Off Campus season 1 just dropped on Prime Video. The hit new series is based on the best-selling book series by author Elle Kennedy. Season 1 kicked off covering the first book, The Deal, in which Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and hockey star Garett Graham (Belmont Cameli) strike up a deal to start a fake relationship so Hannah can make her crush Justin (Josh Heuston) jealous.
However, the two fall in love, but it's not those two that have fans talking. It's actually another couple.
After the first season, Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) and Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kayln) have fans in a chokehold.
In season 1, Dean and Allie remain background characters, as their book, The Score, is the third in the Off Campus series. However, the Prime Video show manages to cover a surprising amount of ground for the two. Maybe it's because Allie is Hannah's best friend, and Dean is one of Garett's, but the two have stolen the show for various reasons. But for now, here's our top five.
1. The On The Floor dance scene
At his costume party in episode 2, Dean comes dressed with his boys as a sexy mechanic, while Allie dresses up inspired by Jennifer Lopez's 2000 Versace Grammy Awards Dress. By the way, that dress was so iconic that it inspired the creation of Google Images.
In awe of Allie dancing alone on the dance floor, Dean turns to his friends and asks, "Who is that?" When they suddenly put on "On The Floor," Allie goes crazy. After not learning her name, Dean goes straight over to Allie, dancing up behind her.
In that context, the scene should be creepy, but it's nothing but hot. To be honest, the way the two look at each other is downright feral, and even in a certain masturbation scene between Garett and Hannah, they can't recreate the level of chemistry that Dean and Allie have. The slow motion, the song, the hands on the waist, and the lustful expression are enough to make anyone crazy. And us.
2. The relationship set up is better
No offense to Hannah and Garett, but Allie and Dean's relationship set-up is better. The two start as frenemies, with Dean almost hooking up on top of Allie, and her thinking of him as a bit of a pig. Still, when Allie breaks up with her long-term boyfriend, she begins a secret friends-with-benefits arrangement with Dean.
As a trope, I personally prefer secret relationships to fake dating. It's sexier and feels more realistic. Many people hide their relationships and hook-ups before they become official. This has started some of TV's best relationships. Friends' Chandler and Monica, Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Buffy and Spike, and Ian and Mickey in Shameless, to name a few.
Dean and Allie sneaking around is fun and exciting to watch as a viewer. Even if it begins as a physical relationship, it's interesting to watch the relationship blossom beyond a physical connection. Their development feels organic and makes sense with the timeline, while Hannah and Garett's transition from friends to a relationship is underwhelming.
Even their solidifying kiss, which takes place in the hockey rink, is underwhelming. The writers took the time to nurture Dean and Allie's dynamic, having them take the time to realize they feel something more. Although Hannah and Garett's build-up was still good, their setup hindered the payoff of their relationship.
3. Tension is built with Dean and Allie in a natural way
Tension is important when building a romantic relationship, and Dean and Allie have plenty of it. The writers started by building tension between them. Starting off with the first romantic moment when they danced together at the party, and then their conversation by the fire, which translated into Allie calling Dean to hook up. It wasn't the moment they met that they had an attraction, which makes them more interesting to watch.
With Hannah and Garett, there was an attraction from the first moment, with Hannah seeing Garett's goods in the show. There is lust there; there's touching and heavy breathing with the fake dating, but it doesn't hit like the build-up between Allie and Dean. Even though they had sex much earlier, the moment felt earned because we saw playful tension and impulsiveness. Seeing Allie lie to her best friend and go to New York with Dean felt insane, but it's also exhilarating for us and the characters. In comparison, Hannah and Garett's tension was manufactured by them at the costume party and in the gym.
4. Dean has more personality than Garett does
Pairing that with a larger-than-life character like Allie, who dreams of being famous and being on Broadway, creates an electric couple. Both characters are interesting on their own and have bigger dreams than each other, making them hypnotising to watch.
Hannah and Garett also have this, but it really only comes out when Hannah sings kareoke in front of Garett. With Allie and Dean, it's present in their first conversation. Their personalities just mesh well, and Dean is a big part of that.
5. The unpredictiability of the relationship
While the books have been written and we know who is going to end up with who, Dean and Allie still feel more unpredictable. With Hannah and Graham, you knew where the relationship was heading early on. Fake dating sets up an excuse to touch, to get into close quarters, and to get to know each other. It establishes feelings and jealousy and usually the "he fell first" idea. It's great, and we eat it up every time, but sometimes you need a little earthquake to shake the relationship.
However, Dean and Allie started from one bad decision. Allie calling him to hook up after being an emotional mess started the rollercoaster. These two felt like one moment away from ending, which could be irritating to some viewers, but it's buzzy for most.
The conflict feels loaded by the end, as Hunter Davenport (Charlie Evans) gets in the way of a Deanallie happy ending. The plot diversion from the books isn't something you should expect, yet it keeps the drama coming. We don't expect to see Allie and Hunter hit it off, because when she meets him he's "Carter", yet it makes it interesting, as we find out Dean doesn't like Hunter.
In terms of plot, this leaves lots of room for a build-up in season 2. By the end, the two have ended their arrangement, so we can start to see the shift from casual to reciprocal love. However, by episode 5, Hannah and Garett's story build-up is mostly done, besides their break-up, but that in itself is predictable.
As far as season 1 is concerned, Allie and Dean are the superior couple, and with the show already renewed, we hope we might see them as season 2's leads.
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