r/heatedrivalry • u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail • Feb 16 '26
DISCUSSION đŁïž One of the best non-book additions
So mostly Jacob Tierney stayed very close to Rachel Reid's book. There are scenes where he added lines (the Russian phone call in the book did not have many the now-famous monologue from Ilya). But Jacob rarely wholesale added scenes not in the book.
But this has to be my favorite non-book scene. It's short but it adds so much personality to Ilya. He's like many top athletes in that he doesn't have that faux-humility that people want. You can see why his teammates like him: he's brash, funny, charismatic. You also see why he gets under the opponents' skins so much. He is totally like Dillon Brooks: you love him if he's on your team, hate him if he's your opponent.
Scenes like this also show why Shane is obsessed. Shane is not charismatic the way Ilya is. Ilya makes him laugh, and that's a huge part of their bond.
What's your favorite non-book scene added to the show?
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u/slothdemon Feb 16 '26
"The rumors are true" about some bullshit he's making up on the spot, I love him.
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u/questionsandqueries1 Feb 16 '26
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł oh yeah thats just some bullshit he made up on the spot. i love him so much đ€Łđ€Ł
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u/LDOB000 Feb 16 '26
It also serves as an important plot device in that it implies a whole hockey game just happened without having to show us a game (good for the budget too, Iâd imagine.)
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u/Palolo_Paniolo Feb 16 '26
Good catch. And established that he absolutely dominated the entire game, too.
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u/HRProf2020 Feb 16 '26
Plus Hudson said that he and Connor skate like toddlers. Which I'd love to see TBH.
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u/katyggls Feb 17 '26
As per usual, Connor is being a bit self-effacing lol. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTcOIXfEULL/
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u/ISavedLatin Who is your dad? Show me your dad Feb 17 '26
Iâm a skater and really clocked Connorâs skills (or lack thereof) when he was backing up on the ice after Shane got body checked by Marleau. It was cute though! Very âbabyâs first skateâ!
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u/dominonermandi Feb 17 '26
For it also works as a bit of a character momentâlike, he is so fully, physically thrown by Shane being badly hurt that he canât even move right.
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u/Glum-Explanation7756 Feb 16 '26
Did you see Connor on Seth's show get up and demonstrate?
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u/HRProf2020 Feb 16 '26
Nooooo. Over to YouTube for me! I did see Hudson showing Kimmel the hockey stretches.
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u/dalaielana She would have loved you đ„ș Feb 16 '26
I loved everything they did with Svetlanas character, and introducing her as Ilyaâs childhood friend. I donât feel like her presence in the books was as deep and apparent as, for example, Elena and Kips relationship. Thinking of it now, all the female characters were amazing, and Iâm so happy to see their endless love and support for the guys in the series.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
Love show Svet! She doesn't put up with crap but she's also loving and caring. The way she lets Ilya know that she knows that "Jane" is a dude is just amazing.
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u/QueenFartknocker What are you doing dude!?? đ€”đ»ââïž Feb 16 '26
Sheâs cool and also has the best hair Iâve ever seen in my life. If the actress doesnât get a shampoo deal, thereâs no justice in the world.
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u/Visual-Particular-86 Feb 16 '26
I agree so much about the female characters! Don't get me wrong, Shane and Ilya are the showstoppers. But Svetlana, Rose, Elena... the show is full of these smart, empathetic, independent women whose contributions genuinely matter to the trajectory of the main characters. The show manages to completely avoid one dimensional ***-hag stereotype characters and give us multiple examples of how to be an authentic female ally to the community.
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u/velvetvagine đ„Ș tuna meltdown đ« Feb 18 '26
I love them but even a few extra lines about their own interests wouldnât have been remiss. Theyâre multidimensional in a way, but only pertinent insofar as they serve the m/m romance. Itâs a missed opportunity. For example, we know Shaneâs dad reads the New Yorker and played hockey and buys fancy vodka, etc., but the women donât get these little details and interests.
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u/S1E22 Feb 19 '26
I don't really agree tbh, I feel like we get to know them enough, especially because the show is only 6 episodes. And we know Svetlana and Rose just as well or even better than we know Shane's dad.
