Off Campus Notes

Not to be left out of the Off Campus buzz, I binged on Amazon Prime's No. 1 most-watched show at the end of May—a college soap based on Elle Kennedy’s bestselling book series. I have to confess I also loved The Summer I Turned Pretty (see my review) and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. All three are based on similar teen lit and follow the formula. I have not read any of the books, but I hear the TV adaptations take plenty of creative license.

Off Campus had only eight episodes, so I did not have enough time to truly commit to the characters and their relationships.

The Teen TV Show Formula

Hannah and Garrett pretending to be a couple in class

The main protagonist, Garrett Graham (played by Belmont Cameli), is an A-list athlete and the captain of the college ice hockey team, headed to play pro hockey. In similar soaps, the main guy usually plays football (Friday Night Lights) or sometimes basketball (One Tree Hill). Also every other girl in college is throwing herself at him. He has a series of flings, one-night stands, or hookups—whatever they are currently called. As is usually the case, there is always one girl who loves him more than she wants to, despite knowing his “I don’t do girlfriends” spiel.

Our main female lead, Hannah Wells (played by Ella Bright)—affectionately called "Wellsy" by Graham—is a brunette music major studying classical composition on a scholarship, working multiple jobs to pay her college tuition. We see the creative arts suffering when there is a threat to her financial aid. She is a bit of a classical snob and wants to focus strictly on composition, but we soon learn she is willing to try pop to win prize money for her fees.

Both main characters are good looking rather than classically blond, blue eyed, beautiful and perfect. However, they are a little cardboard—he more so than her. Their chemistry feels more cute than electric. Though the show is not a musical there is always music playing. She can sing, and he can dance. In the episode “The Orgasm,” his dance moves are sweet and smooth.

Off Campus characters

Important Characters

The supporting cast features the required archetypes to complete the college cliché: four best-friend hockey players who live together. Each of the books focuses on the love story of one of these four male players, so we can assume each of them will be the lead in the subsequent seasons. In season one, we meet all of them.

John Logan (Antonio Cipriano): The best friend with the hard-luck story whose mother is an addict. He can fix anything, so he is always working to earn a living. Logan is a hugely talented hockey player and an all-around nice guy who we are led to believe may harbour some unrequited love for our main girl, Hannah. Logan’s younger sister, Jules, is the resident Instagrammer who dishes out all the college gossip and intel on her channel, The Fifth Line.

John Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks): Very good looking guy, the friend who loves to cook for everyone and, of course, aims to play pro hockey.

Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn): The blond brat with a house on Cape Cod. He is our required rich, entitled playboy who also happens to be a great hockey player. Cool, no commitments, no attachments—a total player. Of course, by the end of season one, he falls in love with Hannah’s best friend, Allie Hayes, setting us up for their romance in season two (very Bridgerton books style).

Allie killing the JLo look

Fun fact, Kalyn plays competitive ice hockey.

Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla): A strong, drop-dead gorgeous girl who has all the required best-friend ingredients. As an acting major, she brings plenty of drama as an actress, singer, and dancer all rolled into one. She steals the show in her scene dancing alone to JLo's "On the Floor" in the famous JLo green jungle Versace dress in episode 2, "The Practice."

The girls have a small coterie of acting and musician friends, showcasing a fun, warm camaraderie. This is palpable in the Drunk Shakespeare performance, which is an absolute riot.

Hannah’s music teacher, a formidable musician and mentor, helps her through the tough times. Justin, the hot musician is also an important character. The show starts off with Hannah having a huge crush on his good looks, nonchalance, musical talent, and confidence.

Off Campus' soundtrack has some fabulous music from across the ages. Playlists and musical performances are supporting characters. It features six Taylor Swift songs as well as the recurring songs from Dirty Dancing, with both "Time of My Life" and "Do You Love Me" playing.

Ice hockey in all its glory and violence is also a character. Lots of action and conversation takes place on the ice.

The Storyline

In the first episode, Hannah accidentally sees Garrett naked in the boys' locker room while she is on her work route. In the next scene, he sits next to her in a tough class that everyone is either failing or managing a C. Garrett notices she’s the only one killing it with an A and asks her to tutor him—another very familiar teen show plotline. Since he knows Hannah is lusting after the musician, Justin, Garrett proposes a deal: if she tutors him to pass the class, he will act as her pretend boyfriend to help her attract Justin, the Aussie-accented musician she is obsessing over. "Don't look too available," is the line he feeds her while coaching her in this courting game. He is the pro, intimately aware of the stages of attraction, and guides her toward getting Justin. But, as the story predictably goes, they fall in love along the way. Initially, Hannah insists she is not interested in Garrett and announces she actively dislikes all athletes, especially ice hockey players, hinting that it is the only sport where physical violence is almost legalised.

Tackling Real, Dark, and Crucial Teen Issues

Off Campus tackles subjects that television often shies away from, handling them sensitively. Date rape and domestic abuse are addressed rather than just hinted at. Both of our main characters have suffered severe trauma. Across the eight episodes, we see them struggling to cope. In addition to therapy and medication, the show highlights how much time, effort, and support it takes just to get through every day after such traumatic childhood experiences.

Off Campus shows us a wounded Hannah trying to survive the PTSD of date rape. From the first episode, we see her unable to write or compose a song, helplessly scribbling on a pad with a pencil as she is plagued by debilitating flashbacks and a recurring nightmare of an overhead rotating fan. What she is struggling to overcome reflects what most real-life victims deal with: the perpetrator getting away with zero consequences while she gets both the blame and the shame because no one believes her. Her rapist is the star hockey player, the captain of the team, and his father is the mayor. Armed with power, prestige, and money, the whole town turns on her and her family. Her father loses his job, leaving them with no income and no friends—making it a place she never wants to return to. She has really suffered too much in her short life as many young women do.

Meanwhile, macho Garrett is coping with the fallout of domestic abuse from his father, having watched his mother struggle under it without ever being able to escape. Garrett is haunted by recurring nightmares of the physical abuse inflicted upon him, his mother, and now his father’s latest girlfriend.

Daddy Issues: The Father-Son Relationship

Garrett has a toxic relationship with his father, we see him avoiding every call and meeting. He always looks troubled, struggling in the shadow of his legendary pro hockey father. Garrett is sure he does not want to be like his father, though playing pro ice hockey is living out his father's dream. While Garrett is a talented player, he isn't even sure if he truly loves the sport or if it's simply the only life he has ever known.

Nudity, Consensual Sex, and Female Sexual Satisfaction

There is plenty of naked flesh on display—shades of Bridgerton season 1 (see my review). However, an important nuance is the emphasis on consensual college sex. This is of prime importance given how prevalent rape is at drunken college parties. Female satisfaction and orgasms are also shown as a focus for these virile hockey players.

The Grand Finale

The plot twist is Garrett does not win his big game; instead, he is suspended for his violent attack on the opposing captain in a critical game. The opposing captain being the very monster who raped Hannah feels a little too convenient.

On the upside, Hannah finally finds her mojo, composes a kick-ass song for the pop contest, creates the backing tracks, sings her heart out and accompanies herself with a few instruments, ending Off Campus on a musical high.

Hannah singing playing composing Girl that I am