These stories are about how a hero who is entrenched inside a certain group, institution, or establishment fits into that system—or doesn’t. The hero must decide if being part of the group is worth it, and must choose to join, leave, or destroy it. Ultimately, all the stories in this category come down to this question: Who’s crazier… me or them?

The 3 elements of an INSTITUTIONALIZED story are:

1) Every story in this category is about a group—a family, an organization, or a business that is unique.
2) The story is a choice, the ongoing conflict pitting a “Brando” or “Naif” vs. the system’s “Company Man.”
3) Finally, a sacrifice must be made and you get three endings: join, burn it down… or commit “suicide.”

Platform: Crave/HBO Max

TV Genre: Sports drama

Story DNA

Heroes: Shane Hollander, a Japanese-Canadian rookie phenom drafted by the Montreal Metros; Ilya Grigoryevich, a Russian ice hockey player drafted by the Boston Raiders

Goal: To be on top (pun intended) in a rivalry manufactured by MLH (Major League Hockey) and make their respective teams/families proud

Obstacle: Shane and Ilya are attracted to each other/falling in love and having clandestine sexual encounters behind the scenes

Stakes: Their jobs, reputations, and acceptance in a very public, very straight, hyper-masculine environment

Save the Cat! Beat Sheet Analysis for Heated Rivalry

Opening Image

A brief encounter with little dialogue somehow conveys all the feels of an unexpected “Buddy Love” meet-cute: we have sports tension, sexual tension, smoking tension, and language tension—all topped off with a big onscreen time clock that signals this pilot episode will roll out in quick, intense movements, like a good hockey game.

Theme Stated

As Ilya’s eyes drift to Shane watching their high-stakes practice from the stands, Ilya’s coach yells, “Rozanov! Is there something more important going on?!” No, of course not… and absolutely, yes. This is the Institution, the world of professional sports, where the game is all and everything, everything else is a distant second, including a personal life or an identity that doesn’t bow to the image of the athletic apex predator.

Can these two tough competitors and inwardly sensitive souls survive and thrive in such an environment?

Set-Up

We meet hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) in their thesis world at the International Prospect Cup Final and have the benefit of a game announcer spelling out our Heroes’ bios and Save the Cat! personality quirks: the young phenom Shane is shy (we will discover later that he’s on the spectrum) with a high hockey IQ, and the aggressive Ilya is a very strong skater who habitually pisses off the opposing team. The Russian team wins, setting up Ilya in the dominant role, a position that will flip back and forth periodically throughout the series.

Six months later, Ilya is the number one draft pick of the Boston Raiders and Shane is number two of the Montreal Metros, about which he is visibly unhappy.

Catalyst

Although Ilya and Shane are now in the same league and will be seeing each other on the reg, it’s the fabricated rivalry from MLH that really forces them into a relationship, starting with shooting a commercial where they’re supposed to skate in aggressively and make eye contact, like the fierce competitors they’re purported to be.

Debate

Things don’t exactly go according to plan, however, as Ilya and Shane get the giggles after a long day of filming, bonding them in an unforeseen way. Still each has to deal with their parents’ expectations: Ilya’s father sees Shane as the enemy to be beaten and Shane’s mother Yuna (Christina Chang) lectures him on being a role model to “kids that don’t see themselves here a lot.”

We’re not sure if she means because he’s Asian or autistic or both, but the message is clear: don’t do anything that would bring shame to your family or team. Like, oh I dunno, maybe what’s about to happen next:

Break into Two

Shane and Ilya become aroused by each other in a communal shower and plan to meet up in Shane’s hotel room. Whiff of change, soap-scented.

B Story

Ilya and Shane share more than just sports and being gay in a stridently straight environment. They also each have B Story issues with their respective families:

• Ilya’s father, Grigori (Yaroslav Poverlo), is unapologetically harsh and demeaning and his brother Alexei (Slavic Rogozine) takes all his money and uses cruel slurs poorly disguised as jokes.
• Yuna is controlling and image-conscious and Shane’s milquetoast dad, David (Dylan Walsh), is content to let her run the show.

These relationships will change somewhat as the characters age up through the series, but the “sports parent” dynamic is in the background constantly; anytime Ilya and Shane are together, you can feel the ghosts of their families lurking and watching.

Fun and Games

And so begins the antithesis world that Ilya and Shane didn’t expect, but the viewing audience enthusiastically tuned in to see: two ridiculously hot men exploring a sexual relationship, with plenty of humor and heart.

It’s Shane’s first time and he’s charmingly awkward while Ilya is self-assured but admittedly curious and obviously taken with Shane and his quirkiness.

Even in their most intimate moments, they refer to each other as “Hollander” and “Rozanov,” leading us to anticipate a deepening vulnerability and the moment they will speak each other’s first names.

Midpoint

A and B Stories cross when at an innocuous lunch with his parents, Yuna randomly brings up Ilya, ranting about his arrogance. Shane flushes, then almost laughs when Yuna says, “Fuck him. Right up the butt.”

Foreshadowing aside, Shane’s recent experiences seem to be making him a bit more human, with a sense of humor, even, mentioning that he was watching YouTube videos about unlikely animals becoming friends.

But we definitely feel the stakes being raised, because Yuna clearly is not an open-minded gal and the time clock starts ticking as to when this is all going to blow up in Shane’s face.

Bad Guys Close In

After winning a face-off against Ilya and scoring a goal, Shane seems to be gaining momentum in the rivalry, making Ilya pretty grumpy. Of course, that could also be from his feckless brother constantly asking for money and some troubling signs that his father is possibly developing dementia, but it’s also Ilya’s competitive nature and internal bad guys.

Shane and Ilya meet for another tryst, though it’s getting more difficult to hide their relationship, especially when other players like Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) are in nearby hotel rooms. Their next meeting falls through due to a snowstorm and by the time of the end of season sports awards banquet, Ilya and Shane haven’t seen one another for months.

All Is Lost

Shane wins Rookie of the Year, but then wanders through the party miserably, drinking too much and looking for the conspicuously absent Ilya.

Dark Night of the Soul

Shane tearfully blows up at Ilya on the hotel rooftop, accusing him of being a sore loser, and barely noticing that Ilya looks miserable himself as he anticipates returning to Russia and his emotionally unhealthy family.

Break into Three/Break into Series

Ilya aggressively kisses Shane which makes him even angrier since they’re in such a public place. He walks off, leaving Ilya alone again in a Final Image that poignantly recalls their first meeting, but with a bit of a wicked twist; Ilya calls out “See you next season!”

We know this ain’t over and not just because there’s five more episodes in our queue, but because this is a Buddy Love story for the ages and our two incomplete heroes need each other to be made whole.