The tension. The yearning. The sheer joy, coupled with the tinge of sadness at the thought that it’s all pretend. The ability to withstand being called out via song and to take it like a champ. Garrett Graham is down so bad by the time we get to Off Campus Season 1, Episode 3 that it’s incredible to watch him subtly lose it. Written by Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson, with stunning directing from Samantha Bailey, everything about Garrett watching Hannah sing at karaoke is an excellent scene adaptation—yet, more than that, the longing painted in his eyes conveys a thousand words all at once.
Part of the reason so many of us love romance novels is because we want to know everything. We want in-depth character reactions to all that’s happening, allowing us to fully see what thoughts are spinning inside the characters that they aren’t saying aloud. And from the second this scene at Malone’s begins, the audience is already in for a whirlwind.
So much of what Garrett is proposing earlier in the day is part of the deal, but the reality is, he’s the one who wants to continue spending time with her. He wants to orbit around her, exist alongside her—walk around campus and everywhere else with everyone knowing they’re together, even if he can’t verbally say that want aloud. With the show’s pacing and the difference in adaptation, we have to see the transitions in Garrett before he himself recognizes it, and that’s exactly what’s happening at Malone’s.
That’s exactly what’s happening in the quiet beats where he briefly lets his walls down and spins her around after passing the oral exam. If she hadn’t changed the time of their initial tutoring session, he wouldn’t have hooked up with Zoe. It’s not an excuse, but it’s a reason. The situation was convenient for him, nothing else.
In Elle Kennedy‘s The Deal, the karaoke scene takes place at Dean’s birthday, but in the show, there’s no real reason for Garrett’s invitation. Justin isn’t even at Malone’s. We can argue that it’s to stop her fangirling spiral, but it’s for him, too. The proof is in Belmont Cameli’s performance as Garrett watches Hannah sing her heart out, and the look in his eyes brings out all the gorgeous lines from the same scene in the book. He’s thinking, “She’s so beautiful it makes my chest hurt.” He isn’t distracted by anyone else’s expressions or anyone else’s reactions; rather, he’s simply and wholly captivated by her. And because Dean doesn’t walk up to her and Garrett doesn’t need to move, he stays. Lingers on the dance floor as she walks over to him, giggling.
Ella Bright is so magnetic in this scene, so wildly transcendent as Hannah has an absolute blast on that stage that it’s worth recognizing just how remarkable the casting is. It’s both lovely and comforting to see Hannah’s walls down in a way that we don’t get often, and Bright delivers in a way that makes the scene genuinely powerful. Garrett’s not the only one destroyed—we all are, in the best way.
And the way Cameli brings Garrett’s reactions to life is a little overwhelming in this scene. There’s an obvious lump in his throat as he wants to say everything circling in the forefront of his mind, but instead, he punctuates the emotions with a chuckle. A swallow. His inability to react immediately as he tries to find an appropriate thing to say is staggering. The way he holds her gaze for the briefest beat before he finds the words is all so incredible to bear witness to. “You did good, Wellsy.” The fact that this is all he can manage before he inches closer and lets himself laugh again after she gives him one of her smiles amplifies the on-screen tension and continues to strengthen their closeness beautifully.
We already know Hannah trusts him because she feels safe enough to drink with him guarding her cocktails, but there’s something worth noticing about the immediate walk over to him. It’s instinctual. The song choice is a jab, but it’s also a tangible showcase of how playful their friendship is, too. Mock him one minute, bounce right to him next. And it’s instinctual, not because they’re pretending to be together, but because in the crowded room, he’s become the one she’s looking for. The fact that it’s so effortless for the two of them to laugh together is also a lovely detail that thrusts us right into that period of silence in the car.
Because there, the tension’s crackling. It’s an ember burning right in between them, demanding their attention. The scene is relatively dark, but with the rain pattering outside, Garrett’s finger tapping the steering wheel, and the turn signal clicking, the sounds of their heartbeats are accentuated. Everything is heightened. The AC. The breath he takes. The way he clears his throat before Allie jolts up from the backseat. The way their eyes flirt with each other for the briefest beat. Their long fills in the silence and simultaneously the darkness. The way he settles his hand on her headrest because he has to do something, only it takes him a few seconds to realize exactly what’s happening. Pure gold. Cinema. The romance genre in a brilliant nutshell.
The point of all this is that the importance of this scene in their love story pinpoints the exact moment where Garrett Graham realized he’s too far gone. In other words, he fell first, and he fell hard. He’s going to have to keep fighting to share his favorite girl with another man somehow, believing that’s exactly what she wants.
The fact that we can visibly see how it’s destroying him is no small feat. It elevates the tension deliciously, and it adds layers to who they both are in a manner that feels comforting. As a show, Off Campus, like most romance adaptations, feels like a safe space that’s brought to life by the knowledge of happy endings. And a scene like Garrett watching Hannah sing at karaoke night is exactly what translates it in a manner that delivers all the reasons why.
Every moment they spend together matters—every expression, every minute shift in their bodies. The angst and the uncertainties coiling inside them, the pull that’s settling between them, even when they can’t fathom that’s what it is. It’s all vital, even if it’s pretend. Because in this state of make-believe, they’re okay. They’re together. They’re safe—they’re each other’s still, and that understanding in the back of their minds adds the layers necessary to distinguish why they’re so perfectly entwined.
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First Featured Image Credit: ©Jeff Weddell/Prime