The summer she turned petty: Why Belly was and still is the problematic one

Summer at Cousins Beach used to be all about sunburnt shoulders, sand between your toes, iced teas in hand, and nights that felt endless. Now it's a crash course in emotional chaos, courtesy of one Isabel “Belly” Conklin. Because somehow, every beach bonfire, every rooftop kiss, every perfectly good volleyball match turns into another entry in her diary of bad decisions. Team Conrad vs Team Jeremiah debates might rage on TikTok, but let’s be honest, the common denominator in every heartbreak and sibling rivalry is Belly. She’s the girl who makes out with her best friend’s brother at prom, flirts with the other brother at a funeral, and then somehow plays victim in both scenarios. Conrad broods, Jeremiah cries, but Belly? Belly is the walking plot twist that never stops detonating at Cousins Beach. And that’s why, when you really think about it, she was always the real problem.

Here are a few examples. 

Belly doesn’t want healthy love; she craves a tormenting, star-crossed, fanfiction-level kind of love that thrives on what-ifs and never on actual reality. If it’s doomed, messy, and destined to implode, she’s there with open arms. Remember Conrad’s grief spiral where he could barely look at her without shutting down? Belly ate that up. Jeremiah’s rebound energy that flipped into insecurity and jealousy? She dove right in. Like the world’s most self-destructive teenager, Belly romanticises pain, silences, and breakdowns as proof of “true love.”

Her problems >> everyone’s problems

I’ve never met a teenager who knew exactly what they wanted, and Belly’s no exception. But it becomes a problem when she weaponises her indecision like a ticking time bomb. Instead of owning up to her feelings, she laps up the attention, the kisses, the dramatic declarations from both brothers, and then acts blindsided when things blow up. Remember when she told Jeremiah she chose him, only to moon over Conrad two scenes later? Or when she clung to Conrad’s necklace while still flirting with Jeremiah? Conrad and Jeremiah end up emotionally waterboarded, while Belly floats around like she’s starring in her own tragic indie movie.

Accountability? On Mars

Wanted ≠ Love

We all know someone who cannot separate their identity from the person they’re dating (hello, codependency). Belly is the cautionary tale we use when we talk to them. Her entire personality revolves around whether Conrad or Jeremiah has texted her back. Remember her storming off the volleyball court mid-match because of boy drama? Or the way she couldn’t board a plane without making it a dramatic love triangle moment? That rare, fleeting scene where she didn’t run to Conrad before leaving was the first time fans could yell “yes queen” without irony. But most of the time, Belly frames “being wanted” as the ultimate prize—and that mindset is less romance and more full-speed train wreck.

Certified bad friend energy

Taylor may not always be subtle, but she does show up for Belly—dragging her to parties, hyping her up, and even risking her own reputation to help her navigate Cousins-level drama. Belly’s response? To treat Taylor like her emotional sidekick, only calling on her when boy problems hit DEFCON 1. She ignores Taylor’s actual feelings (remember how she dismissed Taylor’s crushes as silly?) and constantly centres the conversation back to her own heartbreak. When Taylor tried to be the voice of reason, Belly didn’t listen—because listening would mean admitting she wasn’t the main character. Honestly, Taylor deserves financial compensation for being stuck as Belly’s unpaid therapist.

Big sister (and daughter) fail

Belly has moments that remind us of our own naive teenage days. She’s supposed to be relatable, and sometimes, she is. Catching the gaze of a boy at the bonfire at just the right moment feels like fate. But that relatability comes with more red flags than necessary—enough to make us scream at the TV, wonder 'Why am I even watching this?', and still pull our hair out waiting for the next episode. Conrad wasn’t always perfect, Jeremiah is hard to defend, but Belly’s indecision, self-absorption, and obsession with love as suffering kept the drama burning for the world to watch. Until then, Cousins Beach remains the eternal spectator to Belly’s red flag parade—and so do we.

Lead image: IMDb

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