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The Spill

A Brutally Honest Review Of Off Campus

29 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.959 - 10.834 Laura Brodnick

From Mamma Mia, welcome to The Spill, your daily pop culture fix. I'm Laura Brodnick. And I'm Em Burnham. And welcome to a very sexy Friday episode of The Spill.

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13.398 - 26.157 Laura Brodnick

I hope you guys are watching us on video because Emily just showed some boob. I was about to flash. Well, not really, but... I fake flash you. Stay tuned. Stay tuned. You don't know what's going to happen at the end of the episode. So by high demand, plus we promised this when I recommended it on Weekend Watch...

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26.137 - 33.226 Laura Brodnick

Today is our brutally honest review of Off Campus, the buzzy, sexy college romance hockey show that everyone is talking about.

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33.246 - 44.461 Em Burnham

Oh my god, this show has had me in a chokehold since you recommended it on Weekend Watch a few weeks ago. I immediately watched it. I watched all episodes in one sitting and each episode is like an hour. It's like a movie.

44.621 - 48.106 Laura Brodnick

I honestly feel like that was too much. I feel like I should have done a welfare check on you.

48.386 - 53.273 Em Burnham

Yeah. I'm so surprised because usually when I do this, I usually send you a selfie of me crying.

53.293 - 58.56 Laura Brodnick

Yeah, I didn't mean to say that. I just am surprised you didn't need like a cold shower or walk around the block or something halfway through.

58.58 - 61.123 Em Burnham

It was very intense. It was very intense, but I was addicted.

Chapter 2: What is the buzz around the 'Off Campus' adaptation?

62.085 - 76.665 Laura Brodnick

Well, you and everyone else. Some people have come up to me and people say it to me in hushed voices. Like even a stranger on the street the other day, she's like, Laura from The Spill. I've watched it three times. I'm like, that's okay. You're allowed to do that. If we go four or five in a week, I would reach out for help, but three times is fine.

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76.745 - 78.848 Em Burnham

It's fine. Make the most of your subscription.

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79.009 - 80.07 Laura Brodnick

Yeah, yeah. I say.

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80.871 - 88.203 Em Burnham

Okay, so off campus, we do actually have some exciting news, which makes doing the Brilliant Review today so much more fun.

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88.223 - 89.024 Laura Brodnick

Yeah, brilliant. Breaking news.

89.044 - 102.422 Em Burnham

Breaking news because it has just been renewed for season two and we finally know who our season two couple's going to be. We kind of assumed it after the end of season one, but it's definitely going to be Ali and Dean's season.

102.743 - 117.384 Laura Brodnick

Yes, because we knew They were getting a season two, but we didn't know which book and which couple, what the details would be, when they would start filming. Any of that information was all up in the air. So it's all being confirmed today. And like, you're right. Thank God it was Ali and Dean because there's so much momentum in their relationship now.

117.665 - 122.952 Laura Brodnick

And season one ended on such a cliffhanger for their characters. I was like, I'm not waiting in around another season.

122.932 - 140.556 Em Burnham

That's so true. And we did get that episode that was kind of dedicated to them and their relationship and how they got together and started hooking up and you could see like how they started falling for each other. So I'm so glad we aren't just like leaving that there. Like we're actually going to like follow it through into the next season. I'm so excited. They are.

Chapter 3: What are the main character dynamics in 'Off Campus'?

461.185 - 477.85 Laura Brodnick

So Hannah is a student at Briar University. She's on a scholarship. And when we introduced to her, we find out that she's working a whole bunch of like study time jobs. So she's working at the hockey center. She's working at the diner that they all hang out at, which I love because it's very like kind of college town. Yeah.

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477.83 - 492.652 Laura Brodnick

And she's working all these jobs, but she needs a scholarship and it's being yanked. And so she's faced with the possibility of having to leave college halfway through her time there or winning a pop scholarship, which I love because this is so like Disney Channel early 2000s.

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492.812 - 518.023 Em Burnham

It's so funny. Like her music teacher. who I guess is like the parental guidance of all the students. Like he acts as like the truth teller. Daveed, who is absolutely amazing. I think his character was like very important to have as like kind of the mentor for me. Not just her, but like the audience as well, watching to see like what decisions the characters would make.

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518.103 - 533.411 Em Burnham

But it was very funny that initial, like it sets up the whole thing, right? Like the first thing we learn about her is that she's there on a music scholarship and she's had it ripped away from her. And then she sees like a little pamphlet that says, music scholarship offered to the winner of the pop contest.

