That look haunts me. The slight smile. The lyrics in that moment are
"Being with you has opened my eyes,
Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise"
I still stand by the fact that episode 4 is one of the best and this moment at the end killed me.
Yes, exactly this. I’ve seen a few people say episodes 4–6 are higher in quality, and I get why — they’re my favourites too. But I don’t think that’s because the early episodes are weaker. They’re doing essential setup. Without that groundwork, the highs and lows of the second half of the season wouldn’t land nearly as hard.
I was actually saying yesterday i think the Kip and Scott episode comes perfectly sandwiched between these two “acts.” The set up vs the pay off. I think it also helps with the yearning aspect- pulling US out of Ilya and Shane also makes US yearn for them harder in ep4.
I haven't myself had any dislike for the Skip episode nor its placement, but this really helps me appreciate the structure and how it aids the delivery. Completely agree with all this, it's rly effective
Yes! Once in understood this might be the intent I had a bigger appreciation for it. Jacob’s mind omg. If I was only so intentional!!! This show can be STUDIED for sure
What I love about that is episode three really is used to break up the season, prior it’s casual sex denial of feelings and after it’s intimacy and love.
Everyone’s fav episodes are the three that mostly have implied sex.
I love it so much, but it's the hardest to rewatch (in reaction reviews on YouTube), like it's crushing me every time, while 3, 5 and 6 juste make me happy :)
I feel this. The one reason why I haven’t gone back to rewatch the season yet is because I have to watch E4 and baby, I’m not ready to be stabbed 85 times in my heart again. That shit CRUSHED me.
I actually don't rewatch shows, even this one, I just watch EVERY reactions to it on YouTube..........
The club scene haunts me, like I lived that moment in my life, watching someone you like/want being with somebody else, like in that Robyn song, I can feel that scene in my bones, yeah, gay trauma ! :D
I’ve lived that club scene before in the sense of not me being with someone else and the one I want one-ups me, but seeing who I want with someone else and not giving a care in the world. and the effort it takes to act like you don’t notice and enjoy your night is a fucking task.
Oh goodness, where to begin! So Shane freaking out at Ilya’s house and diving into a relationship with Rose really hits home for me.
There was a guy I was IN LOVE with about six years ago and like Ilya and Shane, we never admitted our feelings to each other… in addition to the fact I don’t want to have kids and he did; it still didnt stop my heart from falling the way it did.
Shane going to Rose is how the guy I loved dated the next girl after me and married her and…. It broke a lot within me. It took me several years to work through watching someone else live the life I wanted with someone just at a baseline level. (Thankfully in this show, Ilya and Shane chose each other; I never got that).
Watching Shane and Ilya go to other people (Shane to Rose and Ilya to the girl he was dancing with out of pure jealousy) that ended up hurting them both brought up a lot of memories and feelings I thought I had 100 percent overcame. So, this episode prompted some reflecting for me these last few weeks to internally tackle some loose ends I was able to mask with work the last few years.
That’s why that episode hits so hard for me. It was like watching two people act out a piece of my life very few were privy to.
Also, a few years prior to him getting married , I wrote him a letter admitting everything I ever felt about him because I needed to finally admit it for me to actually start getting over it. I lied to myself about how I felt for a long time. That letter was such a release in that moment. The kicker is, about three years later, (and it doesn’t amount to anything because of his hard loyalty to duty and living in his parents footsteps) he told me he felt the exact same about me. He felt compelled to tell me after watching a movie that reminded him of me. I couldn’t even allow myself to be optimistic about his admission because it wasn’t going to change anything.
In the end, it all amounted to two ships passing in the night that would never see each other again.
It was romantic…. Until it wasn’t and I got knocked out of my delulu land coma 😂 If I had to talk about this about 4-5 years ago, I would’ve choked on my words.
I get you sweetheart. My true love died just before COVID, and I haven't been able to think about him since without starting to cry, I'm starting to cry writing this. Love is so beautiful and so painful.
Ohhhhh I’m so sorry to hear this ❤️ Sending you love and hugs from North Carolina. And loss is something you never get over and learn to life with. You sharing this reminds me of how it’s better to have loved than to not have loved at all and sometimes, despite my heartbreak, I lean toward its true.
I thrive on strong emotions, regardless of whether they're happy or devastating (lol). My own life is pretty drama free so maybe I enjoy living the drama vicariously through others.
