The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3 Butchered Jeremiah

Let’s get one thing straight: Jeremiah Fisher has always been the golden retriever of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Jeremiah Fisher is not perfect. But Season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty didn’t just let him make a mistake. It rewrote his entire character arc and personality just to shove him off the love triangle cliff and make room for the broody boy redemption tour.

And before the pitchforks come out, no, this is not a Jeremiah defense article about the cheating. Cheating is wrong. Period.

Drunk, broken-up, blacked out, still wrong. But what is worth defending? The character of Jeremiah Fisher, the one we spent two whole seasons falling for, because Season 3 makes him nearly unrecognizable.

And for me? I'm not buying it.

Golden Retriever: Season 1 & 2

Jeremiah in Season 1 was that guy. The first to dance with Belly, the one who actually smiled, who made her laugh when everything else felt heavy. He was emotionally available, communicative, and genuinely wanted to make her feel seen. In Season 2, he stood by her during the chaos at the beach house.

He didn’t run, he didn’t shut down. He showed up. Over and over again.

The guy had faults, sure. But his loyalty and big heart were never in question. That was the real Jeremiah.

Season 3: Who is This Man?

Then Season 3 rolls around, and suddenly Jeremiah's acting like a downgraded version of himself. He’s impulsive, making reckless decisions, proposing with a ring that looks like it came from a claw machine, and saying things that Season 2 Jeremiah never would’ve said. Even his wardrobe took a hit, like they raided the lost-and-found bin at Cousins Beach for his outfits.

It wasn't very significant, but if you look for it you'll see it. Meanwhile, Conrad's walking around like a Pinterest board when he used to dress like a dad with two kids.

Coincidence? Nope. It’s all part of a clear narrative choice: make Jeremiah worse so Conrad looks better.

The Ring Heard ’Round the Internet

Let’s talk about that proposal. Sure, he shouldn’t have done it — they weren’t ready. Some people might even say it was to distract Belly from the fact he cheated.

I obviously don't think so, but he could have chosen a better moment. But Season 2 Jeremiah would've at least made it meaningful. Instead, it was rushed, awkward, and felt like it was written to make the audience go “ugh, not this,” rather than understand his heart.

The writers put that in was to humiliate Jeremiah. People say "Belly is a silver girlie" and he got her a gold ring. Um, wrong. Yes, she wears silver throughout but she wears an equal amount of gold, if not more. And why are we complaining if Belly obviously loves it?

Image Credit: Photo by Lina Verovaya on Unsplash

Continuing on my rant train. Jeremiah had no money, 20,000 in debt, and he still got her a ring. I mean, yes, "bare minimum," but look at his circumstances. Way to kick a guy when he's down.

“But Jeremiah Ghosted Her at the Debutante Ball”

Let’s pull over here for a second, because this is the favorite card Team Conrad likes to play. Yes, Jeremiah walked away at the ball all back in season 1. You know what else happened?

His mom was dying. Just like Conrad’s. The difference is that when Conrad found out, he closed off completely, pushed Belly away, acted cold and confusing all summer, and somehow we all just say “aw, poor baby, he was hurting.”

But Jeremiah? He takes one hour for himself, one hour, and suddenly he’s the villain?

Let’s be so for real. Jeremiah didn't shut Belly out all summer. He didn’t make her second guess herself every five minutes.

And he sure didn’t ghost her for weeks. If they had been together that summer? He wouldn’t have treated her the way Conrad did. He may have made mistakes, but loving Belly out loud has always been his thing.

Image Credit: Prime Video AU & NZ, CC BY 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons

The Boy Who Deserved Better

Jeremiah was never a perfect guy. But he was kind. He was loyal.

He was soft and open and willing to fight for love, not just brood about it from afar. He saw Belly. Always did. And now, in Season 3, it feels like all of that was conveniently erased so we could all collectively sigh, “Wow, Conrad is finally healthy.”

Okay, yes, Conrad's emotional growth? Gorgeous. But it shouldn't come at the cost of Jeremiah's depth and integrity.

Final Thoughts

You can ship Belly with whoever you want. Team Conrad? Valid.

Team Jeremiah? Also valid. Team Cam Cameron? Honestly, iconic. But what’s not valid is rewriting a character’s entire personality to force a storyline.

And here’s the frustrating part: Conrad's growth arc is handled beautifully. He’s more open, more supportive, even kind. He’s the best version of himself and that’s great. But why does Jeremiah have to break so Conrad can build?

Jeremiah Fisher didn’t deserve Belly’s love just because he was nice. He deserved respect as a character. And Season 3 took that away, not with emotional complexity, but with lazy sabotage.

So here’s to hoping the rest of the season gives him his depth back. And if not? I'll be here, on the beach, blasting Olivia Rodrigo and yelling “JUSTICE FOR JERE.”