Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers regarding the show.
Cole Walter: The cooler, popular, morally-gray, older brother that everyone loves. Every girl wants to be with him, and every guy wants to be him, yet Cole only wants one girl: Jackie Howard.
Some may consider Cole a red flag; however, it is undeniable that his love for Jackie is real. From the beginning of the series, Cole constantly put in an effort to see Jackie and help her adjust to the new changes in her life, after the passing of her family. In episode one, for instance, while in the cafeteria, Jackie felt lost and out of place. Cole immediately took initiative, not only paying for her lunch, but also offering her a seat at his lunch table. Throughout the rest of the show, Cole continues to display his love for Jackie through both small and large gestures, such as helping her pick out flowers, taking her to the watering hole, and fixing her broken teapot.
Despite this, towards the middle of the season, Jackie and Alex became official, yet Alex’s constant PDA and insecurity– due to his previous relationship with his ex-girlfriend, was evident amongst viewers. This caused Jackie to become skeptical of her feelings towards Alex.
While they were together, Cole didn’t want to impact their relationship, as he didnt want to hurt his brother, but his feelings for Jackie still shined through. When the pair were stuck together in Cole’s truck, he told Jackie, “I won’t break my brother’s heart again, but I can’t not want you.”
In the last episode of the series, Jackie found out about Cole’s most heartfelt gesture yet: Him fixing her sister’s broken teapot. Jackie then went to find Cole and kiss him in the barn, finally choosing the better brother.
Alex: The clingy, dorky younger brother, who showed affection towards Jackie first. Alex has always wanted what his older brother Cole has; the status, looks and friendships. The moment he got what his brother could have (Jackie) with a blink of an eye, tensions rose leaving Alex once again frustrated.
If you sided with Jeremiah from The Summer I Turned Pretty, you’re probably team Alex. Similar to Conrad and Jeremiah, Alex constantly competed with his older brother Cole, and this rivalry remained, primarily because of his brother’s kiss with Alex’s ex-girlfriend, Paige. Alex’s desire to prove himself better than Cole also resulted in him trying to gain Jackie’s attention.
Despite revealing his vulnerable side to Jackie, his insecurities remained and had an impact on their relationship. However, Alex showed a semblance of growth in the season finale after an intense conversation with Cole. Although Jackie may have grown skeptical of her feelings for Alex due to this, he still tried his best to hide the insecurities within. At the end of the season, Alex had opened up and tried to move on from his past, but the risks to his character development remained significant after Jackie and Cole’s kiss in the season’s final moments.
Cole had interfered with Alex’s relationship with Jackie from the start, making it clear that it was just a competition to him. However, for Alex, it was more than just wanting to prove himself to Cole, he was simply crazy about Jackie– so crazy in love to the point that he was intolerable to be around.
