I may have never played hockey, but I’ve always been a huge fan of the sport itself: hockey is, safe to say, one of my favorite sports. Similarly, I’ve never had an “epic love,” but as a stereotypical teenage girl, I still crave it: whether it’s a movie, book, or TV show, I always enjoy consuming romantic pop culture. Evidently, as the saying goes, we all want what we don’t–and often can’t–have, and “Heated Rivalry” (the book by Rachel Reid, and TV show by Jacob Tierney) is exactly that.
“Heated Rivalry” is a part of the series “Game Changers,” an interconnected book collection of queer relationships in the hockey world. What sets “Heated Rivalry” apart is, firstly, it has a sequel that the other books don’t have, titled “The Long Game,” and secondly, the two main characters are both rival hockey players: one playing for Montreal, the other, Boston. It follows characters Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, and Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie. Shane is the Canadian poster child for Montreal: one of the best players in the league, captain of his team for many consecutive seasons, and an overall good person and role model. Contrastingly, Ilya is a Russian “lady’s man,” popular for his skill and his ability to trash-talk and rile up opposing players.
On the surface, to fans, teammates, and family, the two have been rivals–hence the title–since before their rookie season. During their careers, they are constantly in competition, with trading victories between World Juniors, 1st and 2nd overall draft picks, Rookie of the Year, MVPs, and Stanley Cups. But, simultaneously with the start of their career opposition, unbeknownst to everyone, they had been hooking up with each other every time they’d play.
Needless to say, I am absolutely in love with this show. ‘Guilty pleasure’ may be the term people would use to describe it, but for me, there is absolutely zero shame behind my obsession. Other than the fact that it’s merging two of some of my favorite things, this story excels in so many areas. The book created a phenomenal story, and the show brought it to life, from casting, cinematography, and adaptation. The show, despite being out for only a month, is so good that it’s already renewed for, at the very least, a third season, which, seeing as there are only two books from their perspective, may mean an additional novel.
Guess it or not–depending on how dedicated you are to NHL history–it’s clear that the two are based on Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Aside from Crosby and Ovechkin not actually having a situationship during their careers (which, really, you never know…), the attention to detail and parallels between reality and the “Heated Rivalry” universe, such as team rivalry and character backgrounds, are too impressive and interesting to leave without a mention.
What makes this book–and later the show, which was adapted by Jacob Tierney–so special is that it’s unique and almost real. Every other book in the series, quite frankly, sucked. They were all copy and pastes of each other: closeted queer hockey player meets an openly queer civilian, they go through the troubles of one being out, the other not, and then they have their happy ending. Boring amongst the series and the world of books as a whole. So, the twist of now having two closeted queer star rival NHL players fight their love for one another, and then eventually having to choose between their careers and their relationship, certainly made for much higher quality content. At the same time, this series also makes you ask yourself if this is reality for actual people: aside from Luke Porkop, no player under an NHL contract is publicly queer, and, obviously, people shouldn’t speculate a random person’s sexuality, but you can’t help but think about how fictional this story really is.
Aside from the amazing storyline, this show adaptation couldn’t have happened without its stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Williams absolutely carries this show’s physical acting: from a silent scene of Shane on his couch, staring at Ilya kissing the Stanley Cup he just won, to listening to Ilya talk about marrying another person–more specifically a woman–just by looking at Shane’s eyes you can see the adoration and love he feels for Ilya. His performance is particularly surprising because, aside from a few comedic short films, this is his first major role, and, clearly, this will not be his last.
As for Storrie, his line deliveries are fantastic. Debuting in the impressively big–but said to be bad, which is a whole other discussion–film “Joker: Folie à Deux,” with a small yet very impactful role to the movie’s plot, it is clear that Storrie started off with a bang, and is still riding that high through this show. Something that shocked me–and many other viewers–as I watched interviews post-binge, is that Storrie isn’t Russian. He isn’t even European, but instead, to the shock of pretty much everyone, a Texan. Even Russians were genuinely tricked by his accent and pronunciation, which is certainly saying a lot. In addition, similarly to Williams, he is incredibly different from his role, being a pretty bubbly person in real life, which is a dramatic contrast to the stoic, very Russian character of Ilya Rozanov, making his performance even more impressive.
Sure, anyone can be a great actor, but that talent goes to waste if there’s no chemistry within the cast. That is something that cannot be said for Williams and Storrie. Both on screen and off, their bond radiates something that people understandably envy. These two are so good together that I may have to take back my claim of Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan being the most underrated duo Hollywood has to offer. From a scene of them on the ice or sneaking around in hotel rooms, you know that it’ll be an entertaining watch.
The acting, of course, is one of the best things about the show, but it doesn’t end there. The technical aspect of this show is out-of-this-world impressive. Watching it, you couldn’t even tell that each episode had–at most–a budget of $5 million dollars. To compare that, season five of “Stranger Things” had, at the very least, $400 million in its budget–and it wasn’t even that good. The cinematography really shines in the last two episodes. In episode 5 (”I’ll Believe in Everything”) a scene focuses on Shane and Ilya staring off into the sunset on a beach. It looks so real that I was shocked when I saw the behind-the-scenes: an LED screen with the two sitting on a tarp of sand instead of an actual beach. This show is so exceptional with the artistic side of filming that episode 6, titled “The Cottage,” had even more beautiful shots of the reflection of water and its relationship with the setting sun: while seemingly trivial, it gives the viewer some seconds of peace between the chaos and drama of the plot. Between film techniques and physical settings, producers balanced the minimal budget available perfectly, which helped enhance even further the performance of Williams, Storrie, and everyone else involved.
Nobody and nothing is perfect, and that remains true for this show. My one and only complaint–other than my desire for even more episodes–is that there are a lot of inappropriate scenes, both in the book and the show. While I’m an advocate for limiting smut in writing, I never really considered it in video media. Rachel Reid considers herself a “smut-writer,” so the rest of the books in this series–and I assume, her other books–are exactly that. The difference between those books and the “Heated Rivalry” story is that those moments are meaningful for Shane and Ilya’s relationship. Because their relationship went from strictly casual, no-strings-attached, to a deep-in-love-intimacy, especially in this day in age, is a huge defining factor. So, while the scenes could be limited, they also show the development of Shane and Ilya as they mature.
As obvious as it is, and as redundant as it may sound, this show is definitely one of the best series that’s been released within the last decade, but this isn’t just me saying this. Millions on social media are raving about it the same way I have since the first episode came out. Intended or not, the release of this show lined up with the winter break of–at least–America’s teenagers and young adults, which gives viewers who yearn for more, and over time, that’s all they can think about. This is what happened to me: I haven’t read a book that wasn’t for school since 8th grade, and this show brought back that passion of mine, because while waiting for the fifth episode to release, I finally had enough and read the books: all of them. Then the deleted scenes on Rachel Reid’s websites, and the novellas. Since the show has started, I have read 15 books that I normally wouldn’t have. Understandably, not everyone likes hockey or romance, but I urge you to at least give this show a chance. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll spark an old interest like it did for me: after all, the first episode is only a few clicks away.
