Prime Video’s Off Campus is many things: it’s steamy, kind of cheesy, has kick-your-feet-and-squeal-with-glee moments of romance, and maybe surprisingly, deals with some pretty heavy subject matter.
It’s a super steamy scene that holds significant meaning beyond the panting and hot n’ bothered moaning on-screen; because Hannah, in the wake of a sexual assault in highschool, has until this very moment beenin a way that made her feel safe — not even with herself.
Mission accomplished, the pair fist bump and head down to Garrett’s kitchen to eat leftover pasta.is many things: it’s steamy, kind of cheesy, has kick-your-feet-and-squeal-with-glee moments of romance, and maybe surprisingly, deals with some pretty heavy subject matter. Season 1 of the series follows university athlete Garrett Graham, the star of the fictional Briar University hockey team, and music student Hannah Wells as they embark on aas old — but still as satisfying — as time: The fake dating scenario.
In need of academic help to play for the season and be drafted for the NHL, Garrett enlists Hannah to tutor him. In exchange he pretends to be her boyfriend as a ploy to catch the eye of her real crush.
Spoiler alert:does something seemingly atypical — or at latest potentially different from what many people are expecting to be a light, fiery smut-filled watch — delving into Hannah’s experience with, tackling Hannah and Garrett’s experiences with sexual assault and domestic violence, respectively, wasn’t taken lightly; with Levy noting it was important for the team behind the series to be responsible with how they were portraying these storylines. In addition to speaking with experts in both fields, Levy says, they asked experts a somewhat surprising question.
“We asked both of them: What do you normally see done wrong or what bothers you about how things are portrayed? ,” Levy says, “because we wanted to steer clear of expected pitfalls. ” TheseWhich is why another key decision Levy and the creative team made was to not show any of Hannah and Garrett’s actual trauma on-screen.
In a time when often overly gratuitous scenes are pretty much the norm, it was an intentional and impactful decision to not show instances of domestic violence or potentially triggering flashbacks to Hannah’s assault. Instead, these traumas are implied — their meaning still hard to miss — but told through the impact the trauma has had on them both.
For Hannah, this means an inability to write songs, something she previously loved, as well as fear around being physically intimate with a partner — the impact of her trauma illustrated in her inability to share these two intimate parts of herself with anyone. For Garrett, growing up in fear of his father, and unable to help his now-deceased mother, has manifested in a fear of turning out just like his dad and hurting those around him.
It’s these very real consequences that are the focus of the show. I think being able to tell a story of someone who has dealt with sexual assault and can still have a romance and a healthy sex life is so important.
“The story is actually not about the trauma, in the book or in the show,” Levy says, “it's about the. We never actually show either trauma for either of them…we talk about it, but we never show it because we don't want give power to those moments. We want to show the characters grappling with the after effects. ” Which is what’s happening when viewers meet Hannah and Garrett in that *ahem* climactic scene in his bedroom.
While it’s an undoubtedly racy moment, it’s also made infinitely more sexy because it’s a layered and empowering one, for Hannah specifically, as she works towards feeling safe and present in her body in order to enjoy sex. The hottest part? The fact that she —, who plays Garrett, says.
“It's nice because the two characters show up to that scene and the audience has an expectation of what's going to happen; and there's a level of caring that Garrett especially has in this circumstance that I think is really admirable and honest. And so the scene ends up completely different than you expected. ” Belmont and co-star Ella Bright had lengthy conversations about the scene — as they did around all their intimate scenes — but especially this one.
“It's really pivotal to their story, around all different types of intimacy that take place in that scene, because there's sexual intimacy, there's emotional intimacy, there's vulnerability just across the board,” Cameli adds. For Bright, that scene, specifically the dancing and the build up around the inevitable moment the friends kiss and become intimate, was one of her favourite moments on set.
“What was so special about the intimate scenes of the show is that it is so character-driven and story-driven,” Bright says. “That it is really a turning point for their storyline and it couldn't have been done in any other way; the sex is such an important factor of the story for these two characters.
”about the often exploitative ways that various series have introduced sexual assault — most often against the female leads — as a trial they must overcome. It’s the catalyst for personal growth, or worse, a plot device meant to motivate another character’s arc.
We saw it in 2015 withIt's really pivotal to their story, around all different types of intimacy that take place in that scene.. there's sexual intimacy, there's emotional intimacy, there's vulnerability just across the boardCriticisms of these narratives have often centred on lazy storytelling that doesn’t extend beyond the actual violence. With this in mind, it’s tough not to wonder if a show likeIt's one of the reasons why I got so excited about adapting these books to begin with," she says.