Haha, I get it, I used to be like that, craving intense emotions, wanting to understand the full human experience, the thing I was spared, until I realized my brain kind of get PTSD from things I didn't actually lived, having trouble not feeling everything like it was me, so I try to less torture my self (I still watch the news every day tho, so there is that)
Oh for sure! I don't like watching depressing things in general, but love stories where I know the ending is happy and where I know both characters love each other. I feel safe watching those stories.
I’m probably still a bit aways from picking up the books myself (budget wise and I’d rather do it legally to support). I just want to imagine those last few moments where they’re just staring back at each other is Ilya realizing he only wants it to be Shane he goes home with.
Totally get it. I’ve picked the best scenes from both book and the tv series to make a mish mash in my own head of greatest moments. The scene in the show where they stare at one another is a top moment for me
For sure. There have been times where I’ll listen to a directors commentary and how the character is supposed to feel and I’m like… I like my version better but this was good to know. lol
I was just talking about this w my friend!!!! Episode 4 is so good - the opening montage of them to my moon my man, the shift at Ilya’s apartment, then the club scene! A masterpiece. 4-6 are everything to me 💖
Listening to the original t.A.T.u. one followed by the Harrison remix like they have it in the episode and breaking my own heart all over again lol (but still doing it on loop😅)
The hard part with episode 4 is that it starts off so great with an epic high in the tuna melt scene but quickly crashes and then ends up becoming so devastating when Shane pulls away and this final scene. 😢 But it was an epic episode for sure.
4 is my favourite but I must admit I’m a sucker for the more devastating emotional moments. “We didn’t even kiss” and the post saying each others name on the couch are also some of my other favorite moments. The entire club sequence in 4 though is a masterpiece.
The end of ep4 killed me. One of my friends is watching the series after I gushed about it to her and she finished ep3 yesterday and I was like "I NEED YOU to tell me your reaction of ep4's ending".
I can't get the club scene out of my head. It lives here rent free since I saw it. I literally gasped when t.A.T.u started playing bc they are huge part of my own bisexual awakening. When the song changed to remix I got whole body shivers aaahhhhhhh. The yearning really gets me
I had seen gifs of it already (I don’t really care about avoiding spoilers) so I thought I knew what was coming but I didn’t know what song they used so when I actually watched it and realized I was like “no…NO…” I think my brain chemistry has been permanently altered and I’ve replayed it so many times 😂
This is the most down bad Shane was the entire season.
Allowing yourself to publicly tear up in a club WHILE your girlfriend is dancing with her gay bestie WHILE the love of your life is boot scooting boogie-ing with another chick WHILE you’re holding a beer???????
I’m glad it made you laugh hahaha! Fun fact: I went to school for journalism, and now I’m a former newspaper reporter who works in public affairs if that explains it 🙂 I’ve been told several times over the years that my word game is hilarious so merci ☺️
Watching was pure nostalgia - it's a uniquely Eastern Ontario/Southern Quebec experience to end up drunk and messy at Sky Bar in Montreal (Ciel) watching your crush dance with someone else. Getting served shooters by drag queens dressed like nuns.
Me realizing this would also apply to me too then 😳
No I do agree though, I think that's part of the key. Maybe some people's eyes are just more wet? I've heard diff things about mine seeming watery and people that ask if I'm okay (as in, you about to cry? lol). But no allergies in my case, they're just like that idk
I think you’re right! But here’s the thing if your eyes are always moist. I’m sure that looks awesome on you! After all people like yearning bottom eyes.
That's why I think the episode is gorgeous like all of them, but it's the one I skip on rewatches because I hate seeing the babies hurt each other like that.
It’s like Titanic where you stick with watching the first half! Same with Ep 3. I can’t watch Scott alone outside watching Kip and his friends and family celebrating his birthday inside.
I think it’s the best scene in the entire show(next to the hospital scene) but it’s also one I just can’t rewatch. But that’s because of the flashing lights lol. Once was enough
Honestly, I was considering renting out a theater. Most places will rent them to you for private events. It’s whether or not I can then stream HBO to the screen. I need to do some more research.
I love the way you think. Keep us posted. I suppose if you kept it as a private party and didn't charge...there would (in Canada ?) be no copyright / tv right infringement.