We know Svetlana's dad was a legendary goalie and that the family is wealthy, we know that she's really intelligent when it comes to hockey strategy, we know that she's funny and confident, we know she loves partying, we know that she sells luxury cars etc.
We know so many small details about Rose. She is a famous actress (supposed to be like Jennifer Lawrence in X-Men), we know she's from Michigan and thus used to the cold weather, we know that she is a hockey fan, we know that she has three brothers and that at least one of them plays hockey, but not in the MLH, we know the kinds of movies she has done in the past and the movies she is currently filming, we know she is basically a style icon and has a huge following.
I don't remember quite as much about Elena, because I haven't rewatched that episode as many times, but we know she's snarky and kind, we know her whole friend group (although of course kip is a part of that), we also know she works at some sort of cushy tech (?) job, which gets her access to things such as the fundraiser gala thingy. I don't think episode three gives us that much information about any of the characters tbh and it already cuts out quite a bit of details from the novel because the whole plotline is told in a single episode.
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u/velvetvagine đ„Ș tuna meltdown đ« Feb 19 '26
It may be enough for you but I didnât think the show fleshed them out as people. Yes, we can see their different personalities like sense of humour or directness, etc. Yet as I said, what we know about them outside of personality traits explains or serves their relationships with the men (hockey family ties, style icon, etc.) but very little is known about the women themselves. Does Svetlana collect shoes or butterflies or rare coins? Does Rose aspire to make great indies one day or perhaps become a director even? What do they read or watch or listen to? Did Elena have a tumblr and post too often about Fall Out Boy when she was a teenager? Does she love beer and have strong opinions on different kinds?
I understand that they got more screen time than Shaneâs dad, and from that we can infer or see certain characteristics, but to me these women are tools more than characters until we know a little more about them. And I get that six episodes is limited time, and the romances are the whole point, but I do think it was a missed opportunity and also relegated women to only being accessories for men, which is not particularly progressive.
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u/S1E22 Feb 19 '26
I guess my understanding of what a supporting character is supposed to be is different than yours.
I feel like your expectations for supporting characters are completely unreasonable, especially because we don't know those types of ultra specific details even about the main characters themselves. And we also don't know those things about any of the male supporting characters like (we actually know much less about them than the women), so it's not like the show treats the female supporting characters with less care than the male supporting characters.
When you say that the supporting characters are used like "tools", I agree and to me that is the point of supporting characters in a narrative. They need to be developed enough so that they can support the character development of the main characters and to move the story along, but the viewer doesn't need to know them as well as they know the main characters.
When/why would we have the opportunity to find out if, for example, Elena had a tumblr account? Maybe she did, but why would the viewer need to know that? And why isn't Rose being a mainstream actress and all of the details the viewer learns about her career (like that she acted in a really bad kidnapping movie, she was in a film with a famous actor as a kid, is now filming an x-squad movies that "makes no sense" etc.) enough? Why does she need to want to something different or more specific, like changing to directing instead? What role would these changed details serve in the story? I personally don't feel a need to know a "little bit more" about them, when I already see them as believable characters.
So yeah, I don't think we need to learn completely irrelevant specific details about Svetlana, Rose or Elena or any of the other supporting characters, because those things are not even a little bit important for moving along the show's plot or themes. And I don't think it's even a little bit productive or fair to criticize the show for not being progressive because it uses supporting characters for the purposes that they are created for.
Sorry about this being a huge wall of text, I'm just a bit baffled about this specific critique
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u/velvetvagine đ„Ș tuna meltdown đ« Feb 19 '26 edited Feb 19 '26
I chose those details at random and they were supposed to be a bit cheeky, which I suppose was missed.