“We have the ability, because it is such a joyful, positive, optimistic show, to couch that with these , more emotional layers. ” . It’s the very fact that Hannah and Garrett — by virtue of the genre and their age — are themselves so positive and optimistic that the show is even able to delve into topics like sexual assault and domestic violence, Levy notes, allowing the series to “go there” without feeling too heavy.
“In romances, there's these expectations that characters are perfect or unbroken,” Levy says, “and I think being able to tell a story of someone who has dealt with sexual assault and can still have a romance and aalways gets it right — or whatever “right” is when it comes to a complex and nuanced topic like sexual assault. When Garrett confronts and beats up Hannah’s alleged assailant on the ice , it feels like we’re veering into kind of icky territory.
In this instance, Hannah is completely removed from her own experience, as her very personal assault is essentially whittled down to a show of brute strength — and even more violence — between two men. But even this potentially slippery slope is later addressed, when Hannah confronts Garrett for getting involved.
As she reinforces time and time again, and once more in that moment, she never asked him to defend her, because she’s worked through her experience in a way she feels comfortable with. As she tells Garrett before the first time they hook-up: “I promise that I have worked so hard through this… I’m not fragile.
” While there’s nothing wrong with being fragile, what she’s really saying is that she doesn’t want to be treated differently because of her sexual assault. Is it perfect? Definitely not. But maybe that’s the point.
Because real experiences of healing after violence aren’t perfect, either. And the hope is, for Bright at least, that people see themselves in this complicated and sometimes messy depiction.
‘I hope people can be seen in some sort of capacity with Hannah's healing journey,” she says. “Obviously nothing's ever complete, but it's definitely a growth and a progress that gets to make throughout the season. ”Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and domestic violence. Spoilers ahead for Season 1 of Off Campus.
The moment Off CampusSometimes you discover a show and feel a cosmic connection to it. For me, that’s Netflix’s surprise hit series, Forever. And turns out, I’m not aAmazon Prime Video has done the unthinkable and is expanding the Elle Woods universe. The first teaser trailer for Elle, the prequel to Legally Blonde, hasWe are heading to the cottage for Heated Rivalry Season 2.
The HBO Max smash hit was renewed for a second season after becoming extremely popular, with ConBefore Heated Rivalry, there was Off Campus. The YA book is also centred around ice hockey and steamy scenes, but was released in 2015. Fans have been gunnChloe Cherry is “extremely tired” of being asked about sex work.
But it’s hard to get around the topic when it’s a focal point of Euphoria Season 3Every time someone asks me for a show to watch, I instantly suggest the Tubi original series, Big Mood. An underrated gem! When I discovered Big Mood, I feEdith Lynch is 46 with no cardiac history when she comes in by ambulance in the penultimate episode of The Pitt’s second season.
The male EMS workersThe first time I interviewed Erika Alexander, it was on a red carpet. The Living Single star who gave us Maxine Shaw , one of the definingThere are certain pop culture moments from my most formative years that are forever embedded in my brain. The periodic table? Gone.
Times tables? Only a feIt’s been a rough few days for fans of The Pitt. On Thursday, April 2, it was announced that Supriya Ganesh, who plays fan favorite Dr. Samira Mohan, wil
Off Campus Season 1 Off Campus Sexual Assault Storyline Off Campus Sex Scene Is Off Campus Good? Belmont Cameli Ella Bright
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Off Campus’ Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli Reveal Whether They Will Return for Future SeasonsThe first season of 'Off Campus' is focused on Hannah and Garrett's love story — but will Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli return?
Read more »
Prime Video’s smutty hockey romance Off Campus isn’t playing dirty enoughThe so-called “Straight Heated Rivalry,” based on Elle Kennedy's hockey-romance novels, needs to be far less corny and way more horny.
Read more »
Mel Gibson can't keep his hands off younger actress during steamy Rome date nightAuthorities are reportedly scaling back resources in the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance as Savannah Guthrie continues pleading for answers while balancing her return to TV and new “Wordle” hosting role.
Read more »
‘Off Campus’ Review: Amazon’s Hockey Romance Is No ‘Heated Rivalry,’ and That’s Mostly OKAdapted from the books by Elle Kennedy, the series follows a shy music major who agrees to tutor a star athlete in exchange for his help landing a date with her crush.
Read more »