‘Off Campus’ shows why emotional vulnerability in male friendships matters

“But he’s still your dad. All he cares about is hockey,” Logan continued. “Hey! Your dad was great. Everybody knows it. But no one is expecting you to be him. All our parents have expectations. G. Sh**, I’d kill for my dad to be into hockey, let alone a damn legend. All right? But we’re not doing this for them. We are doing this because we love it. Right?” Logan said.

“Yeah. Thanks, man,” Graham smiled and said.

“Off Campus”, one of the most-talked-about and watched shows on Prime Video, has gained attention for its college romance and sports. However, the show and scenes like this have got people (especially the social media generation) talking about a much larger theme: male friendships.

The friendship that is vulnerable, emotionally honest, and deeply supportive, without losing its sense of what ‘masculinity’ is perceived as. Though it takes a woman (Hannah Wells, played by Ella Bright) to make Graham realise Logan’s importance in his life, the show got all the chords right about how male friendships are evolving.

For years, filmmakers and writers have portrayed male friendships through a narrow lens. Fictional characters bonded through banter, sports, politics, PlayStation, partying, but openness was often treated as unnecessary. When it came to emotional confrontations, male characters often revolved around conflict rather than comfort.

However, on the ground, that dynamic appears to be changing. Sameer Sewak, 36, reflected that he was fortunate to have a childhood friend with whom he could be vulnerable, something he did not experience in most of his other friendships during school and college. However, he shared that male friendships at the time were largely centred around camaraderie, games, and shared activities rather than emotional openness.

“I think friendships with other men were mostly about camaraderie, about playing games together and stuff, but not really about sharing what you like, your fears may be, what you feel like you missed out on or if you are feeling sad or if you are feeling heartbroken,” Sameer said.

However, he observed that this changed later in life. In his 30s, he began forming friendships with men who valued vulnerability and emotional honesty. These friendships allowed space for discussions around grief, heartbreak, insecurities, and personal struggles. He described this emotional openness as something that had largely been missing throughout his teens and twenties.

“I definitely think younger people are a little more expressive about how they are feeling. Um, there is a general trend across social media, the internet, and pop culture, with shows like Off-Campus and others that talk about mental health a lot. Sex Education was a good show on Netflix, which also kind of highlighted that a little bit,” Sameer noted.

In “Off Campus”, friendship is not portrayed as emotionally distant or performative. Instead, the series shows young men talking openly about pressure, insecurity, family expectations, heartbreak, and identity. The kitchen conversation between Logan and Garrett stands out because it feels natural rather than dramatic. Logan does not mock his friend’s feelings or tell him to “man up.” He listens, reassures him, and reminds him that his worth is not tied to living up to his father’s legacy.

Empathy without ego

The scene resonates because many viewers understand the pressure of expectation, especially when it comes from family. Garrett’s frustration is not simply about hockey. It is about growing up under the shadow of someone successful, constantly wondering whether your achievements belong to you or to the image people have already created for you.

Logan’s response also reveals another layer of modern male friendship: empathy without ego.

Rather than centring himself, Logan validates Garrett’s emotions while offering perspective. His words acknowledge that every young person carries expectations from parents, society, or even themselves. But he also reframes the conversation around passion rather than obligation. “We are doing this because we love it,” he reminds him.

For Puneet Kumar, 29, during school, few friendships reached the deep level of trust. With these close friends, he shared, conversations were not limited to sports or relationships but could include even personal and mundane topics without hesitation.

“In school, there were no deep conversations about emotions, or how I’m feeling, or what’s going on at home, or what’s affecting me. We didn’t talk about such things in school,” he said.

However, he noted that such openness was rare during school years as boys did not share emotional struggles or personal vulnerabilities. Further, he reflected that this lack of emotional openness was partly due to conditioning and societal expectations.

Growing up, he said, boys were often taught that expressing emotions like sadness or crying was discouraged. He further explained that emotional openness developed gradually over time, especially as friendships deepened through long-term proximity, such as living together during college and early work life.

He emphasised that trust played a key role; only when people had spent significant time together did they begin to share personal struggles, including childhood traumas, family issues, and emotional difficulties. Even then, he noted that such conversations typically remained limited to one or two very close friends.

