Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SNL episode was okay. Not great. Connor did fine but wasn’t a stand out. The skits were pretty so so. The cast is all fine but not great. Not sure if it’s the writers or what but the show was a bit cringy at times.

maybe you missed the USA Olympic Gold Medalists? a shining moment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SNL episode was okay. Not great. Connor did fine but wasn’t a stand out. The skits were pretty so so. The cast is all fine but not great. Not sure if it’s the writers or what but the show was a bit cringy at times.

maybe you missed the USA Olympic Gold Medalists? a shining moment

The whole monologue was awkward. And the four athletes coming up and reciting some scripted lines that weren’t funny didn’t do anything to help the awkwardness. Connor was stiff and had a bit of a plastered on smile. I am sure he was nervous and fair enough but the whole thing felt awkward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The club scene with TATU’s hit song playing in the background, esp when Ilya is scanning the club for his man (“this is not enough” on repeat as they are both hooking up with women); the phone call confession in Russian; and the All Star weekend in Tampa are some of the best scenes I’ve watched on TV in recent years. It’s no surprise that these particular episodes are rated near a 10 on IMDb by tens of thousands of reviewers.

+1. These are beautiful scenes and very moving. I re-watch the end of Ep 4 till the end of Ep 6 multiple times a week. This show soothes my soul and stirs my heart.

My gay son told me part of the reason this show is so different is the “feel good” optimism of how things work for gay people out due to the positive human responses—from the waiter dropping a tray and being forgiven, to the mom accepting her gay son and lover. It’s a fantasy of things working out in the best way possible.

This. Besides being romantic and beautiful and hot . . . my LGBTQ+ friends and family have said how this show would have changed their lives as a teen or young person. It shows the leads as normal, the relationship normal, instead of tragic, queeny, or having AIDS. Just two normal people. Many teared up talking about it.

I also personally loved (beyond the above) how these two very masculine guys were sweet, sensitive, talked about consent . . . . not toxic.

Yup! All this. And so sweet in Episode 6 with Ilya saying (about the Dad in the cabin) “Maybe he didn’t see us?”

[Anonymous]

They have hooked up a handful of times over 7-8 years and sent a few texts, had a couple calls, have had conversations in person a couple times, but have barely spent any time together and have never spent the night together until the very end. Most relationships aren’t toxic with this limited interaction and during the period of lust and infatuation when you are just starting to get to know each other. I know it’s a romance novel and so of course they fall in love after a day together but they are very much still in the phase of everyone and everything is perfect. It’s a fairy tale and a fantasy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SNL episode was okay. Not great. Connor did fine but wasn’t a stand out. The skits were pretty so so. The cast is all fine but not great. Not sure if it’s the writers or what but the show was a bit cringy at times.

maybe you missed the USA Olympic Gold Medalists? a shining moment

The whole monologue was awkward. And the four athletes coming up and reciting some scripted lines that weren’t funny didn’t do anything to help the awkwardness. Connor was stiff and had a bit of a plastered on smile. I am sure he was nervous and fair enough but the whole thing felt awkward.

“the four athletes”

[Anonymous]

I FIND THIS SHOW SO BORING

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I FIND THIS SHOW SO BORING

You are the only one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The SNL episode was okay. Not great. Connor did fine but wasn’t a stand out. The skits were pretty so so. The cast is all fine but not great. Not sure if it’s the writers or what but the show was a bit cringy at times.

maybe you missed the USA Olympic Gold Medalists? a shining moment

The whole monologue was awkward. And the four athletes coming up and reciting some scripted lines that weren’t funny didn’t do anything to help the awkwardness. Connor was stiff and had a bit of a plastered on smile. I am sure he was nervous and fair enough but the whole thing felt awkward.

“the four athletes”

what, I can skate on ice too. /s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I FIND THIS SHOW SO BORING

You are the only one.

Seriously. The only one! I’ve never heard anyone say that it’s boring. It’s basically the exact opposite of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The SNL episode was okay. Not great. Connor did fine but wasn’t a stand out. The skits were pretty so so. The cast is all fine but not great. Not sure if it’s the writers or what but the show was a bit cringy at times.

That’s because SNL is never funny anymore, and is often cringy. Nothing to do with Connor—he’s funny and has a good range—SNL just doesn’t hit like it used to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Season Two April 2027! Can't wait!

Ahhhh! So many things from the next book I’m looking forward to seeing play out.

The trophy room! I’ve had dreams about that scene…with me in it of course

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 9+ on IMDB and only 5-star ratings on Amazon, plus hot young athletes? Yah, I am watching this tonight. Thanks for bringing this show up, DCUM.

FWIW, I think the show has such high ratings because it's having a viral moment. It was a fine show with some phenomenal acting and a nice story line but it's not The Wire.

Not a fan of The Wire & Breaking Bad. I don’t enjoys depressing shows. Love Heated Rivalry. It’s a beautiful story, beautifully shot and executed. I like that it’s indie and low budget. The sex scenes are surprisingly very hot.
Signed, a 50 year old straight mom with a PhD.

I mean, you can not be a fan of The Wire all you want, but it has consistently been noted as one of the best TV shows of all time. This was not that. Fine show, entertaining enough, quite moving in parts, but it's not particularly high quality.

What it is is about forbidden romance. At the individual level, the US isn't so class-based anymore, so rich/poor romances work as well anymore. Parents no longer have the power to keep couples apart. And boss/teacher romances are no longer ok. Sports are still an area where being gay isn't accepted. So, it works. The last two episodes were really fun to watch.

(The Wire is my favorite show, for context.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I FIND THIS SHOW SO BORING

I can only read this in Ilya’s voice. Hollander, you are so boring!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I FIND THIS SHOW SO BORING

I can only read this in Ilya’s voice. Hollander, you are so boring!

LOL - It’s genetic.

[Anonymous]

Connor seems like an anxious introvert. He needs to either be acting or modeling to overcome that. He spends most of his time in public doing his cheek sucked in modeling poses. He is a good actor from what we saw in HR but needs more confidence being himself. He tries too hard to be perfect and seems like a people pleaser.

Hudson needs to grow up. The whole tongue sticking out, middle finger, sexual innuendo isn't edgy in the way he thinks it is. If he wants to be taken seriously, he needs to be able to be professional off set too. He needs a better team. Walking around smoking with his entourage of women also isn't as cool as he thinks it is.

Time will tell if either can make this success stick beyond their rabid, obsessive, parasocial HR fan base.