The teaser just came out two weeks ago - I’ve already watched it an insane number of times, seen all the instagram reels, and discussed my thoughts thoroughly with one of my close friends who's also super excited….let’s discuss.
Let me begin by saying that I’ve also re-read this series an embarrassing amount of times (its my go-to for when I need a light read before bed or when I’m eating a meal on my own) and I’m so so so excited to see Hannah and Garrett on the big screen.
For those of you that don’t know what the TV show is about - let’s get into a brief spoiler-free synopsis of the book it’s based on. The Deal by Elle Kennedy focuses on the stories of Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham, both juniors at a fictional Ivy League university called BriarU. Garrett is the captain of the hockey team and Hannah is a music major who loves writing songs. When a failed midterm threatens Garrett’s ability to play hockey, he’s convinced that being tutored by his classmate Hannah (who aced the exam) is the only way to maintain his position on the team. However, convincing Hannah to tutor him proves easier said than done. Upon realizing that Hannah has a crush on football player Justin Kohl, Garrett offers to go out with her in order to attract Kohl’s attention in exchange for her tutoring services. Hannah reluctantly agrees, and the two of them strike a deal. I’m sure you can imagine how the story continues from there.
I’ve seen a lot of comments and reels on Instagram and YouTube expressing worry over some of the big changes in the TV show (Justin’s a musician, Hannah’s cleaning locker rooms, etc). But there’s also an equal number of people saying that some changes are to be expected when a book is adapted for the TV screen, and we shouldn’t immediately bash the producers for these changes without actually seeing how they handle it in the series. Honestly, I agree with the latter opinion - any speculation about the various changes in the series are just that - speculation. But that doesn’t mean I’m above discussing my initial thoughts about these changes and what I hope to see in the series when I binge-watch it in May.
I’ve seen less than a minute of this series, but from these initial clips I can say that I really loved the general vibes and character of the show that I sensed from that 45 second teaser. They seem to have maintained the essence of Briar U and the characters of Garrett and Hannah, which is a big relief for me. I think that the casting of Garrett and Hannah is pretty spot on to what I’d imagined their characters to look like - Hannah’s shoulder length hair, Garrett’s charisma, and their chemistry - I’m excited! Their actors' age gap has sparked a whole controversy on social media that I won’t have the time to get into right now, but on screen I’m liking their vibes so far. I also heard that three original songs were written for the show, so I’m looking forward to hearing Hannah sing those! I’m excited to get to know the artsy and jock sides of BriarU in the series.
It was really important for me that the series maintain the dynamic of Garrett and his roommates, so I really hope we see this in the show! In the teaser we do get one clip of Garrett, Logan, Dean, and Tucker taking a photo together, and we see Tucker proudly wearing his bright pink apron in an Instagram reel. I read on Instagram that Belmont Cameli (who plays Garrett Graham) was actually cast based on his chemistry read with Antonio Cipriano (cast in the role of John Logan). Anyone who has read the books knows that Garrett and Logan are best friends and have their own little inside jokes and stories, so I’m really excited to see their friendship in the series. I’m also glad that they kept Tucker’s apron, since its these little details that demonstrate the friendship and dynamics of the hockey players.
Onto some of the bigger controversies - firstly - Justin’s a musician in the TV series?!? I don’t mind giving this away since its in the synopsis of the book, but the entire reason that Hannah agrees to tutor Garrett is because she has a crush on football player Justin Kohl, who is in a similar social circle as Garrett due to them both being athletes. It is because of their shared athlete status that Garrett knows Justin and is able to assure Hannah that going out with him will put her in Justin’s circle. From what I’ve heard on the internet, the producers chose to make Justin a musician in order to emphasize that Garrett isn’t Hannah’s usual type. And I kind of see what they’re getting at with this - I like seeing how Hannah is able to see past her initial impression of Garrett being an entitled jock as they get to know each other, and its refreshing to see two people from very different social circles form an unexpected yet deep friendship. I’m not sure if making Justin a musician was the best way to go about this, but we’ll just have to wait until May to figure that out.
