It is a Wednesday night. The glow of the TV illuminates the room, and the theme of a beloved show echoes as my friends and I eat away at a bag of Sour Patch Kids. All of a sudden, a pair of alarmingly blue eyes stare through the screen. That’s right. They are the eyes of the villain of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” Jeremiah Fischer.
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard that the final season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is underway. I have to say, I am appalled. Every week, I tune into Prime Video for the purest form of rage bait. The series has caused heated debates all over the internet due to its horrifically toxic relationship dynamics.
If you are unfamiliar with the show, it follows Belly Conklin, who, as suggested, “turns pretty” one summer. Laurel, Belly’s mother, takes the family to a beach house with her best friend, Susannah Fischer, and her two boys. Naturally, Belly has always been in love with Conrad, the elder brother. However, after the summer she turns pretty, everything changes, and she finds herself in the midst of a love triangle between two brothers. I know, it is sickening, but it is addicting.
When I say Jeremiah is the villain of the show, I am only joking (sort of). No character is perfect, even my close personal friend Conrad Fischer has made his mistakes. However, I do believe Jeremiah’s actions have been detestable, which makes it inconceivable that anyone can remain on Team Jeremiah.
Jeremiah committed one of the most egregious crimes that ultimately led to his current downfall. In season 2, Belly and Conrad break up mere weeks before she decides to pursue Jeremiah once more. Conrad confesses that he is still in love with Belly, and yet Jeremiah chooses to date her anyway. Dating your brother’s ex, knowing full well that he is still in love with her, is a recipe for disaster, and I fear that is just common sense.
In season 3, Jeremiah and Belly are about three years into a relationship. Belly and Conrad spend Christmas at the summer house, and Belly does not tell Jeremiah about it, though nothing nefarious happens. Jeremiah later finds out and tries to wait for Belly to come clean, but he picks a fight and breaks up with her days before spring break. During spring break, he immediately pursues another girl. He and Belly make up when he returns, and she says that they were never really broken up. He does not come clean about his time in Cabo. When she finds out that he essentially cheated on her, he proposes in an attempt to right his wrong. That is not rising above the issue as a strong couple; that is covering up your mistake with a tiny ring.
Jeremiah’s character as a whole is just insufferable. Dating his brother’s ex, the borderline cheating and proposing to make up for it? He even gets mad that they cannot spend $750 on a wedding cake for their budget wedding. Do not even get me started on stopping Belly from pursuing her dream, going abroad to Paris. Jeremiah does not take any accountability for the damage of his actions, and it is hard to watch.
At their wedding, Jeremiah tells Belly that he loves her, but he knows she is still in love with Conrad. He calls off the wedding, and Belly flies to Paris to escape the disastrous wedding. Jeremiah calls to say that they can fix their relationship, but Belly says she is in Paris to find herself outside of her relationship with him. He tells her to never call him again. The immaturity is deafening.
He acts wounded because Belly has gone back to Conrad, which is fair, but he never admits to his role in the whole messy affair. Jeremiah continually boasts to Conrad that he is with Belly, which leads me to believe that he does not love her, but rather sees her as a way to gain superiority over Conrad.
At the root of it all was poor decision-making on Belly’s end to go for two brothers. She has not acknowledged that her actions with Jeremiah have caused serious harm. I hope that her time in Paris helps her become a better person without the influence of that man-child. I can hope that Jeremiah acknowledges his hurtful actions and makes it right with Conrad, but I am not holding out too much hope for Jeremiah, the guy who neglected to check his emails and failed to graduate.
Do not be like Jeremiah. Everyone makes mistakes, but what makes it right is holding yourself accountable and making the effort to become a better person. Jeremiah may even surprise the audience and turn his bad decisions around. It is never too late to right some wrongs.