This Tiny Detail In Off Campus Season 1 Foreshadows A Major Death
As if this scene wasn't already heartbreaking enough in the books.
The first season of Off Campus gave fans so many heartwarming moments to obsess over, but be warned: a really devastating turn is on the horizon. Although there are still some big questions over the direction Season 2 will take, the stage has already been set for one of the saddest arcs in Elle Kennedy’s novels. While some telling moments in the show’s first season have basically confirmed the adaptation will include the harrowing death from the books, there are also some hints that important events around this twist could be majorly changed.
Spoiler alert: The rest of this post will discuss key plot points from 2016’s The Score, which will likely be adapted in future seasons of Off Campus.
As the readers know, Dean’s best friend Beau Maxwell is doomed. In Kennedy’s third Off Campus book The Score, Beau dies suddenly after his father’s car hit a patch of black ice in Wisconsin. The loss throws a massive wrench in Dean’s burgeoning relationship with Allie, as he withdraws from the world, worrying his friends with his increased substance abuse.
In the Prime Video adaptation, Beau gets to play a bit of a larger role early on as opposed to the books. Not only is he Dean’s closest confidante, he also forms a fast bond with Allie over their shared love of Broadway music. Unfortunately, it’s because of this increased screen-time that fans fear the show will make Beau’s death much more tragic but directly involving Dean and Allie.
The earliest clue about this upcoming death is Dean and Beau’s costume choice for their “dynamic duos” party, where Dean dressed as Top Gun protagonist Maverick with Beau as his bestie Goose.
On the surface, the reference is a cute symbol of just how close Dean and Beau are. But the outfits also foreshadow incredible loss. In Top Gun, Maverick is indirectly responsible for Goose’s death after a botched missile launch forces them to eject from an aircraft.
The costumes may be hinting at something more than simply Beau’s death — they could also be a clue that Dean will be involved in his best friend’s demise. In the books, it’s Beau’s father who crashes the car and accidentally kills his son, while he survives the crash unscathed. The Top Gun allusion could mean that Dean will instead be driving the car with Beau, and the death will hit him even harder because of that.
Fans have also started to share theories that Allie may be in the car crash that kills Beau, too. The bulk of this theory comes from Beau’s newfound friendship with Allie, which is not as highlighted in the books. Tellingly, Beau and Allie’s bond is first formed when they’re driving together with Dean on a holiday break. Let’s just hope the next car ride this group takes is just as jovial — although, it’s definitley not looking that way.
