremiah’s years-long relationship with Belly complicates things. If you still think that he and Belly should end up together, you’re probably firmly anti-Jedbird. On the other hand, if you firmly believe that Belly and Conrad are meant to be, then you’d probably be happy if Jeremiah moves on from her.
If the show does give Redbird a romance with his frat brother, it’ll likely be a good, long while after Belly and Jeremiah break up. And that’s okay — Jeremiah will probably need a lot of time to get over her, and rushing things with Redbird won’t do any good.
PRO: It would be an interesting, unexpected twist.
As much as we love a book-accurate adaptation, we also appreciate being surprised. Already, this switch-up with Redbird’s sexuality is keeping us on our toes without shaking up the core of the book too much. (He’s a pretty minimal character in the book, after all.) Plus, you don’t see a frat bros-to-lovers storyline very often in the media. We’d actually admire it if The Summer I Turned Pretty subverts a stereotype.
CON: He did keep Jeremiah's cheating a secret from Belly.
When Jeremiah is debriefing Redbird about his breakup with Belly in Episode 2, it seems like his friend already knew about Jeremiah’s hookup with Lacie (Lily Donoghue). If we’re being honest, that doesn’t make us think highly of his character. Then again, that doesn’t have much to do with his romantic potential with Jeremiah.
PRO: They have a genuine friendship.
Jeremiah and Redbird are on the same wavelength, if their first scene together is any indication. (Belly, on the other hand, doesn’t really get the whole frat thing.) Zagarino said that Redbird encourages Jeremiah to let loose and have more fun, and we think he needs someone like that in his life. Still, they have that heart-to-heart conversation in Episode 2 that implies their friendship isn’t all about keeping things light. We have to admit, it’s a good foundation for a potential romance.
CON: If it does happen, we probably won't see Jeremiah and Redbird's romance develop much.
With everything else going on, we doubt the show’s going to spend much time on Redbird in general. There’s probably little chance of watching a romance between him and Jeremiah fully develop. We’re betting that if it does happen, we’ll just get a brief explanation of how and when they got together at Belly and Conrad’s potential wedding. It’s not the end of the world, but still, it might make Jeremiah’s endgame feel a bit like an afterthought, which fans of his character likely won’t appreciate.
PRO: If Belly chooses Conrad, Jeremiah would still get a happy ending
Should Season 3 follow the book, Jeremiah shows up Belly and Conrad’s wedding with a nameless date, implying that he’s moved on. Why not make that plus one Redbird and give Jeremiah a nice friends-to-lovers arc, so everyone gets a happy ending? It would feel more substantial than Jeremiah bringing a date we’ve never seen or heard from before.