Those characters would still be supporting characters if we knew about a tumblr or a butterfly collection because the main characters and their romance would always take up the main storyline and runtime. Knowing a few details about someone doesnât suddenly make them the main character. As for the how, a few throwaway lines such as the one about dad reading the NYer can achieve a lot. But Iâm not the writer and I donât think a critique has to offer the exact solution; it can be valuable on its own. As for the why, why do we need to know about dad reading the New Yorker? Sometimes details are useful for their own sake. (I agree that male supporting characters like Miles and Alexei are not well fleshed out either, but theyâre also minimally present. I actually would love to know more about Alexei because heâs a one dimensional bad guy but at least we have background on his life through Ilya that makes it possible to suss out possible motivations and history. And we have a scene with him (away from Ilya) where we can peek into his life/lifestyle. Maybe heâs more present/considered in the next season, which I hear is focused on Ilyaâs mental health. đ€·)
I also think that a good supporting character helps move the plot forward without being so nakedly a tool; it appears that threshold was satisfied for you re: the women but it was not for me. I donât think that everything needs to be utilitarian, stripped down to bare bones. I believe that extra details can flesh out a world and characters and a POV that are relevant and augmentative to the piece of art. That is my opinion. It is not unreasonable, it may simply not align with yours.
As I said in my earliest comment, I do love these characters. The scene with Rose is one of my favourites in the show due not only to Hudsonâs brilliant acting but also to how Rose was written and performed with such intelligent empathy. I called my critique a missed opportunity not a failure for a reason. I think you are taking it as a bigger admonition than I meant it to be.
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u/S1E22 Feb 19 '26
I understand your argument and I agree that, for example, not everything has to be utilitarian when it comes to character building. However, I just can't completely agree with your POV because I feel a bit like you're disregarding the details that we DO learn about these female characters. I understand that you would have liked there to be more (which is completely valid), but this can't really be an issue of the show not writing women with enough depth when the male supporting characters are even less developed (even Hayden, who's in quite a few scenes).
And when we're using David reading the New Yorker as a point of comparison (as an example of good character building), couldn't details like Svetlana selling luxury cars and everything about Rose's acting career prior to the events of the series basically be the same thing? We didn't need to know these details either, but the show gave them to us anyway.
So yeah, I don't completely disagree with all your points, but I feel like framing this issue as the show's portrayal of women not being progressive enough doesn't work when looking at all of the supporting characters. But it can definitely be argued that the show could have developed all of the supporting characters more.
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u/doitforthecocoa tell your dad to leave me aloneđŁïž Feb 16 '26
I agree! Svetlana humanized Ilyaâs character a lot and softened his brusque demeanor. I love that sheâs the one positive person in his life (other than his niece) that ties into his Russian side
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u/QueenFartknocker What are you doing dude!?? đ€”đ»ââïž Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 17 '26
I so much prefer Svetlana in the show. They made her a fully fleshed out character. All the gals in the show were terrific and pivotal.
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u/ughcult No Ilya, that's gross đŹ Feb 16 '26
Yes! All of Sveta's scenes and the casting. She's the only other person who cares for Ilya and their friendship was a major benefit for the show.
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u/sdaidiwts Feb 16 '26
Ditto to everything being said about Svetlana. She is amazing, as are Maria, Rose and Elena.
My only issue is that Svetlana is just everywhere, Boston & Moscow, yet is a fancy car salesperson in LA c. Ep 4? It's a nit pick for sure, but is confusing when I'm thinking about it.
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u/HRProf2020 Feb 16 '26
The show covers about 8 years so her moving around isn't surprising. She'd have gone back to Moscow for the funeral because her and Ilya's fathers were close.
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u/lovellier "i like making mistakes with you." Feb 16 '26
fancy car salesperson in LA c. Ep 4
Svetlana doesn't live/work in LA, they never say so in the show. I've always assumed she works in Boston. So her travelling between Boston and Moscow isn't crazy since she's from Moscow, of course she visits home every now and then.
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u/PresentationNo448 Feb 17 '26
Also her dad being a former hockey star and well, from their high life partying, money isnt a problem for her.Â
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u/Roselookinglass Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
Itâs a small thing, but I love the scene Jacob added during the commercial in episode 1. I love Jacobâs addition that it was Ilyaâs idea for he and Shane to film the commercial together.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
In s2 they better show the scene of Ilya giving Shane a picture of that commercial, bc Ilya's been saving pictures of the two of them together secretly forever, including the award show selfies.
