Prime Video has officially kick-started its ‘Obsession is in Season‘ initiative with the first romantic comedy show, Off Campus. If you liked Heated Rivalry, which featured romance between two ice hockey rivals, Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, you for sure are in luck with Off Campus.
Off Campus is the adaptation of Elle Kennedy’s Briar University universe franchise. The first season features the storyline of the first book ‘The Deal’. The deal features the romance between Ice hockey captain Garrett Graham and music composer Hannah Wells.
The Plot
The Briar University universe franchise features the stories of 4 ice hockey players and their romantic story lines. The four hockey players include the protagonist of the first season, Garrett Graham, as well as the protagonists of the next seasons, John Logan, Dean Di Laurentis, and John Tucker.
The trope: The trope of Graham and Hannah’s story is fake dating as lovers.
The Characters
The main characters of the show Off Campus include:
- Hannah Wells, played by Ella Bright: An aspiring musician who tutors Garrett in exchange for a fake date to make her crush jealous.
- Garrett Graham, played by Belmont Cameli: Briar University’s star hockey captain, who struggles with his grades and an overbearing father.
- Justin Kohl, played by Josh Hueston, A musician who serves as Hannah’s longtime crush and a rival love interest in Season 1
- John Logan played by Antonio Cipriano: Garrett’s teammate and best friend, who falls for his best friend’s younger sibling (in the books) or Grace (in the show).
- Dean Di Laurentis, played by Stephen Kalyn: The group’s resident playboy, known for his charm and wealthy background, who meets his match in Allie.
- Allie Hayes, played by Mika Abdalla: Hannah’s fiercely loyal best friend who navigates her own relationship hurdles with Dean.
The Story
The story starts when Garrett seeks Hannah’s help with a philosophy course. Hannah refuses to help him as she is busy composing a song for a showcase, which might help her with the scholarship.
Garrett quickly realises that Hannah has a crush on a singer who is helping her, Justin. Hannah is reluctant to confess her feelings to Justin, so Garrett offers to fake date her to grab Justin’s attention, and in return, Hannah helps him out with the philosophy course.
- The Romantic Spark: The story starts to shift when Garrett sees Hannah dancing freely after he struggles with hockey. He realises that Hannah helps with calming his nerves. That is when the audience realises that there is a bigger reason why Garrett wanted Hannah to help him out. Hannah’s romantic awakening happens when she finally confesses feelings to Justin, and she quickly realises that she has developed feelings for Garrett.
- The Conflict: The conflict arises when Hannah reveals that she finds it hard to get intimate with Justin, as she was sexually harassed in high school by an ice hockey player. Hannah also struggles to write music due to her being abused. Garrett’s conflict arises from his abusive father, his nepo baby narrative, and his aggression. Both characters help each other through their own conflicts.
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Thoughts on The Show
As a fan of the Brair University universe, I can say that the show’s adaptation of the book was on point. The filmmakers took care of everything in such detail that it felt exactly like how the book seemed in my imagination.
The depiction of Hannah and Garrett’s dark past was taken care of very delicately, and the mention of how sexual abuse can make a person so insecure that they question if anything is wrong with them. The depiction of domestic violence and it’s imapct on a child’s growing personality felt intense and real. The show also highlights the negative side of being a nepo baby.
Honestly, the show was a hit story-wise, cinematically, and the use of blue hues and lights was done perfectly in the emotionally intense scenes. We literally can not wait for the next season, which is in production.
Prime’s Obsession is in Season
Prime Video launched Obsession is in Session, an initiative celebrating Young Adult (YA) fandom, storytelling, and adaptations. The campaign features a massive lineup of upcoming movies and shows, complete with immersive events and exclusive content. Off Campus is the first show from this initiative. Others include:
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- Every Year After
- Elle
- The Love Hypothesis
- Your Fault: London
- The Last Sunrise
The upcoming young adult adaptation is Your Fault: London, which is the English version of Mercedes Ron’s Culpa Mia (My Fault) adaptation. Your Fault: London is coming out on June 17th, so keep an eye out for English versions of Nick and Noah.
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