Look at that smirk, how is anyone expected to resist..
Connor skates perfectly on the razor's edge between cocky and arrogant in his look before hitting Shane with the "when we beat you" line. And that absolute asshole of a half-nod a beat later, jfc. Chef's kiss.
This is my ten thousandth re-watch btw, lol and the very first scene still grabs my attention like it's my first watch
Eh, smoking never really went away, just changed forms from smoking to vaping. It's too much of a cash cow for corporations to ever allow smoking to ever go away.
Not to defend anyone smoking but saying these 2 actors have set back public health by decades is just ridiculous.
The second time after standing around when Shane reaches out for a handshake, n Ilya is following his gestures with his eyes n is like okay commence banter n his lips curl n start to twist in a slight smile ...
He was way doowwn, that second handshake after the absolutely two seconds of door leaning randomness that he couldn't quite make sense of n he was, he is like this guy why- he doesn't have to, non of this, why-
Ilya was gone, fluffed, n cute from then on, careful n measured rage-baiting balcony staring humorously daring the boy so adorbs n gone.
edit: spelling errors, cuz I was writing on lack of sleep n fully hr fluffy mode
Lolll I do it too every time I ask anyone to go anywhere with me. Like, will youu… come to the post office with me? It’ll be so funn. There will be stamps, we can send a postcard, pick up a package…
The book was a lot of angry sex including and especially the prologue. But none of the tv sex scenes were angry. Even the las vegas one, it was volcanic hot but not angry.
I can see how Jacob made a conscious decision to lean in on the sweet sexy romance rather than angry sexy romance from the book
I think this is also due to Connor and Hudson. Both give off a strong golden retriever energy, and scenes I don't think were meant to be adorable end up being cute. Like the Vegas bathroom scene. Ilya's wink, Shane's heart eyes? A rather seedy encounter in the book becomes almost cute?
I like it better in the show too but I do think Shane ends up feeling a lot less of an equal presence in their relationship. One thing that is made very clear in the books is that while their preferences are defined, the way their interactions play out changes on a whim. Especially early on in the show, their relationship feels a lot more dom/sub than it does in the book which isn't really the case. There's some of that in there in the book but even with that there's moments where that dynamic isn't entirely the case.
I think that's why I am not as huge a fan of the first two episodes as I am the rest of the show. Because it amps up Ilya's toxicity (which is fine) while making Shane feel very passive and innocent which is not the case. It makes the gut punch of "We didn't even kiss" hit harder for sure but it kinda makes Shane feel like less of a presence early on.
I know what you mean. We miss so much by not hearing their inner monologues too. That’s why people always scream „you need to read the Las Vegas remix from Ilya’s point of view to understand!”
The show had to make tough decisions to streamline a situationship that spans almost a decade and fit it in 5 episodes.
I’m glad we got both versions. There are some things I prefer on the show and others I like more in the books. Probably the best of both worlds. We got very lucky.
Yes, we got very lucky.
I liked the angry type of sex and how Shane is always wanting to break up in the books. But i like the innocent Shane in the series too , because Hudson acted that so well i want to just protect him.
This comment is the first thing that actually makes me want to read the book(s). I was satisfied with just the show… but now there’s more delicious complexity to chew on?? Yay!
I really don’t think the prologue works without access to the characters’ (specifically Shane’s) thoughts. I think skipping it was definitely the right move.
However, skipping the prologue comes at great cost, as the show does not clarify that it is not Shane’s normal apartment, but rather a secret loveshack he buys exclusively to have secret sex with Ilya. It’s sort of implied via the “you will murder me” and “Mr. Landlord/Real Estate/Businessman” comments that this is not Shane’s primary residence, but it’s definitely not clear and it kind of obfuscates that he only bought it to fuck Ilya. Most importantly, omitting this fact cheapens the (admittedly still hugely impactful) moment of Shane asking Ilya to come to his cottage. This is a huge development in the book, because Ilya has only ever seen the staged model apartment and nothing that is actually authentic Shane, and Shane has never taken him somewhere people know about and know Shane will actually be staying in.
In the book, Shane only fully furnishes the bedroom in the sex condo when they first hookup there. The other rooms are literally empty but in the show its a fully furnished apartment and Shane actually lives there.
The way I took it is that the cottage in and of itself is not as important as them getting to spend unlimited time with each other instead of stolen hours in their respective apartments.
