Heated Rivalry

[wildone]

So the first 2 epis launched today for the new Crave/HBO Max story of two top hockey players breaking into the pro leagues.

Oh dear, oh my 😮 

If this was 2 chapters submitted to GA, they wouldn't be allowed do the overwhelming amount of sex  especially in the first epi.  

It is a nadian production so you know that they are going all out with the full nudity, less the full monty shot, but the positions of 2 naked in shape guys, leave little to the imagination  

I'm thinking the 'mercian version of Queer As Folk. Oh me, oh my. 

I do think that after the first 2 epis they are setting up a relationship, as we are learning more and more about the 2 m/c's. 

 

 

[Krista]

A relationship. I was shaking my head through a lot of Episode 2. Good character dynamics... mind you. But yes... I shooketh my head.  

[methodwriter85]

I'm seriously surprised Mark Arbour hasn't watched this yet.

[wildone]

Season 1 has finished after only 5 episodes. I guess everyone is surprised at the worldwide attention and to this series, Crave and HBO Max are   Season 2 has been scheduled, but who knows when the release will be. Krista heard late 2026, early 2027.

Both Crave and HBO Max (US and Australia) has had the highest new series ever watching, and large increases of subscribers.

Who knew

 

[Jason Rimbaud]

1 hour ago, wildone said:

Season 1 has finished after only 5 episodes. I guess everyone is surprised at the worldwide attention and to this series, Crave and HBO Max are   Season 2 has been scheduled, but who knows when the release will be. Krista heard late 2026, early 2027.

Both Crave and HBO Max (US and Australia) has had the highest new series ever watching, and large increases of subscribers.

Who knew

 

From the attention its getting, I hope its good, and proves to studios that good gay stories are worth the money. I shan't watch because of...you know...sports balls. But I hope its a continued success.  

[W_L]

Made me re-read Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy's HIM series, slightly less sex and more character development 😛 

I do have Rachel Reid's Game Changer series in my TBR (To Be Read) list this year, which includes Heated Rivalry, maybe I should review it.

[Ron]

Does anyone remember when the studios were capable of producing hour-long episodes (with time out for commercials) of shows that lasted for twenty-eight weeks? Those were the good old days.

In any event and despite my lack of interest in organized sports, I’ve been enjoying this season very much.

There’s been talk about the importance of gay actors playing gay characters. I’m somewhat sympathetic. But then consider that straight actors can play gay characters and then go on to do other roles. It’s entirely possible that once a gay actor plays the gay character that they then become pigeonholed and only seen as capable of playing gay characters, and that’s limiting. It may be that gay actors don’t actually want the parts if they will later prove detrimental to their careers. Just a thought.

[chris191070]

We can't watch it in the UK yet.

[wildone]

I did find the Director's response to all the media's questions about the two leads and also the Scott Hunter character if they are gay, interesting.

He said something along the lines of, if I asked anyone else their sexual orientation in any other line of work other than acting, how long would it be before I was in front of an HR or Legal department? Excellent answer!!

That supposedly ended the questions from the media en masse. 

You can read about the characters lives leading up to and including the shooting and infer what you want to infer about their sexuality. Kind of like how a good writer doesn't necessarily need a sex scene in their story to let the readers imagination take them where they want to go. 

I am of the belief that 1, probably 2, maybe 3 are gay . A quick google search shows one is openly bi since about 2020. But the rest is only in my head  Bad, Steve  

[Jeff Burton]

42 minutes ago, wildone said:

I did find the Director's response to all the media's questions about the two leads and also the Scott Hunter character if they are gay, interesting.

He said something along the lines of, if I asked anyone else their sexual orientation in any other line of work other than acting, how long would it be before I was in front of an HR or Legal department? Excellent answer!!

That is seriously a good answer though.  I have not seen it yet, I will eventually but my HBO Max subscription lapsed some time ago and Idk if this is a good enough reason to watch it.

I will say when watching 'Game of Thrones.' I recall thinking "for a show with straight characters there sure is a lot of penis flying around,' so I suspect the flights will be more often with something like Heated Rivalry. 😂

[LJCC]

On 11/29/2025 at 12:29 PM, wildone said:

So the first 2 epis launched today for the new Crave/HBO Max story of two top hockey players breaking into the pro leagues.

Oh dear, oh my 😮 

If this was 2 chapters submitted to GA, they wouldn't be allowed do the overwhelming amount of sex  especially in the first epi.  

It is a nadian production so you know that they are going all out with the full nudity, less the full monty shot, but the positions of 2 naked in shape guys, leave little to the imagination  

I'm thinking the 'mercian version of Queer As Folk. Oh me, oh my. 

I do think that after the first 2 epis they are setting up a relationship, as we are learning more and more about the 2 m/c's. 