Discussing emotional expression among men, he said that while he personally never completely suppressed crying, societal expectations in childhood did shape perceptions of masculinity. He acknowledged that many boys still struggle with openly expressing vulnerability, although he himself believes that crying and emotional expression are healthy and necessary.

He also observed a generational shift, noting that younger people today appear more emotionally open. “Millennial men are always thinking about how they need to fix everything. This thing is happening with me right now,” he said.

At the same time, “Off Campus” highlights something often overlooked in discussions of masculinity: the act of apologising. When Graham later watches the live stream and sees how Logan helped him calm down after he lashed out at an opponent during the game, he approaches Logan to apologise, further sharing the childhood trauma related to his dad.

Gen Z more receptive to emotional vulnerability in men

The popularity of these scenes also reflects broader changes happening in social culture. Gen Z audiences today are more receptive to stories that portray emotional vulnerability in men without framing it as weakness. It treats emotional honesty as a normal part of caring about another person.

Yasharth Rai, 23, reflects on a personal realisation about apologies and how delayed they can sometimes be. He shared that one of the greatest difficulties he has faced is realising much later that he should have apologised.

Recalling an incident involving one of his closest male friends, Rai shared that they were extremely close, often inseparable, spending almost all their time together. However, a conflict arose between them, partly influenced by a relationship situation at the time, and the friendship deteriorated significantly.

“But I said sorry because I felt that I was more at fault in that situation—like it was about a 90–10 ratio, with me being mostly responsible. However, I apologised very late, and by then it was already too late to fix things. So yes, I did apologise, but I feel that in many men, ego often causes us to apologise very late. Still, I did apologise,” he shared.

For Sudhanshu Mishra, 23, apologising is a way to solve arguments with male friends as it helps let go of the “fragile male ego”.

“There are a lot of misconceptions, by the way, but the biggest of them is that they will be very sweet, kind of green forest men for someone, but then they are very big red flags, even in male friendships. So, yeah, the misconception is that they are very much aware of their own stuff, but they are not sometimes,” Mishra said.

In an era where audiences crave authenticity, “Off Campus” succeeds by understanding that friendship itself can be powerful storytelling. Not because it is perfect, but because it feels real.

Agrim Agarwal, 24, explains that a good friend is someone who always shows up. “Someone who allows me to be myself and speak my mind freely, without any risk of judgment or the possibility of it getting out. I am quite comfortable discussing my emotions with my male friends because, although they have a certain sarcastic and non-serious way of discussing them, at the end of the day, they are there for me,” he said.

Traditionally, women have often relied on friendships for emotional processing. Men, in the changing social structure, are still learning to seek support and maintain emotionally intimate friendships. Dr Rimpa Sarkar, mental health expert, PhD, Sentier Wellness, Mumbai, explained that historically, boys were more likely to receive messages that valued independence, toughness, and emotional restraint.

As a result, many men learned to bond through shared activities rather than emotional disclosure. This does not mean men do not have emotional needs; rather, they were often given fewer opportunities or social permission to express them openly. However, Dr Sarkar added that this is slowly changing, especially among younger generations who are becoming more comfortable discussing mental health and emotional well-being.

“Many men learned to bond through shared activities rather than emotional disclosure. This does not mean men do not have emotional needs; rather, they were often given fewer opportunities or social permission to express them openly. Fortunately, this is slowly changing, especially among younger generations who are becoming more comfortable discussing mental health and emotional well-being,” she said.

Dr Sarkar further noted that emotionally supportive friendships can have a significant positive impact on mental health. When men can share grief, fear, insecurities, or personal struggles in a safe environment, it reduces emotional isolation and creates a sense of belonging.

She also affirmed that emotional expression is strongly influenced by social and cultural context. Different communities hold different expectations around masculinity, vulnerability, and emotional disclosure.

She noted that some cultural environments may encourage emotional restraint, while others may be more accepting of emotional openness.

“For example, some cultural environments may encourage emotional restraint, while others may be more accepting of emotional openness. Sexuality, socioeconomic background, family dynamics, and geographic location can also shape how comfortable individuals feel discussing emotions. It is important to remember that there is no single male experience. Men’s emotional lives are influenced by multiple social and cultural factors,” Dr Sarkar said.

Conversations around men’s lack of emotional vulnerability are not new, but shows like “Off Campus” are helping broaden the conversation by presenting more emotionally open and nuanced portrayals of masculinity.