See ya in hell

Oh, you need two years to release 8 episodes? HR filmed 6 episodes in less than 40 days.

You need more budget to pay high profile actors? HR took a risk with aspiring unknown actors because they were promising in the audition.

You butchered a language on screen? Connor Storrie delivered a monologue in Russian after learning the language for just a few weeks.

You added more dialogue to your adaptation to explain feelings? Hudson Williams delivered emotional rollercoaster performances with just his eyes.

“Go to your bench, Rozanov. I’m not going to tell you again.”

There are a million reasons why the concussion scene works, but what hit me the hardest is that it emphasises one of the biggest costs of being closeted: Not being considered Next of Kin.

If Ilya was Shane’s acknowledged partner, he would be given information immediately and supported to follow Shane to the hospital. Instead, he drifts backwards on his skates, all alone in an arena where the only person who understands why he *needs* to know is unconscious.

The way Shane always folds his clothes. The dropping of eyes and minute twitch at the corner of Connor Storrie’s mouth as Ilya notices but chooses not to make fun of him for it. The hypnotic state Shane gets in when he’s close enough to Ilya, the total mask-dropping when Ilya Ice Princess Rozanov is fucking Canada’s Golden Boy, probably-too-good-for-me Shane Hollander. These aren’t just smutty treats for a horny audience to bring in ratings, they’re ALL character moments.

What he does know though is that Shane folds his clothes before sex. And he smiles at him with adoration when he does it and doesn't rush him or make fun of him for it. He knows Shane doesn't always pick up on his jokes and sarcasm "That's French, Ilya" but he doesn't mind it and would never make Shane feel bad about it or dismiss his response "Yeah I know, Shane". He knows Shane has a PhD in The Arts of Overthinking "Now the bed's all dirty" so he playfully chases his worries away and closes all those open tabs in Shane's brain "What? Shut up". He knows Shane will not rest until he has everything in his life under control so he grumbles when Shane wakes him up in the middle of the night to tell him how they can make it all work but still listens intently to his plan. He knows Shane feels overwhelmed and anxious when stuff doesn't go down as planned "This is my actual fucking nightmare, Ilya" "I'm okay I'm just freaking out I'll be okay in a second" so he softly comforts him and supports him through it "Then maybe it's time to wake up, yes?" "We're good here, your family's here, you're boyfriend's here, we're good here, ok?" He knows Shane has to hear it to believe it "My boyfriend?" so he gently goes "I mean yes, I think so, probably".

They get there and Shane is like "Ilya and I are, uh..." and Ilya is like "hmm we haven't talked about this but I know Shane is really uncomfortable right now, so I will shout out the one (1) english word I know that describes this situation. LOVERS."

Then they're talking about how long they've been together and Shane is like "since our rookie season" and Ilya is like "well, hold on now, you said you don't like lying to your parents, so let's be very clear about when this started. We have to be so clear about the fact that it started the summer before our rookie season. Wait, would it make you feel better if I give your parents the exact date and time of our first hookup?"

And then Yuna is like "you've been in love that long?" and Ilya is like "I need you to understand I've been drilling your son into mattresses from here to Florida for the last decade, but I can't say that because I want you to be my mother in law, so are you picking up what I'm putting down?" and Shane is like ILYA and Ilya is like "I am ANSWERING MY MOTHER IN LAW'S QUESTIONS"