Opinion
The Real Villain of ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Is Belly, Not Jeremiah
Let’s get this out of the way: Cheating is trash behavior. I’ve been cheated on, and it absolutely guts you. My friends still catch me spiraling into self-blame, and they have to physically shake me out of it. So no, I’m not here to defend Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). He sucks. And “we were on a break” is not a real excuse unless you’re in Central Perk in 1997.
But even still? Belly (Lola Tung) is the true villain of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
She’s not just messing up her own love life — she’s actively wrecking two families, her future, and any shot at emotional stability for the Fisher boys. Belly thinks she’s the protagonist. In reality, she’s the chaos agent at the center of it all. Jeremiah might be emotionally reckless, but Belly’s indecision, entitlement, and romantic whiplash are what’s really tearing everyone apart. By the end of this article, I will convince you that Belly is the villain, or I’ll belly flop into that Cousins Beach pool myself.
She Can’t Be Alone to Save Her Life
There has not been a single episode since Season 1 where Belly isn’t romantically entangled with someone — Conrad (Christopher Briney), Jeremiah, Cam (shoutout to whale-loving Cam, who deserved peace). She’s the most codependent character on TV right now. She lines up her next relationship before even ending the one she’s in, then expects the other brother to… wait around? Like a backup prom date?
Erika Doss
They. Are. Brothers.
Let’s just sit with that for a sec. Yes, I know The Vampire Diaries walked so this could run, but this isn’t 2010 anymore. Watching Belly ping-pong between two brothers in the cold light of 2025 is brutal. In Season 1, they still liked each other. Now? They barely speak. And it’s Belly’s fault. Even in the middle of losing their mother, Conrad and Jeremiah were more fractured by the emotional tornado Belly created than by grief itself. She pits them against each other — subtly, constantly — and never owns it. We all caught when Belly reminded Jeremiah that she had only been with one other person sexually, aka his brother, right?!
The Funeral Fiasco
Speaking of the brothers, let’s discuss how Belly somehow made their mom’s death about herself. She likes to boldly claim what Susannah (Rachel Blanchard) would have wanted to both brothers and her mom (Jackie Chung), aka Susannah’s lifelong bestie. I recognize that Susannah meant a lot to Belly and was her godmother, but we’re talking about her actual sons! No one can forget (no matter how hard they try) the absolute scene Belly caused at the funeral, all because another girl was comforting Conrad when they were already broken up. Yeah, that also happened in a ridiculously inappropriate outfit that made the entire service about her. (She claims Susannah would’ve wanted that dress! Even though her mom didn’t feel that way!)
The Engagement Tantrum
Let’s talk about when Belly and Jeremiah decided to announce their engagement. They picked a family lunch that happened to be after Susannah’s memorial at a women’s shelter. They couldn’t let the day be about Susannah and reuniting after so long. With Belly’s ex-boyfriend at the table, who had come all the way to honor his mom, they gleefully shared their engagement with that tiny ring. Susannah couldn’t even have a whole day be about her.
Erika Doss
Yes, Jeremiah cheated. Yes, that’s awful. But the engagement? That was a two-player decision. Belly wasn’t surprised. She grinned. She said yes immediately, knowing full well what she was doing. When her mom asked her to wait a year until she graduated — a year — she exploded and threw Laurel’s divorce in her face. Then she decides to skip Paris to stay with Jeremiah? Girl, what are we doing here?
She’s a Bad Friend, Too
Taylor (Rain Spencer) deserves financial compensation for emotional labor at this point. She’s constantly sidelined for Belly’s dramas, and when she expresses hurt or concern, Belly claps back with sorority digs and defensive nonsense. When Taylor says she barely sees her because of Jeremiah, Belly shrugs it off. When Belly claims that she has to go to Paris as Jeremiah is graduating, Taylor reminds her, “I’m still here,” and Belly doesn’t hear it. Has Belly checked in on Taylor with her mom drama and Steven (Sean Kaufman) drama? Nope. Also Steven, her brother, was just in a life-threatening accident, and Belly’s planning a shotgun wedding. Steven also used to be friends with both brothers, but that’s basically over now, thanks to Hurricane Belly. Insensitive doesn’t even cover it.
So, What Now?
Yes, Belly is young. Yes, she has growing up to do. But that’s the point… she hasn’t done any of it. She dove straight into another relationship instead. She doesn’t mean to be the villain, but she is one. (We’ve all been one at some point!) And she’s hurting everyone around her. Honestly? I don’t even ship her with Conrad anymore. He deserves better. He’s at least trying: running, reading, growing.
Youth may explain her unbearable behavior, but it can’t keep excusing it. At some point, Belly has to grow up and take accountability. She can’t keep acting like the Fisher love triangle is just happening to her when she’s the one at the center of it. Time and again, she prioritizes guys over her family and friends, and it needs to stop.
We’ve all had that friend who ditched the group every night out to go get some. Spoiler: I’ve been that friend. But now? I’m the one sitting next to you at the sketchy 2 a.m. kebab shop, handing you fries, and making sure you get home safe.
What Belly needs is to be single. Not single-and-dating. Just… single.
Go to Paris. Come home and get a job. Live with Taylor. Listen to sad girl playlists. Dance until the bar lights come on. Read self-help books in the bath. Appreciate your family more. Learn to sit with your own feelings without using someone else’s to distract you. Then come back to Cousins and date outside of this gene pool. Until then, Belly: Take a timeout.
Is Belly the villain? Vote below and sound off in the comments.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3, Wednesdays, Prime Video
