Reply to Heated Rivalry (Crave/HBO-Max)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No one would accept this show if it was hetero.

They would feel the woman was being used and abused by the Ilya character. He just wants her for sex when they are in town - and sleeps with lots of other women as well. Ghosts her by text then expects her to just be there and go down on him at his beck and call. And this goes on for years? He would he an absolutely hated character if Shane's character was a woman. [/quote]

Not really. You missed the plot entirely. It is subtle and well acted. They are both in love but also so scared that they love each other. Everything they do is consensual, and Ilya seeks consent and reassures Shane often, which I found very attractive. Shane initiates hookups too, so their situationship is not driven by one party. E.g., “Feel like getting murdered in a dark alley in Mtrl in 2 weeks?”, the couch scene etc. Ilya had a whole day of domestic bliss planned for him at his Boston apt but then Shane freaked out when he called him by his first name after sex and then Ilya is practically begging him to stay. This scene showed that Ilya was down bad and ready to move the relationship to the next level, but it’s Shane who is pulling back. One is on the spectrum and the other carries a lot of baggage and trauma, so they are not great communicators, but they are definitely not using and abusing each other as you wrote. Neither had any interest in going public because of the stigma for gay players in the NHL and because Ilya’s family and country would disown him. Also, they were teenagers when they fell for each other and needed to grow up, mature but also solidify their name in hockey before they could move to the next level.

Their yearning, egos, lack of good communication - very reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice. The young secret lovers from rival teams who fear the repercussions remind me of Romeo & Juliet. It’s a great love story. [/quote]

Thanks for your chat GPT summary but I didn't miss the plot. I am saying that if you substituted a woman into the plot in place of Shane, Ilya would be perceived very differently. No, people don't see two men as using and abusing each other but if you had the same plot and scenes with a woman, they would. And the Shane character isn't on the spectrum, the author has confirmed that! That was made up by people online but really just shows that most don't understand what autism is. Being a bit socially awkward isn't autism. [/quote]

You're both missing the point. You can't just "swap the story to hetero" because the entire crux of the plot is the societal and internal homophobia they are trying to navigate, which does not exist for hetero couples. To a large extent, the "abuses" they inflict on each other are a product of a homophobic society so treating each other the way they'd like too is off the table, leaving only the furtive options you see in the show.[/quote]

Agreed. The author had to create a 'scary' backdrop to get the sob story, victim effect that draws women in. If she had set it in a theatre camp, it wouldn't have had the same effect! It is why so many women watch soaps. They exaggerate the taboos. [/quote]

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