I have my concerns about s2 (okay, a lot of them) due to the source material containing what it contains, especially for Shane, but the thing that gives me the most hope is what made the first season so good - the medium of television.
In general, TV leaves a lot more room for interpretation, even while it can go into more depth by showing things we didn't get in the books (Shane's coming out, more of both POVs, etc).
Crucially, we will not be hearing every little thought in every character's head, or be told exactly what emotions they're feeling at any given time. We will instead be watching the impressive physical intimacy and nonverbal communication that, in this visual medium, make Shane and Ilya's relationship so compelling, a relationship that (to me, anyway) comes across very differently on the screen than it does on the page.
Soft heart eyes, comforting hand squeezes and hugs, hair petting, loving smiles, etc. Everything we got in s1.
And I honestly think that will help a lot of the less palatable (and downright unromantic) moments in TLG go down better.
Like, can you imagine the audience watching a tense scene with the commissioner of the league threatening Shane, all of that homophobia suddenly front and center (and all the micro expressions Hudson will display during it all), seeing his upset face afterwards, and then seeing Ilya be angry with Shane about it instead of supportive?
To watch Ilya be giddy and nearly vibrating with excitement when Shane's reputation and integrity are lambasted in the media, because all of that suffering means Ilya might get what he wants so he's actually kind of glad?
IMO, the viewer reaction would be way worse than it was for Ilya's hot and cold behavior in eps 1-2. And it's an avoidable problem, just by adjusting tone and adding in those moments of physical intimacy we've already seen. The handholding, the hugs, all the ways Shane gets physical comfort from Ilya when he's stressed, as simple as a gentle squeeze to his shoulders or the back of his neck.
You can have Ilya joke about things - his soft little "maybe he didn't even notice..." after David catches them comes to mind, something gentle and silly enough to make Shane laugh - but the outright mocking and anger just isn't going to work, not in the show. Not during an established relationship. Not when Shane is there with big wet brown eyes, rejected by his team and watching his legacy be so tarnished.
They can chirp each other and have their imperfect moments without the narrative only punishing one of them for those missteps. They can be messy, sure, bring it on, but at the end of the day, it's still a romance and there should be balance. And IMO the ending of TLG doesn't deliver that.
So, fingers crossed that not only does the writing improve the inconsistencies and smooth the jagged edges of the story like it did for s1, but that the performances once again elevate the source material in a way that sells the HEA for me.
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