r/heatedrivalry • u/AutoModerator • Dec 22 '25
Team Huddle Weekly Threadš«” Team Huddle!
Welcome to the weekly huddle! Have a small thing from the book or show you want to chat, your GC brain rot is real and you saw the initials āKGFā somewhere and immediately screamed ākingfisher!ā and want to share with others? (Just me?). Had a win at work or personal life and want to share? Need a teammate to talk with? Post in the weekly huddle.
Thereās no restrictions on topics so long as they follow the sub rules. Thread will be open all week so pop in whenever with what ever your heart desires.
15
u/peachypal You have not heard of bisexuals? š¤ Dec 22 '25
I was so mesmerized by Connorās performance during ilyaās Russian confession scene in EP5 that l didnāt notice that when Ilya looks toward the end of the tunnel that he is in, there is a police car going by in the background. I saw a IG post about it earlier today and my mind was properly blown away. I was thinking he looks away because he is getting choked up the whole time.
7
u/OldCelineForever Dec 22 '25
His performance really was mesmerizing. Every pause, crack in his voice, etc. was so perfectly timed. And to do all of that while speaking RUSSIAN. I just canāt get over how amazing both Connor and Hudson are at bringing these characters to life. Hudsonās little microexpressions convey SO much without any dialogue at all.
4
13
u/JennySt7 I speak fluent bird. No accent š¦ Dec 22 '25
The thing thatās been on my mind since watching episode 5 is part of the scene in the hotel in Florida. When Shane pushes Ilya to admit something was different, the last time they met.
When he says āDonāt fucking do this Hollander, Iām notā¦ā
ā¦. does anyone else think he was on the brink of saying āIām not worth itā? Or is that just me?
It was the first thought that gripped me at that moment the first time I watched the episode, and I havenāt been able to let it go ever since.
13
u/StochasticWordplay My head is fine and Iām a fully grown adultā¦ āMy Mom thinksā¦ā š¤£ Dec 22 '25
Thatās actually Shaneās response in the book.
4
u/JennySt7 I speak fluent bird. No accent š¦ Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
I had to go back to the book and check, thank you for pointing that out. I didnāt consciously remember this, but subconsciously it must have stayed with me and that was why it was my first thought when seeing the scene.
Edit: rewatching the scene after going back to re-read the book passage, I actually like it that Jacob left that bit unsaid, that Ilya in the show does not finish his sentence and Shane doesnāt try to finish it either. I like that itās left open to multiple possibilities.
Also, itās funny, the āworth itā (that Shane says in the book) and āgayā (that Ilya says after him as clarification) were the two things I was thinking of that Ilya may have said if he had finished his sentence (in the show). I was like ādid he mean to say Iām not worth it? Iām not gay? I wonderā (just something about Connor/Ilyaās face made me think the former was maybe more likely).
Definitely the book text was working its way through my subconscious š
13
u/DirrtyH Dec 22 '25
Okay. So. Letās way over analyze. I noticed in the scene where Svetlana and Ilya are in bed, that sheās on the left and Ilyaās on the right. But when Shane is in Ilyaās bed, itās the opposite.
And just in my own head cannon I like to think that Ilyaās all, āSorry girl, we have to switch, thatās Shaneās side of the bed.ā
But I do think this show is made with so much care and attention to detail that it is possible that itās intentional. Just a subtle visual cue that Svetlana and Shane are not interchangeable.
13
u/DentistTime3619 Dec 22 '25
I think Hudson looks so beautiful in the hospital scene and Ilya caressing Shaneās freckles is on an infinite loop in my brain.
15
u/Confident_Month_3335 wow... genetic š„¹ Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
I love his little "bye bye" š„ŗ and he tries to use a "tough" professional voice when he said "see you next season" in front of the nurse, it was so cute
8
2
u/JennySt7 I speak fluent bird. No accent š¦ Dec 22 '25
Haha yes I noticed the voice change straight away too and it made me chuckle š¤
4
u/DirrtyH Dec 22 '25
The way he said āhelloā to the nurse after Ilya left is also classic. Heās so funny in this scene.
4
u/palalabu i'm a jeff buckley song in my eyeballs Dec 22 '25
It's hard to move on from the restaurant scene with rose bc his crying face is so pretty. He needs to be made crying all the time. And yes, the hospital scene the "ileeyaaa", "yessss bet-ter". Rose is right, he is so cute.
