I'm Obsessed with Heated Rivalry

This week on the I Have To Say pod, Lyssa discusses what's to love about Heated Rivalry!

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What is I Have To Say?

Yapping about books, tv, pop culture moments, and anything else that I just can't get off my mind. I have to say...

Hello and welcome to the I Have to Say Podcast and today, I have to say…I’m obsessed with Heated Rivalry. Like I really think about the show 24/7, and it’s a problem, but “a problem I don’t ever want to go away.” If you know you know.

I know I’m not special, I know a lot of people are watching it and a lot of people are obsessed with it, but I need to lean into this and add on to the praise by continuing to spread my love of this show and my appreciation for everyone involved anywhere and everywhere that I can.

Would you believe me if I said that wanting to yap endlessly about Heated Rivalry is part of why I continued on my podcasting journey? This episode was going to be a part of a different project that no longer exists, and then was going to be the first episode of this podcast until I decided to take this seriously and come up with an actual plan.

Last week, at the end of the first episode I said,

Next week, I’m so excited to talk about Heated Rivalry. If you follow me on Instagram, if you know me in life, if you follow me on threads, you know I'm obsessed with this show in a way that I’ve never been obsessed with anything ever. And I say that confidently. Like I don’t usually rewatch shows. I hate it. Like I don’t do it until like years after I’ve seen it the first time, because by then I forget everything, but I've seen this show so many times since I first came out. And even between episode drops, I was rewatching it. That’s how obsessed I am. Like I’m pretty sure I namedropped it unprovoked like twice throughout this podcast episode, but I’m like watching cast interviews and I don’t do that normally, but I’m doing it for Hudson and Connor. Yes ma’am.

Yep, that’s what I said, and it’s still true. So thank you for taking this journey with me. Thank you for being here, and let’s get started.

And before I keep going I just want to say if my voice gives out it’s because I’m getting sick again, so just bare with me. The things I do to spread my love of Heated Rivalry.

So, if you don’t know, Heated Rivalry is a television show about two hockey players who are rivals, that play for opposing teams and are coming up in the league at the same time, vying for the championship year after year. The show takes course over some years, about seven or so.

I actually heard about the show through the online bookish space, because it is an adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changer book series. I haven’t finished any of the books, but I did get the first one through my local library and have started reading it. Based on what I’ve read so far, I can already see how true of an adaptation this book is to the television series. The details that have been changed are miniscule and the heart of the book is still in the television show.

Even before I started reading, I would see posts with dialogue from the book, side by side with scenes in the show, and that in itself shows the television show is more than just inspired by the book. It’s more than just a loose interpretation of the book.

There is so much I love about this show which is why I’m as obsessed with it as I am, but one of the main reasons is the storytelling of it. Part of that is credit to Rachel Reid, who wrote the book series, but Jacob Tierney, who wrote and directed the television show also did an amazing job.

And a little disclaimer that from here on out, because I haven’t finished the books, though I know some of what happens because I was spoiled, and I’m pretty bitter about it, I will only be talking about what was shown and what I’ve interpreted from the television series.

And in the show, you can tell how intentional Jacob was with the scenes he chose to portray, both the scenes directly from the book and the tweaks that he added. You can tell everything about its production was intentional, and while watching clips from an interview he did with the whatchaos show, you can hear how much intention he put behind everything that was shown in the way that he talks about it. He speaks about his thought process with Episode 3 and how central it was to the story. He talks about how he blocked 4 hours for one scene because he wanted to be able to take his time to get the perfect picture.

In only six episodes, the television show feels like a complete story, which is impressive considering how many years pass in those six episodes. And even with about two years passing by in about three minutes, yes I timed it, you can tell how Ilya and Shane’s relationship, the two leads, you can tell how their relationship is changing by becoming more playful instead of transactional.

What starts as a hook up between the two leads, Shane and Ilya, becomes more over time and the shift is subtle, found in small moments and the light teasing that happens between the characters
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For me, the heart of the show is tucked in between the lines of what’s said and what isn’t said. The heart of the show is found in the facial expressions given by the actors, and in the lighting, staging, and symbolism of the scenes. The parallels throughout the series are proof of how intentional everything was in this production.

The end of every episode of Heated Rivalry left me wanting more, even when it didn’t need more, and I honestly applaud everyone’s restraint. It created a situation where viewers are able to connect the dots on their own, leading to a better understanding of the moments and the characters.

