Off Campus’ Mika Abdalla & Stephen Kalyn Discuss *That* Finale Twist
“It raises the stakes a lot more.”
Spoiler alert: This post discusses events from the Off Campus Season 1 finale.
Just when Off Campus fans thought they had the game plan all figured out, the new Prime Video romance series pulled the rug out from even the most die-hard fans of Elle Kennedy’s novels. Right after Dean professed his love for Allie, she revealed that she slept with a stranger in light of their agreement to keep things casual. But what was meant to be a no-strings-attached hookup winds up causing serious drama, once it’s revealed Allie’s one-night stand is none other than Hunter Davenport.
This is a familiar name for fans of the Off Campus books, but his introduction is a total change from the page. The book version of Hunter is a younger Briar U hockey star whom Dean mentors. But the show presents Hunter as Dean’s bitter nemesis, with a yet-to-be-revealed history with Dean’s sister Summer.
Clearly, Hunter is going to be playing a much different role on the show than he did in the books. And both Mika Abdalla (who plays Allie) and Stephen Kalyn (who plays Dean) love this new direction, even if it threw them off a bit at first.
“I was surprised. We did change a lot from the books throughout the series. But that one was super unexpected,” Abdalla says. She believes the added spice is necessary due to Allie and Dean’s accelerated timeline — their relationship doesn’t occur until the third book in Kennedy’s novels. “Because we dive into Dean and Allie’s relationship pretty early on, I think it was important to throw that wrench into the plan towards the end.”
Kalyn teases that the Hunter reveal sets up a major storyline in the upcoming second season. “I thought it was a great idea,” Kalyn says. “It raises the stakes a lot more. And there’s so much more you’ll get to see in Season 2 with that relationship.”
Speaking of Season 2, Abdalla and Kalyn can’t speak on the rumors that Off Campus may be fast-tracking Allie and Dean’s romance for the next arc. But Abdalla is looking forward to exploring another key relationship in Allie’s life down the line.
“I am really excited to dive into Allie’s relationship with her dad, whenever we get to it,” Abdalla says. “I don’t know how true to the books we’re going to stay, but Allie has a really special relationship with her dad that I find really sweet.”
