Review: ‘Overcompensating’ Reminds Us of the Perils of Early College Life
*** Caution: Mild Spoilers ahead***
“Overcompensating” is one of those shows that makes me feel old and out of touch with who some of the younger stars of today are. That may be because I’m not on TikTok, scouring YouTube, or checking into whatever other ways Gen Z and the younger Millennials find famous Gen Zers and younger Millennials. But there is a young comedian who has made a name for himself on YouTube named Benito Skinner, and he has created this college comedy, brought to us on Prime Video. I have watched the first four of eight episodes of Season 1 for this recap.
Skinner plays Benny (not a real stretch), a high school football standout about to begin college at “Yates” (Bates?), a well-regarded New England school. He is coming into his sexuality and realizes he’s gay (in a flashback, we see him in a car about to kiss a high school classmate). Of course, he doesn’t want to be gay, and therein lies much of the show’s hijinks.
Driven to campus by his clueless parents (played by Kyle MacLachlan and Connie Britton), Benny is joining his seemingly emotionless older sister, Grace, at Yates. Grace’s boyfriend, Peter (played by “The Order” and “White Lotus’s” Adam DiMarco), is a douchy frat-bro of the highest order. Peter is determined to take Benny under his wing, get him laid, and turn him into another version of himself.
During freshman orientation, Benny hits it off with Carmen, and after Peter tells him he better get laid on the first night “or face the consequences,” the two ultimately hook up for a bit but don’t go all the way. They realize they should probably be friends – or at least Benny wants it that way so he won’t have to have sex with a woman, as attractive as Carmen is. But Benny, having to give Peter some kind of successful report, tells his would-be mentor that while they didn’t have sex, he did “titty fuck” Carmen (sorry to be crass, but that’s the term he uses). Yes, this is an R-rated comedy.
Meanwhile, Carmen is introduced to several ladies on campus. There’s her crazy, party-obsessed roommate, Hailee, who annoyed me at first but has become my favorite character through four episodes. There’s also Emily, who went to high school with Carmen but ran in different circles, creating a light tension/competition at Yates. And then there is a group of sorority women who are Mean Girls if there ever were any, constantly judging, testing, and hazing our freshman newcomers as they try to earn the approval of these vacuous women. One of them is played by Kaia Gerber, who is a spitting image of her real-life mother, Cindy Crawford.
On his way to class, Benny sees Miles, and it’s lust at first sight for Benny. Instead of heading to the class he registered for, Benny catches up with Miles in film studies. The professor asks each student to state their favorite film of all time, and Benny falls in line with most of the others by citing “The Godfather.”
In the second episode, Benny and Carmen are on a mission to score fake identification so they can join their friends and upperclassmen at a popular bar. Peter hooks Benny up, but Carmen has a tougher time and once she has one, is more scrutinized by the bouncer than Benny. Also in the episode, Peter bails on date night with Grace at a nice restaurant, but she meets a nice older lady there who she sees as a potential “project” for her community service hours.
Episode three sees Benny trying to get Carmen noticed by Peter’s co-ed secret society, as he’s already been invited to pledge there, and naturally, he wants Carmen to get in as well. She eventually lands an invite, and the two of them set out to impress the upperclassmen. Carmen cements legend status when she wins a drinking contest where a huge 40oz beer is taped to each contestant’s hand. She has incredible drinking prowess, as she finishes both bottles running away from the others. Then, in a fit of celebration, she smashes both empty bottles together, completely cutting up her hands. To the onlookers, however, this just makes her more “bad ass.”
For his part, Benny and the male pledges are taken out to the woods, told to completely undress, and are then ditched – forced to find their way back to campus naked. Benny, of course, sticks with a naked Miles, and the two are among the first to find their way back to the fraternity H.Q.
In E4, Charlie XCX has come to campus for a concert, and everyone is trying to score tickets. Carmen lands tickets for her and Hailee, but when one of the society sisters can’t get a ticket, Carmen opportunistically gives Hailee’s away. Hailee is disappointed in her roommate, but is resourceful. She makes her way there and even jumps up on the stage to say hi to the British singer. She’s naturally arrested by security and is a total nut, but that’s our Hailiee.
Before the concert, the male pledges are forced by the society men to eat several small fish in a cup of water. When Miles just can’t do it, Benny drinks down his fish as well. Elsewhere, the society women have ordered a huge bowl of fettuccini alfredo for the table to share. When Carmen asks to order something separate for herself because she’s lactose intolerant, they tell her “that’s not a real thing” and force her to eat it. Needless to say, she and Benny both flee to the restroom in the middle of the concert.
Carmen finds out about the “txxxx fxxxxxx” lie Benny told Peter, and tension grows between our two new besties. But I get a sense they’ll overcome it, and Benny won’t betray her trust again.
The show is very funny, but it is very kitchen sink. The themes of college hazing and hooking up early with a fellow freshman are a bit tired, but they ring a lot of truth and memories of my own. Give “Overcompensating” a whirl and find out for yourself.
And that’s what Todd’s watching.
