Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Olympians

After the intense first episode, Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 2, “Olympians,” slows down a bit and covers less time, but more ground. The beautiful thing about the second episode over the first is we’ve now established these characters so we get to spend more time with them and live within their world.

Starting the episode with a montage of Ilya texting with Shane, excuse me, sexting with Shane is genius. It sets us up for the playfulness that is Ilya and the awkwardness that is Shane slowly getting more comfortable with him. Plus, we get to see Shane’s anxiety with every deleted text he doesn’t send.

It also further shows just how in tune with these characters the actors are because while the montage plays we aren’t getting any verbal cues, just the physical acting of their body language and expressions. 

The Friendship Between Svetlana and Ilya

One of the beautiful things we get from “Olympians” is the development of the bonds between these characters and the people they surround themselves with. For Shane that is his teammate and best friend, Hayden Pike and for Ilya that is Svetlana.

One major difference from the book to the show is the nature of Ilya’s connection to Svetlana. In the book they are merely hookup partners. But on Heated Rivalry Svetlana is a childhood friend who is deeply bonded to Ilya and knows about his hookups with Sasha, his former coach’s son.

The importance of changing this can’t be understated. With the show, Ilya’s family situation is much more pressuring and depressing so he needs someone in his corner who knows all sides of him. Enter Svetlana.

Seeing her clock his discomfort during the Olympics in Russia and discuss it with him is vital to better understanding Ilya’s behavior toward Shane. This is a difficult time for the two of them because Ilya’s so caught up in not getting caught.

Svetlana knows he needs to let off some steam so she gets in contact with his tried and true previous gay hookup. Little does she know, Ilya has already moved on and is only worried about Shane right now.

On top of that, she is aware of the pressure his father and brother put on him and works hard to push him against it. She wants him to ignore them and make his own life, but it’s clear from Storrie’s nonverbal acting that Ilya isn’t capable of that just yet.

Hayden is Shane’s Perfect Foil 

When Shane starts to get too in his head about Ilya and the implications of all that, his good friend Hayden Pike is there to unknowingly bring him out of it. We first see it during the montage when Hayden gives Shane a concerned look after Shane silently freaks out over Ilya’s dick pic.

Then, again he steps in when a teammate makes a language error that freaks out Shane because he says “If Ilya fucks you tonight” instead of “If Ilya fucks with you tonight.” Hayden perfectly smooths it over not outwardly showing he understands just how much he helped Shane in that moment.

A part of me feels that Hayden is picking up on something with Shane. He’s probably not certain yet what exactly it is, but he’s definitely showing Shane multiple times that he will be there to pick him up.

We saw it even more blatantly during “Rookies,” when Shane looks upset over Ilya having to cancel one of their hookups because of weather. Hayden clocks that Shane is upset so he invites him over to dinner with his wife and kid.

It’s wonderful to see this friendship develop because it is vitally important to the development of Shane Hollander, both as an athlete and as a gay man.

The Sex Pad in Montreal

Getting our first sex scene, and the stairwell buildup, outside of a hotel is just as magical as we could’ve imagined. Shane is more comfortable with himself and able to let himself surrender fully to Ilya and the desire he has for him.

Ilya teasing Shane the whole time but then turning tender when he begs Shane to come to him and Shane responds in kind with a demand for Ilya to approach him. It’s a level of intimacy that we didn’t see on Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 1, “Rookies,” but is necessary for them to be physically intimate for the first time instead of just quick blow jobs.

We need them to show familiarity in order to truly believe that these two men have slowly been building up their relationship over the past few years. It proves that despite all their public sparring these two are very much gone on each other.

Even better is the continued checking in from Ilya. He is experienced and very much eager to get Shane where he wants him, but is still respectful enough to slow down and ask him questions and understand what their boundaries need to be.

It’s something we don’t see from other queer media examples, but is vital to what sets these characters and this story apart. 

Getting to have all of this in a single scene at the sex pad in Montreal is a dream come true. The way they move differently, more confidently when they know they can’t be caught or overheard is very obvious.

Storrie and Williams really step up their game with these tender moments, further bringing the nuances of Ilya and Shane to life. It also gives us reason to hope they’ll make it through the rough times in Russia at the Olympics because we know the chemistry and the tenderness is there.

Even if this is the last time we see them be this gentle and kind to one another until much after the Olympics, it is enough to get us through. Especially when we talk about the tender stairwell scene after sex where they are whispering sweet nothings to each other and discussing their next moves.

