Jenny Han Weighs In On That TSITP Death Theory
We've got some answers ahead of the movie!
The main question every The Summer I Turned Pretty fan had been asking leading up to the show’s Sept. 17 finale was who Belly will end up with — but there was also another strange theory that popped up right before the show’s end. There was speculation the very last episode could up the drama even more by killing off a major character, all because of very subtle scene in Season 3’s second-to-last episode. While a death didn’t occur in the finale, the upcoming movie could still spell doom for this unexpected character.
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.
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 story’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.”
However, Han shut down the theory herself shortly after the finale aired. “No, not at all!” Han told Entertainment Weekly when asked if John’s chest discomfort was a hint at his possible death. “It was a moment to show a couple who had known each other a very long time who were giving it another try and kind of falling back into their old dynamics of low-key annoyance.”
Phew — hopefully that mean John can RSVP “yes” to Belly and Conrad’s wedding in the movie.
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