HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry Explores Intimacy and โขCompetition
HBO โMax’s heated Rivalry distinguishes itself from its predecessors, โ Letterkenny and Shoresy, both created by Jared โฃKeeso and Jacob Tierney, by moving beyond using profanity as a substitute for physical intimacy.While those shows employed escalating verbal sparring as a proxy for sex, Heated Rivalry โ features explicit consummation, framing sexual encounters as another arena for competitive drive.
The series’ sex scenes are described asโ lengthy and intimate,”more insinuating than directly graphic,but veryโ graphically insinuating,” comparable in tone to Netflix’s Bridgerton. Orgasms are presented as victories akin to thoseโข achieved on the ice, reflecting the characters’ inherent desire to win.โ This competitive spirit extends โขintoโฃ theirโข private moments, with โpillow talk mirroring the motivational language of โteammates, leading them to addressโฃ eachโข other โby last names -โ a dynamic described as both “sweet โand funny.”
Though, the reviewer notesโ aโข visual repetition within theseโค scenes, โฃciting “so many tight-close-ups” and “carefully framed blow โjobs, with noโ visible genitals, but little else left to โฃthe โimagination.” This stylistic choice, while aiming to capture theโ intensity of a new relationship, occasionally causes the scenes to “drag.” The reviewer suggests Tierney intends โto shift the focus from sex as plot andโ character progress towards more traditional plot-driven character arcs.
The chemistry between stars Williams and โขStorrie is acknowledged, butโ the review points out Williams’ character feels “bland” when engaged in โขconventional โคhockey storylines. Supporting performers Change and Walsh are considered underutilized, their โroles limited to “aโ whiff of standard overbearing sports parenting.”โ Storrie, โฃconversely, delivers a moreโ compelling performance, particularly within his sexually dominant role, โคeffectively โportraying โฃa character who cajoles his less experienced partner.
The series’ rapid pace, covering multiple โyears within the first โคtwo episodes, makes its ultimate direction difficult to predict. While the revelation of the relationship to families, โขteammates, and the wider world is anticipated, it remains unclear whetherโ the show will fully explore โคthe complexities of navigating suchโ a relationship publicly or confine those struggles to intimate settings.
Ultimately, the success โขof Heated Rivalry as a six-episode limited series – or potentially an ongoing drama – hinges on its ability toโ sustain narrative momentum. The reviewer concludes that the series has fundamentally altered their perspective on future hockey viewings,โ including crosby/Ovechkin matchups โand subsequent seasons of Shoresy.