‘Heated Rivalry’ Left Us With a Perfect Season 1 Finale
The gay hockey show that has taken over the world has come to an end. For season 1 at least. Heated Rivalry gave us a thrilling season finale that left us wondering what will happen for Shane and Ilya in the future.
Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) invited Ilya (Connor Storrie) to his cottage in the penultimate episode. Ilya did what he does best and made a thing about it, saying it couldn’t happen. But when Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) kissed his boyfriend after the Stanely Cup, it inspired Ilya to make a move: Go to the cottage with Shane.
And that’s where we are at the finale for Heated Rivalry. So what happens in the finale to set up season 2? Spoilers ahead for the hockey show. Well… there isn’t much hockey in this episode. Just lots of smooching.
Shane meets Ilya at the airport to bring him to his cottage and the two are set to have 2 weeks together. It is exactly as fans predicted: Lots of sex. But also lots of conversations about the future, including a plan for Ilya to move to Canada and get rid of his Russian Passport that doesn’t include marrying his friend. The problem? Shane’s parents see them together.
Support was always there, if Shane wanted it
Yuna Hollander (Christina Chang) has been hard on her son all season. She’s been determined to see him succeed but she didn’t seem uncaring. The same went for David Hollander (Dylan Walsh). So when David goes to the cottage to get his phone charger and sees Ilya and Shane together, there was a moment of panic for Shane. Would his parents accept him? How would they feel about their son being gay? But the only thing they were worried about? Shane and Ilya’s supposed rivalry on the ice.
The final moments of the season featured both Ilya and Shane hopeful for their future together. They have a plan, they have a mission, and now Shane knows his parents are on his side. One of the most beautiful moments of the episode, however, comes from his mother hearing their “ideas” for how to keep their relationship a secret.
When she hears that the two are planning to keep it a secret until they retire, she says that it is sad that they’d have to do that. Especially with their plan to explain why they’d be seen together out and about. We don’t know whether or not that’s going to actually be how it plays out (or of Scott Hunter inspires them more).
But for now, the future actually seems hopeful for the two. They’re happy together, people know about them, and Ilya even called himself Shane’s boyfriend. Will their happiness remain? Or is this just the honeymoon period until someone calls their bluff on the ice? We’ll have to wait until season 2 to find out where Shane and Ilya go next but at least we’ll always have the cottage together.
(featured image: HBO Max)
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