We saw, two people yearn for each other, unsure of how the other feels, and not wanting to admit their feelings themselves not only because of the fear of being out in the league, and being out in Russia, where Ilya is from, but also because they’re top players and rivals in a competitive sport.

Each of these micro-moments makes the characters and the world feel believable and real. It gave the characters depth and made the show feel authentic.

There’s also a lot of subtlety. Heated Rivalry doesn’t necessarily slap you in the face with information. There isn’t a lot of exposition or a bunch of monologues, though there are a few, but the show gives you enough that as a viewer you’re able to infer what’s going on in the scene, pick up on what the characters are feeling at any moment, and sympathize, even fall in love with the characters.

And I think a large part of that is due to the actors, not just Hudson Williams, who plays Shane, and Connor Storrie, who plays Ilya, both of which I will be talking about in length in a second, but also Francois Arnaud who plays Scott, Robbie G.K. who plays Kip, Nadine Bhaba who plays Elana, Bianca Nugara who plays Maria, Ksenia Daniela who plays Svetlana, Christina Chang who plays Shane’s mom, Dylan Wash who plays Shane’s dad, Franco Lo Presti who plays Cliff, Sophie Nelisse who plays Rose, Callan Potter who plays Hayden, Kolton Stewart who plays Carter, Benjamin Roy who plays JJ, and everyone else involved, including Yaroslav Poverlo, who plays Ilya’s dad and Slavic Rogozine who plays Ilya’s brother.

I’m sorry if I pronounced anyone’s name wrong. I tried to look it up, but it wasn’t very helpful, but I also think that everyone’s names deserve to be said.

Everyone acted their ass off, making me believe in their love, their hatred, their concern, and their despair. Each character served a purpose story wise and aided in my understanding of the two main characters, which goes to show just how well they were written and utilized in the story.

Watching the show, I knew the acting was good, but watching the interviews, I realized just how good Hudson and Connor’s acting is.

Yes, I know. Acting means portraying someone different and embodying a character, but at least with how they present in interviews, I wasn't expecting how COMPLETELY different Hudson and Connor seem to be from their characters.

Connor didn’t even speak Russian a week before filming and Hudson isn’t rigid the way that Shane is. Connor has said that he wears his heart on his sleeve where Ilya keeps his close to his chest. And while Shane is funny, he is more reserved, while Hudson is more chaotic with his jokes.

Both of their performances were impressive. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that it’s Connor and Hudson on screen as these characters.

Even seeing the show as many times as I have, and watching a lot of interviews of them, Shane and Ilya and Connor and Hudson look like completely different people in my mind.

I’ve posted this on threads but, Hudson’s acting is so good, that people aren’t even realizing that he is acting, they just think that’s how he is. But in so many scenes, Hudson’s eyes portray every emotion he wants you to feel, from being sad and uncomfortable to playful to confused and in love. The tears brimming Hudson’s eyes while he plays Shane needs its own shoutout because how was he doing that and so consistently? His delivery of Wow, genetic lives rent free in my mind.

And I had no idea Connor wasn’t even Russian. No idea he comes across as bubbly cause Ilya is more brooding. And I can’t stress enough how remarkable it is that he learned a different language and its dialect and pronunciation in the time frame that he did. Over the course of six episodes, we see through Connor’s acting how and when Ilya begins to fall and how he physically softens up over time. We see and feel, his disappointment, his heartbreak and frustration, his guilt, and his deep sadness.

I’ve also posted this on threads, but I can watch Hudson and Connor interview all day, whether it's separately or together. Their chemistry is off the charts in real life, and I feel like the best on screen chemistry always comes from having good off screen chemistry.

The interview with teen vogue and with buzzfeed goes triple platinum in my house. They both, but especially Hudson, are able to make some of the wildest comments I’ve heard on a press tour, wait let me get into some of the things Hudson has said.

He said, “His explicit scenes should be played on tv and dragged around town like you would a boombox in the 90s”
He’s said “Yearning bottom eyes”
He’s talked about “gaining 9 lbs of clappable material so there’s more meat for ilya to rock”
And he’s given the technique to have the perfect arch,
And he does all of that and then slides into his thought process behind who Shane is as a character and the reasoning behind why he took the approach he did to portray him so effortlessly.

And though they play off of each other well and they keep me laughing, they are also incredibly thoughtful in the way they talk about the show and how they portrayed these characters.

