this is a mental exercise to figure out whether a 4-5 episode S2 and S3 would actually be feasible or if it'd create more pacing issues than budget problems it solves. Ended up leading me to some interesting places:
S2E1 "Troy": the premiere focuses on Troy; we see him and Dallas being awful and offering a harsh reminder what hockey culture is like. They are our peanut gallery for 3 years of rapid-fire catch-up on the rest of the GCU; Skip Cup Kiss, Eric Bennett coming out as bi and retiring to run a gay bar w Hunter, shit talk RE the Irina Foundation announcement, then big scary Ryan Price coming out shuts their traps until the very second he's out of earshot again. All the while we're getting cuts to Troy's (unhappy) closeted gay relationship w Adrian. We see ally Wyatt's trade and Ryan's retirement, a sort of return to normalcy in the '20-21 season for what Troy is used to in hockey, right before a very quick one-two punch w Adrian and the Kent allegations. It is actually to the story's advantage that the actual breakdown happens jarringly fast, as is experienced by Troy. Whose arrival in Ottawa would immerse us all at once in Ilya's new team and the outside perception of him as weird and secretive~ Back half (2 thirds maybe?) of the episode would be Troy and Harris relationship getting off the ground. Maybe up to the point of Harris dropping off Troy after the barbecue? The Ilya "sick of losing" convo is important tho.
S2E2 "Game Changers": "Hunter"-style slingshot back in time to the Irina Foundation announcement or thereabouts to focus on Shane's perspective, w an emphasis on his coming out to his team that carries the implication they started Toronto-style shit-talking him behind his back. Rapid-fire catch-up to Shane's new norm w Ilya, running the camps, his disordered eating, hair growth, and third cup win; we see Shane grappling for control / personal redemption at what should theoretically be the highest high of his life / career. Hints about Ilya's wish to come out and his depression, including the Open Relationship fight maybe even happening on screen as a tie-in to the body count discussion Shane instigates, but mostly framed from Shane's outside perspective of Ilya not sleeping well, the journalist incident at camp, the tension during and after the double date / concert, etc. Some mention of Troy's sudden trade to sync us up w S2E1 toward the very end. The main throughline, however, would be Shane's relationship to hockey at this time, as represented by Montreal's looming expectations (literally, in the rafters during the banner ceremony) and the MLH honcho who is going to threaten Shane not to come out publicly bc "league doesn't need another sex scandal right now" "don't get any ideas bc Hunter's retiring about taking up his soapbox at center ice" "no distractions" "keep personal stuff out of hockey" etc. etc. I think leaving off w either the Crowell convo or the play wedding w the Pikelings works, they'd just have very different vibes.
S2E3 "Ottawa": turning point where Ilya takes center stage w Troy & Harris' developing romance being supplementary. I actually think kicking off with Ilya's depressed gladiator costume and Troy being traded very early in the season in order to be present at the party would be a neat way to marry the timelines of the previous episodes as well as immediately confirm Ilya has not been in a good place this entire time. This is also the episode where we would get the Shane trick shot wink, Chiron's intro, children's hospital visit, Toronto / punching Dallas Kent, the Kingfisher, and Ilya and Troy coming out to one another as the cherry on top (w Ilya reacting jealously to Troy calling Shane a 'babe' after Ilya previously brushed off Shane's jealousy over Ilya spending lots of time with Troy). Therapy with Galina as a framing device could actually work even with the inclusion of Troy and Harris as their romance being something Ilya is very aware of on the periphery of his and Shane's situation right now. Not a ton of Shane content but I think that'd be to the advantage of emphasizing Ilya's side of the closeted predicament after having set the stakes for Shane already.
S2E4 "Boxing Day": The most traumatizing Christmas episode ever put to screen. We get some fluff mixed in w the angst on the actual holiday: Troy and Harris texting after he turned down the invite to the Drovers, the fooz ball table, the framed CCM picture, etc. Boxing Day fight happens tho, followed by therapy w Galina, and maybe a bandaid phone call right before Ottawa boards their plane. I think following this from Shane's perspective is advantageous for many reasons, primarily: 1) like Shane, the audience is confused by Ilya's messages and we experience his same terror and relief, 2) it's cost effective, the engine failure could be shot as these blink and you miss it traumatic flashbacks for Ilya, Troy, and Harris, as well as news footage Shane watches rather than a huge set piece that may eat up the budget. On the other hand, there's nothing barring the TV show from running the plane crashing concurrently w Shane coming off the ice to check his phone so we can jump back and forth between Shane and Ilya's emotions. But we may lose the impact of Ilya potentially having died without Shane's awareness until it's too late to respond. There's still something to the idea of juxtaposing Troy and Harris who were on that flight together and are able to immediately comfort each other during and in the aftermath (beach episode) while Shane and Ilya were separated and are only tethered by their cellphones during the single most traumatic moment of their relationship. I'd actually hold off on returning to Ottawa until after Ilya's big rousing speech so that could coincide w Shane back in Canada buying a bajillion fake candles and getting a ring for Ilya. Maybe also w Troy creating his profile. Basically the idea that all these characters have been galvanized by recent events.