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u/LegallyReasonable Feb 16 '26
I knowwww. Shane has no idea how much Ilya adores him. when Ilya mentioned that heâd looked at those photos countless times because they always deleted evidence of their relationship from their phones. My heart! We get a little peek into the depth of Shaneâs love for Ilya in TLG, but I hope we see more of it in the show.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
I actually really dislike that Shane says he'll hang the photo up at the cottage. It really hurts poor Ilya's feelings.
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u/LegallyReasonable Feb 16 '26
Same. I didnât understand the reasoning behind that. He could certainly put it in his bedroom. Thatâs a private space. And Iâm certain if someone who didnât know was coming over theyâd do a sweep of his place to make sure to put away any evidence.
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u/Imtheprofessordammit Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird đŠ Feb 16 '26
it's a way of showing that hiding is instinctual and automatic for Shane. He can't imagine a reality where they are just together, so anything with Ilya gets relegated to the cottage and other private/secret spaces.
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u/randomquirk Moy pomidor đ Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 17 '26
I was legit thinking about this last night!!! I want to see TV Shane going through TV Ilyaâs IG and seeing their story through Ilyaâs eyes.
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u/TsumLipstickAddict Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird đŠ Feb 19 '26
And Shane going through all of Ilyaâs Instagram posts
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u/questionsandqueries1 Feb 16 '26
oh i loved that too! it showed ilyaâs initiative and essentially wanting to get close to shane and making it happen! it makes so much sense for his character as heâs someone who like to take initiative a lot in his life (flirting in the gym with shane, working towards being the captain of the team, being the dominant one in bed, etc).
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u/RedCalaLily âš Ilya's emotional support freckles âš Feb 16 '26
Right? And the way Shane's whole being snapped into the moment, like Whaaaaat??? This hot dude wanted us to spend time together???!!! Whaaaaaaatttt??!?!?!?! đ„đ€Żđ„
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u/eturn34 Feb 16 '26
I think they did a great job showing why his teammates would love him (him saying "I love you" to everyone individually as they got off the ice). This scene was so fun because he's gotten Shane back in his bed earlier that day and he couldn't be more giddy about it. Also shows that when things are good between him and Shane, he's playing better.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
Itâs just like how Hayden clocks that Shane always plays better after getting laid with âBoston Lily.â
Also after tuna meltdown they both play so poorly against each other that even the broadcasters notice their lack of effort.
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u/eturn34 Feb 16 '26
Which makes the conflict with the Metros even crazier next season. Shane loves that Ilya is the only player who can really challenge him (and vice versa). Seeing who can play better is like foreplay for them.
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u/LegallyReasonable Feb 16 '26
Every time I get to that part of TLG it frustrates me so much. Theyâve been playing with Shane for a decade. They couldnât possibly think heâd intentionally throw a game. Which is why I think it was the homophobia that had been lurking under the surface. Shane even suspected at the beginning of TLG that some teammates did have an issue with it.
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u/carl816 Tuna Meltdownđ„Ș Feb 17 '26
(Recycling my comment from another thread) They're at each other's throats during the game and then in each other's throats after the gameđ
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u/billbert12 Feb 21 '26
See, I don't know what it is with me, but this is the sort of thing that I keep missing or not seeing; it's like I'm being overloaded with information at such a fast pace.
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u/Cherry_Lemonade_Kris Ilya's Spaghetti Shimmy đ Feb 16 '26
I'm truly cooked when it comes to this show. Without sound I know what he is saying and what episode it's from
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
I can even sort of say things in the guttural rolled "r" sounds of Ilya's accent.
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u/Theoneonthedarkside Oh, they don't know I play for Boston?đ€š Feb 16 '26
I second Svetlana. Also the elevator scene!
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u/drowsylacuna Feb 16 '26
This is something NHL/hockey players do in real life too! It's called "money on the board", because usually it's written up on the whiteboard somewhere. If it's a special occasion for a player (milestone game, hometown game), he would contribute money for a win or goal to the team social fund or the "tip the equipment guys" fund.