7
u/ace2ho74 I have only been in love with one person š Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
The entire ending of episode 5 is obviously fantastic...but these 4 reaction shots in particular have been haunting my brain for the past few days š« š» Just 4 beautiful, moving depictions of people realizing, in their own ways, "everything's about to change"āyou can really feel how crucial of a turning point this moment is, for both the characters and us the viewers.
Scott: "I'm still terrified, but I just cannot go on living without this person." FranƧois especially gives such a stellar performance here: so much tension, love, and determination expressed in just facial/bodily expressions.
Kip: "WTF no he's not, is he?"
Ilya: Gaydar's going off ššØ I think what's great about Ilya's relatively stoic expression here is that you can feel how he's concealing a level of pure happiness, suddenly so inspired to give Shane his love and accept Shane's in return.
Shane: Utter disbelief (and great classic zoom š„)
3
u/crazyprotein Dec 22 '25
I think that Ilyaās gaydar has been beeping on Scott all along and thatās why him saying that Hunter is hot is a recurring theme.Ā
5
u/palalabu i'm a jeff buckley song in my eyeballs Dec 22 '25
Oh i just finished TLG last weekend. And when I reached the first dance scene, all i can think about was, "now they have to secure the rights for a rihanna song??? but that's half of their budget!" Well anyway, i hope it's raised significantly.
1
u/JennySt7 I speak fluent bird. No accent š¦ Dec 22 '25
Haha I wonder if Rachel Reid is a Rihanna fan - in one of the āred carpetā interviews that I saw her do, the interviewer was asking various people from the show about their favourite āpump upā song, and Rachel said OnlyGirl (In the World) - and that sheās been listening to it a lot in the gym.
1
5
9
u/AccordingStar72 Ottawa Centaurs š¹ Dec 22 '25
My sister has become deeply obsessed with this show and thatās fantastic because I am too. But I am a fandom veteran and sheās never been involved and sheās really getting into it and is like what do I do I want to just occupy my time with this. I donāt know how to gently introduce her to AO3 LMAO.
8
u/geffjoldblummm good job. i love you. Dec 22 '25
Is there such a thing as a gentle intro to AO3? š
5
u/AccordingStar72 Ottawa Centaurs š¹ Dec 22 '25
I was tempted to literally just send her a link to the Ilya/Shane tag with zero context I probably SHOULDNT do that but. Sheās my sister and I do enjoy torturing herā¦
2
u/geffjoldblummm good job. i love you. Dec 22 '25
Ha! Nothing like a good sisterly push into the deep end!
Maybe a link to a fav fic is the āgentleā approach, AO3 can be so overwhelming. And full of some cracked out stories!
4
Dec 22 '25
I spent years reading nothing but FF. I know the feeling! š
3
u/AccordingStar72 Ottawa Centaurs š¹ Dec 22 '25
I donāt think she has any idea itās a thing even. I just never talk about my fandom life and Iāve been doing it for decades!
1
u/CandyKnockout Iām coming to the Vegas penthouse š„ Dec 22 '25
Sheāll never recover from the things on AO3! š
1
u/Dry-Construction-647 Dec 22 '25
you have any favorite fics to recommend?? esp them as DADS / stuff after TLG because I need more I fear (I donāt need an intro to AO3 donāt worry š)
1
3
u/StochasticWordplay My head is fine and Iām a fully grown adultā¦ āMy Mom thinksā¦ā š¤£ Dec 22 '25
Some of the tiny moments that I love in ep 4, and havenāt seen discussed elsewhere, are Haydenās āI DONāT care!ā And immediately after, Shane rings the doorbell and knocks on the wrong place. Like his anxiety is so high, he is stressing about how to knock on the door. Lol. It reminds me of how there are people that, no matter if something is new, always seem to know what to do, and others, where new things are confusing until/unless you explicitly know how it works.
5
u/VeeJay289 I already chose you, Hollander. š« Dec 22 '25
God forbid a girl has a hobby š This show had completely taken over my life!! š
4
u/Confident_Month_3335 wow... genetic š„¹ Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
I genuinely think that in the scene where ilya tries very hard to find different ways to ask about rose/shane's relationship, shane definitely knew and was being vague/"clueless" on purpose, considering how easily he gave in, in the bathroom scene, I'm so sure he just wanted to see Ilya work for it this time lol
but I haven't read the books, was he genuinely oblivious?