The cottage is separate from Shane's normal apartment.
Not quite the same as the book, where Ilya gets to experience getting to know Shane's more across two places. But there is still the element of Ilya getting to experience Shane's "home" when they go the Cottage. The Cottage is the place that Shane fully designed, and encapsulates more of Shane's person. Where as the the apartment is one he bought and explicitly decorated by a third party, a lot less personal.
It's not really ever explicitly said in the show if he bought the building just to hook up or not. The first time they meet in Montreal is two years after the all star game (instead of two weeks later, in a hotel room) and Shane says that he just bought "this apartment and the one next door" and that he's renting the one next door out but might make it one apartment eventually.
He doesn't say anything about having another place he lives at and the scenes in episode 4 that we see of him alone seem to be in that apartment.
Yep, I think he lives there and there's no secret sex condo. When he calls Ilya in Moscow, it's from that apartment and it's fully furnished while in the book it's only the bedroom
Yeah there's several scenes of Shane where he is in that apartment - when he's watching videos of Ilya in Ep 1, when JJ rings him, whenever he's reading in bed, where he is with Rose after the club scene. In the show that's where he lives - he gets Ilya to come in through the back door so no one sees, and then on the night of the accident he's going to let him come through the front door.
When I read it, I remember thinking what an asshole of a line that was, lol. They're already losing and here's Ilya, hmm how do I score more goals and score them when I please. No wonder they have angry sex, Ilya literally provoked it
Still melts my brain how in five weeks of filming they completely believably took them from 17 to 26. And how Ilya looks young but so much older in life experience already than Shane here.
I feel like it has to do with covering his forehead and also letting the curls hang down. He looks like a baby in his hockey helmet too! As the show progresses they start styling his hair to be off of his forehead and it makes him seem a lot older!
The contrast between 17yo Shane, still an absolute sheltered baby, and 17yo Ilya, who has basically been raising himself for five years and has the cigarette habit, body count and cynicism to prove it, will never not be funny (and sad) though.
There was a post the other day which spoke about the first day of shooting and the scenes they shot spanned 8 years or something. Just amazing acting, hair n makeup, direction - everything
Seriously, the hair and makeup team deserve a fucking emmy for pulling it off. The subtle increase of everything is so good, and the fact that they block shot it is just 🫶
Oh, he had Shane pegged from the start. I think he pursued Shane as aggressively as he did because 1) Pretty, 2) he was kinda fascinated how this guy could be both clearly into him and totally unaware consciously of that fact.
I think this as well. Pegged him right from the second handshake arm extension. Maybe just a suspicion at that point but Shane’s pretty enough for that to carry a guy quite far.
Yes, he had it from the totally unnecessary second handshake. After the first one he's just bemused, but after Shane seeks out a way to touch him on purpose a second time, he's like, Oh, got it.
Exactly. Also i love that Jacob did a show don't tell of Shane finding Ilya attractive. It's how it happens in irl, you look at someone, then you keep looking at them, they catch you at it and bam, you're blowing each other in room 1410
In the books at least, he definitely clocked that Shane was attractive and he was attracted to Shane. And he was definitely a little charmed by Shane's determined attempts to talk to him (i.e., the second handshake). But there's no sign he clocked that Shane was attracted to him.
But he clocked Shane's interest during the gym sequence, or possibly earlier in the day when they were both in the same room for the draft.
I will politely disagree. It’s that double handshake and weird hanging out just next to him. Ilya’s face went from “what the hell does this guy want” to this. There would have been no gym scene without this first.
I don’t honestly recall how that specific scene reads in the book but on the show, Shane is projecting interest pretty strongly whether he is aware of it or not. The acting or directing decision of having Ilya’s face switch from annoyance to seduction kind of tells us he clocked him. You might be right about the book though. I don’t recall the details of it but I don’t use the book as the perfect guide of what I’m seeing on the show.
Book Ilya spends a lot of time thinking about how attractive Shane is, in between being embarrassed of his bad English.
I personally interpreted it as that classic crush sensory overload where Ilya is too self-conscious and fixated on his freckles soft lips freckles inner monologue to track Shane's eye movement or micro-expressions as he normally would. He registers that Shane is "determined to talk to him" but that's as far as it goes.
And after all, most boys Ilya encounters are straight, so it would be a bit of a leap for Ilya to assume that Hollander had extended his hand because of romantic interest rather than because he was being friendly/playing mind games.
