Steven Conklin: The Summer I Turned Pretty's Unsung Hero, Sarcasm King, and The Only Person In Cousins Beach With A Working Brain
While everyone else is crying over love triangles and making terrible life choices, Steven Conklin is out here being the emotionally intelligent, dryly hilarious, fiercely loyal big brother we all wish we had. Let's give this man the deep dive he deserves.
Let's be honest: Steven Conklin is the most underrated character in The Summer I Turned Pretty. While Belly is spiraling over which Fisher brother to choose, while Conrad is brooding, while Jeremiah is self-destructing, Steven is just... existing. And by "existing," I mean being the voice of reason, the comic relief, and the emotional support system for literally everyone around him all while getting zero credit for it.
He's not part of the love triangle. He's not dying. He's not having a dramatic mental breakdown on a beach. But he's the glue holding this chaotic group of people together. And if you're sleeping on Steven Conklin, you're missing one of the best characters in the entire series.
1. The Big Brother Energy: Protective, Sarcastic, Secretly Soft
Steven and Belly have the kind of sibling dynamic that feels ripped from real life. He teases her mercilessly. He calls her out when she's being dramatic (which is, like, always). He rolls his eyes at her boy drama. But the second anyone else tries to hurt her? He's there.
Remember when he warned Conrad to not mess with Belly's feelings? Or when he quietly supported her through the Conrad-Jeremiah mess even though he clearly thought the whole situation was ridiculous? Steven isn't loud about his love. He's not making grand gestures. He's just present. And in a show full of people who run away when things get hard, that's quietly revolutionary.
🔍 The deeper truth: Steven learned early that his role in the family was to be the "easy" kid the one who didn't need anything, the one who could handle himself. So he became the helper. The fixer. The one who makes everyone laugh so they don't have to feel the heavy stuff. But here's the thing: the easy kid has feelings too. He just never gets asked about them.
2. The Shayla Relationship: When Steven Finally Put Himself First
Steven's relationship with Shayla is one of the most underrated arcs in the entire show. Shayla is smart, confident, and comes from a completely different world than the Cousins Beach crew. And Steven the guy who's usually the one taking care of everyone else actually lets himself be taken care of for once.
But here's where it gets real: Steven has to fight for that relationship. He has to be vulnerable. He has to admit he doesn't have it all figured out. He has to tell Shayla how he feels not with a grand gesture, but with honesty. And when he does, it's one of the most mature romantic moments in the whole series.
Steven's love story isn't dramatic. It's not full of screaming matches and rain-soaked confessions. It's quiet. It's steady. It's two people choosing each other over and over again. And honestly? That's the kind of love more people should be writing about.
3. The Princeton Arc: Growing Up And Letting Go
Steven leaving for Princeton is a turning point not just for the show, but for his character. He's the first one to actually leave Cousins Beach. The first one to move on to the next chapter of his life while everyone else is still stuck in the same summer loop.
And it's hard. He loves his family. He loves Belly. He loves the Fishers like they're his own blood. But he also knows he can't stay in that bubble forever. He has to build a life for himself. He has to become his own person.
The scene where he says goodbye to everyone before leaving for college? Devastating. Because Steven isn't just leaving a house. He's leaving a version of himself behind. The version that existed in the warm, chaotic, messy orbit of Cousins Beach. And the show treats that transition with the weight it deserves.
4. The Conrad And Jeremiah Dynamic: The Outsider Who Sees Everything
Here's something the show doesn't explore enough: Steven is the only person in the entire series who loves Conrad and Jeremiah without being in love with either of them. He's not blinded by romance. He's not caught up in the drama. He can see the Fisher brothers clearly their flaws, their pain, their mistakes and he still loves them anyway.
Steven is the one who calls Conrad out on his behavior. He's the one who checks in on Jeremiah when he's spiraling. He's the one who tells Belly the truth even when she doesn't want to hear it. He's not picking sides because he's not on a side. He's just trying to keep everyone he loves from destroying each other.
🔥 Hot take: Steven Conklin is the only character in TSITP who consistently demonstrates emotional intelligence. Everyone else is reacting. Steven is thinking. And that's why he's the real MVP.
5. The Iconic Steven Moments That Live Rent-Free in Our Heads
- 😏 "I'm not gonna be the one to tell you that your outfit is ugly." Sibling honesty at its finest.
- 🏊 The poolside intervention with Belly He saw the love triangle coming before anyone else did.
- 💬 Every single scene with Shayla Steven in love is Steven at his most vulnerable, and it's beautiful.
- 🎓 The Princeton goodbye The moment he stopped being the big brother and started being a person.
- 🍔 Any scene where he's eating Steven Conklin loves carbs almost as much as he loves his family. Relatable king.
6. Why Steven Conklin Deserves More Credit Than He Gets
Steven isn't the "hot" one. He's not the "tortured" one. He's not the one who gets the dramatic declarations of love or the tearful farewells. But he's the one who shows up. Every single time. Without being asked. Without expecting anything in return.
He's the one who drove Belly to the beach house when she needed to be there. He's the one who supported his mom, Laurel, through her grief. He's the one who called Conrad out when he was being a jerk. He's the one who made everyone laugh when they wanted to cry.
Steven Conklin is the kind of character who doesn't demand your attention. He doesn't have a tragic backstory (well, not one the show explores deeply). He doesn't have a dramatic arc. He's just... good. Consistent. Loyal. And in a show full of chaos, that's the most valuable thing of all.
7. The Final Verdict: Steven Is The Heart Of The Conklin Family
At the end of the day, Steven Conklin is the emotional anchor of the Conklin family. He's the one who kept things together when their family was falling apart. He's the one who stepped up when his dad left. He's the one who made sure Belly always knew she had someone in her corner.
And he did it all with a smirk, a sarcastic comment, and a snack in his hand. Because that's who Steven is. He doesn't make a big deal out of being a good person. He just is one.
So here's to Steven. The sarcasm king. The loyal brother. The only person in Cousins Beach who knows how to communicate like a functioning adult. You deserved more screen time, more credit, and honestly? A better wardrobe. But we love you anyway.
💬 Is Steven Conklin the most underrated character in TSITP? Did he deserve more screen time? And what's your favorite Steven moment? Drop your thoughts we're ready to give this man the appreciation he deserves.
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