There’s something to be said for a series whose most powerful moments exist in the quietest parts of its story.
From the beginning, Heated Rivalry was never a loud show. It’s intense, sexy, and at times all-consuming, but it’s never been overly showy.
Still, Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 5 gets even quieter, resulting in a heartbreakingly beautiful and hopeful hour that showcases both the captivating leads and moves the story towards its emotional climax.
(Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)
If you’ve read the Heated Rivalry book, then this hour was like a greatest hits list, moving through some of the most impactful moments in the latter half of the book that set up the final part of the four-part story.
The hour splits evenly between the two leads, with each on a different journey yet continually drawn back to the other. As the years pass, the feelings grow, and the ability to hide from one another in any tangible way fades away even further.
When Shane and Rose break up at the top of the hour, it’s fascinating to have more time watching the demise of a relationship than its inception.
But the scene is less about two people who can’t make it work, and more about Shane confiding in someone about his sexuality for the first time, even if very few words are spoken on his end.
Hudson Williams’ facial journey will tell you everything you need to know about Shane’s complicated, yet affirming feelings during this conversation. And yes, a lot of the dialogue is ripped right from the pages, where the scene is played just as minimally. But here the stillness is amplified.
The restaurant is nearly empty. Their voices are hushed. It’s a delicate conversation between two people with a deep like and appreciation for one another who know it was never meant to be.
(Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)
For Shane, it’s the first time he’s putting any words to who he is, even if it’s essentially thrust upon him before he’s fully ready to claim them.
Heated Rivalry really excels in moments that let the actors emote without spelling everything out for us.
There is a time and a place for a show to hit you over the head with its intent, but this series often takes risks and sits in the quiet.
And there are several scenes during this hour that allow for that.
After the tuna melt debacle in Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 4, Shane and Ilya haven’t seen one another until they’re face-to-face in sunny Florida, surrounded by their peers, for a low-stakes all-star game.
(Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)
Their public conversation skirts the edge of flirting and longing, but it’s later, the two sitting together on the beach, waves crashing, and a far larger sea of unspoken things building between them, where the quiet really takes hold.
When they finally talk, it’s one of the first conversations in which both men realize the facades have officially cracked. And what remains is the very real and very purposeful connection they’ve fostered and can’t run away from.
Shane, hunched over on the edge of the bed, finally putting words to what he’s feeling and who he is, across from Ilya, leaning against the desk, arms crossed and emotionally cut off, feels like the actual start of these two finally succumbing to the real intimacy they’ve built over the years of their relationship.
It very much feels like they’re actually seeing one another through fresh eyes, and the apprehension on Ilya’s face makes it clear how desperately he’s been trying to reframe something deeply complex as ‘simple.’
Shane’s exhaustion hangs heavy over this scene, culminating in the most tender moment of the series thus far: Ilya allowing Shane to see him and Shane providing comfort to a man who has lived most of his life without it.
(Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)
Even the angsty moments throughout their conversation are soft, and it’s crafted in a way that hones in on the two men, stripping away everything else and leaving you truly locked into their emotional orbit.
And to think, you leave that conversation only to get your heart ripped out of your chest during one in which the two men aren’t even in the same room.
Connor Storrie’s not only revelatory with his accent work in this role, but he’s also mesmerizing in the way he speaks both at you and to you like you’re the only person in the world.
His monologue to Shane over the phone is gripping in its intensity, underlining a desperate, resigned, and terrified man, caught up in a swirl of grief, self-deprecation, and love that pours out of him at his most vulnerable and at his most safe.
On the other end, Shane is silent, eyes closed, absorbing the words of the man he’s utterly fascinated by. He doesn’t know what he’s saying, but he knows Ilya needs a release.
(Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)
He needs someone to be there.
Is there anything more poetically devastating in its simplicity than the visual of snow falling, classic music swelling, and someone professing their love to someone who can’t truly hear them?
The series has been steadily building to a point where Shane and Ilya reach a place that deepens their relationship. And it feels like a conscious choice to show the beginnings of sexual situations, but cut away before we’re ever privy to them.
Shane and Ilya have entered into a new phase, and the audience is moving forward with them. It’s no less thrilling to see the series lean into not only romance but human connection and the many forms intimacy can take.
The hour ends with the two of them taking a giant leap forward in their relationship, once again depicted through something private and muted, with Shane’s incredulity and happiness cut off before the audience can even exclaim alongside him.
(Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max)
It’s perfect in its structure, allowing the audience to sit with their feelings at their own pace rather than having them dropped on them.
With only one hour left, it’s hard to imagine the series can outdo this gem, but considering each hour has built upon the last, I’m willing to bet a season finale centered around so many of the pair’s firsts will leave us a muddled mess of happiness and tears.
That’s precisely how I like to consume my romance.
What did you guys think about this hour?
I love reading all your thoughts, so please let me know in the comments below.
You can watch Heated Rivalry on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the United States.
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