S2E5 "Pride Night": perhaps straining the timeline but let's keep the roadie going through the start of this episode and have a hopeful episode opening w Ottawa on their win streak. Troy is posting all over insta, congrats at the urinal by means of expositing donations, etc. Harsh comedown w the Crowell call right before returning to Ottawa. Followed by emotional crash out w the Ottawa team greeting their loved ones on the tarmac. Troy and Ilya don't really have anyone to greet them there -- I'd imagine Troy would discreetly go home with Harris while Ilya would go home to get proposed to by Shane, to emphasize who their people are and how they can't publicly express that the same as their teammates. The Quebec weekend getaway is cute but may not be an efficient use of time; the Fabian Salah concert date / coming out to Ryan adds some symmetry for the season / main couples. I think the Dallas Kent arrest should be pushed off to S3 for reasons discussed below. But keep the confrontation w Curtis. In a major departure from the book, in an effort to give Shane and Ilya one last strong beat in the season, I'd move the dinner with Hayden and Jackie here and have it so Hayden wasn't aware Hollanov were together until Shane's reaction to the plane incident. Again the symmetry of double dates at the start and close of the season. I think having Montreal being the team Ottawa plays for their pride night is a good way to tie things off w a bow w Troy and Shane being in blatant defiance of Crowell (Troy coming out, Shane perhaps wearing pride tape) and Ilya being assured by Troy that even tho he's not out, the packed arena of fans is cheering for him and Shane, too. Oh! And Shane totally beats Ilya in the final face off bc he's too busy cheesing it over the ring on the chain.
S3E1 "Fanmail": again, timing may strain belief, but I think opening on All Stars weekend would be a good way to immediately reintroduce everyone in one place. And I mean everyone. Let's use the budget from shaving 2 episodes off the season to bring back a ton of supporting cast. Let's throw it all in a pot and stir. Hollanov are secretly engaged, Troy is recently out w a bf who's in the stands, Dallas Kent hasn't been arrested yet in this adaptation and is there despite the allegations, Scott is there and may be retiring after the season, Marleau, Connors, Vaughn, JJ, Shane, Hayden, your mother's cousin's college roommate. Let's have Marly knock on Ilya's door here while he's with Shane for funsies! Off the ice, Shane and Ilya meeting up w Rose and Svetlana respectively as they all happen to be in the same city. For Ilya and Svetlana, this is a cathartic reunion; for Shane and Rose, this is war planning how to navigate his and Ilya's forthcoming coming out and nuptials. This is the point where we nest the idea that Shane need contingency plans because things may go badly and recenter Shane's struggles. For Ilya, I think this episode would be about things looking up - he has dinner with the Drovers, brings home Anya, he's out to his own team now, (vaguely) planning a wedding, and to top things off, Ottawa looks on track to snag a Wildcard spot in the playoffs. For Shane, he's forced to take inventory of his situation with Montreal which, in a few words, is not good. Let's have the Metros noticing the ring and acting like Shane owes them a 4th Cup in retribution for coming out! Let's have another Hollanov fight about the diet as Shane desperately clings to control! Let's have Shane freaking out as his 30th birthday approaches! Maybe throw in a Quebec Valentine's trip for Troy and Harris just to assure us that they're doing well and offset the angst. We probably blow right past the actual Hollanov kiss that ends up in the FanMail without particular comment or emphasis, right up until it goes viral and Shane & Ilya are looking at their phones in horror later in the episode. (Darkly, perhaps there's a moment where characters wonder if Dallas Kent's finally been arrested based on how crazy their notifications are going.)
