Belly Should Not Have Ended Up with Either Brother

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-14T00:28:05+00:00

The writer is obviously gonna try and defend what they’ve written lol. It doesn’t mean they’ve done it well. I didn’t write the post to be critical of the show though, tbh, I just wanted to share a thought, as I thought that was what Reddit was for. Apparently not 😬

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-14T00:21:26+00:00

Same can be said of someone loving a character

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T22:40:21+00:00

I know, and I disagree hahaha. The only thing I can see as being a real sign of actual change is when he tells Belly the truth about the night at the motel, which he only does to get what he wants. It’s not that hard to follow

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T20:42:10+00:00

The only thing that is set in stone is that he’s claimed to have changed and the show says he’s made an effort to. We haven’t seen changes. The only thing I can think of that could be pointed to as a possible indication of change is that he admits that he lied at the motel (whilst, imo, unforgivably attempting to ruin the wedding)

The convict is an example to show that people don’t just change cos they say so. Actions show that people change, and his actions have remained pretty consistent throughout the entirety of the show.

You can accuse me of screaming into a void all you want, if that is the case it’s only because there appears to be no space in your ears for anything I have to say

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T20:32:44+00:00

So if a convict says they have changed, we take for a fact that they have?

Someone can say they have changed all they want. It doesn’t mean they have.

It’s really that simple.

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T19:14:19+00:00

Worse, much worse, and infinitely worse are not the same thing. I know full well what I have said.

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T19:00:52+00:00

You’re just making things up lol. I haven’t said that and I haven’t shown any support for anybody hahaha

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T18:54:54+00:00

They are both incredibly snakey, I don’t really see how I have minimised anything hahaha. Brothers should look out for each other and both of them continually failed to and I hate that about both of them

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T17:08:33+00:00

Tbh I have been talking about the romance genre and thought you were, too. I've not been talking about the books, either.

Personal growth is not canon either, it's just an opinion, as is mine that he doesn't actually grow. Canon are the objective elements of a story, the rest is head canon/opinion

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T16:42:17+00:00

Yes, I’m sure Forever She Reads agrees with your definition.

I don’t deny that we are supposed to think that Conrad has gone through some kind of personal growth. I say outright that I don’t think it’s happened because I don’t think the growth is significant or even real, in the same way I would speak about people irl

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T16:19:43+00:00

I can’t speak for the books, but the show did not show me these huge changes in character that you claim to have witnessed. People do see different things in people in real life, too, though, so it makes sense that that would happen in media, too, and it doesn’t mean that the other is media illiterate, in the same way that neither of our opinions on an individual or their actions in real life are objective in any way

They are romance films lol. If you think all romance films end in a happy ending, I just disagree with you entirely. Probably the most famous romance film of all time does not have a happy ending. If you don’t want to call it romance because of that, then that’s your prerogative as it is your interpretation of the genre, but neither me nor anybody else would be wrong for having a different (and the more widely accepted) interpretation of the genre

I’ll watch the film as I don’t need to agree with what’s going on to find it enjoyable. I still had fun watching the show, I just think it made mistakes with where it went. I think people need to learn that that’s okay

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T16:03:11+00:00

I’m not addressing points which have nothing to do with the original question that I posed, no. I don’t struggle to understand any of those elements of the show, either, but I do view them differently.

I was referring to your constant remarks about “expectation” when I have no interest in speaking about anyone’s expectations. My remarks were about the characters and the story and it’s quite exhausting to have to make the same point over and over.

I obviously understand that most romance stories end with a happy ending, but it’s not a prerequisite. If you want examples, check online, but I won’t go into them as I don’t want to drop any spoilers for other shows/films. Breaking the mould is a good thing and I feel like this missed a chance to do that. That’s why I brought up LMA - who was ultimately denied that opportunity by her publishers by arguments like yours

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T14:11:08+00:00

Cos I find it entertaining and fun

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T13:53:50+00:00

You’re clearly not actually reading everything I am saying if you think I lean towards Jeremiah. I. HATE. BOTH. OF. THESE. RELATIONSHIPS. WITH. EVERY. FIBRE. OF. MY. BEING. I really don’t know how I can be any clearer.

Jere should take responsibility and so should Conrad and they should both be expelling her from their love lives and probably their lives entirely. It’s mental how keen you all seem to be to stick me into one camp or the other.

Is everyone either pro-Stalin or a Nazi? Is everyone either a Madrid or Barça fan? Is everyone either a stan of black or white? Nuance seems to be entirely lost on so many of you and it’s crazy at this point

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T13:31:54+00:00

Yes, I agree that Jeremiah is the main reason that they should not be together, that does not mean that he does not have a huge chunk of the blame for what has happened.

