[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episodes 1-2]
If you need a moment to wipe the steam off your screen before you read this, we completely understand, because the two-episode premiere of Heated Rivalry is so hot we’re still catching our breath.
The Canadian series, now streaming on HBO Max, wastes no time cranking up the heat between rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), who have no business being as feral for each other as they are behind closed doors. But in the opening shots of this enemies-to-lovers story, something else — something more subtle — is also at play.