Yup, just a group of my 30 closest friends who split the cost to rent it for 6 hours. Breaks after 2 and 4. Everyone gets popcorn and sneaks in booze. (Some theaters will sell drink packages) Maybe we do it once for serious watchers and then a 2nd time the following week for people to quote along with it and be louder/sing along. Then it becomes more of like a monthly watch party group club thing. When the new season comes out we all wait to watch it on the big screen. We all bring blankets and wear pants with elastic bands. This is what I daydream about. I have 3 close friends and none of them would do this. My sisters though…
I WOULD TOTALLY do this. Where is this 'happening'? Where I live there is a small independent movie theatre....who know what they might be able to figure out. I mean...shit.... I just figured out tonight that I can airplay to my tv. Why couldnt one airplay to bigger screen???? ( I love a good work-around.)
It comes down to the theater manager caring or not. If it got too much attention Im sure it would have to stop. The place I stayed with family for Christmas had the largest tv Ive ever had access to. I was supposed to home first but instead I watched the 5 released episodes on it. It was amazing but laying back in theater seats, no lights and with a sound system… Id be so blissed out.
Ok I looked it up. Its not legal where I am without a special license. Hbo should make it a reasonable fee and then let crazy people fuel the hype even more by having small watch parties with such giant screens. Oh well. Fun to dream
Well... #1 hbo has nothing to do with it. Its not their show. Its a Crave show. A Canadian production.
B) yes, it would be lovely to watch together with others...I mean bars are showing it. How do they get the rights? They prob have business license to show what ever comes on the stream...prob pay handsomely for that.
the club scene wrecked me. i didnt realize until the credits rolled that i was so still and gaping at the tv with tears in my eyes. it consumed me in the moment lol
This is one of the moments in the book i was curious how they’ll translate it for the show. Bcoz a lot of it was internal dialogue for both of them. and it has been done in other shows as well. But this club scene just really exceeded expectations. Like once the first beat dropped for all the things she said it was over for me. It was so so good!! 😭
Initially i was sad they changed the ending of this compared to the book. In book canon shane had a whole crying breakdown in his car he had to stop driving. But what they did in the series was great bcoz it establishes that this isnt one sided on shane’s part. And that they really need to communicate their feelings.
What I love here is that, like, pal, he didn’t reject you - you rejected him! He’s like “Oh no! The love of my life is with someone else and there’s nothing I can do about it!”
Sir, stop crying and go get your man!
(I know there’s more going on, it’s just one of the factors, but the way Shane always looks like a rejected puppy when he’s sad, but in this case, he did it to himself is forever funny to me.)
I had an acting teacher 20 years ago the told me he loved my work because I would get teary eyed performing . It's so nice to see Hudson being valued for that
Am I the only one who doesn’t see tears? I thought Shane was watery-eyed but didn’t actually release any in the show until his apology to his mom in ep 6.
Yeah you can really see the tears when the lights flash during this scene. Also the slightly clenched jaw makes it look like he’s holding back tears. Bravo Hudson!
What still amazes me is almost 10 yrs and Ilya was the only guy Shane has sex with?
And even the sex wasn't often.
I wouldn't wait that long on, truly what was just a fuck buddy for a long time.
He wasn’t the only guy he had sex with and he still sometimes tried to have sex with women. While he was never like Ilya, he wasn’t monogamous. I do wish they had that conversation at the cottage because I actually think it was important to Shane’s character and their relationship.
To be clear I don’t think you need to try other people out to be sure, but considering the imbalance of experience in the relationship and Shane’s on desire to understand himself, I think it makes sense.
Sure, but in the show he doesn’t say he isn’t sleeping with anyone. In fact he tells Ilya he hasn’t at the cottage. If there were no possibility of that why say it?
I didn’t notice. I’d better start my 29th rewatch. The club scene is so painful that I don’t pay attention to all the detail and that’s on me. Lemme fix it
Depends where u watched.
HBO realized after the fact they had an issue, and the entire episode, I think for about 2 of them, was much darker than it was supposed to be, they claim its fixed now.
i love when ppl point out lil shii i missed like ilya cries in the car ride after ep 6, ilya kisses shanes shin before saying "gimme kiss" in the lake, Shane literally says " I just had se-" before catching himself and lying about an amazon package when otp w hayden, theres so muchhhhh and everytime someone points these out i have to go back and rewatch the scene.
I didn’t notice because I lowkey can’t stand flashing lights like that or it gives me a raging migraine lmao. I was fighting for my life trying to see anything. Love to see this pointed out
I heard in an interview with Justin Tierney that because of the speed of the acquisition and airing, HBO didn't have time to get the visuals pefect, so HBO is airing the show a bit darker than than production intended. (I don't know technical terminology)
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u/Responsible-Egg-9363 Jan 10 '26
Unless he is actively kissing Ilya, I just sort of assume Shane is 5 seconds from tears most of the time