Heated Rivalry review: The unabashed and authentic rom-com we've all been yearning for

Let me start with saying what most are thinking - yes, Heated Rivalry majorly revolves around queer love and no, you won’t turn gay just because you're turnt up while watching this one!

We don't live in a democratic and progressive world. Not everyone gets to explore and question their sexuality and gender identity without facing life threatening consequences, quite literally.  And where I come from, there is even lesser tolerance for not confirming to the norm. And I'm saying this as a 30-something cis het privileged woman. We're often afraid of what we know little to nothing about and when we're not allowed to have agency over our bodies and embrace them, gaining knowledge isn't on our priority list. Which makes it all the more important for stories like Heated Rivalry to exist. 

A six-episode series, this Crave Original may be about the perils of being queer in a space as hyper masculine as sports is considered to be, one that leaves no scope for embracing anything other than chest thumping masculinity. But it also skillfully captures the essence of situationships, politics in sports, camaraderie, family disputes and the intensity and anticipation that you experience while watching a sport or falling in love. I'm aware that this isn't the first time we're watching a queer romance drama onscreen. Red, White and Royal Blue, Heartstopper and many others have contributed to this genre. But we've rarely watched content where being gay isn't the whole story. Yes, I'm saying this despite the considerable amount of time being dedicated to the hotter than hot sex scenes which had me fanning my face throughout the 6 episodes. But, this wasn't the only thing responsible for that! 

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Having grown up on Emraan Hashmi films in India, we're not starved for lust onscreen but how creator Jacob Tierney gives us the ultimate slow burn romance makes you want what arch rivals Shane and Ilya have; they make each other feel seen even in their brief interactions during tiny moments and watching their story progress from rivals on ice to being in a full blown relationship, gives you the rom-com feels you've been desperately waiting for. The screenplay is woven together brilliantly, with so much attention given to character arcs, dialogues and the story of the second leads. Maybe that’s what makes this series so ridiculously attractive; it gives you everything with Connor Storrie's Russian accent as the cherry on this delicious cake.

Heated Rivalry had quite a few moments that reminded me of Ted Lasso'sAFC Richmond and how the team had reacted to one of their players, Colin Hughes, coming out to them. Albeit both shows belonging to different genres, what they do have in common is how effortlessly they explore sexuality without making it look dirty. When (Hudson Williams) Shane Hollander and (Connor Storrie) Ilya Rozanov look like they’re minutes away from ripping each others' clothes off from the moment they lay eyes on each other, you struggle just as hard as them to keep your focus on the game. Their verbal spars, the politics of the game, (François Arnaud) Scott Hunter and (Robbie Graham-Kuntz) Kip's relationship - all of it has you glued to your screen, afraid of missing out on a single detail. 

There needs to be a special mention of how tastefully sex has been portrayed in this series. What could've looked 'straight out of p*rn' is handled with so much nuance. The setting, dialogues, even their texts - they leave you hungry for more. This is probably what I loved most about this 6 episode series, that and how the dialogues aren’t overwritten. So the few moments that deserve some limelight, like Hunter's speech in the end, are given the right amount of footage.

Series like these pave the way for so many conversations especially where they're most needed - in men's locker rooms where a lot of this damage takes place. Here's hoping Heated Rivalry speaks to others like it spoke to me!

This series is currently streaming on Lionsgate Play!

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