Secondly - they changed Hannah’s job from the book! In the novel, Hannah works at Della’s, a diner in the small town near campus. However, the TV show has Hannah working at Malone's, the sports bar in town that's a common gathering place for students looking to grab some drinks near campus. A lot of important scenes happen at the diner in the book, both when Hannah is and isn’t working, so I’m interested to see where the TV series has these scenes take place. Will they keep Della’s and simply not have Hannah work there? Or will they get rid of Della’s altogether? If so, I wonder if they’ll move the Della’s scenes to Malone’s instead. They also gave Allie a job at Malone’s as well - this is completely new, since Allie never works at Della’s or Malone’s in the book. I hope that this means we get to see some scenes of Allie and Hannah working together!
They also gave Hannah a new job cleaning up the boys locker room?!? It’s crazy that the locker room scene takes up approximately ½ of the teaser. This wasn’t included in the books at all and I don’t feel like it is very necessary to the story. I recall reading somewhere that the locker room scene is one of the first scenes in episode one of the series, so I’m wondering if they did it more for the shock effect of their first interaction? I’m not sure, and I guess we’ll have to see the show to figure out how much they lean into Hannah’s locker room job. I kind of liked that Hannah has no connection to hockey prior to meeting Garrett, because it shows how their relationship spurs her interest in hockey. I found it sweet to see how Hannah supports Garrett and enters a bit into the hockey world for him. So we’ll see how that plays out in the series.
But enough about what’s in the series that’s different from the books. Let’s discuss the parts of the book that I really hope they include in the series! There may be slight spoilers for those of you who haven’t read the book yet, so beware!
First of all, I need them to include One Direction in the soundtrack. I love how Hannah’s love for One Direction appears in many different parts of the book, from Garrett and Hannah swapping playlists to the car scene after Thanksgiving (if you know, you know).
I also desperately need to see the lasagna scene play out like it does in the book! That scene is one of my favorites in the book, I can’t count the amount of times I’ve re-read it. The lasagna scene just encapsulates Hannah and Garrett’s relationship and her friendship with Garrett’s roommates, and I think its a really sweet gesture that moves Garrett so much. I was very pleased to see that the hockey boys were eating lasagna in that instagram reel where they’re trying not to discuss hockey - is that a reference to the lasagna that Hannah bakes for them? I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
I also want to see the campus-wide hands off law be enacted! I’m imagining a scene showing Hannah as she angrily storms across campus to confront Garrett in the locker room after practice only to find him grinning like an idiot. I also can’t wait to see their heated conversation afterwards - the anger, them finally confronting what they refused to talk about for a month, their struggle to fight their chemistry - I need to see it all!
The last minor scene I really hope they keep in the TV show - the Hannah and Dean kiss! I love how it shows Garrett’s jealous side and shows just how much Hannah and Garrett were affected by their first kiss. I want to see Dean’s teasing smirks, the look of jealousy in Garrett’s eyes, and Hannah’s embarrassed run from Garrett’s room afterwards!
I’m pretty sure this goes unsaid, but I really hope that they handle Hannah’s SA plotline with grace, as my friend so wisely put it in the instagram audio message she sent me. My friend also pointed out something that also really resonated with me - The Deal is a really refreshing story with a SA plot because it is about Hannah flourishing and thriving in a new relationship years after the event. Hannah’s already spent years in therapy working through what happened, and sees herself as a survivor rather than a victim. I love seeing her take her sexuality into her own hands and healing in the way that she trusts others and approaches sex, relationships, and romance. I really hope that the series shows this in the same way that the book does.
But what I most hope that they maintain in the TV series is the fact that Garrett falls first. My friend first brought this up to me when we were sending each other reels about the upcoming show, and I wholeheartedly agree with her! While Hannah and Garrett both experience strong attraction to each other, it’s Garrett who realizes that he wants a relationship with Hannah way before Hannah decides she wants to be with Garrett. This is extremely important to their relationship dynamic and I love how he puts in the initial effort to start their official relationship. It also shows how Hannah didn’t expect to fall for Garrett, and highlights her surprise at her feelings towards him. I can’t wait to see the scene in which Hannah runs after him and decides to accept his offer to be his girlfriend.
May 13th literally cannot come fast enough. I hope they drop the full trailer soon, because this series has been my comfort read since I first read the books in junior year of high school (oh my gosh was that actually four years ago?!?) and I’m so so excited to see some of my favorite couples on the big screen soon!