There's A TSITP Theory That This Unexpected Character Dies In The Finale

The main question every The Summer I Turned Pretty fan has been asking leading up to the show’s Sept. 17 finale is who Belly will end up with — but now, some are starting to wonder about more extreme fates beyond just romantic entanglements. Yes, there’s speculation the very last episode could up the drama even more by killing off a major character. And honestly, it’s probably not the one you’re expecting... unless you also read into that very subtle scene in Season 3’s second-to-last episode.

The dire theory sprung up after a seemingly negligible exchange in Episode 10. As Belly’s parents Laurel and John are preparing Thanksgiving dinner, John suddenly seizes up and grabs his chest. “I’ve had heartburn all day,” he groans, asking for Laurel to find some Pepcid for him.

The show moves on quickly from this seconds-long scene, but it was enough for fans to question why this mention of chest pain was included. Social media posts ranging from somewhat silly to genuinely worried began to go viral as viewers imagined John’s possible death in the show’s series finale.

John’s death is not a part of Jenny Han’s source novels, but that isn’t enough to dissuade fans from this theory, especially since Han herself has stated that the show’s ending will diverge a lot from how her books finished. “I am somebody who is always changing things up,” Han previously told Elite Daily. “People will be like, ‘Why are you changing that? That was working well!’ But to me, it could always be better. That's how I approach everything, so naturally I was going into this story feeling like I wanted to make it even better and try new things.”

Plus, the final season has already made a lot of changes to John’s character, who is much more present in this final installment than he is in the books. The TV adaptation went so far as to tease a possible romantic rekindling for John and Laurel, which has suggest one possible happy ending that also isn’t on the page. Though, that imagined new sweet finale for Laurel would turn into something unnecessarily cruel if John does die in those last moments — so let’s just hope this theory isn’t true. Everyone gets a little heartburn at Thanksgiving, right?