 

 

There is a version of this story that could have sailed through standards and practices without losing its pulse.

Lewd, yes.

Raunchy, certainly.

But lewdness need not be synonymous with sloppiness, and eroticism does not require the absence of craft.

Written with a touch more discipline—some elegance of language, some restraint in structure—it might have earned a far broader institutional blessing from GA.

100%, the GA readers would've eaten this up.

What complicates the critique is an uncomfortable truth: this is one of those rare cases where the adaptation so thoroughly outclasses the source material that it exposes the original’s limitations rather than amplifying its strengths.

The novel by Rachel Reid, by its own design, is disposable romance.

A Harlequin novel framework filtered through the grammar of Wattpad—crass, sexually blunt, and narratively serviceable at best.

No one reading it believes they’re holding a future classic, and even its most devoted fans seem aware of that.

This is not a book that inspires feverish Reddit manifestos or literary evangelism.

It knows exactly what it is, and so do its readers.

And yet, against the odds, it became something else on screen.

There are objectively better-written sports M&M romance novels out there—sharper prose, more interiority, and greater emotional architecture.

What this one had instead was extraordinary luck: producers who understood the assignment, a director unwilling to sand down the rough edges, and two leads whose chemistry transformed thinly sketched yearning into something lived-in and credible.

Most crucially, the series resisted the perennial impulse to sanitize desire.

The sex was not ornamental; it was narrative.

Cut it back, and the story’s core thesis—longing, unresolved and bodily—would have collapsed under its own modest weight.

The result is a reversal of the usual hierarchy.

The book explains the show, but the show redeems the book.

What began as pulp became, through care and conviction, something approaching authenticity.

Not elevated literature—but proof that even the most unassuming material can transcend itself when treated seriously, rather than apologetically.

That, more than anything, is what lingers.

Yes, the fanfiction I wrote by my 17-year-old self about X-Men and the devils and angels might become "Heated: The X-Men's Rivalry" someday.

One can only hope that Magneto will get tongue-fucked by Azrael.

There are tentacles.

It's glorious.

[Jason Rimbaud]

This is the problem when you have someone so eloquently offer a review of creative material. In your well-thought-out and well-written review, you offer hope, such as there is, that this tale is anything other than straightness wrapped up in gayness. As I read your review, I really wanted the story to be what you described, as it was glorious. 

But when I watched it, I felt your review of the show was far better than the show you reviewed. If I had the money, I'd hire you to write every review for anything I've ever written.  . 

As for the show, we can disagree about what it is. There is no reason for me to make a case for or against it. It would be against it. But I really wanted to point out how much I loved your review. It was really, really good. 

 

[wildone]

16 minutes ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

But when I watched it, I felt your review of the show was far better than the show you reviewed. If I had the money, I'd hire you to write every review for anything I've ever written.  . 

You watched a sports balls movie 😮 

I'm impressed   

[Jason Rimbaud]

15 minutes ago, wildone said:

You watched a sports balls movie 😮 

I'm impressed   

Thank you, but his review was very good. All your talk about sports balls fell on dumb ears. But when I read his review, I really felt like that was something I might like. I watched two and wanted to pull my hair out. which is difficult as i am very much bald. 

[Jeff Burton]

18 hours ago, LJCC said:

There is a version of this story that could have sailed through standards and practices without losing its pulse.

Lewd, yes.

Raunchy, certainly.

But lewdness need not be synonymous with sloppiness, and eroticism does not require the absence of craft.

Written with a touch more discipline—some elegance of language, some restraint in structure—it might have earned a far broader institutional blessing from GA.

100%, the GA readers would've eaten this up.

What complicates the critique is an uncomfortable truth: this is one of those rare cases where the adaptation so thoroughly outclasses the source material that it exposes the original’s limitations rather than amplifying its strengths.

The novel by Rachel Reid, by its own design, is disposable romance.

A Harlequin novel framework filtered through the grammar of Wattpad—crass, sexually blunt, and narratively serviceable at best.

No one reading it believes they’re holding a future classic, and even its most devoted fans seem aware of that.

This is not a book that inspires feverish Reddit manifestos or literary evangelism.

It knows exactly what it is, and so do its readers.

And yet, against the odds, it became something else on screen.

There are objectively better-written sports M&M romance novels out there—sharper prose, more interiority, and greater emotional architecture.

What this one had instead was extraordinary luck: producers who understood the assignment, a director unwilling to sand down the rough edges, and two leads whose chemistry transformed thinly sketched yearning into something lived-in and credible.

Most crucially, the series resisted the perennial impulse to sanitize desire.

The sex was not ornamental; it was narrative.

Cut it back, and the story’s core thesis—longing, unresolved and bodily—would have collapsed under its own modest weight.

The result is a reversal of the usual hierarchy.

The book explains the show, but the show redeems the book.

