About two weeks ago now, this YA series was released by Amazon Prime - Off Campus.
I usually (for someone of my big age) am always intrigued by these types of shows/movies despite the fact that I am way above their target audience. I guess in some way I am envious. Someone wrote a fluff piece of literature, amidst the tons of fluff pieces available online, and this one fluffy piece was determined the fluffiest of them all and rose to the top of the heap. Got published and is now also a movie/series, and not only that, the movie/series is a critical and commercial success. See how difficult it is to achieve success with that premise. Almost impossible. But yet it occurs. Almost as impossible as someone finding this blog and asking my permission to turn it into something, anything, commercial. Anyway, I digress.
So I latched onto this one called Off Campus. Started watching it on a drunken Wednesday evening. Didn't think too much of its' stars and sappy writing. It also reflected a lot of the 80's/90's romcoms, and according to it, it was paying "homage" - I swear I saw Footloose with that opening dance scene - oh well. I did also not think there was a lot of chemistry between the two co-stars. I was just not impressed. But then again, I am not their target audience.
Then came Saturday morning. I woke up and crawled in with my phone downloaded the entire series and felt it was a good time to sink my teeth into the show. Then, there was episode 4.
The opening scene of episode 4 is one of the most impactful endearing pieces I have ever seen written for a modern-day TV YA series. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. Most especially cos she used the R word, not SA, she didn't try to sugarcoat or politically correct it. She labelled it correctly for what it is making it more hard-hitting. And it closes with him saying so simply: "You're my friend and you need me." I can rewatch that scene over and over. That was when I knew these folks weren't fcuking around, they wanted to cook with grease, reheat it and use it again.
Then, the scene above - took it to another level for me. In watching it I also wasn't so sold on the lead actor. Nothing against him, I just did not see leading man looks and college-jock-make-the-girls-panties-drop." I just didn't see it. And again, I restate - I am not their target audience. In my day, Brad Pitt was our yardstick for leading men.
Then, this scene occurred.
There's this line from a movie, thriller movie from the 90's - Jade. It goes:
Do you know what Rage is?
I remember that line every time someone I know gets upset, loses it, or expresses furious anger. When people ask, so what happened? I am almost tempted to respond with that line. Rage happened.
If you've ever been SA'd, which I pretty much feel that every woman has been SA'd in some form or fashion, at least once in their life at this point. But if you have (unfortunately :-() you want the people in your life to respond this way, this emphatically, unapologetically to defending your honor and ensuring that the culprit knows that you have people in your corner, people who would enjoy kicking their ass as many times as is needed to make sure they regret with every fiber of their being their despicable act. This is what you expect from your man.
Needless to say that after all that nay-saying from me, watching these 2 scenes together made me a total fan - enough to want to write about it on here.
We pray we meet such men in our lives - Men who stand up for what is good and right and with heavy balls, the heaviest.
For the Art - thank you for being a truth-teller, the one that holds up the mirror to society and pushes the envelope ever so slightly even with teen YA stories. Our stories need to be told.