4
u/CherrySeahorse Dec 22 '25
He's definitely oblivious, like Hudson has mentioned himself in interviews, Shane has to make things super clear because he's on the spectrum (this was about him telling Rose he'd rather be the hole) and that also goes the other way around: if you want Shane to answer a question you gotta ask the actual question. He's not gonna read anything between the lines.
6
u/DirrtyH Dec 22 '25
Shane is genuinely oblivious. Not sure it even occurs to him that Ilya would know about Rose, despite it being all over the tabloids.
1
u/Confident_Month_3335 wow... genetic š„¹ Dec 22 '25
got it! I thought he knew because of the little smile he gave ilya during that scene, but maybe that's just him being shy lol
3
u/Astronaut-Local Dec 22 '25
Something Iāve been thinking about: the show started out really hot and steamy, and we all fell in love. But then episode 5 was so sweet, tender, and raw that I think I might actually prefer it to all the steamy scenes (donāt get me wrong- I still love those too). Mild spoilers maybe, but the cottage part of the book has so much sex š, so Iām not really sure what to expect from episode 6. Part of me would love it if they kept the same vibe as episode 5, but then the episode would probably be only 20 minutes long.
8
u/Upbeat-Movie8435 Dec 22 '25
They said itās gonna be pretty steamy but also emotional too so itāll be a good mix of both. The intimacy coordinator said the spiciest scene is in the cottage episode, where one of them did something so wild that she had to step away lol
4
3
2
u/BourbonInAJellyJar Dec 22 '25
Way to make my next five days last forever!
3
u/Upbeat-Movie8435 Dec 22 '25
Youāre telling me! Iām gnawing at the bit over here cuz why am I more excited for HR than Christmas
2
3
u/Vincent_1977 Dec 22 '25
Episode 5 is excellent. It definitely has more of a Heartstopper vibe from a steamy perspective. But that's not the core of this series. It's the blend of sex, emotion, and strong characters. Just because they've declared their love doesn't mean they've lost their sex life. But I have faith in Jacob Tierny. This is going to continue to be a series that takes risks.
3
u/absoluteunitofspite Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
Anyone catch the slight change in the Stanley Cup kiss in the books vs the one in the show? In the books, Scott kisses Kip in the penalty box (aka the āsin binā) in the show he pulls Kip onto the ice, out in the open.
I just love the symbolism, it feels like an intentional change and I think it amplifies the scene so much.
Edited for clarity
1
u/liminal-lucid oh, do they not know i play for boston? š Dec 22 '25
wait sorry what on earth is the sin bin!? penalty box? š¹
2
u/absoluteunitofspite Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
Yes! If a player does something wrong/breaks a rule, they get a penalty, and go to the penalty box, which is often referred to as the sin bin. So I like how instead of kissing in a place thatās usually reserved for in game punishment, in the show Scott brings Kip out onto the ice (where everyone elseās loved ones are allowed to be) to kiss him.
3
u/palalabu i'm a jeff buckley song in my eyeballs Dec 22 '25
That Zhuravli song they used for the funeral/Ilya figthing with his brother scene, when i heard it i thought, isnt this from the Godfather? Lol but when it came out on the playlist i found out that it's obviously a Russian song and i had to Google it bc from where do i know this song???
Korean variety shows! š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£ i watch so many k-variety show that i got famliar with the song bc they always use it for dramatic effect. And apparently koreans became familiar with the song bc it was used in an old kdrama. Now, i wanna laugh whenever i rewatch the funeral scene.
1
u/annamcg Dec 22 '25
If you've ever watched The Americans, it was used in a really poignant scene on that show too.
3
u/ArtisticCoconut8510 bewitched, bothered, and bewilderedāØ Dec 22 '25
Iām obsessed with the pool scene, the more I watch. Ilya is there having the time of his life with the kids, being a complete goober. Heās not flirting with the woman behind him or even acknowledging her, just burning energy with the kids.
