It's All Over The Screen: Heated Rivalry
- Zhi En
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
It’s the season of Canada’s Shane Hollander and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov. It’s also the season where Zhi En, our Film and TV writer, explains how Heated Rivalry took over the Internet — and why you might want to let them.
It’s not often that a show completely takes the world by storm, sweeping audiences up in its fervor seemingly overnight. Amidst the overwhelming hype of the Stranger Things finale, Heated Rivalry has successfully carved itself a place in the hearts of its fans. The proof is everywhere: the plethora of edits, both thirsty and devastating, indicative of a thriving fandom ecosystem. So, what makes a show about gay hockey players and their extremely long situationship captivating television?
The Gay Experience on the Rocks
Much of the queer experience in Heated Rivalry is channelled through Shane Hollander's anxiety surrounding his identity as a gay man. For many, it can take years to come to terms with one's perceived faults, and since Shane lives under the spotlight, he feels the prickling gazes of millions on his back at every turn. Given his status as an Asian man on the Western stage, his position is rendered more precarious; being outed would put his career, reputation, and personal life at stake, which is also what informs his behaviour with Ilya. Set in the 2010s where homophobia was still very prevalent within society, Shane likely feels it most acutely in the locker-room banter of his own teammates. He even goes as far as dating a woman to affirm his ‘heterosexual’ status.
The fear of being outed — of facing disappointment and disgust from those closest to you — is paralysing. It sits at the core of Shane’s character and mirrors the experience of many queer people around the world, athletes or not. In Malaysia, there is an ongoing crackdown on the queer community at present. Every other day, you’ll hear about raids being conducted on ‘suspicious’ events, churning the vulnerable out of hiding and dragging them into cuffs. While Heated Rivalry doesn’t mirror these realities exactly, its portrayal of closeted queer lives hits close to home. It’s telling that Hudson Williams, who portrayed Shane, received many messages from queer professional athletes detailing how the show resonated with them. Prosecution, either socially or legally, remains a harrowing threat that perpetually hangs above the LGBTQ+ community wherever they are.
When it comes to depictions of masculinity, Heated Rivalry is often praised for 'allowing' Shane to be a 'masculine man'. While I usually loathe that sentence, I cannot help but agree in this instance. Not only are many depictions of queer men stereotypically feminine, especially those who favour receiving, Northeast Asian men in particular are often considered 'girly' due to their non-compliance to Western standards of masculinity. You may recognise this sentiment during the era of Kpop's BTS, who received the ire of many for supposedly being too feminine. In spite of the stereotypes surrounding his race and sexual preferences, his masculinity isn't belittled in the show, which is a refreshing change of pace.
Heated… Sensuality?
If you’ve watched the show, you’d probably know about the cottage, where Shane and Ilya get up to enough to cement it as the show’s most memorable setting. While many would be inclined to suggest that the abundance of steamy scenes makes this show no better than a porno, I personally did not find them as excessive as other shows and movies I've seen. Bridgerton and 365 Days both contain a myriad of sex on the screen, and despite my own tolerance to witnessing saucy moments, it got old after a while for me. In contrast, Heated Rivalry does a pretty good job at using intimacy to further the story, showcasing the difficulties in their relationship. The text 'We didn't even kiss,' in the aftermath of one of their many hookups comes to mind, as well as their clashing approaches to sex. Shane, who's more timid, and Ilya, who's forward with his flirtations; nonetheless, both are closed off to their true desires, leading to natural miscommunication that causes the audience's hearts to clench in pain rather than groan in exasperation.
The open sensuality also lends to an experience that is rare in mainstream media, which tends to either overly sanitise queer intimacy to avoid strong backlash or render it meaningless through excess. On a scale ranging between clutching my pearls and gulping down that heated rivalry, I’ve seen the fanbase devour every sex scene like hyenas scouring the internet for their fix of gay yearning. Given the recent renewed push towards conservative values, those who are most suffocated by that wave are surely glad for a reprieve. It exhibits how queer individuals also get it on, have dreams of marriage, kiss and fall in love like any other. In that order, sometimes. Just as the straights are flawed yet still loved, so are the gays. Heated Rivalry is no Call Me by Your Name, barely in the same genre as Hazbin Hotel or even Good Omens, but still has its place in the relatively small pool of shows with storylines dedicated to its queer cast.
The HudCon Saga
People crave good storytelling, and much of Heated Rivalry’s success can be traced to its lead actors, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Though relatively new to the industry, they've proven remarkably fluent in the language of fandom. Thirst tweets are read and responded to with unadulterated glee, embracing the craze of Heated Rivalry upfront. They’ve even voiced a ‘Romantasy’ audio drama for Quinn, a site that is filled to the brim with steamy audio drama romances… Who even does that?! It helps that they’re both born in the 2000s, thus more in tune with the generation that will undeniably be attracted to them on the big screen. While I'm not an active participant in the community, Williams and Storrie both have made guest appearances on my social media feed, and I have certainly heard enough to understand the appeal.
Heated Rivalry is what it says on the tin. It's heartwarming, sincere, and despite all the warnings I've seen come with the package, I found the show to be enjoyable. While some others may criticise Heated Rivalry for the ‘slop’ factor that most romance shows are known for, is it truly a crime for a popular show to be phenomenal? Queer people want to enjoy simple things too!
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