(out of context spoilers for the long game)
its ironic that despite the narrative of shane being so at home and happy and accepted, he is so alone. shane's relationships with everyone, other than his parents and ilya, feels so distant and shallow.
on the other hand, ilya seems like he forms decent connections much faster. it is undeniable that he's isolated and struggling. but when he forms a connection with others it feels substantial.
let me explain my thoughts more, walk with me as i ramble
shane's relationships feel distant partially due to people close to him are questioning his values. the people closest to him are his parents, rose, hayden, and jj. other than rose, these people have all questioned shane.
both yuna and jj questioned whether shane had ever thrown a game. shane? shane who has a strict schedule from his food to his workout to how he sleeps? shane who breathes hockey? that shane throw a game? i love yuna and jj. i think they care about shane but the fact that they even thought that shane would lose on purpose, let alone express that thought is a display of how little they understand shane and how low they think of him.
hayden is constantly undermining shane's relationship. hollanov have been together for YEARS by the start of tlg. hayden has known that they've been dating for atleast three years. yet he supports when jj (with good intention and being misinformed) tries to set shane up with others. that is not just beong protective of your friend, it's almost infantilizing. he doesn't trust shane to make his own decisions nor shane's judgement. hayden doesn't have to like ilya but how he acts is disrespectful to his friend.
shane doesn't even feel comfortable with coming out to his parents. still, its clear that he loves and cares about them and they care for him too.
his closest friend would probably be rose. i love rose and she's done nothing wrong ever.(small edit: she sorta came out for shane. it sorta feels like shane not realizing himself. It's mostly denial but....)
now compare this to ilya. ilya is very alone, especially in tlg. he arguably doesn't have many close relationships. still, his friendship with svetlana seems so deep.
ofc, there's the connection that they both speak russian, they like causal sex, and they know hockey. but it's deeper than that. ilya trusts svetlana so much that when he's thinking about leaving russia, marrying her is one of the first things that pop in to his head. he trusts that she'd say yes, accept his baggage, and understand that he loves shane. then, in tlg, its revealed that they hadn't spoken in years. still, when ilya calls, svetlana gets on a plane and listens to him and keeps him company. bro they're besties.
ilya's relationship with his team also seems greater. he has a decent relationship with all of them. and they respect him greatly. its clear in role model that troy and the others take alot of their cues from him. no one ever questions if ilya would let shane win.