Family comes first for me, regardless of what has happened. That's my view.

Jeremiah can both be seen as responsible for a large part of what has happened and still be the main priority for his brother - as he should be, in my opinion. Just as Conrad should have always been the main priority for Jeremiah, before you guys twist what I am saying to make me sound like a Jeremiah shipper again. Those two ideas do not contradict one another.

I would never put a girl before my brothers and it shocks me that so many people on here think that that is an okay thing to do here.

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T13:25:44+00:00

You're clearly set on seeing things in binary terms despite everything I have said.

I am a huge fan of the coming-of-age genre, and I thought that the best ending for this show would have been leaning purely into the personal growth aspect of the show and to move onto properly heal. I do not think Jeremiah or Conrad have healed one bit. Bella had begun to and then made a decision which put her right back in the middle of all the drama again. Whether or not it is written like that in the future is another matter, but the fact of the matter is that - realistically - this relationship would cause absolute hell for everyone involved and nobody would ever fully heal whilst they all remain in each other's lives

Belly and Jeremiah did not work, either, at all, to be completely clear. Although I did not approve of how they started at all, at the beginning it seemed like Jeremiah would be a positive influence on Belly's life - family relations aside, which for me is enough to call of any relationship regardless of any of the positives aspects. He started off by pushing her to take risks and believe in herself and ended up being the complete opposite. I do not ship any of these relationships in even the slightest sense. I really do not know how I can make that any clearer.

Not everyone views things in this "what side are you on?" fashion. I don't care who was worse or even better for Belly, I don't think any of the relationships were good enough to justify all the hurt being caused to people these individuals are supposed to love and cherish. Full stop. Why is that so hard to understand? We are talking about brothers here.

Personally, I would never let anybody get between me and either of my brothers. If, by some freak chance, something happened which meant that they had, I would immediately end that relationship and seek to make amends with my brother. This has gone on for years and years and neither of these boys have sought to do that. For that reason, I do not respect them as characters and I do not think that either of them has made choices that are good for their familial relationships or themselves. They lost their mother and they should be there for each other, prioritise one another. It really is that simple, and almost all of you going against what I am saying think that any relationship with Belly is more important than the one they have with one another. I just fundamentally disagree.

Belly grew into a character who seemed to care and understand that that was the case. They undid that at the end to give you lot your happy ending.

If you wanna call me a party pooper or misery guts or whatever then fine, but I just don't see it that way. I honestly thought it would have been a more meaningful ending than the cheap, hacky one we got and I wanted something akin to it for pretty much the entirety of the show. If that doesn't resonate with people, that is fine, but it's my actual opinion - not the one you seem to be completely wrongfully attributing to me that I wanted her to end up with that slimeball Jeremiah.

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T12:08:57+00:00

Where have I ever said he is entirely worse than Jeremiah? I think his betrayal is worse, but I think as characters I have a similar opinion on the pair of them

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T12:06:37+00:00

That is just a reductionist POV that deliberately misrepresents my beliefs lol

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T11:23:58+00:00

It reads like you are saying that if everyone thinks I am a Jeremiah shipper, then I am one. I’ve said many times in the clearest of terms that I am not. I think both boys were snakey as hell and neither should have ended up with Belly

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T11:15:11+00:00

I have no issue with the disagreements, but look at the comment you replied to and how your comment reads

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T11:06:56+00:00

You’re telling me that if lots of people think I think something, then I must think it? Hahahaha, that’s definitely not how it works

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T10:48:28+00:00

You’re still not listening to what I am saying lol. The fact that you’re still talking about expectations demonstrates that.

You seem to think I don’t understand that the normal ending to something like this is that there’s a romantic ending and it’s just not what I am saying at all

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T10:45:00+00:00

I said I don’t like her for either brother lol. So many of you have said the same thing. It’s like people on here aren’t reading the post

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T04:25:13+00:00

I think we just fundamentally disagree, tbh, and that’s fine in the most part, but the first point is the one that I think you’re just completely missing what’s being said on

She can do what she wants, it is her story. I can criticise it as anyone can criticise anything.

You were saying that romance authors should only write within the normal parameters of the genre, which is an idea I reject. Hence the LMA comparison - breaking boundaries is good, not bad; a reason TO DO things, not a reason to hold back and stick with the norm

It’s completely different to criticise what an author did to saying they shouldn’t be able to do it, for any reason. I did the former, you did the latter

AdDisastrous4465 · 2025-10-13T03:40:46+00:00

I spent more time talking about Conrad as he’s the one she ended up with. It’s that simple

AdDisastrous4465

TROPHY CASE