Over the summer, the Amazon Prime show, The Summer I Turned Pretty, made its debut and was quite a success. Based on the series of the same name written by Jenny Han, the show follows Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), a young girl who finds herself caught in a love triangle between two brothers, Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney). The show sparked a debate on the internet on which team is the better: Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? Well, on Nov. 30, everyone on Team Conrad at Pace University had their dreams come true, thanks to P.A.C.E. Board, which is Pace University’s Programming and Campus Entertainment Board. They hosted Jenny Han and Christopher Briney for their Behind the Scenes event. This is one of P.A.C.E. Board’s most popular events, in addition to their Unleashed Spring Concert, where they hosted Flo Milli and The Driver Era last year. Sophomore Megan Zbick moderated the Q&A session with Briney and Han.
Since Briney is a Pace alumni (he graduated in 2020), some of the questions he was asked were about what dorms he lived in, to which he answered that he was a huge fan of Maria’s Tower, the all-freshman dorm at Pace. Maria’s Tower typically receives a bad rep for being the only Pace dorm that has communal bathrooms, but Briney loved his time in Maria’s Tower and said that he made some of his best memories there. He also talked about how he did not enjoy taking CIS 101 (a statement that any Pace student who has taken this course can probably agree with). After reminiscing on his former years as a Pace University student, Briney and Han answered many questions surrounding the show, the books, acting, writing, and so much more.
One of the things discussed was the show’s soundtrack, in addition to the re-record of Taylor Swift’s “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” that was released in the teaser trailer for the show. This was obviously a huge deal since Swift has yet to re-release 1989 (Taylor’s Version). While Han couldn’t dispose of that much information on having Swift re-record “This Love,” she did talk about the inspiration behind using other Taylor Swift songs throughout the show. In one of the scenes, “The Way I Loved You” plays in the background. Han talked about how when she was writing the books, she actually listened to the album Fearless, so she thought that this was a perfect fit. As a Swiftie and someone who loves both the books and the show, I agree with Han.
Another question asked was, “If you could cast anyone to be in the show, who would it be?” Briney answered that he would want Adam Driver to make a cameo in the show as himself. I thought that this was hilarious, and I could actually picture Adam Driver making an appearance on the show.
I’ve read both of Jenny Han’s series, The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, in addition to watching both adaptations of the books, so I’m glad I could attend this event. It was so exciting to see two people that I love (Team Conrad forever), and being with some of my friends at the event made it even more enjoyable. I’m looking forward to seeing who P.A.C.E. Board might have as guests for their events in the future.