Speaker 1: Hey, guys, welcome to Tommy Talk. And today's topic is
Speaker 1: I finally watched Off Campus. Yes I did. I admittedly
Speaker 1: was a little delayed because work got in the way
Speaker 1: and life got in the way. But I finally binged
Speaker 1: Off Campus and oh my god, I get it. I
Speaker 1: get it. I get why everybody in the world is
Speaker 1: so obsessed with this show. Now. First of all, I
Speaker 1: love TV. I love film. I watch a lot because
Speaker 1: a I love it beats the world I live in.
Speaker 1: I interview people for a living, right, so whenever I
Speaker 1: interview someone, I want to watch what they're in, which
Speaker 1: sometimes delays the things that I also really want to
Speaker 1: watch because I have to watch things prior to that
Speaker 1: based on work. So anyway, here I am. I finally
Speaker 1: watched Off Campus, and you, guys, oh my god, what
Speaker 1: a special show this is. I cried so much, I
Speaker 1: laughed so much. I loved it so much. So I
Speaker 1: want to talk about why this millennial loves Off Campus.
Speaker 1: And yes, it is taken over the world by storm.
Speaker 1: And I mean honestly, and I guess I'll speak for
Speaker 1: myself because this is my opinion. I want to watch
Speaker 1: couples genuinely yearning for each other right, like putting it
Speaker 1: all on the line and wearing their hearts on their
Speaker 1: sleeves and showing how they feel and not worrying about
Speaker 1: looking silly or cringe, and you know, doing things that
Speaker 1: might make people think, oh my god, I look so stupid.
Speaker 1: I don't care. I want that. I want to see that.
Speaker 1: I want to see them leaning into the love and
Speaker 1: the romance of it all. I don't really want toxicity
Speaker 1: non stop. I don't gravitate towards those shows. The shows
Speaker 1: that are very toxic between characters that I've tried to
Speaker 1: watch I generally fall off of. I don't know. Maybe
Speaker 1: at this point in my life, I don't really want
Speaker 1: shows that are so heavy and dark and toxicity. I
Speaker 1: don't know. Maybe when I was younger, I would have
Speaker 1: liked those more. I also think the world's a different place.
Speaker 1: It's so heavy and sometimes seemingly dark that I do
Speaker 1: want more of a lighthearted show, but also a show
Speaker 1: that says something with powerful themes, which I'm going to
Speaker 1: get to because this show tackles quite a lot that
Speaker 1: is really powerful, really moving, and really important and the
Speaker 1: real world heavy topics that are weaved in between the storylines.
Speaker 1: Of romance are super important. So in terms of the romance,
Speaker 1: I want genuine displays of affection and emotion. That's what
Speaker 1: I like. That makes me feel like I'm watching a
Speaker 1: nineties romcom I grew up with, and I like that
Speaker 1: the show says something. And honestly, I didn't read the books.
Speaker 1: I know a lot of fans of the show read
Speaker 1: the books. First, I'm somebody coming into the series without
Speaker 1: reading the books, although now I want to. So I
Speaker 1: didn't know really what this was going to talk about
Speaker 1: or tackle, but there are so many themes, even micro themes.
Speaker 1: And yes, it's a sexy show and it's wrapped up
Speaker 1: in that love story. But those powerful moments, man, I mean,
Speaker 1: just thinking about it now, they kind of take my
Speaker 1: breath away because I know they're going to help and
Speaker 1: have helped so many people feel seen. So here's why
Speaker 1: I love Off Campus. Let's kick this off. I guess
Speaker 1: number one. The show shows relationships where both partners genuinely
Speaker 1: respect one another, They communicate, they have a healthy dynamic.
Speaker 1: Hannah and Garrett, I think, are such incredible characters, and
Speaker 1: yes they have a few bumps along the way, but
Speaker 1: they never lose that respect for one another, and we
Speaker 1: see that in the end. Right, the problems in the relationship,
Speaker 1: I think were more about Garrett trying to figure out
Speaker 1: who he is and being afraid of hurting Hannah. And
Speaker 1: if Hannah shut down, it's because of what she went through.
