Does your mom know about “Heated Rivalry”? Yeah, probably.
With season two already projected to release in 2027 and season three a possibility, there is no doubt that fans have fallen in love with main characters Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), and I don’t blame them. The show follows Shane and Ilya, professional ice hockey players, as they navigate the ups and downs of their secretive romantic relationship and juggle the suffocating stigma of being queer as professional athletes.
I first noticed the chemistry between Storrie and Williams. I have never seen chemistry between co-stars comparable to theirs, both on and off screen. They are what Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande tried to be. Multiple times, I turned to friends who I was watching with and shared my disbelief at their talent because they perfected their roles even down to shared glances filled with genuine admiration. And even though they aren’t actually Shane and Ilya in real life, their friendship and the way they portray it throughout their press tour is part of what draws people into the show. I saw an interview with Williams at the Golden Globes asking whether or not he misses his co-star and he replied with “I need to hold my baby” and “he’s my emotional support person.”
Not only are they outstandingly compatible, but they are also some of the most talented actors I have seen recently. Storrie shared in an interview with Page Six that he had only been practicing Russian for one week before filming began and continued to take lessons throughout filming. Had I not heard his real voice, I would have never realized he was not Russian. He delivered one of the most emotional scenes throughout the show, completely in flawless Russian, and succeeded in making me cry. Williams’ personality in real life is starkly different from his character’s, yet he did not break character a single time and played Shane perfectly. This is what happens when you hire actors who are passionate about their jobs and the messages they share through their characters.
A portion of what made “Heated Rivalry” blow up was that Storrie and Williams are fresh faces, as are all of the actors cast. I am so tired of seeing Sydney Sweeney and McKenna Grace. Sorry! Storrie and Williams’ talent and dedication will hopefully go on to inspire casting directors to realize that rookie actors are worth the potential risks and influence a new trend in media.
“Heated Rivalry”’s influence has already exceeded simply reaching casting directors, however. In an appearance on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, Williams shares that professional athletes who play a variety of sports, including football, basketball, and ice hockey, have reached out to him with their stories of facing stigma in the athletic field and the resonance they felt watching Shane and Ilya come to life. Ice hockey player Jesse Kortuem even came out publicly as gay, crediting the show in his statement, sharing his experience.
To some, discrimination against queer people sounds like old news. Society has come a long way in recent years, but queer people still had to live through incredible stigma and hate in the time period represented in the show (2008-2018), and even today, queer people still face discrimination, especially due to the political climate. It’s refreshing to have queer representation reach past elementary narratives like “Heartstopper” and to have beautifully painful stories of shame, grief, and familial tension, yet having love that persists through it all to admire and identify with. Not only does representation allow queer people to feel acknowledged, but it also helps people who are not a part of the community sympathize and understand the importance of learning how to be a competent ally.
Of course, as there is when any show with queer representation gains traction, there are certain straight audience members who receive that relationship as an invitation to treat real queer people as their own personal entertainment. People online have shared anecdotes of straight women going to gay bars solely to watch men kiss as they see on screen in “Heated Rivalry.” Crazy. Even in real day-to-day life, it’s common to hear a straight person casually infantilize Shane and Ilya or to completely miss the message of the show because they’re too busy being mindblown about queer people existing.
“Heated Rivalry” has faced criticism because of this, but this behavior only highlights why queer representation is necessary. Some people behave insensitively because queer representation is not normalized like it should be. They choose the gays of the year and point and squeal. Not to say that “Heated Rivalry” is the most sophisticated telling of queer experiences, but it does a good job of not catering to straight people, yet being digestible enough for them, while still being highly relatable to queer people. If we had more shows that do the same, merely seeing a gay person on screen wouldn’t be such a culture shock for straight people.
Speaking of queer representation, why is it okay for so many shows that spotlight straight characters to include sexual intercourse, but shows like this one with queer main characters cannot include intimate scenes between characters without being reduced to purely lustful or dirty? “Heated Rivalry” utilizes intimacy between Shane and Ilya for a reason, yet it is so prevalently watered down in media as a show people watch for lustful pleasure, and therefore regarded as weird. “Heated Rivalry” is more than that; it contains intimate scenes for a reason larger than pure shock factor.
Their quick and intense intimate connection at the beginning of their relationship, coupled with the time skips in between showcase the anxiety and messiness of the secrecy that haunts their relationship. They’re rivals. It’s heated. However, things slowly cool down, and with progression, their connection becomes more emotionally intimate, especially as Shane steps into his identity and accepts his sexuality.
Including the intimacy, everything in “Heated Rivalry” feels like it has purpose. The cinematography is phenomenal. Everything from the lighting down to whether or not the sun is rising or setting is purposeful and supports the story. Fans even caught that when Ilya visits Shane in the hospital, his heartbeat steadies at 81: Ilya’s jersey number.
“Heated Rivalry” is a beautiful love story. It’s hilarious, it’s gut-wrenching, it’s hopeful, it’s inspiring. It is everything that a love story should be.
