No products in the cart.
Heated Rivalry review:review: TheThe hypehype isis over,over, butbut thethe chemistrychemistry isn’tisn’t
I’ll admit I was… sceptical when a close and dear friend recommended Heated Rivalry to me. I do not usually go in for a romance, so deciding to marathon this entire series within just a few days represented something of a bold departure from my usual viewing habits. All I can say is wow, am I glad I took the plunge on this one! I derived more enjoyment from this out-of-the-blue hockey-themed steam fest than I did the final season of Stranger Things, make of that what you will!
Let’s get into why this series appears to have the internet in a chokehold.
WARNING: Heavy spoilers below!
Characters in order of first mention:
- Connor Storrie plays Ilya
- Hudson Williams plays Shane
- François Arnaud plays Scott
- Robbie Graham-Kuntz plays Kip
Better than it has any right to be?
Firstly, going into this TV show phenomenon, I expected cheesy romance, steamy sex scenes, and a lot of melodramatic moments for shock value. What I received instead was nuanced, tight writing, gritty storylines that left my heart in my throat and chemistry between characters that drove the plot forward. There were moments of payoff that delivered so deeply, I found myself screaming at the TV!
Ilya’s struggle to find his place, caught between his love of Hockey and the nest of vipers he always finds awaiting him in Russia, leaves the viewer feeling similarly powerless, sharing his despair. This is to say nothing of Shane. Shane does, on the whole, have an easier time of it. Still, his navigating the celebrity scene as a closeted sportsman is no less engaging to watch unfold.
No taboo is left unturned, and Scott and Kip’s romance is a masterclass in exploring how far we go to accommodate the needs of those we love, often to our own detriment.
A victory for gay romance
As a huge fan of One Day (a recent, wonderful adaptation of which is available on Netflix), it gladdened my heart to see a series adapt a gay romance novel with the same respect and vigour as is so often afforded exclusively to its heteronormative counterparts. But this goes beyond merely representation. No, this is about maturity. Series like Heartstopper have proven that serious topics can be handled competently in gay romance adaptations, and here it is done with even darker undertones.
It is this refusal to fall into stereotypes, this steadfast dedication to faithful storytelling, and above all, this fearless willingness to show gay men in all their complexity and moral ambiguity, that truly means we’ve reached a level playing field. Being gay isn’t easy; finding romance with another man isn’t easy. But when it happens, it can tell a story so profound it cuts to the very core of human nature.
We do not invest in Ilya and Shane because they’re gay or bi, but because we relate to them, and for that reason, we hope against hope that everything will work out. Just as we do for ourselves and those we love.
Heated Rivalry Conclusions
I have it from a reliable source that there is no shortage of source material for future seasons of this show, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what lies in store. A combination of gritty storytelling, compelling characterisation amongst the four lead actors and an unapologetic tackling of taboos makes this the best romance series I’ve seen in a long time. One Day has met its match.
Heated Rivalry is available to stream on NowTV.
