reheating to reorder the scenes, so i can watch ep2 with the playoff elimination chronologically:
ep2: shane finds ilya at olympics. "go away, hollander" (burning yearning)
ep2: ilya in russia -> papa is sick, minister dissociation -> svetasasha tub time (sad ilya staring at text messages, missing shane)
ep 3: opening hockey sequence, "the mtl captain wants this whole night back" (shane is pissed and silent across the faceoff dot and ilya is mean and playful, needling for a reaction)
ep 2: spring.mp3 playoffs watching w the boys, where we see a clip of the hatty goal roz just scored in the now previous hockey scene! "[roz is] the best [at hockey], probably," being the first thing we see shane say abt/to roz on screen for monthssss (ilya furiously motivational in the locker room, metros poking shane abt roz, The Face Journey of burning yearning envious pride adoration hope)
ep 2: vegassss (immolation)
ep 4: fuck montage, "have a good summer!don't have too much fun π" (restoration, routine)
and i am gonna be lisa frank, y'all....it SLAPS. the pacing is so good. i really prefer it. i think it would have been even better with multiple slices of games. shane silent and rejected and burning to win the whole time, ilya trying for a reaction, growing kinda desperate to get a rise, aching to win and knowing he is.
the emotional throughline of hockey competitiveness echoing their slow burn is wonderfully presented in this order. the tension of coming back from the olympics and shane going silent and ilya getting loud, and deciding now he can push for shane's attention - is beautifully CONNECTED and explored. then rounding it all out in The Face Journey is even more impactful imho, bc its bookending shane looking at ilya and trying to talk to him in sochi; not talking to him on the ice; not talking to him as he wins; being forced to talk to him in vegas; not talking to him about wanting to be kissed. the orbit of public and private spheres and how they are forced to operate in them, and how they are both trapped by them and both drawn in by the gravity of each other. in this reordered viewing, shane really resists, again, ilya's come-ons, and cannot escape and does not want to escape but he doesn't know how to hold himself separate and ilya, when he feels safe, pursues shane the way shane likes to be pursued and then pins him in place with his own desire.
the end result is ilya getting the kickback he wanted on the ice, in the vegas bathroom and shane getting the rewards he wanted, in the vegas bedroom. "show off for me, i want to watch you," becomes private and public overlapping, becomes ilya teasing and shane finally responding, same sides of the screen, same close ups as the playoffs faceoff.