Speaker 1: It wasn't because of any sort of scandal or cheating
Speaker 1: or toxicity between them, which honestly is refreshing. It's quite refreshing.
Speaker 1: It's like they had to work on things on their own,
Speaker 1: but the drama and the problems weren't because they were
Speaker 1: in this really awful, belligerent relationship. And I think that's
Speaker 1: really cool to see. I think it's healthy to see.
Speaker 1: I think we need reminders of that. Look, I've been
Speaker 1: in a relationship for almost twelve years, and that's how
Speaker 1: I function. I don't operate in toxicity. I operate out
Speaker 1: of respect and love and connection and genuinely wanting to
Speaker 1: ride through this life with somebody who's my best friend
Speaker 1: and my partner. Like that's what's important to me. That's
Speaker 1: what I want to see. We need more displays of that.
Speaker 1: I also love that the writers who are brilliant shout
Speaker 1: out to the writers, because this is one of the
Speaker 1: most well written shows I've watched in a really long time.
Speaker 1: The writers aren't afraid to commit to storylines that are
Speaker 1: beyond the romance of it all right, because we're all watching.
Speaker 1: We love the romance, we love the sexiness. But they're
Speaker 1: writing things in depth, like not skimming things over, that
Speaker 1: allow the characters and even us to delve into the
Speaker 1: emotional depth of some pretty heavy themes. And obviously, if
Speaker 1: you've watched the show or where the books, you know
Speaker 1: those themes include sexual assaults and abuse, mental health trauma.
Speaker 1: Those things aren't always very comfortable to talk about as humans.
Speaker 1: If we're going through those things, sometimes it's very hard
Speaker 1: for us to talk about. But they do it in
Speaker 1: a way. These writers do it in a way that
Speaker 1: it doesn't make the entire show feel heavy or like
Speaker 1: a drag or super dark, but instead it drills in
Speaker 1: the importance of these themes and these moments for these
Speaker 1: characters while they're processing what they're processing in real time.
Speaker 1: And I think because of these themes, we're rooting so
Speaker 1: hard for these characters. We're rooting extra hard for them
Speaker 1: because we know they have to overcome so much and
Speaker 1: they're going through things that are terrible and that nobody
Speaker 1: should have to go through. But unfortunately, in this world
Speaker 1: we live in, in this day and age, in this life,
Speaker 1: people do go through that. So we're rooting for them.
Speaker 1: We want them to heal, we want them to be
Speaker 1: on their journey to feeling like their best selves and
Speaker 1: putting some things in the past. So I think that,
Speaker 1: mixed with the romance is so important. It really is. Oh.
Speaker 1: The self blaming is another theme. How many of us
Speaker 1: have blamed ourselves for things that have nothing to do
Speaker 1: with us. We didn't cause we didn't do it. It
Speaker 1: wasn't our doing right, But as humans, sometimes we blame ourselves.
Speaker 1: You know. We saw this in the show when Hannah
Speaker 1: breaks down on the bench to her parents apologizing for
Speaker 1: ruining their lives because she got assaulted. And my heart broke.
Speaker 1: My heart literally fell out of my body on the
Speaker 1: floor and shattered into like nine thousand pieces because I'm like, no,
Speaker 1: you don't need to apologize for that's it wasn't your fault.
Speaker 1: It happened to you. But that's also very human. A
Speaker 1: lot of people carry guilt with them and think it
Speaker 1: is their fault. So I love that this show addressed that,
Speaker 1: and there was a beautiful moment with her parents, and
Speaker 1: you just see the release in Hannah in that moment, like,
Speaker 1: oh my god, it isn't my fault, and I now
Speaker 1: have permission to move on because maybe I haven't said
Speaker 1: this out loud and I needed to hear that it's
Speaker 1: not my fault. I just think that whole scene was gorgeous,
Speaker 1: absolutely gorgeous, and done with sensitivity and in a way
Speaker 1: that really makes us root for her as we do
Speaker 1: the entire series. I also love that Off Campus has
Speaker 1: a lot of the focus placed on the characters individual
Speaker 1: struggles like what I just mentioned with Hannah and how
Speaker 1: they overcome them on their own or together with the
Speaker 1: support of their friends. Leaning on friends in the series
Speaker 1: is so important, and I love seeing those moments for
Speaker 1: all the characters where their best friends come together shout
Speaker 1: out to best friends, what would we ever do without you?
