Aahana Swrup
‘Overcompensating,’ the Prime Video teen drama show, follows a dynamic duo as they take on their freshman year of college. Yates University presents a daunting new reality for both closeted Benny, who can pass as the poster boy for jocks, and the eternally misfit Carmen. Fortunately for them, the two fall into an, at times, codependent friendship soon enough. Yet, the pair manages to find their way to trouble as they continue to get in increasingly ill-advised situations, such as crushing on a could-be straight friend or falling into bed with a toxic senior. As such, the campus, populated with young people with a tendency to make bad choices, remains a hotbed of mayhem and misery. This presents an entertaining yet realistic portrayal of Benny and Carmen’s college life. However, does the University itself have any ties to real life?
Benito Skinner Employed Georgetown University as Inspiration For Yates
In creating ‘Overcompensating,’ Benito Skinner used his own experiences as a closeted college student to lay down the base foundation for the show. As a result, much of Benny’s characterization and narrative as a student directly takes after the creator’s college experience as a Georgetown University alumnus. For the most part, this manifests in a significant influence on the protagonist’s connection and interactions with the on-screen University. For instance, much like Skinner, Benny also ends up enrolling in the establishment’s filmmaking classes.
On a deeper level, Benny’s life at Yates offers a heightened and dramatized version of the real-life experiences that the creator himself underwent in Georgetown when he felt the pressure to conform to society’s heteronormative expectations. Yet, outside of this point of emotional connection, the on-screen University seemingly shares no other similarities with the real-life Washington, D.C.-based institute. The intricacies of the social environment and student-staff dynamics at Yates are confined to the fictional school’s similarly fictitious premises. Thus, Georgetown only informs Yates University’s on-screen characterization, specifically in terms of Benny’s relationship with the place.
Yet, the fictitious establishment holds other connections to several different real-life colleges. Most notably, the visual depiction of Benny’s college has roots in the University of Toronto, which serves as a primary filming location for the show. Specifically, the Victoria College and St. George campus of U of T lends a basis for Yates’ visual identity. On the other hand, the University of Delaware, located in Newark, also stands in for the exterior of the on-screen college campus. Ultimately, even though viewers may be able to find identically christened establishments, the show’s Yates University remains a fictional place with roots in Skinner’s off-screen experiences.
Flesh & Gold Society Adds a Realistic Element to Yates University
The tangible, real-life universities that serve as the filming location for Yates University ground its campus in reality through visualisation. However, it’s the other elements of the establishment that add authenticity to its narrative. One of these significant elements is the Flesh & Gold Secret Society. In real life, secret societies are often a key part of the college experience, especially at Ivy League or elite universities. Georgetown, the narrative inspiration for Yates, has a Society of its own called the Stewards Society. However, Yates diverges significantly from the Stewards, an exclusively all-male student organization, by asserting its Flesh & Gold Society as a gender neutral endeavor. Thus, it remains more reflective of secret societies like Yale’s Skull and Crossbones or Princeton’s Ivy Club.
As a result, Flesh & Gold Society remains more reflective of secret societies like Yale’s Skull and Crossbones or Princeton’s Ivy Club. The addition of the Secret Society tradition through this adds a layer of realism to Yates University, building up a pre-existing history and lore for the campus. Furthermore, it opens up many avenues for wild hijinks in Benny and Carmen’s college career, from outlandish initiation rituals to society pranks and increased opportunity for peer pressure. For the same reason, even though the Society is as fictionalized as Yates University, it deepens the campus’ realism, allowing for more authentic and engrossing storytelling.
Read More: Overcompensating Season 2: What to Expect if it is Renewed?