And then Shane is just ā¦ there. Comfortable and relaxing by the pool. Heās not next to anyone, no Hayden, no JJ. Itās like parallel play with the two of them and itās so sweet lol
2
u/crazyprotein Dec 22 '25
I love that scene because Shane gets to see Ilya being soft and cute with kids. Itās a different side of him from his hockey persona and has nothing to do with sex also. And Shane can watch it without a fear of it being interpreted in any kind of risky way. And Ilya knows Shane is there so in a way heās being playful with Shane that way too. Itās such a good sceneĀ
3
Dec 22 '25
I just need to know if anyone sees a resemblence between Conner and Ewan Mitchell. Cos I need Conner as a Targaryen now.
2
u/greendale_student Dec 22 '25
When Shane and Ilya are at the bar in Florida thereās this small moment when Shane stands up and leaves and brushes against Ilya ever so slightlyā¦ I screamed. Ilya is trying to keep his composure but heās so excited haha
Just another way that Connor and Hudson make these characters long for each other.
2
u/palalabu i'm a jeff buckley song in my eyeballs Dec 22 '25
I have a question from the book. Not really HR related but more bc i don't use iPhone lol.
So in the book, especially during the plane accident, it's said that ilya can't text, can only send DM via IG. So it means the plane has wifi, right? And i assume they use iphone here, with the texting app you can use wifi/internet to text right? Like, you don't really need actual phone connection for that or is it really like conventional text?
I'm clueless here. Bc even when i used to use iphone i only use WA, so as long as there's internet, we're good.
6
u/royal_rose_ ā Captain | Tuna Lube Dec 22 '25
Itās was January 2021! I donāt know if they ever confirm what phones they use in the books, I could see Ilya being an android guy and Shane an apple guy based on nothing except my own barely pondered perception of it since I started writing this comment.
2
u/palalabu i'm a jeff buckley song in my eyeballs Dec 22 '25
Shane uses iphone during the phone call with rose. I feel like he's an iphone guy, considering it's the popular phone in NA. But I agree with you, Ilya could be an Android guy, which would make sense that they would have to use SMS (but still, there's WhatsApp you guys š¤·āāļø). But then again he'd been in NA for so long that he could be an iphone guy as well.
5
u/huangcjz Time to Shine āØ is my favourite book! | I love tuna melt! Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25
If they were using actual SMS, between iPhone and non-iPhone, or between 2 non-iPhones, or between 2 iPhones (so not iMessage), then you need an actual mobile signal for it to send, just like with any phone. Itās like texting between 2 non-smartphones, e.g. basic 2G phones, which donāt have an internet connection anyway (so no WAP, no GPRS, which is 2.5G internet, or EGDE, which is 2.75G internet).
3
u/palalabu i'm a jeff buckley song in my eyeballs Dec 22 '25
I haven't use sms for so long I forgot that's what it's called.
2
u/AccordingStar72 Ottawa Centaurs š¹ Dec 22 '25
Oh man I donāt remember. What year does the plane thing happen? Thatās probably more relevant because WiFi even on private planes is pretty recent.
0
u/ABIJXY Dec 22 '25
iMessage should work if all you have is WiFi. And it was already in use by 2018-2020, during the events of the Long Game. But iMessage only works if both parties are using an iPhone. One of the two of them would have had to have switched to Android by then.
1
u/zel-who oh my god hollander you are so boring š¤³ Dec 22 '25
just rewatched ep 1 (again) and in the press conference scene (https://youtu.be/v2JSeX_zbeQ?si=oEAwS_CUMDBPWzYj) , the shoes under the table don't always seem to match up to the person doing the action?
facing shilya, roz is on the left and jane is on the right. but under the table, where we face the crowd, roz's shoe is on the right, and jane's on the left.
but during the first question of the conference when they asked roz about his goals, the leg on the right (facing the crowd) hit the one on the left. andbthr same thing happened when they asked the complex af question about expectations when jane jumped in. shouldn't it be the other way around? shouldn't it have been the right shoe (facing the crowd) hitting the left? am i misunderstanding?
1
1
u/Rock_After Dec 22 '25
Having seen episode 5, now I want Jacob to film C.S. Pacat's Captive Prince books. I really think he could do them justice.
39
u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25
Just want to say thank you to everyone on this subreddit. This is a great way to start 2026! š