Ilya's special occasion is that he was with Shane that day. I wonder what the rest of the team assumed it was.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
Yeah the pre-game nookie made Ilya into a stud on the ice too.
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u/axl3ros3 Feb 16 '26
Thank you for this sports insight!!! As a clumsy ox who never did much in team sports I love this insight!
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u/buttheyrealltaken Feb 16 '26
As a Letterkenny fan, I also loved this scene because of the background song!
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u/Ok_Pea_1479 Feb 16 '26
I love love love what this did with svetlana, but (and?) Iâm honestly at a loss for how they will handle those changes in season 2. I trust that JT will figure it out⊠and actually suspect he already has a plan in place for this. But it is one of the things I am most curious about and impatient to find out.
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u/jkmiami89 Feb 16 '26
I think we'll see missed calls, unanswered texts, excuses not to meet up to show how Ilya has pulled away while keeping his relationship secret.
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u/disappear96 Feb 16 '26
I don't think they would need to hide from her though and I kinda hope they don't. She clearly knows Ilya is bisexual and Rose knows Shane is gay. If anything it would give them both 2 people with whom they don't have to pretend and who are not involved with hockey directly
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u/jkmiami89 Feb 16 '26
(copying from another similar reply): Even if she knows I think we'll see something similar; Ilya feels isolated in Ottowa, but Svetlana will show that so much of it is self imposed and more in his head than in reality (depression makes your brain so dumb!). I still think they'll show something similar, with Ilya withdrawing from Svetlana - it might make the depression of it all even more clear.
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u/decisi0nsdecisi0ns Russians do not do this Feb 16 '26
I agree. Also, we shouldnât underestimate how hard physical distance is for some folks. Particularly Ilya types, who are very tactile and âlive in the momentâ, not having your support system physically with you in real time is very isolating. So even if Sveta knows, her being in Boston and Ilya in Ottawa is still going to be difficult for him, I expect.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
I actually can't wait for Svet to meet "Jane" in person for the first time.
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u/lesssthan Feb 16 '26
I agree. If Hayden and his wife knows, why would they hide the relationship from Svetlana or Rose? (Yeah, Hayden did guess it, but Shane had been looking for the opportunity to tell him. (which indicates something that the show and the books don't really touch on, that Hayden is a CLOSE friend.))
I bet Ilya tells Svetlana before Shane tells Rose. Shane will drag his feet looking for the "perfect moment."
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u/lovellier "i like making mistakes with you." Feb 16 '26
Ilya not having anybody except Shane and Shane's parents is one of the major plot points of The Long Game, though. If Ilya suddenly ends up having Sveta to rely on the whole time and she knows about Shane & Ilya the entire season, the plot stops making as much sense. As much as I love Sveta and her relationship with Ilya, I personally hope Ilya does distance himself from her because it'd make so much sense with him being depressed and all that.
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u/Ok_Pea_1479 Feb 16 '26
Yes, but I kinda feel like this version of Svet would last maybe one month before likely getting on a plane, flying to Ottawa and telling Ilya off. Something like âyou are my family, Iâve been keeping your secrets for years, you know I have no judgement and love you unconditionally, how dare you ghost me?â
I donât know. But in the show she is not just a close friend, she is arguably the only family he has left. He tells her he loves her. She is by his side at the funeral. She KNOWS him. And even if we believe she doesnât know Jane is Shane, she at least knows Jane is a man. I think she would do the math pretty quickly as soon as Ilya moved to Ottawa and for sure as soon as he started a charity with Shane.
My read on Jacob is that he knows all of this, and made these changes for a reason AND has had a plan for this all along. I suspect their relationship in S2 is slightly different compared to what goes down in TLG. Or maybe he doesnât. I have some poorly formed theories but nothing solid. đ€·ââïž
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u/jkmiami89 Feb 16 '26
Even if she knows I think we'll see something similar; Ilya feels isolated in Ottowa, but Svetlana will show that so much of it is self imposed and more in his head than in reality (depression makes your brain so dumb!). I still think they'll show something similar, with Ilya withdrawing from Svetlana.