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533.491 - 550.648 Laura Brodnick

Yes. That is not a thing. That is not a thing at all. But it is in these kind of teen fantasies, though. She would love that. At the same time, she's just a girl trying to do her job, cleaning up at the hockey center, walks into the locker room. Worst job, by the way. Yeah, a men's locker room. Especially a college boy's locker room.

550.668 - 555.993 Em Burnham

And you're seeing her pulling all these sweaty jerseys that they've left on the floor. Yeah. Have some decency. Yeah.

556.354 - 573.026 Laura Brodnick

You know a girl's cleaning up after you. Exactly. Disgusting. I hope she doesn't have to clean the bathroom. Oh. That just actually came into my head right now. No. No. Foot down. 100%. This is a horror movie. This is a horror show and no one's talking about it. I'm suing that university to make her clean that bathroom. So she's cleaning up, minding her own business.

573.287 - 578.817 Laura Brodnick

When she walks into the shower room, which... potentially maybe she should have been like, there's water running out and running there.

578.837 - 583.487 Em Burnham

But you know what? It sounds like someone's in the shower. Let me just walk. But she did have her headphones on actually.

Chapter 4: How does the show address serious themes like trauma and consent?

924.517 - 945.348 Em Burnham

I'm glad they kind of made him the opposite of Garrett, but also still really likable because whenever we have these situations where it's fake dating to real dating or enemies to lovers, there's always that third person. And the audience is meant to root for the people they know are going to end up together, not root for the other person. But they made Justin really likeable.

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945.388 - 962.832 Em Burnham

Like he didn't have any like flaws in the sense where he wasn't a dick to her. He wasn't ignoring her. He wasn't bad at music. He wasn't a shit person. They made him like a proper person that makes sense where you're like, yeah, I can see why she likes him because he is a really nice guy who's helping her with this song so she can get a scholarship.

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963.412 - 966.837 Em Burnham

And the fact that even though it didn't work out with them, he still helped her. Yeah.

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966.817 - 967.298 Laura Brodnick

Yeah, exactly.

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967.318 - 973.894 Em Burnham

So I'm glad it's like they gave the challenge to the audience to really pick who they wanted her to end up with. And I think it was a worthy challenge.

973.994 - 987.803 Laura Brodnick

Yeah, absolutely. Because there's moments where you look at Hannah and Justin together and you're like, oh, do I kind of want them to be together? And that makes the storytelling stakes higher. You're right. Because in those really paper thin rom-coms, Or movies where like you have this girl who's like a bit bland, but like perfect.

988.144 - 997.779 Laura Brodnick

And she's dating like, or she wants to date this terrible, terrible guy. And it kind of, I mean, obviously women do date terrible people, but there's something, they're not terrible all the time from the jump.

997.999 - 1010.098 Em Burnham

Yeah. Otherwise you're like, this woman is crazy. Exactly. Which is what I feel like they kind of failed at when we did our brutally honest review of The Summer I Turned Pretty, where I think they made Jeremiah a bit too unlikable. Okay.

1010.118 - 1011.42 Laura Brodnick

I think I was the only one who was a bit into him.

Chapter 5: What are the standout performances in 'Off Campus'?

1210.127 - 1210.627 Em Burnham

We needed Jules.

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1210.647 - 1221.439 Laura Brodnick

Because I didn't know much. Even though I grew up on Mighty Ducks, I know nothing about hockey. The interesting thing about Jules is that that character is not in the book. So I think John Logan has an older brother who works at like the tire shop with him.

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1221.459 - 1234.913 Laura Brodnick

But the Jules character is just for the show, which I really like because as you're saying, that character was our eyes and ears and having the gossip site be like the little gossip girl kind of homage thing worked really well. So that's one of the times I think adding a character really helped.

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1234.893 - 1247.316 Em Burnham

Yeah, I agree. And then... Yeah. So when she's at the... Me like, I haven't seen it. That one happens. When she's at the boys' house, I got introduced to my favorite boy.

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1247.357 - 1270.797 Laura Brodnick

Okay, who's your... Because this is a very important conversation. It says a lot about you. Which of the boys in off-campus you think is the sexiest? So actually, I don't know who you're going to say. Logan. Oh, okay. That's nice because he's a nice one. He's hot. Yeah, yeah, he is hot. Oh, come on. He is hot. Look, I'm not proud of my choice. This reflects very... Because it's a blonde man.

