Our time in Cousins Beach (and Paris) is quickly approaching its end. The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 has gone by in the blink of an eye, and the series finale is just days away.
The penultimate episode of the series set the stage for what is sure to be a can’t miss episode. Fans are eager to see how the show will bring its stories to an end, particularly when it comes to what the finale will hold for Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah.
When we left things in the tenth episode, Jeremiah seemed primed to move on officially from Belly, Conrad had boarded a plane for Paris to try to win Belly back, and Belly is getting ready to celebrate her birthday weekend by getting a new look for the summer.
With just one episode left, there are a lot of questions on the minds of fans regarding how the hit series will end and what moments could await us in the finale. Fans have a lot of theories about what could be coming, including some that might sound crazy on paper, but could very well come to fruition.
Belly’s dad, John, dies of a heart attack
Let’s start with a theory that has come as a direct result of the penultimate episode of the season. In episode 10, there is a brief scene in which Belly’s dad, John, asks Laurel where the Pepcid is in the cabinet to help with his heartburn. It was a brief moment, but the inclusion of the scene has fans convinced that it was strategically placed to foreshadow John’s death via a heart attack.
The moment might have been nothing, but it is interesting that with so much going on in the episode, they made a point to include a scene in which John was dealing with heartburn. In the books, John does not die; however, we know that the ending of the show has been changed. Could John’s death be one of the new twists coming in the episode?
It seems unlikely, but crazier things have happened, and fans could be onto something with that theory.
Belly has already broken up with Benito
Moving along to a theory that we honestly could totally see being true is one in which fans are convinced Belly has already broken up with Benito.
As fans have pointed out, there is a time jump between when Benito asks Belly to come with him to Mexico and when we see her in the final moments of episode 10, getting her hair done for her birthday. While we don’t know how much time has passed between those two scenes, there had to have been some time as it’s been previously estimated that Belly’s birthday is in late June.
Interestingly, Benito and Belly break up in the books with one of Conrad’s letters stating that the pair broke up. So this is something that happens in the books and could very well have happened already in the show.
With Conrad heading to Paris to surprise Belly, fans have been concerned that he’ll arrive only to find her still with Benito. However, this fan theory that she’s already ended her relationship with him by the time Conrad arrives in Paris would eliminate that concern and there’s really no need for their breakup to occur on-screen. Yes, they grew close in those months Belly has been in Paris, but their relationship isn’t one we’ve invested in, so there’s no reason their breakup has to take place on-screen.
Plus, a breakup with Benito would help explain Belly’s desire to change up her look and start fresh for the summer!
The Summer I Turned Pretty series finale will be a 2-part episode
One theory floating around on social media is that The Summer I Turned Pretty will actually end with a 2-part series finale rather than with one final episode. Fans have pointed out that the official Summer I Turned Pretty account has reportedly deleted the episode release schedule they posted back in June. This has fans convinced that Amazon will be surprising fans with a 2-part finale and that the season’s episode total will come to 12 episodes.
The theory isn’t crazy, as we have seen streamers surprise us at times with unexpected bonus episodes, and given how much ground there is to cover, we can see why fans think there could be a 2-part finale. That said, this is one theory we’re not sure about as there’s no reason Amazon wouldn’t promote the finale as being two parts if that was the case. But who knows, crazier things have happened.
Belly ends the show pregnant / gets pregnant in the series finale
One theory that has started to gain traction in the days leading up to the series finale is that Belly might end the show pregnant. This theory is one that stems from a video shared by author Jenny Han featuring leads Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno. In the video, we see Tung and Briney sitting side by side on a couch from the set, and fans were quick to notice that Tung seems to be holding her stomach. This immediately sparked theories from fans that Belly is going to end the series pregnant with Conrad’s baby.
“Why is she holding her stomach! Is she pregnant with Connie’s baby?” one fan questioned. Echoed another fan, “Are we seeing a pregnant Belly? I mean, it gave me that impression [with how] she’s touching her belly.”
In the books, we don’t learn of Belly and Conrad starting a family, but it’s a moment that would be really sweet to incorporate into the show’s ending. This could also weave into the promise from Han that the show will end differently from the books. Perhaps instead of just ending with their wedding, we get to jump ahead and learn that Belly and Conrad start a family of their own – perhaps welcoming a daughter who she’ll name after Susannah.
Belly ends up with Jeremiah, not Conrad
The final fan theory floating around is that Belly ends up with Jeremiah at the end of the show. This theory stems from leaked videos that show Gavin Casalegno in Paris filming scenes with Lola Tung, hinting that Jeremiah reunites with Belly in Paris and gets their happy ending by the conclusion of the show.
Now, this footage has left many to believe that the show might change the ending of the series to have Belly and Jeremiah end up together, and that is a possibility. However, these videos seem to have been filmed to prevent fans from learning the real ending, and a major clue suggests otherwise..
In these videos, Belly is wearing an outfit we’ve already seen her in, and her hair is its normal length and style. This seems to suggest that the scenes were perhaps filmed to throw people off the real ending and prevent leaks from occurring. This is a common practice for shows in their final seasons, with creative teams often filming alternate endings and scenes that never make it into the final cut.
While we’d love to give Team Jeremiah some hope, we just aren’t sold that this theory has any real legs.