Hudson and Connor both seem to admire good art and you can tell from their interviews that they are passionate about acting and they just want to be a part of projects that they can be proud of. I think the fact that they genuinely care and are passionate about acting and this project and that they wanted to see the show succeed is another reason why the show is so good.

Hudson, Connor, Jacob, and the rest of the cast and crew’s passion and appreciation for art is the magic of the show. Passion, both between the characters and behind the scenes, is that je ne sais quoi that makes Heated Rivalry so special because passion is transcendent.

When I think about which episode is my favorite, it changes day by day because each episode has something beautiful to offer.

In episode 1, we see them meeting and hooking up for the first time. We get the shower scene, the press conference, the rooftop scene, and “here is fucking view hollader. Check it out.”

In episode 2, we get mr. businessman. Mr. landlord. We learn even more about Ilya’s background, we get the bathroom scene in Vegas, the chair pull, and one of the hottest scenes in the show, in my opinion, and we didn’t even kiss.

In episode 3, we follow Kip and Scott, played by Robbie G.K. and Francois Arnaud, which I will talk about more in a little bit.

In episode 4, we get heartbreak and pain, but before all of that, we get intimacy and thoughtfulness.

Episode 5, is the only episode without explicit scenes, because what we get is emotional connection. We get Ilya’s monologue in Russian and a lot of sweet moments. It has my favorite scene, with Ilya and Shane at the bar, and as I say this, really a lot of the episode has my favorite scenes. This would be my favorite episode without question if episode 6 didn’t exist. But it is the first episode of the show to earn a 9.9 rating on IMDB, becoming one of the highest rated tv show episodes ever.
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Episode 6 is a breath of fresh air. It’s a mix of playful, hopeful, serious, and sweet. Seeing the character’s growth from the first episode will never not be satisfying. We get jealous moments, we get funny moments, we get serious and heartfelt moments, and we get a happy ending.

There’s have been some complaints about episode 3, because episode 3 takes a break from Shane and Ilya’s story to explore a different couple Kip and Scott, who are played by Robbie G.K. and Francois Arnaud.

I have the luxury of talking about this episode post-season finale and while I’m reading their book, which is the first of the Game Changers series, but I won’t stand for any hate on this one.

From a storytelling perspective, it is placed perfectly in the series, giving us a moment to sit with the fact that Shane and Ilya’s dynamic is changing.

Episode 3 builds the world out, showing how the fear of being out in the league isn’t an isolated concern of Shane and Ilya, but it is part of a larger issue. It shows that there is stigma around coming out in the league and that there is pressure to present a certain way.
Episode 3 gives us the beautiful line about deserving sunshine, delivered by Nadine Bhaba who plays Elana, which is a theme that comes up throughout the series.

I rewatched episode 3 recently and it will never fail to amaze me how almost the entire journey between Scott and Kip was fit in a 48 min episode and that even in that short time frame, it left me crying over a pair of banana socks and made the ending of Episode 5 feel that much more rewarding and like the big moment Jacob Tierney has said he intended it to be.

And I would be mistaken not to discuss the supporting women of the show. In moments where they could have been harsh or mean, they chose to be supportive and safe spaces.

Elana was a great friend, speaking up for Kip who was too in love to ask for what he needed. Rose, played by Sophie Neslisse, helped Shane come to terms with who he is and what he wanted. Svetlana, played by Ksenia Daniela is Ilya’s main support system, his true family in the television series.

These women were pivotal in Kip and Scott and Shane and Ilya’s character arcs. They shined lights on the character’s internal struggles, but also offered a soft spot for them to land in after speaking truth to these characters. And this wasn’t shown in a “women will save us” type of way, it was shown in a way for audiences to understand that these women are true allies to the queer men in their lives.

You know, when a certain demographic of people talk about this show the lead with the sex scenes and the smut of the show. I would be a liar if I said the show wasn’t smutty and that it wasn’t hot as hell.

The show is hella hot. Duh. Like have you seen what these men look like? But when people act like the smutty scenes are all Heated Rivalry has to offer, it does annoy me.

The sex is used as an element of the show to understand the characters' relationship and how it changes over time. Physical connection is how Ilya and Shane communicate in the beginning and the lack of it in episode 5 shows that they’re starting to communicate in a different way.

It’s annoying to see the show reduced down to sex when there is so much more going on in the show than that and I honestly think it’s only such a big topic of conversation because it’s between two queer men.