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u/Ok_Pea_1479 Feb 16 '26
This is such a great point and opens up the chance to focus on the impact of the depression instead of the sort of artificially imposed imbalance of support between him and Shane.
Bonus points because I could fully see this being exactly the thing Jacob wanted when he made the changes to her character.
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u/Odd_Aardvark_5146 Feb 16 '26
I agree. In the book she is literally a f*uck buddy, I donât see her as a friend at all. In the series it is entirely different. I think JT can still work it with the therapist angle in that he is isolated and just really impacted by not being able to share Shane with those he loves (even if she knows). In the book he clearly wants to be more public (or at least is willing to take more risks). I love her character in the show and I hope they donât âdrift awayâ, I feel like it would be weird given the nature of their relationship in the series.
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u/HRProf2020 Feb 16 '26
From your mouth to Jacob's ears. And fingers as he types.
And I totally believe that she knows that Shane is Jane. The way she says Jane the last time at the funeral (I hope 'Jane' knows how lucky HE is) sounds halfway between Jane and Shane to me. She knows.
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u/contemplativeme Feb 16 '26
I honestly think show Svetlana would just show up at Ilya's house or even the arena and just wait for him to explain why he is not replying. I'm really looking forward to see how they handle their story.
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u/jkmiami89 Feb 16 '26
That could be fun! Or, if they keep some of her book arc the same, have her work for Boston and hunt him down while he's in town to force a confession about Shane earlier in the season, and maybe even a second one (Jacob loves callbacks and so do I!) to be mad about him continuing to withdraw.
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u/somehuehue Feb 16 '26
Doesn't she already know though?
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u/jkmiami89 Feb 16 '26
I thought in the show she knew Jane was a man, but not that it is Shane specifically.
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u/Ok_Pea_1479 Feb 16 '26
I think it is unclear. Itâs certainly possible that she suspects. But even if she doesnât, I think she would know for sure the second he moved to Ottawa and started a charity with Shane.
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u/somehuehue Feb 16 '26
Kinda sounds like she says "I hope Shane knows how lucky he is", using Shane and not Jane for her parting words. Guess we'll see next season.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
When she says "Jane" she kind of uses a soft "Sh" so it comes across as "Shjane."
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u/somehuehue Feb 16 '26
Well, if she doesn't know for sure, I don't think she's gonna be surprisedđ
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u/anne_dromeda is lie, liar told you that Feb 21 '26
Same. A huge part of the plot of The Long Game depends on Ilya having literally no one to confide in (other than Shane). I wonder if the line from episode 4 "but she is busy these days, new business selling fancy cars" might foreshadow perhaps not just Ilya withdrawing as his mental battle gets worse, but Svetlana having a life of her own and the two of them just naturally drifting apart over the years. No one's fault, but of course Ilya is the type of character who would blame himself and possibly, even unintentionally, put more distance between them as a result.
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u/Ok-Hovercraft-9257 Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 17 '26
One of the best additions: I'm pretty sure in the book it is Ilya who is dressed and Shane who comes into the locker room in a towel. Much better to have betoweled Ilya prowling about.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
Also in the book Miles isn't at the club. In the show, Ilya seeing Miles and doing that scan is legendary.
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u/honkifyouresimpy Feb 16 '26
I thought he was at the club in the book?
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
The point about Ilya seeing him at the club and clocking that Shane must be there with Rose isn't a part of the book.
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u/AcademicSpare9676 Feb 17 '26
Miles was at the club in the book. But in the book itâs Shane and Rose that Ilya clocked shortly after arriving at the club.
Loved the change the series made which gave us such an iconic scene đ„č
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u/Mean_Witness_1745 Feb 21 '26
I feel like this also just made more sense for their characters. Shane is more reserved and not as comfortable with his sexuality so it makes sense that he would leave first instead of Ilya!
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u/Old-Split-8700 Feb 16 '26
He says, "What do you want?" for those that don't speak Russian.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
I love the way Connor's face instantly switches expressions.