S3E2 "I Choose Him": the fallout episode, with Shane experiencing the absolute panic attack that entails and bewilderment at Ilya letting Hayden off the hook. Wagons circling. Strategizing. The gut punch of Shane and Ilya being benched, altho softened in Ilya's case because Wiebe comes to their door to deliver the news and express his support, while Shane is getting nothing from the Metros outside Hayden or if he's getting anything it's hostile. Shane eats the fucking non-trademark-infringing candy bar. Crowell wants to meet immediately. Shane and Ilya have it out over how much of a fucking nightmare this situation is for him compared to Ilya, how Shane is poised to lose everything because of this, and yet Shane will always choose Ilya. While making contingencies, a.k.a. the recording. Chicken parm restaurant date to follow. The wind down of the episode would then be Shane and Ilya returning to their teams right as the playoff matchups are announced. Shane is in a hostile environment, Ilya knows Shane is in a hostile environment while he himself is being embraced by Ottawa, and now the Cup (and what it symbolizes to each of them) is on the line. Montreal beats Ottawa in their first game of Round One, Shane's contribution being a decisive factor, and it changes nothing about his team's reception of him in the locker room afterward. Like his success was a given, an apology owed.
S3E4 "The Wedding": It might help to pad out the runtime here with the Metros front office trying to court Shane to stay following the nuclear implosion of the Metros room during play offs -- offering staff firings and player trades, to renew his contract at a higher price tag, as Montreal fans virtually riot in the streets. This puts more agency in Shane's hands to tell them to fuck off. Shane and Ilya meeting with the sibling owners, confirm Ottawa's more positive working environment by contrast to whatever BS Shane just dealt with wrt to the Metros front office, and Shane signing with Ottawa. Running the camps over the summer, again a chance to spend time with lots of characters this season but also to demonstrate that there are still fans / parents who are on Hollanov's side and putting the next generation of players in their hands. This also conveniently could link us up with Troy in his first year as a camp coach. I think the S3 finale would be the best place for Dallas Kent to finally get arrested, because it gives us at least one triumph in a season where there are otherwise no clean-cut victories. The MHL Commissioner/nebulous higher up isn't going to get fired, at worst the Metros lose their star player -- Hollanov spend the brunt of the season being persecuted more than an alleged rapist, which would speak volumes of the culture they operate in -- so the least that could be offered is watching the media scrutiny redirect to a more deserving target of ire. And it also ties up the MHL commissioner in a REAL player misconduct problem while Hollanov enjoy their happy ending. Finally, the Wedding, which could easily eat up the last third of the episode, with dirty dancing on their honeymoon in Ibiza being our departing image of Out and Married Hollanov. Alternatively, if we wanted to downsize the front end of the episode, we could get up to Ottawa's 2021-22 season opener.
S3E3 "The Playoffs": I think cuts of back to back games and building the tension up to the deciding game would eat up at least 1/3 of the episode. The actual ice play matters less than the locker room dynamics on display and watching the rapid deterioration of Shane's relationship with his team. I think this is where the show would really have to earn Shane leaving the Metros as a decision he's coming to slowly on his own, with that idea previously being seeded in his past convo with Rose. Trophy room scene somewhere in the first half of this episode so Shane can get an ego boost ahead of the shitshow. Tripgate and accusations flying in the Metros room, bittersweetness for the Centaurs room cuz they won but not the way Ilya would have wanted (dumb luck). Shane walks out but refuses to curl up in shame like he did anything wrong. Shane in the stands for Round Two, watching Ottawa get knocked out by the Admirals, having fought a good fight. Finally, the Hollanders (and friends?) celebrating Shane's 30th birthday (the TV show has never stated Shane's birthdate, so we can fudge the timeline to get a poignant final moment if we want). It does feel like something may be missing here, so maybe we could squeeze in a reconciliation with JJ, like, as a last minute attendee of Shane's birthday party showing up at his door step and the two sharing a bro hug of forgiveness? [you could easily sink so much budget into this one episode on account of all the ice scenes - like this is the budgetary equivalent of the Plane Incident VFX in S2.]
This is not meant to be actually predictive of S2 and S3 AT ALL, nor is it exhaustive of all the little things that would be nice to include in the adaptation, just me thinking things through to kinda free myself of specific expectations actually. Because I realized while writing things out that there are really so many avenues of pacing out these events, shuffling / omitting minor events, and tweaking characterizations / plot lines beyond following a strict book accurate chronology of the events. For one thing, I used to think a split season would surely end with a plane incident cliff hanger or proposal (which could still be the case!), but my own conclusion was that Pride Night could be just as feasible. I also found Troy to be an excellent opener for S2, as well as the S2-S3 break as a neat way to equalize focus between Ilya and Shane's struggles. Things still feel like a tight squeeze in S2 even with five episodes, while S3 feels like it would need more padding on four episodes, but that may just be because I haven't thought of a certain angle.
HELL, there was a point where I tossed around the idea that S2 could end with Shane and Ilya being outed because Shane decides to greet Ilya at the tarmac, some journo follows them home out of curiosity, and then they get papped through a window kissing in Ilya's living room after Shane proposes. The sky's limit with adaptation!
