Why Is Everybody Going to the Cottage?
An analysis of the culture surrounding Heated Rivalry
Whether you’ve heard about it from social media, news broadcasts, friends, or even at real NHL games, Crave’s new original series, Heated Rivalry, has taken the world by storm. Based on the book series Game Changers by Rachel Reid, this show has truly attracted every audience from hockey fans to LGBTQ+ activists. Following Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) as they navigate their successful and competing hockey careers along with their secret romance, we are thrown into a world of love, lust, and longing. This analysis will contain spoilers, so, if you have not yet watched it, I highly encourage you to.
From the very beginning of their relationship, both Hollander and Rozanov have an unspoken understanding: don’t get attached. Fortunately for them, they fail miserably. Their hockey rivalry, on the other hand, just seems to get more intense as the series progresses. The boys compete constantly over matches, awards, and world records, but, ultimately, end up in each other’s bed whenever they’re in the same city. Throughout the 6 episode season, the pair goes through both individual struggles about life and hockey, as well as the obvious emotional turbulence that their relationship causes.
Contrary to popular belief, this show is so much more than a spicy gay romance. It builds a world with realistic struggles like the death of a parent and internalized homophobia, making it extremely relatable. The very first episode does contain quite a lot of explicit content. However, these scenes are pivotal to see how the levels of care and romance between the two steadily rise in the coming episodes. Outside their romance, we see them grow up from rookies to well-respected athletes; their individual character development is part of what really makes the relationship seem so special.
Ultimately, I believe there are three primary reasons people are obsessing over this show: (1) they love hot guys, (2) they love romance, or (3) they love LGBTQ+ representation. It’s important to note that these reasons are not mutually exclusive. Firstly, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are undoubtedly extremely good looking. Regardless of their incredible acting chops, some people watch the show simply to see them both shirtless and sweaty (completely valid, by the way). On the other hand, others are attracted to the soft and sweet romance that the two slowly build over years of seeing each other. The actors’ romantic chemistry is palpable and the show definitely wouldn’t be the same without them. Thirdly, it is extremely rare in popular media to have accurate gay representation that doesn’t end in tragedy. Just off the top of my head, I could think of so many queer relationships in movies or tv shows where one party gets killed off. This trope has become so common that it’s been given the name ‘Bury Your Gays’. Examples include: Lexa (the 100), Maya (Pretty Little Liars), and Dana (the L word). So, having a happy, realistic queer couple who suffer with real issues because of their sexuality without dying is a pretty big deal. Additionally, their relationship speaks to a specific audience of queer people in ultra-masculine (or feminine) activities that are usually dominated by a heterosexual majority.
To conclude, the craze surrounding this show is truly due to the wide audience that it appeals to. Whether you’re drooling over Connor’s abs and Hudson’s biceps, yearning for a relationship as sweet as Ilya and Shane’s, or using it to cope with the utter lack of queer representation in media, you are completely validated. If you still have not seen the show after reading this and probably seeing it all over your feeds, what are you still doing here? We’re all at the cottage.
