There’s a special kind of dread running through The Summer I Turned Pretty fandom as the finale looms. This is thanks entirely to a 45 second scene where John Conklin (Colin Ferguson), Belly’s (Lola Tung) quietly lovable dad, clutches his chest in the kitchen and laments his “all-day heartburn” in season three episode 10.
That one fleeting scene was enough to send the fandom (aka me) spiralling, and rightfully so — there are now theories everywhere alluding to John dying.
It’s foreshadowing on a platter, and fans have responded exactly how show runners surely intended: wild medical emergency theories, speculation on social media, and urgent pleas for Jenny Han to spare everyone’s feelings.
It isn’t just pure paranoia fuelling these predictions. Earlier in season three, Conrad (Chris Briney) makes a pointed reference to heart disease running in the family. Although John isn’t related to Conrad (which thank God, ‘cos that would make this a very different show), the heart mention feels like it’s pointing to some looming crisis.
For a show that’s spent this entire run teasing accidents (Steven’s car crash in season three) and emotional trauma (Susannah’s death in season two, obvi) only to walk things back at the last second (aka Steven being totally fine), Han’s decision to spotlight John’s health right before the end feels calculated, like she’s setting up a domino fall the second Belly starts to feel comfortable in Paris.
While I don’t think John will actually die — simply because we’ve been through enough — I do think that he will have a heart attack to serve as the ultimate plot device.
With Belly off living her best Parisian life and Conrad nursing his heartbreak (again), the finale pretty much demands a dramatic excuse to get everyone back in the same state.
If Conrad does turn up in Paris only to get rejected, both he and Belly could be promptly yanked back home when the phone rings.
“John’s had a heart attack” is exactly the kind of callback that forces emotional reunions and forces Belly to face what’s really important.
When your family needs you, romantic self-discovery in Paris can wait — and Conrad? His Brussels conference offers all the dramatic timing needed to get him and Belly together for one more high-stakes dash on home turf.
Fans holding out for absolute catastrophe might need to brace themselves, but Jenny Han has always been upfront about her dislike of bleakness and “too neat” endings. “I like a hopeful ending,” she recently told PEOPLE, stressing that YA stories need to offer some sense of optimism even if there’s heartbreak along the way.
That means John’s plotline is probably less about actual tragedy and more about shaking up Belly’s priorities.
The most likely route? A medical emergency forces everyone together, Belly realises that life is too short for wallowing, and Bonrad finally gets a chance to make things work at home — right where the chaos started.
This leaves room for a genuinely redeeming side plot, where Laurel and John finally hit reset after seasons of miscommunication. After all, Laurel and John have quietly become a fan-favourite pairing through every twist, and nothing says “healing” like a post-crisis reunion, maybe even a wedding if Han is feeling generous.
But, honestly you never know with TSITP. When PEDESTRIAN.TV caught up with the cast earlier this year, Tung told us that there will be major changes from the book, possibly including the ending.
“There were some things that I think when I first heard that they were even going to be, you know, plot lines. I was like, whoa. This is exciting, and new and painful as well — but good storytelling,” Tung shared.
At the end of the day, we must trust that Jenny knows what she’s doing. In the words of Briney in our interview: “I think we just trust that Jenny knows what she’s doing with it.”
I have trust issues after Cabo, okay?! SUE ME! Anywho it was nice knowing you John Conklin, I guess.
The finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty comes out on September 17 on Prime Video.
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