Complicated Romance
Did Jeremiah Really Cheat on Belly? ‘TSITP’ Author Jenny Han Weighs In
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 started off on a shocking note, as the season’s premiere episode ends with the revelation that Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) cheated on Belly (Lola Tung).
During the Wednesday, July 17, episode, Belly overhears a girl say she hooked up with Jeremiah during a Spring Break trip to Mexico. Jeremiah admits to having sex with the girl, as he believed he and Belly were broken up at the time. After slapping him in the face, Belly calls off their relationship and runs away crying as Taylor Swift‘s “You’re Losing Me” plays.
The cheating storyline is adapted from author Jenny Han‘s third book in the TSITP series, We’ll Always Have Summer. However, Han recently told People that it’s questionable whether Jeremiah was truly unfaithful on the show.
“It’s debatable whether or not that’s considered cheating. Because they technically were broken up,” she told the outlet in an interview clip posted on Wednesday.
Just like the characters on the show, Han said it all comes down to how viewers interpret Jeremiah and Belly’s pre-Spring Break fight. “It’s really how different people [see it],” she added. “I think that for me, as the creator of the world and the characters, I have to have empathy for all of them and see their side and walk in their shoes and feel protective of them. So, I do, for all of the characters.
Erika Doss © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC
The second episode of Season 3 provides more insight into what led to the rift in Jeremiah and Belly’s relationship. As seen in a flashback, a conversation between the couple quickly escalated after Belly got mad at Jeremiah for not telling her he was going to Cabo for Spring Break instead of spending time with his dad (Tom Everett Scott).
“Well, if you think I’m so stupid and selfish, then why are you even with me? F**k it. I won’t waste your time,” Jeremiah said. “You think everything I do is ridiculous, and I’m sick of it. So let’s just end it.”
After asking Jeremiah if he’s “serious” about calling it quits, Belly said, “Okay, fine, if that’s how you feel.” As viewers learn, Belly didn’t view the moment as an actual breakup, but Jeremiah did.
In the present, Jeremiah continues to show his remorse by staying at the hospital after Belly’s brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman), got in a car accident. Chatting outside of the hospital, Belly admits to understanding Jeremiah’s interpretation of their fight. At the same time, Jeremiah emphasizes that sleeping with the other girl (twice, as he mentions) meant nothing to him.
The pair’s reconciliation goes from zero to 100 as Jeremiah ends the episode by asking Belly to marry him.
Fans weighed in on the cheating drama via social media after the two-episode premiere dropped. “Jeremiah cheats on belly TWICE. then PROPOSES with NO RING. while her brother is in a HOSPITAL BED. after a CAR CRASH and BENSON BOONE is playing. and I’M SUPPOSED TO SHIP?!” one person tweeted. Another added, “Belly forgiving jeremiah and accepting to marry him after he cheated but her not being able to forgive conrad for being a little off at prom while his mom was dying makes no sense to me…”
One Team Jeremiah fan posted, “Belly AND anika acknowledge in the show that it was in fact not cheating and they explicitly broke up so please don’t start with that nonsense of calling jeremiah a cheater btw.”
Where do you stand? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3, Wednesdays, Prime Video
