Off Campus is gorgeous, addictive fun—and proves TV romance is still alive and kicking without tired toxic tropes

Thriller after thriller. Psychological, gritty, dark and twisted ones seemed to be flooding streaming platforms to the point that some of us might have wanted to sleep with our eyes open. The romantic dramas were hovering there somewhere, but barring a few, notably Bridgerton, and the To All The Boys I loved film franchise, nothing was quite sticking. Where did the yearning romantics go? Where were those subway, airport confessions, and all the angst that would burn through a season?

Grumbles, and more grumbles. The Summer I turned Pretty reignited the angry shipping wars, along with the younger sister show XO Kitty, a fresh spin-off from the To All The Boys.

And then Off Campus, based on the books by Elle Kennedy, skated onto the scene, dragging viewers straight into drama on the ice rink, and well beyond it.

In this tale, where everyone looks absolutely beautiful or, handsome, dimpled and without a single blemish on their skin, we begin with the classic fake lovers trope. As Avril Lavigne would say, he was a guy, she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious?

Yes, well, Graham Garrett (Belmont Cameli) is a brooding ice-hockey punk and Hannah Wells (Ella Bright). a star student, is an aspiring songwriter, and they couldn’t be less likely to fall in love. But of course they do; Graham needs the grades and promises that he would help her get the man of her dreams. Yet as they pontificate over Kant, Kierkegaard that might just horrify the philosophers, they do fall in love, slowly, carefully and then all at once.

This gentle love story is a delight to watch, because you can see the fiery interest gradually building, through every eye contact, gesture, study session that invariably ends up into a soul-baring of some sort. Graham is not just a regular jock; he is a bruised, battered teenager who hasn’t been able to move on from the scars of his personal life, and that involves his father, a star hockey player. Graham’s worst burning fear runs like an undercurrent through the season: What if he ends up like his father? What if he too, can lose himself in a blind rage? This haunting thought explodes on the ice-rink in a decisive match. 

On the other hand, Hannah too, is trying to move on from her own scarring past. She doesn’t want sympathy or sermons, and doesn’t need anyone’s pity.  Intimacy is a terrifying concept to her, emotional and physical, till Graham helps her break free from it. In the first few episodes, you see the two bring each others walls down gradually, with Graham ensuring that he is never crossing any boundary.

He is afraid of himself; but she isn’t afraid of him.

The love story is quick, the yearning isn’t for too long, and you don’t have to keep wondering when they would end up together. 

And, as these two try to sort out their own feelings for each other, their best friends are caught on a ‘rollercoaster’ too. Hannah’s best friend Allie (Mika Abdalla), is trying to piece herself together from a breakup and finds solace in Dean, a smouldering hockey star. She wants the solace to be temporary; but he, obviously doesn’t. The veneer of smarminess wears thin by the end of the season, as he well, realises, oh goodness, he is falling for Allie. Again, another love story blooming that is just as riveting as the leads.

Off Campus is filled with all the romance and yearning that has been lacking in so many shows of late. It’s refreshing to see male leads who can be messy, without turning obnoxious and toxic, and burning down everything with them. Everything in this show is tender, raw and honest. Everyone also has their own ambitions, and sometimes, weighed down by it. Graham’s feelings about the ice-rink are oddly refreshing too:

He isn’t passionate about hockey. It’s just something he is good at. He doesn’t believe that he is good at anything else, so might as well make a career about the one thing that he has.

Except, Hannah reminds him that’s not true. 

Apart from the romances, there’s the safe feeling of platonic love and friendship that makes Off Campus such an endearing watch. Allie’s the best friend that Hannah could ever have, and her tear-filled eyes watching Hannah singing, says enough. The hockey team bros are not just macho buff men; they love each other, and have each other’s backs. And if that includes fulfilling a Thanksgiving list as long as their arm, they will do it.

That's what makes Off Campus such an endearing watch. Beneath the romance and hockey drama are several stories about friendship, loyalty and finding people who make you feel safe.

Off Campus is joyous, addictive fun, packed with enough drama to make you forget the dinner simmering on the stove. It's delicious chaos, overflowing with heart, and you might just find yourself wanting to pick up a hockey stick too.

Off Campus is streaming on Amazon Prime.