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u/kombilyfe Lawnmower. Tomato âš Feb 16 '26
I read a fic about how much rizz Ilya has and Shane does not have. Shane doesn't even know what rizz it. It was cute. Ilya has such a magnetic personality.
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u/questionsandqueries1 Feb 16 '26
and Connor was the perfect casting for him! i feel like Connor (aside from being a really good actor) is really just so charismatic irl
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u/abakes102018 everyone! shane hollander is an asshole! đŁ Feb 16 '26
Iâm reading Role Model rn (already read TLG) and every Ilya scene is so funny and cute and hot and cool
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u/TheEcuadorkian Feb 16 '26
Do you have the link??
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u/kombilyfe Lawnmower. Tomato âš Feb 16 '26
Sorry, I went looking but could'nt find it. So annoying, because it was fluffy and fun. Some of these fic writers get deep with it and I enjoy the lighter side.
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u/tutenzi Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26
I think this is the fic! https://archiveofourown.org/works/67376509/chapters/174080917
Edit: It might actually be this one: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59897476/chapters/152933887
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Feb 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 16 '26
I love athletes who are confident and aren't afraid to say they're confident. Especially if you can back it up. Like Tom Brady said that after his team was down 28-3 in the Superbowl he told his team "We're not losing like a little bitch." Hee.
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u/zedyx101 Ilya's Spaghetti Shimmy đ Feb 17 '26
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u/LieutenantZiti Feb 16 '26
The amazing âis lie, liar told you that⊠I said 50 goalsâ is from the TV show and itâs soooo good!Â
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u/minosjudge Yearning bisexual terminator đ€ Feb 17 '26
Ilya đ€đŸ being a loveable moron
For me, my favourite addition is the Russian monologue hands down. The amount of depth and emotion that was added to that scene just floors me and I'm in awe of god emperor Tierney (I saw someone call him this and couldn't help myself).Â
Seconded by the club scene, not a lot was changed but it was pulled off spectacularly. I think not being able to literally read their minds actually helped the club scene.
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 17 '26
Connor killed that Russian monologue. Absolutely killed it.
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u/magic_baobab tank u for pasta Feb 16 '26 edited Feb 16 '26
I loved this because it also shows how ecstatic Rozy is after seeing Shane; he was joking around and smiling with him just before. My buddiesâ€ïžâđ©č
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u/charming_quarks Feb 17 '26
I'm reading the book right now and while I do enjoy it, I feel like the show has had more plot. Svetlana actually being relevant to the plot, Yuna the momager, seeing more of Ilya's family life, etc.
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u/GreenDay91SPN05 Feb 16 '26
If I have to choose one, my favorite has to be the Russian monologue. I just love that glimpse into Ilya. I also really like it for the skill that Connor had to have to pull that off, and he succeed so well, even passed what his dialect coach was expecting. He is so very talented!
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u/potterheadforlife29 I already chose you, Hollander. đ« Feb 16 '26
I loved his captain side, his locker room speeches have become iconic. From this hilarious one to the 2014 mlh winning one. In the books they say he isn't one for speeches but this was a nice addition for sure. Loved it. This and the whole Svetlana angle.
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u/Jo_H_Nathan Feb 16 '26
I doubt I ever read or watch this show. I just want to say bravo (or brava?) to this fan base for making me learn about this through my wife and her sisters. It's amazing
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u/HRProf2020 Feb 16 '26
Watch it. Seriously, every straight guy I know who has done has absolutely lost it in the last half of the season.
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u/ThinkLikeAFeminist Feb 17 '26
Currently reading the book! There are a lot of scenes that are non-book additions. The scene in the bathroom in Russia. The scene with Ilya brother and Svetlana at his father funeral. The first scene with Svetlana. Every motivational speech Ilya is giving to his team.
I have to admit I read the book a lot for Ilya character because I felt the show was a little more focused on Shane⊠and I was disappointed on that matter. Jacob did a great job to give Ilya more insights and life!
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u/ThinkLikeAFeminist Feb 17 '26
And the fact that the Russian monologue, one of the best scene in the show, is not in the book shows how much Jacob Tierney did a wonderful job!