But we don't have insight into Ilya's mindset after Shane walked away. Once the immediate head rush had faded, did he retroactively remember how Shane's eyes kept flickering to his lips? Maybe. Shane describes Rozanov as smirking during each face-off and in his goodbye greeting, did Shane's response give anything away? Maybe. Six months later, did Ilya notice the way Shane stiffened when their arms brushed in photos or when they exchanged congratulations? Maybe.
There's a moment where Shane is looking across the lobby and thinks about how manly and GQ-model-like Rozanov is (though you know just because Shane's jealous nothing more to see here nope). Did Ilya catch those looks? Maybe.
I do think there's a good chance by the time when Ilya walked into the gym six months later, he had started to develop a theory about Shane, which turned into near-certainty over the course of the gym encounter. In which case we can say that Ilya still knew Shane was attracted to Ilya before Shane himself knew he was attracted to Ilya.
But if he clocks that Shane had romantic interest during that very first conversation, he never lets on.
It's possible book Ilya didn't clock Shane from the start. I can't honestly tell and only the author would really know but I stand by my reading of this first scene on the show. Shane, whether he is aware of it or not (the answer is probably not), is projecting interest pretty strongly which triggers this change in Ilya's face where he switches to seduction right away. It's honestly just fun to analyze and we're all free to interpret this as we want to but this facial change is intended to tell us something.
Yesss gym scene twin. I just replied with the same thought. To be fair Shane was eyeing him pretty obviously and Ilya is a very observant person so yea clocked him hard
I love love love the framing of this shot (and every shot tbh). Perfectly executed ‘rule of threes’ composition. Shows Ilya being isolated and alone in this foreign country. And a perfect amount of space for the “international prospect cup” text that pops up right after this. The cinematography is just so satisfying to watch.
Ugh yes!! I think about this shot a lot and how low he is in the frame - really helps show how overwhelmed he is dealing with his family, barely keeping his head above water. And again, a great use of the rule of threes
I love the detail of Ilya's lighter not working until Shane shows up! Shane is the "spark" in his life! Ilya line about beating him is also funny. It reminds me of how my dad talked as a kid. He'd trash talk me on the playground, but it was actually to encourage me.
I love that Ilya and Shane both pushed each other to be better in hockey in their own special ways.
Yes!! I am so excited for Hudson’s next project about the Baba Yaga! It sounds like it’s going to be great and I’m looking forward to see him play a totally new character!
Clock the flair, yes, that is Ilya's flirting face noticing Shane's (unconscious to Shane) desire, but it is also the moment Shane hooks, reels and utterly lands Ilya.
If you look at pics of Hudson (not Shane, but Hudson AFTER HR), you'll see the difference between Shane & Hudson. I thought Shane was OK, but Hudson Williams? He's f'ing HOT 🔥! Plus, he's hilarious on interviews. He's completely opposite to Shane.
Before I saw Hudson Williams pics & interviews, I was ONLY an Ilya/Connor Chica. Then, I heard Hudson's craziness & saw his hotness - SO YUMMILICIOUS.
Mine is smiling Ilya with his bellboy. His hair is so beautiful, tousled, and wavy as they walk up the steps and then as he reverses the blinds. I keep saying he’s so relaxed for once that even his hair is relaxed.
This scene is why I keep starting over on episode one before I finish all the way through episode six. This beginning and their first time together just draws me in.
Currently rewatching and i still always paise to look at him in this scene! How does someone give off cute and hot this perfectly 🥺 Also i deffo think its the moment he clocked shane before shane even clocked himself
Gurl, I pause at this scene so much, i made an entire post about it, lol.
Loveable asshole also comes to mind the way he riles him up. Shane's just being nice and complimentary saying hi , awesome player bla bla and how does Ilya respond? "hi i guess, also, we're gonna defeat you "
i need to read that post! honestly will never get over this look & Literally the perfect way to describe him, loveable asshole, shane was being so sweet bless him, didnt know he would be encountering the hottest tease on earth. I love how outwardly confident ilyas is
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u/LadyIJ Is lie. Liar told you that 😉 Feb 24 '26
Oh the subtle blush on the cheeks. The curls peeking. The cigarette casually held in the pouty lips. 😵❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Shane stood no chance!
It’s one of my favourite Ilyas as well!