What began as pulp became, through care and conviction, something approaching authenticity.

Not elevated literature—but proof that even the most unassuming material can transcend itself when treated seriously, rather than apologetically.

That, more than anything, is what lingers.

Yes, the fanfiction I wrote by my 17-year-old self about X-Men and the devils and angels might become "Heated: The X-Men's Rivalry" someday.

One can only hope that Magneto will get tongue-fucked by Azrael.

There are tentacles.

It's glorious.

 

2 hours ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

This is the problem when you have someone so eloquently offer a review of creative material. In your well-thought-out and well-written review, you offer hope, such as there is, that this tale is anything other than straightness wrapped up in gayness. As I read your review, I really wanted the story to be what you described, as it was glorious. 

But when I watched it, I felt your review of the show was far better than the show you reviewed. If I had the money, I'd hire you to write every review for anything I've ever written.  . 

As for the show, we can disagree about what it is. There is no reason for me to make a case for or against it. It would be against it. But I really wanted to point out how much I loved your review. It was really, really good. 

 

Now I really want to watch it.

Such polar opposites I have to measure it for myself. I’m fine with straight dudes doing gay things.

It’s not like I haven’t searched for that exact situation on the internet before. 😇🙄😂

[Jeff Burton]

1 hour ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

Thank you, but his review was very good. All your talk about sports balls fell on dumb ears. But when I read his review, I really felt like that was something I might like. I watched two and wanted to pull my hair out. which is difficult as i am very much bald. 

You tried which shows a willingness and that does count.

[Jason Rimbaud]

9 minutes ago, Jeff Burton said:

straight dudes doing gay things

Not the issue I had. Good actors disappear into the role, the writing on this show is horrible, sexy asses aside. It takes more than eye candy for me to like a show. 

[wildone]

@chris191070, I understand it has blown up the UK streaming on Sky and Now over the weekend!

Sounds like everyone in Hollywood wanted a piece of them at the Golden Globes  But I know a lot of your opinions on Hollywood  

[Jason Rimbaud]

17 minutes ago, Jeff Burton said:

exact situation on the internet before

It's not like I haven't actively searched the bars for this very scenario before. I was successful. I wrote a blog about it once.  I also have a thing for employees of GameStop, but that's a story for another when. 

[Jeff Burton]

1 hour ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

It's not like I haven't actively searched the bars for this very scenario before. I was successful. I wrote a blog about it once.  I also have a thing for employees of GameStop, but that's a story for another when. 

Never tried it at a bar, it always happened when I was doing stuff like waiting for a bus or riding the train to or from work 😂

[W_L]

58 minutes ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

It's not like I haven't actively searched the bars for this very scenario before. I was successful. I wrote a blog about it once.  I also have a thing for employees of GameStop, but that's a story for another when. 

Oo, you like Gaymers   (Big social subgroup in the community, been to a few meetups, some really nice guys. Not all are nerdy types, but everyone seemed to have an opinion on Mass Effect and Fallout)

Like you, I do think it would be cool if there were more media and stories that featured gamers, streamers, and modern social groups with gay main characters. 

[Jason Rimbaud]

3 minutes ago, W_L said:

Oo, you like Gaymers   (Big social subgroup in the community, been to a few meetups, some really nice guys. Not all are nerdy types, but everyone seemed to have an opinion on Mass Effect and Fallout)

Like you, I do think it would be cool if there were more media and stories that featured gamers, streamers, and modern social groups with gay main characters. 

So since no one likes sports balls,   let's talk Mass Effect, and since there are gay characters in said game we are kind of on topic, 

What do you think of Mass Effect trilogy? 

[chris191070]

1 hour ago, wildone said:

@chris191070, I understand it has blown up the UK streaming on Sky and Now over the weekend!

Sounds like everyone in Hollywood wanted a piece of them at the Golden Globes  But I know a lot of your opinions on Hollywood  

Yeah, it has. I've watched the 1st two episodes. There's certainly plenty of sex.

[Jeff Burton]

1 hour ago, Jason Rimbaud said:

So since no one likes sports balls,   let's talk Mass Effect, and since there are gay characters in said game we are kind of on topic, 

What do you think of Mass Effect trilogy? 

I haven’t played it. I didnt t think I’d like it but I’ve been seeing YouTube videos and apparently I’d love it.

Edited January 12 by Jeff Burton

[Krista]

14 hours ago, wildone said:

@chris191070, I understand it has blown up the UK streaming on Sky and Now over the weekend!

Sounds like everyone in Hollywood wanted a piece of them at the Golden Globes  But I know a lot of your opinions on Hollywood  

I would've skipped it.  Hollywood award shows are so tedious and pretentious and they both seem like life-loving, fun guys... I would rather cut onions all day than watch ten minutes of the Golden Globes.