And I only say that because I think of other tv shows that have a similar level of sex scenes in their show and while the sex may be a topic of conversation, it’s never the whole conversation. The show never gets reduced down to being just sex.

Heated Rivalry didn’t invent sex scenes, though they might've perfected it, shoutout to their intimacy coordinator, and it’s unfortunate that the yearning and the romance gets forgotten when it’s talked about in certain spaces. And honestly, even if people decided to start watching it because of the smut, I don’t understand why that would be an issue when you can just not watch it if that’s not your thing.

And because this is the internet, I want to emphasize, I’m not saying the sex scenes aren’t enjoyable. I’m not saying no one should ever talk about or comment on them. Sex sells and it drives clicks, it’s why Hudson and Connor have said they got that matching tattoo. And again, the show is hot as fuck and it visibily shows consent and care during these scenes which makes it hotter.

But I’ve seen critiques of the show saying it’s just porn. Even in that interview with Janelle James and Connor, the interviewer asked Janelle about what it was like standing next to Connor after watching him in those scenes in the show. She shut it down, but this is why I’m calling it out. Because while the smut may be a highlight and a draw of Heated Rivalry for some people, mainstream media only focusing on that is reductive and dismissive of the great acting and the technical skills in the show.

If the show’s audience wasn’t largely women, if the characters weren’t gay and bisexual, I don’t think people would call it “just porn” People don’t say that about Game of Thrones or House of Dragon or The Boys.

And again, even if it was, you don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to. There’s nothing wrong with erotic material.

The only valid critique I’ve seen about this show is a conversation about who gets what made. I understand the natural feelings that come up seeing a television show centered around a male romance with primarily white people succeed. It makes you wonder when sapphic shows will reach the same level of success. Makes you wonder when queer romances written and starring people of color will be highlighted in the same way. Those are valid questions, and they should be asked, and lead to bigger conversations, it just isn’t the fault of anyone involved in this project or anyone who enjoys this project. It’s the equivalent of blaming your neighbors for climate change.

Your beef should start with the gatekeepers and the corporations, because it’s just not as simple as “don’t watch and our stories will be made,” when this is a systemic issue that starts at the top. If you don’t want to watch Heated Rivalry, that’s your right and believe or don’t but I’m trying to convince you to do so, but if you’re not watching thinking it’ll have an effect on if Black queer stories are told and shaming people who do watch and enjoy it, I’m saying your reaction is not going to result in a meaningful outcome. . It’s important to encourage people to watch and read diverse stories and call them out for the bullshit reasons why they don’t, it’s just also my opinion that Hollywood knows we want Black stories and knows it can be successful, it’s just that they studios are racist, and sometimes, they’ll leave money on the table if it means upholding the status quo. Because Black stories in general can do well, but its success is always downplayed and we still spend years waiting for another tv show or movie with a primarily Black cast

So, don’t watch if you don’t want to. I just think there’s a more fruitful way to have this conversation without shaming people who are responsibly enjoying the show. And of course, still call for people to watch and read diversely.

This show matters, because it is showing studios and publishers and the like that people want true adaptations. People want romance and yearning. People want projects that are intentional with their storytelling and we don’t care if there are big names casted or not.

This show displays queer joy. This show is representation for any athlete who feels like they can’t come out because of the industry they’re in. Hudson has mentioned on Andy Cohen Live, that people have anonymously reached out, telling them their own stories about being in the closet while playing for a sports team. Really, it’s representation for any person who is afraid to come out.

This show is representation for neurodivergent people, and bi people, and people who try to be straight and think that they are bi but are really gay, and people who are figuring out their sexuality.

And it’s a shame that sapphic stories and Black queer stories don’t get the same treatment.

All of these conversations can happen at the same time.

My least favorite critique of the show are the nitpicky ones. The ones that point out a certain line or a certain scene from the book didn’t make it into the show. And I do get it, because you probably love the series and have loved it for a while, but it is nitpicky and you’re tainting your own experience watching the show. I want to talk about this more, but that’ll be a different episode, later in the month.

No one involved expected this television series to leave the book space this dramatically and become as global as it has. A little part of me was curious if the show would hold up in a binge format, because each episode has a “cliffhanger” type of ending if you haven’t read the books before.

I mean at the end of every episode, including the finale, I was in shock, with an ache in my chest, wondering if I was being pranked that that was the end, wanting more, and rewatching the episodes all over again to get my fix.