1270.817 - 1293.615 Laura Brodnick

I know. That's the worst thing to have a crush on. Also, obviously, I think Dean's the hottest and I'm not... I'm ashamed because he is the most basic bitch thing to say. He's such a bad boy. You think that Rogue... But the rich, spoiled bad boy. But he just has the best personality and he's so hot. He is hot, especially in that Maverick getup. I actually think that's what did it for me.

1293.855 - 1312.229 Laura Brodnick

Not that I think Tom Cruise is hot. It's very confusing. Tom Cruise is the least. We can pretend he's a Mars teller. Oh, my God. Maybe that's it. Maybe my head was doing some wild math. I don't know. I know you shouldn't be ashamed of a crush, but I kind of am. Oh, I know. But also I stand by it.

1312.289 - 1316.217 Em Burnham

But he's like hot, hot in real life because he's hot in the show.

1316.237 - 1322.308 Laura Brodnick

What are you talking about? His natural hair is brunette and he's so much better looking. And his fiance was the one.

Chapter 6: How does the show compare to other teen dramas?

1909.222 - 1920.336 Laura Brodnick

But with Garrett, it's like, this is the, like he's used to obviously everything he does in a physical way. He's great at, he's great at hockey. Apparently he's great at sex. His body's ripped. He's never had to, his body has never let him down in any way.

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1920.657 - 1932.492 Laura Brodnick

And for the first time ever, he's really worried that he won't be able to help out his friend, Hannah, who he's starting to get a crush on and that he won't be able to help her orgasm. So obviously he turns to his bros for a bit of advice, which I thought was really cute.

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1932.86 - 1936.146 Em Burnham

hey guys, Hannah wants me to do this thing and I don't know how.

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1936.246 - 1937.087 Laura Brodnick

How? Help me out.

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1937.107 - 1958.865 Em Burnham

Help me out. And that's when Dean gives his consent speech. Which also not no, it's so important. Yeah, so important. Because also like we did mention that when Hannah says make me orgasm, like in that same conversation, she also tells Garrett about her past and what happened to her. Yeah. So he does want to make sure that this is okay for her and that she feels safe.

1959.346 - 1966.078 Em Burnham

And then when we get to the actual intimacy between them, best sex scene, I reckon. Yes.

1966.178 - 1977.7 Laura Brodnick

Best first sex scene. Oh, absolutely. Because there's this idea they could have just walked away. They could have tried penetrative sex again. But he's remember her saying like, when I'm by myself, fireworks. And he's like, show me.

1977.68 - 1982.327 Em Burnham

And then they undress in front of each other and he makes them look at each other's bodies.

1982.447 - 1995.808 Laura Brodnick

It's hot but also beautiful. It's so sweet. And then they just look into each other's eyes. And it's really interesting because obviously she is feeling unsafe but he's kind of giving her these really encouraging looks. They're on the same team. They're not touching but they're on the same team.

Chapter 7: What is the significance of music in the storyline?

2449.953 - 2454.301 Laura Brodnick

I don't understand. But he instantly knows it's her telling me she's in love with me too.

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2454.321 - 2462.897 Em Burnham

Yes, because he like recognises the tune as a tune she's been playing without the lyrics. Yeah. Because when they should have been studying and her tutoring him, she was just playing the song.

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2463.815 - 2477.749 Laura Brodnick

And then they have this, it's the first kiss where they're not kissing as a, like just to kind of get comfortable with each other. They're not kissing to trick anyone. They're kissing as two people who have discovered they're in love with each other.

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2477.789 - 2503.366 Laura Brodnick

Now, I'm going to say the worst thing I've ever said on this podcast about Off Campus, which is that first kiss between Hannah and Garrett left me cold. It didn't – I'm not trying to be a hater or anything like that. And, like, I just felt like there wasn't – the correct buildup wasn't there. The correct, like, chemistry wasn't there.

2503.387 - 2520.602 Laura Brodnick

It kind of felt like a rushed scene of, like, we've ticked every box in this young adult plot and now we're going to have these two characters kiss. And I was like, this is too fast. Yeah, I know what you mean. There hasn't been enough buildup. There hasn't been enough – the stakes didn't feel high. It didn't feel earned. It didn't feel earned in that moment to me.

2520.582 - 2525.48 Em Burnham

I can't remember for me if it felt earned or not because I actually don't remember.

2525.5 - 2527.106 Laura Brodnick

You're like, I was just in a sexy haze.

2527.307 - 2529.234 Em Burnham

I was like, still trying to get over that song.

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