HEATED RIVALRY 1x5 & 1x6 Reaction! | First Time Watch! | Connor Storrie | Hudson Williams

I am so surprised by the number of people who do not get it, Illya is Russian working and living in the USA on a visa if it came out that he was bisexual and having an affair with Shane he could loose his job and his sponsorships then he would be deported back to Russia as a gay, in Russia they make no distinction, and he would have no money and no influence so he would be in serious danger… coming out is a massive risk for Illya

Watching reactions to the end of ep 5 is like a bump of coke every time

Ilya’s description of his mother—beautiful, funny, sad, and treated so badly by Ilya’s father—also describes Ilya himself.

I think it's interesting how some people think that because Scott came out, he has now solved homophobia in elite sport. What he's done for Shane and Ilya is see that it's possible for elite players like them to have a queer relationship. The last episode is as radical as Shane and Ilya can be right now. They're incredibly brave to be vulnerable with each other. They've never spent more than half a day with each other, over night, held hands. These are all big moments for them.

Hudson’s ability to nonverbally emote is unmatched. The flooded but never overflowing eyes, especially.

Seriously, Yuna’s apology was necessary and appreciated. They did make it harder for him, though unintentionally, and it was a harm that needed atonement. Jacob added it for a reason.

Ilya and Shane’s relationship is far more complicated than Scott and Kip’s because coming out isn’t just personally risky, it’s professionally and politically dangerous. One of the foundations of both of their careers, at least externally, is their rivalry, one that the league has aggressively cultivated and milked since before their rookie season. If they were to come out as partners, it would immediately call their integrity into question: Were any games ever thrown? Were decisions ever compromised? The league, the media, and fans would scrutinize every past matchup for signs of impropriety. This risk is compounded by the league’s entrenched homophobia and its unspoken intolerance of queer players. Coming out could easily lead to ostracization within their teams, or even quiet expulsion from the league altogether. And the stakes are even higher for Ilya. He’s on a work visa, if his career collapses, that visa could be revoked, forcing him back to Russia. As a high-profile, publicly out queer man, his return wouldn’t just be a career setback; it could put his safety at serious risk. For me, what Scott’s public coming out ultimately does for Shane and Ilya is to make their love possible. It gives them permission to finally give their relationship a real chance, even if only privately, even if only between the two of them for now.

Just once I’d love for reactors to understand that Scott and Kip’s situation is nothing like Ilya and Shane’s. Even if you take away the Russian aspect for Ilya, Scott was dating the guy who made his smoothies, there’s no additional hockey complication to their relationship. Ilya and Shane were not only the two top prospects at the time, they play for rival cities. If they came out and said they’d been dating since their rookie season, the fans, their teammates and management would immediately question whether they had ever cheated and allowed the other one to win. All future losses would be scrutinized. Their ability to lead their team’s as captains would be called into question. Teammates may not want to discuss injuries or strategy for fear of them sharing information with one another. It could damage the integrity of both teams, as well as Shane and Ilya’s personal integrity. It’s so much bigger than Scott and Kip.

Yuna wasn't making sure Ilya would leave Boston, she was calling his character into question for being so willing to ditch them

Little detail I love is that in episode 5, one of the social media posts Shane reads about him and Rose is that it looks like he would "carry her bags, her hopes, her dreams, her entire life". And then when they get to the cottage, he carries Ilya's bag in for him. Shane is ready to plan for their entire life to be together. 🥰🥰🥰