I’m lowkey glad I didn’t read the books and I waited to start them until I finished the first season because I was on the edge of my seat, anticipating what would happen next. And having to wait a week between episodes gave me time to let what I watched sink in and gave me space to rewatch it all again.

Someone on threads said Heated Rivalry has become their most rewatched show ever over the course of a few weeks, and I’d have to agree.

But, now having binged it, it still holds up and it's because of everything I talked about earlier. Everything about Heated Rivalry served a purpose, from the music, to the camera angles, the lighting, and the micro-movements and expressions of the actors. The people involved are passionate and talented and Jacob Tierney handled the adaptation with care.

The show ended beautifully, on a hopeful note. I mean, spoiler, but not really they’re literally riding off into the sunset, which is why we love romance. It was perfect and even though I keep saying I want more, there was nothing they needed to do to make the season better in my opinion.

And if you don’t believe me, on IMDB, every episode of Heated Rivalry earned 9.4 stars and above and episode 5 and 6 both have a 9.9 star rating.

As this show continues to thrive and Hudson and Connor have skyrocketed into celebrity status, I do want to say, stop digging into the actor’s personal lives. I’m obsessed with the show and I am greatly appreciative and amused by the actors as much as the next person, but it is an invasion of privacy to look up their friends and families. I mean, who has the time to be snooping around to look into Hudson’s letterboxd account and circulate it on social media? That’s weird, it’s weird!

It is an invasion of privacy to discuss their sexualities, because it doesn’t and shouldn’t matter. As I said last week, I doubt you’ll be in a position with them where it will matter. And you’re just missing the point of the show by expecting people to declare their sexualities to you.

And, as this show has become more and more mainstream, I’ve seen straight, primarily palm colored women, not make the connection between art and politics and social issues. It’s very weird to fetishize gay men. It’s weird to tell a man at a PUBLIC watch party in a bar that he can’t be there to watch the show with everyone because it makes you uncomfortable, when the show portrays consent at every opportunity. (Someone posted this happening to them on threads).

It’s very weird to love this show, but be biphobic and homophobic in real life. It’s actually blinding you and clouding your judgement when it comes to interpreting what was shown in the tv series. I saw people talking about how Shane left in one of the scenes because Ilya mentioned the women he was seeing and someone wrote on threads “[Shane] left because he realized, I like him and he likes both boys and girls” when in the scene you are LITERALLY being shown them both move on from this conversation.” I hope your love of this show encourages you to vote and act with LGBTQIA+ rights in mind. I hope this isn’t the only queer content you interact with. I hope you’re a safe space for queer people in real life.

Believe it or not, it is possible to be playful and to joke and appreciate Hudson and Connor and the author acts without crossing any lines and being weird. It is possible to wonder about their mental health, without infantilizing them. We do not know them and have to move accordingly.

And lastly, don’t bring your Heated Rivalry fantasies to real life hockey players. Don’t be weird.

So before I let you go, I just want to shout out Crave Canada. Thank you for adapting the books and creating the show. I genuinely don’t think this would’ve hit the same if it was an American production, because unfortunately we care about profit more than art over here.

I came into this show not really expecting anything. I started watching because people I chat with in the online bookish space told me they were watching it so I was like, okay I’ll watch it too.

I wasn’t expecting this show to take me up and down an emotional rollercoaster, because I wasn’t expecting anything from it. And I fell in love with the authenticity of the characters. I’ve giggled and kicked my feet at the interactions and the jealousy and enjoyed seeing the characters grow. This show reignited my love for storytelling, yearning, the romance genre, and tv in general.

I feel like when a show, a movie, a book, music, really when any piece of media leaves you feeling inspired, that’s how you know it’s good.

The end of every episode, and especially the finale of the show, left me feeling inspired with an itch to write and to create more.

The show is that good. 10/10 no notes, I will only take a few critiques on it, and I’m ready for season 2, but I will be patient because good things take time. But hopefully not too much time.

You can visit my blog www.ihavetosay.blog. I’m on instagram @ihavetosay with three ys like ihavetosayyy. I’m on threads at lyssa_posts_ and I hope you’ll join me on this podcasting journey and subscribe. Next week, I’ll be talking about Wicked…and depending on how you feel, you might not like what I have to say.

Okay. thank you for joining me. Thank you for being here. Bye bye.