Season 1 introduces Isabel "Belly" Conklin’s transformative summer at Cousins Beach, where her physical "glow-up" shifts the dynamics with the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. This season operates on a linear, subjective timeline:
After spending time in Paris to find her own identity, Belly is surprised by Conrad, who travels there to express his feelings. The Final Choice:
This second season introduces a darker duality through the theme of legacy and loss. The looming loss of Susannah, the matriarchal anchor of the group, creates a binary existence for the characters: life with her, and life without her. For Conrad, this manifests as a duality of self—the protector versus the vulnerable boy. For Jeremiah, it is the conflict between his sunny, reliable exterior and his newfound capacity for anger. For Belly, the second season demands she leave the "Pretty" label behind and confront the "Ugly" parts of life: betrayal, heartbreak, and the realization that her childhood crush might not be her soulmate.
Conrad is now a brooding med student, and Jeremiah is the one who stayed behind to help Susannah (whose health finally declined a year prior). The Mission:
This article unpacks the massive, underground fan phenomenon that has redefined how we view Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah. We will explore the origin of the "Dual AU" concept, the meaning of the "Season 12" time jump, and why the "full" version of this narrative has become the holy grail for fans who refuse to accept the original ending.
