Warning for possible author engaging in recreational projection onto one Shane Hollander below, as I try work out some arguments I've seen about Shane's relationship with his parents:
No matter how you shake it, book canon or tv canon, Shane has a loving, involved family. They are a positive force in his life. I personally have a very loving, involved family. In the show, Yuna is Shane's manager. In the books, she's less involved, but it's implied that she's involved in the Foundation in TLG, and keeps tabs on Shane getting things done in regards to that (why these billionaire hockey players are doing paperwork for their 401c, I'll never understand, but you gotta have them do something, so as a writer I get that lol). Focusing more on show-Yuna though, I don't think she's like this crazy controlling presence in Shane's life. I don't think she pushes him into anything. He wants to be an elite athlete, and I think he sees the necessity in cultivating a public image, both for money and for his longevity as a public figure. Shane wouldn't get sprayed down and hold a can of orange bullshit if he didn't see the reason for it. I don't think show-Shane, even if he's a little milder than book-shane, is so easily pushed around. (I don't actually think he's that much milder, I just think Shane's internal monologue in the book makes him edgier to the reader, but that's beside the point)
The way I interpret Yuna (and David, to some extent), is that they aren't pushy, they're involved and knowledgeable parents to a very accommodating, respectful, successful son. The lunch scenes in episodes 1 and 4 are so important here. We can see that Shane has set a standard in how he interacts with his parents. He's on time. He makes time for them, these meetings are both business and quality time he spends with them during the season.
The first lunch in ep1, Shane is in decent spirits, but he's late, and it's implied that it's because he was watching YouTube videos of Ilya and lost track of time (animal videos, my ass, Shane). Yuna and David don't give him a hard time about it, but they do point it out. And Yuna makes sure to point out that it's not normal for Shane to be late. Shane has established a baseline of behavior to his parents. He's not a wild card. He's not unpredictable. He's punctual and reliable. It's weird to them if he steps outside of that baseline.
The second lunch ep2, Shane is visibly stressed. He's quiet, a little short in his responses. Yuna brings up Wimbleton and the Rolex box. Shane is adamant that he doesn't want to go. David and Yuna both try to convince him, showing that they are comfortable stating their case to Shane and are secure in their knowledge that he will see things "their way" once he listens. Shane doesn't want wine, which is commented on. He snaps directly at both conversations, "Why, because I don't want wine?" and "What am I supposed to talk about, Swedish politics?" To me, David and Yuna are pretty shocked by Shane's behavior. Not enough to lash out, but enough that we can assume that this isn't a common occurrence for Shane at their lunches. They know something is wrong with Shane, but they aren't asking the right questions. They're just trying to cheer him up or "solve" the immediate problem. They're pretty visibly choosing to stay surface level about it.
It passes. Shane softens, settles, hedges, says okay, maybe let's think about going to London, maybe it could be fun. And then he goes to the bathroom to fully end the conversation. So that he can come back calm, happy, and in control of the situation.
What I find relatable here, especially as someone with caring, involved, sometimes too involved, parents, is that while Yuna and David are showing concern and care for Shane, they are ignorant or unable to address what he needs. Let's talk about Shane as a child. We know very little. My interpretation is that Shane was an intense, driven, serious kid who had a dream. Parents of kids with big, serious dreams are under a lot of pressure themselves, but I think what made it easy for David and Yuna is that Shane was just an easy kid to care for. I don't think Shane had big loud tantrums, I don't think he cried a lot, I don't think he needed a lot. Just hockey. New skates, new sticks, new pads, money for the leagues, money to travel—everything to hockey.
But Shane never gave them any trouble! We know he had nice high school girlfriends that he, notably, didn't impregnate. He gets to the top of his sport, the absolute pinnacle, and is drafted young into the NHL. He's going to be a star! I could see, in interviews, David and Yuna saying things like "we always knew he would do whatever he set out to do."
So, back to episode 4 lunch. What does Shane need? Or, what does Shane need to do in order to actually get help from his parents? Simply put, Shane needs to come out of the closet. He needs to tell his parents he's gay, if not tell them everything that's happening with Ilya. Ilya is the elephant in the room. Ilya is why he's late in episode 1, and it's why Shane is snappish in episode 4. The missing link to Shane's parents knowing him completely, is, in a simplified sense, ILYA, because to Shane, Ilya represents choice, desire, rebellion, assertion, and adulthood. Grown up decisions made by a grown up.
David and Yuna are good people, Shane has no reason to believe they'd react with homophobia. The Ilya of it all would be complicated, sure, but he knows they'd come around.
So it's not Yuna and David, really, driving the Shane Hollander closet express. It's Shane. Because Shane has never failed them, never disappointed them, never given them reason to wring their hands and worry, until now. It's uncomfortable for him! But this is in part because while David and Yuna took care of their son's external needs (hockey, health, shelter, etc) and his financial needs (endorsements, financial responsibility), they have failed to understand any dark parts of their son. They have failed to see that he grew up lonely (my interpretation, I don't know if canon supports this wholly), that he didn't really care for the girls he was dating, that he isolates himself when he's upset (leaving tuna melt-gate, going to the bathroom during lunch, breaking away from JJ's friend group right before he meets Rose).
So when Shane obfuscates to Ilya in Episode 6 about why he doesn't want to come out to his parents (with or without the Ilya factor), I think that Shane is thinking that he doesn't know how to disappoint his parents, but I also think he's remembering that every time he's tried to show them his fears or emotions, they haven't explored them. They haven't dug deeper. They do everything for him, everything except really learn about him. There was a tweet or post or something a while back that was like "You can't just do things for people and call that love, at some point you have to do the work of understanding them" and when David discovers Shane and Ilya at the cottage it forces them into understanding. Into viewing their good, uncomplicated son as an adult, as a person with needs and desires, messy complex ones at that, and when you are a Good Child, sometimes you get very accustomed to your parents not seeing you as a creature of need at all.
turnnoffyourmind
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
ellievsbear
yousharknotpass
