‘Heated Rivalry’ Episode 4 review: “Rose”

Intimate or isolated? That’s the question our favorite enemies-to-lovers pair face in Heated Rivalry Episode 4, titled “Rose.” The strain of their on-again, off-again hookups become all too real.

“Rose” perfectly captures the yearning of a pair that want more out of their situation, despite being afraid to say so. There’s more hiding beneath the surface of these clandestine hookups. Heated Rivalry Episode 4 exposes the beginning of the truth, the longing that burns between Shane and Ilya.

Rise of the superstar.

Compared to the first three episodes, “Rose” does a stronger job of translating the time jumps. The three years between 2014-2016 easily show how Ilya and Shane look forward to their meetings. But more importantly, how they become attached to their dynamic, to the longing to hear or see each other again.

The quick montage effortlessly show us how their relationship progresses, showing us instead of telling us. This editing tactic is a strength of Heated Rivalry, one that brings us along on their journey instead of verbally catching us up afterwards.

Shane’s two-time hockey league victories, his endorsement deals, and his frustrations paint a new light on how big a celebrity he’s become. In addition to the romance, Heated Rivalry is a story about two professional athletes navigating their careers. Shane’s journey is one of regimented pressures he’s been placed under to be the golden boy. Interestingly, between his friends’ teasing about him not going out or his lack of dating, it’s been Ilya’s messages and meetups that bring him joy.

While Ilya has developed more of a yearning for Shane, his bad boy persona doesn’t translate to success or endorsements, only public notoriety. And with everything going on in his family, his meetings with Shane have also become his highlights. Narratively, their paths are shaped differently than expected from their hockey drafting in the series premiere. It’s refreshing that their stories stay grounded, in between how they keep finding their way back to one another.

Staying the night.

“Rose” changes the pacing of Heated Rivalry by progressing Ilya’s connection to Shane. Whereas the series started through Shane’s naivety, the roles reverse to have Ilya be the one spurned. He pushes to get closer to Shane; he makes bolder attempts to get to know one another.

It’s a far cry from the hockey bad boy who left abruptly after their hookups. Ilya likes the closeness. This narrative change flips the balance of power and, thankfully, made him more of a sympathetic character. Someone who the story (and we as viewers) would want to be with Shane.

Unsurprisingly, Shane’s withdrawal from intimacy suits his character development. He may love his meetups with Ilya, but he’s not ready for something truly stable. The moment Ilya keeps asking him to stay, or when their sex becomes too intimate, his consistent reaction has been to shut down.

Shane’s safe place is built upon walls; he finds comfort by pushing everything and everyone away. Some might say that Ilya bringing up that he sleeps with girls was what pushes Shane away, but that’s a very simplistic answer. It’s everything after, when Ilya admitted that he likes Shane, that causes the domino effect of reality hitting Shane.

Every rose has its thorn.

The Rose situation poses an interesting hiccup in Ilya and Shane’s connection. Sure, the hockey players aren’t in a relationship, so they can do whatever (with whomever) they want. But Rose is the first true relationship that either of the men have been in since they started meeting up. Will they continue in secret? Or will Shane stop now that he’s dating Rose?

We can’t deny that he and Rose have a connection; they have a lightness together, a friendship they can build upon. However, it’s clear from the end scene clips that both Ilya and Shane yearn for each other. Shane wants to be with Ilya again. There’s no way that Rose and Shane will have a happy ending together, especially since Heated Rivalry is based on the popular Game Changers book series. There’s no way! Rose’s days are numbered in their relationship.

Still, we should keep our eyes on her. Rose gives off major ambitious vibes since her first meeting with Shane. She wants to be seen as a serious actress, but she’s also willing to play the part of a public celebrity couple.

We could see a world where she spills his secrets for sympathy, or she’ll keep his secret and play the part of “girlfriend” to gain power. Also, we can’t ignore that her friend flirted hard with Shane, too. Could Heated Rivalry be teasing a new scheme between the pair?

Overall.

“Rose” is a very Ilya and Shane relationship-centric episode, one that moves past the honeymoon phase to expose the reality of true intimacy. The roles are reversed to develop a new dynamic to the pair, giving more layers to what Ilya and Shane are dealing with in their lives. And the introduction of Rose could either help or hinder the pair, creating a likable (as of now) hurdle to what will be their future relationship.

“Rose” is a strong turn for Heated Rivalry, and another passionate episode that pushes intimacy to its forefront.

Heated Rivalry airs new episodes on Fridays on Crave and HBO Max.