Conrad Fisher: The Summer I Turned Pretty's Brooding, Tortured, Infuriatingly Lovable Soul
He’s the sun. When he’s out, the stars disappear. But the sun also burns and Conrad Fisher has been burning from the inside out since the moment we met him. Let’s deep-dive into TV’s most emotionally constipated heartthrob.
If you’ve ever wanted to scream “JUST USE YOUR WORDS, CONRAD” at your screen while simultaneously wanting to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from the world welcome to the club. Conrad Fisher isn’t just a love interest. He’s a masterclass in compartmentalized pain, a walking, talking lesson in how trauma manifests in teenage boys who were never taught how to feel. And that’s exactly why he’s the most compelling character in The Summer I Turned Pretty.
1. The Brooding Archetype But With Actual Stakes
We’ve all met the “mysterious quiet guy” in YA fiction. Usually, he’s just rude for no reason, and we’re supposed to swoon because he has nice hair. Conrad is different. His silence isn’t a personality quirk it’s a survival mechanism. When we meet him, he’s just quit the football team, broken up with his girlfriend, and started smoking. He’s withdrawn, moody, and seems determined to push everyone away.
But here’s the thing: he’s carrying a secret that would break most adults, let alone an eighteen-year-old. His mother, Susannah the woman who is basically the sun around which the entire Cousins Beach universe orbits is dying. He knows it before anyone else does, and instead of sharing that burden, he internalizes it. He tries to hold it all together alone.
🔍 The deeper truth: Conrad’s coldness isn’t cruelty. It’s a desperate attempt to protect everyone around him from a pain he can’t even name. He’s not pushing Belly away because he doesn’t love her. He’s pushing her away because he loves her too much to let her watch him fall apart.
2. The Belly Problem: Love, Fear, and the Art of Self-Sabotage
Conrad has loved Belly since... probably forever. The show and books make it clear that his feelings for her predate her glow-up, her contacts, her new wardrobe. He remembers everything she’s ever said. He remembers the karaoke song she sang when she was ten. He’s been paying attention the whole time.
But here’s the tragic flaw: Conrad believes he doesn’t deserve happiness. His parents’ marriage is crumbling. His father, who he idolized, has checked out of the family. Conrad feels like everything he touches falls apart. So when Belly the one bright spot, the one person who makes him feel alive offers him her heart, he does what any traumatized teenager would do: he runs.
The iconic “I thought you knew” moment on the beach is the perfect encapsulation of this. He confesses that he believed his feelings were so obvious, so inherent, that Belly would just understand. It’s the tragedy of someone who has never learned to use his words. He thought love was enough. He didn’t realize you also have to say it.
Entertainment value? Watching Conrad Fisher try to communicate his feelings is like watching a cat try to solve a Rubik’s Cube. Frustrating. Hilarious. Occasionally heartbreaking.
3. The Therapy Arc: Conrad’s Quiet Revolution
This is where the show does something genuinely important. In season three, Conrad reveals that he’s been seeing a therapist for his panic attacks. He’s not just wallowing in his pain anymore he’s actually working on it. He’s in medical school. He’s trying to heal.
This is huge for a character like Conrad. The brooding bad boy archetype rarely gets an on-screen healing arc. Usually, they just show up at the end, emotionally constipated, and the girl is supposed to fix them. But Conrad is actively trying to fix himself. He’s learning that he can’t pour from an empty cup.
Is he perfect at it? Absolutely not. He still lies. He still avoids. He still makes impulsive, destructive choices. But the effort is there. And for anyone who’s ever struggled with their mental health, seeing a character like Conrad acknowledge that he needs help is quietly radical.
4. The Other Side of Conrad: The Selfless Protector
For all his flaws, Conrad Fisher is fundamentally a protector. When Belly needs him, he shows up. When his mother is sick, he’s there. When Jeremiah is struggling, Conrad steps in even when it costs him everything.
Remember: Conrad made a deathbed promise to Susannah. He promised to take care of Jeremiah. And what did he do with that promise? He disappeared. He went to California. He removed himself from the equation because he believed his presence would only make things worse. He sacrificed his own happiness his own shot with Belly because he thought it was the right thing to do.
Is that healthy? No. Is it mature? Debatable. Is it heartbreaking? Absolutely. Conrad’s love language is sacrifice. He gives up everything, including the girl he loves, because he genuinely believes everyone is better off without him. And that’s the tragedy of Conrad Fisher: he’s so busy protecting everyone else that he never learned how to let himself be protected.
5. The Iconic Conrad Moments That Live Rent-Free in Our Heads
- 🔗 The infinity necklace “You see how there’s no starting or ending point? Goes on forever. That’s infinity.”
- 🏖️ “I still love you. I don’t think I’ll ever get you out of my system.” The beach confession in season three
- 🍑 The peach scene Conrad cleaning peach juice off Belly’s face with his shirt. Unspeakably intimate. Unforgettable.
- 🚗 Teaching young Belly to ride a bike The flashback that reminds us he’s been there for her since the beginning
- 💔 “I would rather have someone shoot me in the head with a nailgun repeatedly than have to watch him touching her like that.” Conrad’s internal monologue, proving he’s dramatic even in his own head
6. The Conrad Debate: Is He Toxic or Just Traumatized?
Let’s address the elephant in the Cousins Beach living room. There’s a very real conversation happening in fandom spaces about whether Conrad’s behavior is romantic or toxic. The push-pull, the hot-and-cold, the “I love you but I can’t be with you” it’s easy to see why some viewers find it exhausting. Some even argue that the show romanticizes avoidant attachment and emotional unavailability, teaching young women that if a boy is mean to you, it just means he loves you.
And that’s a valid critique. Conrad is avoidant. He does push people away. He has hurt Belly in ways that are genuinely painful to watch.
But here’s where the depth comes in: the show doesn’t ignore this. It acknowledges it. Conrad himself acknowledges it. In season three, he tells Belly, “I should’ve told you the truth about Susannah’s illness four years ago... What if I hadn’t lied about my feelings...” He knows he messed up. He’s not a perfect romantic hero. He’s a deeply flawed person who is actively trying to be better.
🔥 Hot take: Conrad Fisher isn’t a fantasy. He’s a mirror. And sometimes the mirror shows us things we’re not ready to see.
7. Why Conrad Fisher Will Always Be That Character
Conrad isn’t easy to love. He’s not the guy who shows up with flowers and perfect speeches. He’s the guy who shows up with a hammer to fix your roof while shirtless and emotionally unavailable. He’s the guy who remembers your favorite candy but forgets to tell you he’s falling apart. He’s the guy who loves you so much it terrifies him.
And that’s why he matters. Because real love isn’t always clean. It’s messy. It’s complicated. It’s two deeply flawed people trying to find their way back to each other, over and over again. Conrad Fisher represents the terrifying, beautiful truth that sometimes the person who pushes you away is the person who needs you the most.
So here’s to Conrad. The brooder. The protector. The boy who gave Belly the moon and the stars and then spent years trying to convince himself he didn’t deserve to stand in her light.
💬 Are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? Is Conrad’s emotional unavailability romantic or toxic? And what’s your favorite Conrad quote? Drop your thoughts below we’re ready for the debate.
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