Prime Video’s Off Campus Recap And Ending Explained: Do Hannah And Garrett Patch Up?

I might get some hate for this opinion, but I genuinely feel like the Western young adult romance, especially the kind which get TV series adaptations on OTT platforms every other week, is a spent subgenre. Amazon Prime’s latest from the same category, “Off Campus,” based on Elle Kennedy’s novel series of the same name, which follows the age-old fake-romance-turned-real trope, further solidifies this belief of mine. Aside from the chemistry between the two leads, “Off Campus” has nothing unique to offer through its pretty generic plotline, which feels out of touch from reality, just like any other run of the mill YA narrative.

Spoilers Ahead

Why Did Hannah And Garrett Start Their Fake Romance?

The series begins with a focus on Hannah Garrett, a talented musician and ace student who has found her place in the prestigious Briar University, through a music scholarship programme. Hannah has a crush on Briar U’s popular teenage band lead, Justin Kohl, which only her best friend, Allie, is aware of. A reserved Hannah is also having a hard time holding onto the scholarship programme to continue her studies in Briar U, as she needs to come up with an original composition and perform it in a pop showcase in front of the school committee. She has an awkward chance encounter with Garrett Graham, star ice hockey player/ captain of the university team, Garrett Graham, after accidentally running into him while he was in a compromising position. Hannah doesn’t really like jocks, especially ice hockey players (the reason for which is revealed later), and their initial interactions are not pleasing, to say the least. However, Garrett, who is struggling with his grades at present, notices Hannah’s academic prowess, and seeks her help. Hannah refuses, and Garrett notices she is struggling in her romantic endeavours with Justin, as she is finding it quite difficult to open up about her feelings or even strike up a proper conversation with him. Garrett has a proposition for Hannah, he is willing to pretend to be her boyfriend to make Justin jealous in an attempt to utilize reverse psychology on him to make him desire Hannah. In exchange, Garrett wants Hannah to tutor him, and she agrees to the deal.  The mutually beneficial, transactional, kind of fake relationship inevitably draws both of them closer to each other, and allows them to learn their respective drives, insecurities. 

Demons of Past Shackled Hannah and Garrett

Garrett’s father, Phil Graham, is a retired NHL player, and due to Phil’s insistence to have his son carry his legacy forward, Garrett has found himself burdened with the mounting pressure to prove himself since a young age. At times, his own passion for the sport feels like it’s subsided under the world’s expectations from Phil Graham’s son. As if that weren’t enough for Garrett to deal with, he also struggles to cope with the reality about his father’s true abusive nature, as he has subjected Garrett and his late mother to torment in the past. Garrett feels a personal challenge to surpass his father in the sport, and has this fear that he might turn out just like him. On one occasion, before making the deal with Hannah, Phil’s presence in the audience zone troubles Garrett during his match, and as he takes a break to compose himself, he accidentally notices an otherwise withdrawn Hannah, unwinding herself by singing an Elton John number. Perhaps his own inner desire to find freedom and follow his heart allows Garrett to connect with Hannah at this moment, when she is at her truest self, and slowly, he gravitates towards her. 

On the other hand, Garrett not only helps Hannah in her fake romance ploy to draw Justin’s attention, he also assists her to navigate physical intimacy in a healthy, consensual way by earning her trust. During her high school years, Hannah had been drugged and raped by an ice hockey player, who was never brought to justice due to his father being the mayor of Hannah’s hometown. Hannah’s father, who was a music teacher at her school, lost his job due to the mayor’s machinations, Hannah was shamed by her peers, and her family was ostracized by the community for quite a long period. Hannah, who used to be a gifted lyricist and singer as well, failed to bring herself to open up in the aftermath of the tragic incident. A part of Hannah blamed herself for the misery faced by her family, and the reason she wants to opt for the scholarship programme is so that she doesn’t become a financial burden for her family. For the first time since that fateful incident, someone like Garrett, whom she assumed to be a stereotypical jock, has encouraged her to find confidence in her own skin. Reasonably, Hannah too falls for Garrett. Her decision is also motivated by the fact that her collaboration with Justin to form an original composition fails after Justin can’t value her ingenuity, while Garrett motivates her in every way he can. It should be mentioned that in the midst of this, Allie breaks up with her longtime boyfriend, Sean, as he wanted to keep her dreams and aspirations restrained within his own philosophy of living a limited lifestyle. She gets into a passionate fling with Dean, one of the close friends and teammates of Garrett and Logan. Dean used to believe in commitment-free, no strings attached relationships, but then he gets close to Allie and falls in love with her. However, Allie isn’t interested in settling down, and despite having feelings for Dean, she wants to explore her life to the fullest. 

During Thanksgiving, Hannah agrees to visit Garrett’s home along with him, after realizing he is nervous about returning to his old place in fear of his past memories getting triggered. Garrett had hoped that, like Phil claims time and again, he has truly changed, and to some extent, he too wanted to make amends with his old man. However, during the Thanksgiving dinner, Garrett notices Cindy, Phil’s fiancé, has bruises on her hands, which conveys that she too has been  subjected to similar treatment as Garrett’s mother. This triggers an alarming response in Garrett, as he realizes how irredeemable his father is, and his reaction startles Cindy. After advising Cindy to leave Phil for her own good and returning back to the university dorm with Hannah, Garrett breaks down in her arms, as seeing the fear in Cindy’s eyes, he has become afraid of turning out just like his father. 