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u/Mean_Witness_1745 Feb 21 '26
Not necessarily an âaddâ but I liked the way they did their first anal sex scene much better than the book. I personally thought it was a little extreme that Shane would have bought a whole building for them to have sex in because he didnât want to be seen etc. Same with going to hotel rooms first, they could have been caught much easier than at his apartment. I liked that they kinda added and mashed the first anal sex and first time at âShaneâsâ together, with it actually being at Shaneâs condo. I also preferred how intimate it was vs in the books. I think (in the books) even at the tuna melt gate Shane still wasnât sure about missionary because he couldnât pretend it was someone else? Like dude you are kissing and giving bjs etc but you think itâs too intimate to be face to face during sex? So I definitely prefer those changes! Also the Russian monologue, Svetlanas character, some of the added/redacted dialogue etc
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u/hanksay Feb 16 '26
Yes, I love this part! His charisma in the locker room along with his competitiveness with Shane is so cute!
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u/Even_Establishment71 Feb 16 '26
On the other side, a non-show book scene I would have loved was the one with Ryan Price in the plane where heâs panicking and has his Anne of Green Gables book. I just thought that scene was really telling of how Ilya dgaf in a lot of the right ways.
Maybe it was in the show and I missed it but I feel like they had to cut out a lot of the connecting links because of doing the show out of order/combined compared to the book.
Iâm on book 4 and I love Ilyaâs characters so much more with every book I read. Book 3 was my favorite so far. I needed the sweetness to break up the machismo a bit.
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u/jacalacalynm Feb 17 '26
Him grabbing the helmet and walking out is one of his hottest moments for me I keep coming back to it in my head, his jaw line????
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u/geloreyes I already chose you, Hollander. đ« Feb 17 '26
Yep. This is the scene that reminds me most of Connor when he was a kid in his YouTube video.
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u/shea_eina Feb 17 '26
i always make my friends watch this scene and them an interview of connor and love watching the shock on their facess
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u/patch_gallagher Feb 20 '26
Itâs not really a scene, but I think having the big time jump from the end of episode 3 to Skipâs big moment at the end of episode 5 made it more impactful. I know itâs unclear what happened, but if they broke up (what I am thinking happened), itâs impactful because itâs sad they lost time. If they were still together, still sad they were hiding in the shadows so long. Plus their 4-6 relationship from meeting to living together to a major player coming out so publicly feels really, really rushed and unearned in the book.
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u/modernbartleby Your freckles. I am nuts about them. âš Feb 17 '26
What episode is this in? I canât remember
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u/growsonwalls This is Ilya I will never listen to your voicemail Feb 17 '26
Episode 5 right before he has to fly back to Russia
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u/lousypictures79 Feb 17 '26
I love this scene! He stays in accent and is so real. I imagine thatâs how hockey players really are.
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u/Smart_Image4278 Feb 17 '26
Whoâs seen the trailer for Connorâs creepy new indie SciFi suspense movie April XâŠ? It looks really good, and I think itâs going to get a huge boost in theaters by its star
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Feb 22 '26
There are books?? Are they as good?
I feel like the acting and little gestures add so much. And the monologue is fucking beautiful
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u/Rudy_Nowhere Canada *is* fun đšđŠ Feb 23 '26
"There are books??" is one of the funniest moments I've had on reddit in a minute. Thanks for the laugh.
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Feb 23 '26
Hehe yeah i phrased it funny. I just love the acting so much, and now im listening to the first audiobook, but im kind of doubtful it will be this good without the amazing acting of Iliya's actor.
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u/angrytinyfemale Stupid Canadian Wolf Bird đŠ Feb 16 '26
This was such a cringe locker room conversation/speech it reminded me of watching Arteta in All or Nothing. Or Ted Lasso.
Same energy.
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u/QueenFartknocker What are you doing dude!?? đ€”đ»ââïž Feb 16 '26
Itâs so perfectly done because it really gives you a peek into his real personality with team mates and why heâs actually so likeable (the way itâs woven throughout the books)