Heated Rivalry Ep. 6 part 1
Get in your sensible British car, we're coming to the cottage. First up, a massive round of applause for Tierney et. all. The whole team really delivered a perfect season of television. Heated Rivalry may be my favorite book to TV adaptations of all time. The cinematography, direction, writing, lighting, and acting are so well done that it's not even funny. I keep referring to the "Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave, with a box of scraps" meme in regards to this show. On a low budget and a dream, Tierney, the cast, and the crew made Rachel Reid's stunning book into a stunning season of television. It is the new standard all other romance television will have to hold itself against. It is definitely the new standard for adaptations. I'm so proud to be a fan of something that is so excellent.
With that out of the way, let's hop into the episode, because although the show slows all the way down for the finale, there is a lot to talk about.
We pick back up with our favorite queer friendgroup at the Kingfisher, watching Scott Hunter's MLH Awards speech on TV. This time, we get François Arnaud's take on a hockey player trying to be charming during an awards speech. He does an excellent job delivering Scott's particular brand of sincerity. It does a great job addressing the homophobia in the league and establishing a safe space for other queer players in the league at all levels of play. Through his speech, the theme of much of the series appears at the start of the episode. As Scott says, "Fear is a powerful thing, but then I found the one thing that is more powerful." Shane and Ilya will have to confront their fears if they want to make it out the other side, together. Choosing joy in spite of fear is hard, but in romance, characters are rewarded for making the leap.
Now, while I do think this opening thematically establishes the episode, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that I would have loved an additional scene to address the 3-year gap between Kip's birthday and their reuniting on ice. This could be addressed in season 2 or perhaps in a spin-off series, but I would love to see Skip work through their third-act breakup somewhere.
The episode cuts to Shane anxiously waiting for Ilya in his car with his sunglasses on. Ilya, similarly decked out in his incognito hat and sunglasses, gets in the car and asks Shane, "Is this a Jeep?" in reference to book Shane's Jeep Cherokee, a car that many readers point out is not that great in the snow. Admittedly, I know nothing about cars, but the show did change it to a practical British car so perhaps they were onto something.
They have a tense drive to the cottage with their sunglasses on. Shane is really selling Ilya on the cottage, and Ilya is so happy to be there, even though they are both a bit scared. It's their first time atempting a relationship for a long stretch of time. But boy, is their car banter adorable. Ilya's laugh and hold nearly killed me it was so sweet. Then Shane followed it up with holding Ilya's bag to protect his bruised ribs (kill me now).
I wouldn't put it past the show version to Svetlana to have taken care of Ilya at some point, but that is a man who is not used to someone looking out for his health. Shane gives Ilya a place where he can be soft from the moment he asks him to come to the cottage, and the promise is fulfilled in the episode.
I was giggling at Shane's nervous little house tour, and you know Ilya was charmed by it too. You could tell this scene is where one of the lamps may have been broken during filming. I loved how charmed Shane was that Ilya wasn't with anyone in the months between their last meetings. Then he asks Ilya for his honesty. It's a direct scene from the books, and it was really well done.
The soft transition to Shane showing him his bedroom in an adorable Bellboy role play moment added Jacob's particular brand of levity to their joyful romp. Ilya's "I think I know how the staff likes to be treated after all these years, hmm?" is such a clever response. It establishes how comfortable they have gotten in their long-standing sexual relationship. Joking, competing, and power exchanges are part of their life together, and this short exchange communicates all three. As an aside, most of their relationship has been spent in hotels. This scene roleplays the institution that made their love possible. But in all the hotels, they never had a chance to keep the shades open, let the sunshine in, and luxuriate in the possibility of being seen by the world, even if it's only a fantasy. Their position at the window directly references their first hotel hook-up, but sets the bar of emotional and physical openness that the cottage allows.
Now, I was rooting for the cheeseburger scene making it into the final episode. I love how it mirrors Ilya making Shane food, while adding Shane's trademark ability to follow directions at the detriment of practicality. Of course, if the recipe says make 8 burgers, he would make 8, not thinking to cut the recipe in half until Ilya notices. Of course, Ilya loves him for it and gives him a little back hug, so it's really a net-win.
Ilya so desperately wants to know more about Shane's family because he wants to build a family with Shane. He knows they are important to Shane. He asks if Shane's parents know about his sexuality and if they would be good about it are two questions that come from Ilya's experience being closeted for his safety. Ilya would readily accept Shane's insistence on staying closeted if his parents were not going to accept him, but that appears not to be the case. Even though Shane shuts down further conversation (even moving away from Ilya's knee pat), this line of questioning becomes vitally important at the end of the episode. When Ilya reassures Shane about coming out to his parents, he has some knowledge that things may be ok.
But, before getting too deep in the end of the episode, there is the iconic "Stupid Canadian wolf bird" scene. Great delivery from both Hudson and Connor, starting with Ilya being jealous of Rose Landrey before being terrified of a loon. They are so cute, I wanted to die.
The transition to Ilya with his head in Shane's lap, talking about his family, was devastating. This is the Heated Rivalry show's first look into Ilya's mother's likely suicide. When Ilya says, "I don't want you to think she was weak." He's parroting the narrative from his father. He needs Shane to understand how wonderful and sad she was. Although it will take another season of the show for Ilya to unpack the extent to which his mother's death has changed him, his confession, warm and safe in Shane's lap, is a terribly important first step for him...
Continued in Ep. 6 Part 2