Speaker 1: And they can lean on them. I think that's really
Speaker 1: really cool. So rather than toxic drama between each other
Speaker 1: and even friendships, I think it's great to see the
Speaker 1: support and we all have hardships that we have to overcome,
Speaker 1: so I think it's inspiring as a viewer and pretty
Speaker 1: cool as a viewer. To see characters that we connect
Speaker 1: with going through their own journey with that, it's like,
Speaker 1: you know what, I feel that I'm going through that too,
Speaker 1: or if it's not exactly that, I see you going
Speaker 1: through and trying to move past or move through whatever
Speaker 1: you're going through, So you know what, I feel inspired
Speaker 1: to do the same. Love that. Love that. Let's talk
Speaker 1: about the supporting characters because they are all just as
Speaker 1: likable and we're rooting for them hard. We are rooting
Speaker 1: for them hard. Ali and Dean love them. I love
Speaker 1: that Ali is trying to figure out who she is
Speaker 1: without a man, but she knows she has feelings deep
Speaker 1: down for Dean, and we're like, girl, you can't ignore them.
Speaker 1: We see them, we know you have them. And I
Speaker 1: love how Dean the big playboy of the series, he
Speaker 1: realizes he wants more with somebody, and I think that's
Speaker 1: a really cool realization. So I can't wait for their
Speaker 1: season two storyline. I am ready for it. Those characters
Speaker 1: are incredible. I feel like we all need a best
Speaker 1: friend like Ali. I am obsessed with that character, Like
Speaker 1: rock On, She's the best. John Logan is so cool too, right.
Speaker 1: I love seeing the friendship between him and Garrett. It's
Speaker 1: nice to see how that journey unfolds. And you know what,
Speaker 1: I want to talk about John Logan for a moment
Speaker 1: because he has some things that really stood out to me.
Speaker 1: Number one, when he took a dish to rehab for
Speaker 1: his mom and he showed up after not wanting to
Speaker 1: show up because dealing with his mother is very hard
Speaker 1: on him, and he surprised his sibling Jules. I was like,
Speaker 1: rock on, what a great message, you know, because yes,
Speaker 1: I'm sure that was very hard for him to go through.
Speaker 1: And I've had people in my life go through addiction
Speaker 1: and it is hard, and it is hard, and you
Speaker 1: sometimes do want to create that space. But I think
Speaker 1: Jule said, like she's doing what she can do now
Speaker 1: she's in rehab, she is trying to help herself. And
Speaker 1: I love that moment. It's like she she is, she is.
Speaker 1: So John showed up to drop off, you know, some
Speaker 1: food for the holiday, and I thought it was a
Speaker 1: beautiful moment of a reminder to show up for each other,
Speaker 1: just show up for one another. I just love that.
Speaker 1: I also love the moment in the kitchen when Garrett
Speaker 1: opens up to him about his abusive father and even
Speaker 1: though John's been hurt by Garrett, He's there for him
Speaker 1: and he embraces him like rock on. A great show
Speaker 1: of friendship, especially masculine friendship between two dudes. I love that.
Speaker 1: Who else? Oh, John Tucker. I got to give a
Speaker 1: shout out to John Tucker, the caregiver of the group.
Speaker 1: Love me some, John Tucker, and I love that the
Speaker 1: show is a sports storyline. The thrill of the pressure
Speaker 1: of winning a game is so fun to watch, like
Speaker 1: in Heated Rivalry or the Kate Hudson Show match Point
Speaker 1: on Netflix, or it's Alasso on Apple like I love.