The Olympics

The Sochi Olympics is actually the perfect backdrop to give us certain character developments that would’ve felt clunky in any other setting. We get to see Shane’s insecurities as well as his friendships while Ilya is stuck repressing who he is in order to protect himself and Shane. 

The immediate flip of Ilya’s switch in Russia is something that is very hard to explain, but somehow Storrie manages to depict with grace. We see it in the way Storrie holds Ilya’s body very stiffly and how his playfulness and charm are nowhere to be found.

Russia is cold and it makes Ilya colder than ever before. If we ignore what we have seen right before the Olympics these scenes of Ilya would probably switch our allegiances away from him.

After all, in Russia Ilya is an asshole without any of the hints of tenderness to soften his edges.

But, we get these scenes with his dad where the pressure and country pride is heavily present. It shows just how much stress Ilya is under to not let anyone suspect he might be anything other than a womanizing straight athlete.

Storrie’s closed off facial expressions and the hurt, sad look in his eyes make us want to reach through the screen and hug him tightly. Even if Ilya can’t reach out to Shane during the Olympics we still get to see just how much he wants to. We see it in all the strained, stilted conversations they have and in the way he pulls out his phone to reply to Shane’s “are u ok?” text.

Meanwhile, Shane’s experience at the Olympics gives us an insight into why he’s so adamant about being in the closet. In a conversation with Scott Hunter and Carter Vaughn, the three talk about the bravery of the ice dancers who are openly gay and performing in Russia. 

Shane is seen as very uncomfortable during the whole exchange, clinging tightly to his cup of ice cream. Williams should be credited for the continued perfection of Shane’s anxiety coming through in his body language and his eyes.

He wants to be there for Ilya but he can’t and that terrifies him. Both because he isn’t sure if Ilya is surviving the strain of it all, but also because he can’t allow himself to want something so badly, especially with it being so dangerous.

Back to Vegas

If there is a throughline between Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 1, “Rookies,” and Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 2, “Olympians” it is Vegas. This is a city of indulgence that proves helpful for the development of Shane and Ilya’s relationship.

The first time they were in Vegas it ended in heartbreak and silences. This time, Shane has a confidence about him that gives him the strength to call out Ilya’s lack of care, but also allow Ilya to make up for it later on in the privacy of a penthouse hotel room.

In fact, Williams has stated that the Vegas bathroom scene is his favorite and based on the acting talents I would have to agree. It perfectly pushes them beyond the awkwardness that came from Sochi and allows them to move forward together, with honesty. 

Shane needs to bare his soul in this moment because Ilya needs to know that he’s not the only one feeling too much. Ilya needs to see Shane be the dominant one for a moment so that he can take back the control and take charge of them in a way that is conducive for them.

And afterward when Shane bends to Ilya’s every command, not only is it hot, but it also proves that this story isn’t like other queer media that has come before. The show is unafraid to let these characters be overtly sexual people. That is their love language.

What comes next is what has sealed for me that this is truly the best book to show adaptation ever created. Sure, I said that for “Rookies” the scene was the interview, but for “Olympians” it is penthouse.

Shane Shows His Hand, And His Heart

The pure desire that is the penthouse sex scene cannot be understated. Shane and Ilya are two characters whose relationship is defined by sex because that’s all they’ve allowed themselves to have. 

They are famous athletes that have a lot to lose in their public lives that they don’t allow for much tenderness and care in their personal lives. But, that changes in Ilya’s Vegas penthouse room. 

Now they are aware of how much they need each other in their lives and they’ve decided they’ve passed the point of no return. There is nothing else they can do, they are in love with each other.

Ilya trying to brush it all off with his cocky dominate behavior is no match for Shane’s eager willingness to comply. As a result we get a show from Shane that is like nothing else I have ever seen before, gay or straight. 

Williams and Storrie go all in with how they depict Shane giving and Ilya watching. There is a familiarity there that hasn’t shown up between them before and is necessary to ensure we understand this is more than just sex to them.

Shane is a very detail oriented, control centered person who rarely lets down all his defenses. But he does for Ilya Rozanov in that penthouse room and the results are chef’s kiss. 

We can go into the rest of the season knowing that both of these men never have a problem with caring for each other. It’s more about allowing themselves to get out of their own heads once in a while.

Stray Thoughts:

• Shane folding his clothes, continuing to do sex scenes with his socks on, and commenting on the bed being messy is so perfect to show just how much anxiety and hang ups he actually has about this whole situation
• The sadness in Shane’s face when he leaves the penthouse and almost texts Ilya that they didn’t kiss…my heart.

 

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Heated Rivalry airs Fridays on HBO Max and Crave.

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