Why Do Garrett And Hannah Break Up?

Things are smooth sailing for the couple until Garrett leads Briar U to face off against the rival school, St. Anthony’s, which is led by Aaron Delaney, the scumbag who raped Hannah in high schoo. Fear, self-loathing, and anxiety overpower Hannah’s mind, as she finds it impossible to face Garrett and doesn’t attend the first half of his game, despite knowing that Phil’s presence in the stands will take a toll on his performance. It isn’t until Daveed, the music professor of Briar U who has been kind and supportive towards Hannah since the beginning, encourages her to let the ones whom she trusts reach out to her, that she musters the courage to pay a visit to Garrett during the halftime and comforts him. However, Delaney notices Hannah in the stands, and before the second half begins, he passes a crude, lecherous remark about her to get under Garrett’s skin. Realizing Delaney is Hannah’s abuser, Garrett unleashes a brutal beatdown on him and beats him to a bloody pulp, before getting dragged away from the game and being slapped with a four game suspension. Phil meets his son to assure him that he can pull some strings using his influence to get him back on the rink in no time, but Garrett lashes out, saying that unlike Phil, who has never been held accountable for his abuse, he fully intends to face the  consequences of his actions. Hannah, startled by Garrett’s outburst, confronts him about his actions. She’s always had this fear that her past would prove detrimental for her loved ones, as she has seen her family suffer, and unjustly blames herself. Garrett, as noble as his intentions were, has triggered this fear all over again, and knowing Garrett has messed up his promising sports career makes Hannah feel guilty. Hannah believed that with Garrett, she could leave her past behind and become her old self again. But given the present situation, she isn’t so sure anymore as she fears Garrett will not listen to her and ignore what she wants. Garrett mistakenly feels that Hannah fears him in the same way Cindy did for a moment, and he ends up breaking up with her out of a sense of self-loathing. In his anger, Garrett pushes away his best friend, Logan, who tries to make him realize time and again that he needs to show some accountability while representing his team as captain. Unlike Garrett, Logan has not been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and he too has family issues he can’t escape from. But unlike Garrett, Logan doesn’t let that affect his mindset while he is in the rink out of selfishness. 

Does Hannah Get to Continue Her Studies at Briar U?

In her lowest moment, an aggrieved Hannah calls her mother, who helps her get over her misplaced sense of guilt. Her mother assures Hannah that she should never blame herself for whatever had happened in the past. Hannah is also troubled regarding the possible loss of her scholarship, as she is in no condition to compose and perform an original number for the pop showcase. Once again, her mother asks Hannah not to bother too much about the financial aspects, as her parents will arrange the necessary money needed for continuation of her studies if she ends up losing the scholarship. On the other hand, ever since the incident with Delaney, Garrett’s sports career has been facing one setback after another, and his record is altered for violating NCAA bylaw by taking part in a practice session of a pro team. Garrett’s coach, Jensen, advises him to reflect on his true motive behind pursuing the sport in order to get his head back in the game. With Garrett out for several games, and one of the players suffering from a concussion, Logan and the rest of the forwards plan on inviting a promising player named Hunter Davenport, but Dean argues against it as he has some personal grudge against him.

While practicing her old tunes, Hannah shares the details of her past with Allie, and it turns out Allie had figured out the truth long ago, when Hannah tried to pretend the incident happened to one of her friends. Allie never bothered to bring it up, as she knows Hannah’s past doesn’t define her, and she believed Hannah should share the details with her only when, or if, she is comfortable. This lifts a huge burden from Hannah’s mind, and with the help of Logan’s sister, Jules, she is able to compose her original song. Hannah meets with Garrett at the ice rink, where he is pondering about whether he should quit the sport while trying to figure out what is it that motivates him – whether it is the pressure to prove himself better than his father, or his own passion for ice hockey. Hannah makes Garrett realize that his passion for the sport made him return to the rink even in the moment when he is thinking about quitting. And if not for himself, he owes it to his team, to his best friend, Logan, who has always been a supportive presence by his side. Hannah’s remarks prompt Garrett to look at things in a different light, and he makes amends with Logan by acknowledging his presence in his life. He tells Logan the truth about his father and the relationship they share, trusting him as a form of showing how much his friendship matters to him. Later, Garrett meets his team and coach Jensen in the locker room, and apologizes to everyone for his past misconduct. From the stands, Garrett witnesses his team win the next match, and his passion for the sport is rekindled. 

Hannah makes a last minute entry to the Pop Showcase with Daveed’s help, and the entire ice hockey team, along with Allie and Garrett, show up to support her. Garrett was hesitating for a moment, but Logan, who has suppressed his own feelings for Hannah, motivates him to be there for her – telling him they are perfect for each other. Hannah delivers a soulful, emancipating performance in the showcase, and needless to say, she gets to keep her scholarship and continue her studies in Briar U. Following her performance, Garrett congratulates her and seeks a second chance, promising her that he is looking forward to becoming a better, more responsible person. Hannah accepts Garrett back into her life, and the couple are reunited once again. As the first season comes to an end, it is revealed that Allie has hooked up with Hunter Davenport, much to Dean’s dismay, and their strange dynamic will become a subplot in the upcoming second season of “Off Campus.”

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