Bonus eps are when we go deep on a cultural phenomenon, text, or celebrity that's overwhelming our feeds, charming our pants off, or sparking general bewilderment. Off Campus does all three! It's a new, eight-episode hockey romance now airing on Amazon and it manages to be intermittently corny, incredibly hot, ostensibly very straight (but arguably made for the bisexual-gaze) and... does a pretty excellent job of handling of storylines involving sexual assault and physical abuse?? A wonder, truly.
For the first half of the episode, we talk about the series in general: what it's about, where it's set, its worldview and understanding of romance. We talk about the basics of the plot but avoid major spoilers. Then we get detailed. We talk about bra fit. We talk about specific needle drops. We discuss what makes that scene so hot — and the way the show handles trauma and consent. If you haven't watched, I hope this ep compels you to give Off Campus a try... and if you have, WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO TALK ABOUT.
(And if you'd like access to this paid podcast-subscriber-only episode, you can upgrade your Culture Study subscription SO EASILY here. If you have any issues, just email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail dot com)