Speaker 1: I love a good sports game in a show. I
Speaker 1: think it's really cool and it adds another layer of like,
Speaker 1: oh my god, please win. We're rooting for you so hard,
Speaker 1: we need you to win. So if it's a sports show,
Speaker 1: sign me up. And as a millennial, I like that
Speaker 1: it gives me a nineties rom com vibe. I mentioned
Speaker 1: the nineties earlier, and there's a lot of millennial references throughout.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if you caught them. I mean, obviously
Speaker 1: the music Get on the Floor by j Lo, Like,
Speaker 1: come on, I first of all, I love j Lo,
Speaker 1: and that song just brought me back, And I believe
Speaker 1: that the author confirmed nods to other shows throughout the series,
Speaker 1: like I think Tucker is John Tucker as in John
Speaker 1: Tucker Must Die. I believe the author said Garrett and
Speaker 1: Hannah were inspired by Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill.
Speaker 1: So there's all these little nods which I think are
Speaker 1: really cool and why so many millennials also love the
Speaker 1: show and it does give you that give you that
Speaker 1: throwback vibe like almost She's all that or like one
Speaker 1: of those one of those films or shows which I love,
Speaker 1: And I think we need more dudes with storylines like Garrett.
Speaker 1: He's a good dude at his core, he's this idea
Speaker 1: of masculiney, this big shock. Sometimes it's hard for him
Speaker 1: to process emotion, and he you know, does things like
Speaker 1: push his handa away, but at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: his heart is gold, and I think that's so great. Hope,
Speaker 1: I hope there's a lot of like gen Z dudes
Speaker 1: watching this because it's a great example of how to
Speaker 1: treat a woman and how to treat a partner and
Speaker 1: that yes, you can be macho and Dudley and ployee
Speaker 1: sports and all that, but you can also be a
Speaker 1: good human. So I love that description and that character
Speaker 1: for that reason. I think it's a really important, important
Speaker 1: model of what a modern day man should be. And
Speaker 1: I mean hold on, like the badass musical number at
Speaker 1: the end. Come on, who doesn't love a big, powerful
Speaker 1: musical number Hannah song at the end, I was literally
Speaker 1: cheering and clapping on my couch. I thought it was
Speaker 1: so good and I'm like, yes, finally you're putting out
Speaker 1: your heart. I love it. Like I said, we root
Speaker 1: for these characters, so there's so much to love about
Speaker 1: Off Campus. I honestly went into the show being let
Speaker 1: me see if it really is all that it's being
Speaker 1: hyped up to be. You know, I didn't know. I
Speaker 1: didn't read the book, and I was excited to check
Speaker 1: it out. And from episode one, hooked like hooked, hooked,
Speaker 1: so brilliant. Job to the cast and the writers and
Speaker 1: the crew and everyone who brought the show to life.
Speaker 1: I will share I am in touch with a few
Speaker 1: of the cast members teams to come onto my podcast.
Speaker 1: I've never said this before for season two, so I
Speaker 1: am working hard on getting some of those interviews booked,
Speaker 1: and for season two, I think I will be bringing
Speaker 1: you some off campus interviews, so get excited for that,
Speaker 1: and I'm happy to share my review. I love Championing.
Speaker 1: Championing that's a hard word to say. A great show
Speaker 1: with a great storyline and great themes that deserves to
Speaker 1: be put out there and blasted for everything amazing that
Speaker 1: it's putting out into the world. So if you haven't
Speaker 1: watched off Campus, go check it out. I may even
Speaker 1: watch it again because I'm like, wait, it's done. I
Speaker 1: miss it and I'm so excited for season two and
Speaker 1: stay two for some great interviews for season two coming
Speaker 1: on up Here is to watching shows that literally just
Speaker 1: fill our cop I mean, like I said, I think
Speaker 1: i gotta go watch it again. I've Never Said This
Speaker 1: Before is hosted by Me Tommy Dedario. This podcast is
Speaker 1: executive produced by Andrew Piglisi at iHeartRadio and by Me Tommy,
Speaker 1: with editing by Joshua Colaudney. I've Never Said This Before
Speaker 1: is part of the Elvis Duran podcast network on iHeart Podcasts.
Speaker 1: For more, rate review and subscribe to our show and
Speaker 1: if you liked this episode, tell your friends. Until next time,
Speaker 1: I'm Tommy de Dario.