This article might be the most feelsy thing I’ll ever write, but I need you all to stick with me, okay? Cool. Because here’s the thing, communication is a really beautiful thing. Verbal, physical, and all the quiet beats of silence that stretch to fill the space in between are integral in tethering people together. We all know this by now, and we get all of it and more through Ilya and Shane’s phone call in Heated Rivalry.
Communication is especially important in romance, and as a narrative inclusion, it can supply crucial information while simultaneously allowing characters an honest beat of vulnerability. I’ve been such a fan of phone calls since When Harry Met Sally, and any time it’s included in a piece of fiction, I’ll gobble it up. That said, I’ve seen a number of different (and incredible) phone calls in my time, but there’s been nothing like Shane and Ilya’s phone call in Heated Rivalry Season 1, Episode 5, “I’ll Believe in Anything.” It’s crucial in Rachel Reid’s novel, and it’s even more elevated on screen because of everything that Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams bring to the forefront.
There are a number of beats that structurally make this one of the most magnetic scenes on screen—from the subtle callback to the needle drop of “All the Things She Said” in “Rose,” to Jacob Tierney’s brilliant use of colors to underscore the words said out loud and all the desires still hanging in the air. It’s a masterclass in intimacy because it explicitly shows us that closeness comes in many forms, and the vulnerability blanketing the characters throughout is also where the strength in romance lies.
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams Get Their Characters
Both Storrie and Williams were a part of our Best of 2025 Performances roundup because of everything that they bring to this episode, but it bears repeating that everything works as beautifully as it does because of how well they understand their characters. Add in the detail that Storrie is literally pouring his heart out in a language that he doesn’t speak natively, and I’d like someone to show me the last time a veteran actor accomplished something like this as effectively, let alone a young actor. It’d be one thing if he bared his soul in English, it’s another that he does it all in Russian, making Williams’ reactions that much more comforting in the process.
It’s a cinematic work of art is what it is, but when we dig into the crux of all the vulnerability, I want to lie on the floor and weep for hours. Because even if Ilya’s words weren’t bringing to light all the crosses he’s carried alone for years, Storrie’s performances would still show us everything. He’s been showing it since day one, and at the club, we bear witness to a man who’s hanging by a thread. As “All the Things She Said” plays and the camera follows him, we’re watching a man internally collapse in more ways than one. He wants to unburden himself, yes, but more than anything, he wants all of it and more with Shane. The repetition of the song’s “this is not enough” line versus Ilya’s “more” in Russian are delicate parallels to each other that emphasize just how significant this moment is for him because Ilya never once thought that he’d find the safe space to open up like this. To bare his soul without the person on the other end demanding more from him.
Because Shane doesn’t ask him to confess out of his own desires, he says it because he knows Ilya needs the space to work through the grief, and he’ll give it to him however he can. He’ll listen to him talk in Russian for hours, then one day he’ll learn it so he can respond in the best way he knows how, because loving Ilya means knowing what Ilya would need at the appropriate time.
The emotions are all there verbally, and yet this quietly bold display of vulnerability that takes place between a tunnel and a staircase is an exhibition of how opening ourselves is a sure way to move forward. We move through tunnels, and we move through stairwells, and both locations matter to underscore that as human beings, we’re all connected through the emotions that are scariest to say aloud. The emotions we’re scared of vocalizing because we’re not sure how they’ll be received or whether the person hearing them will take advantage of us. Except Ilya knows deep in his bones that even though Shane doesn’t understand him, he’ll take him as he is. He won’t look at him any differently. He won’t love him any less.
It’s dizzying how magnetic the phone call is because it’s so raw that it ensures that the gravity of all Ilya’s words hits us just as hard. It’s so raw that we can feel the profundity of how it’s such a massive turning point for them. It’s also as poignant as it is because we already watched Ilya cling to Shane earlier as he was in his lap because he needed someone to anchor him for a beat. It’s poetry in its purest form. It’s a lonely, broken man finally having a place to land where he’ll always be safe and revered. A place where he can be himself. Home.
Ilya and Shane’s Phone Call Is a Visual Triumph
Jacob Tierney’s brain is a treasure trove. How he uses certain colors to elevate the warmth in a scene is no small feat, and it’s especially stunning how the pink and orange hues in Heated Rivalry Season 2, Episode 5, “I’ll Believe in Anything” play off the pinks in Episode 4, “Rose.” How angsty and maddening the club scene is, but how liberating the moments in “I’ll Believe in Anything” are. (This includes the sunset scene, too.) It’s not only something we can see visually, but we can also feel the emotions those colors evoke down to our bones.
I’ve been walking around in a daze since watching the episode because it feels like I’ve stepped into a world comprised perpetually of cotton candy skies. Those few moments at the end of the day, where the afterglow surrounding us is so stunning you can’t even capture its magic in a photograph. You just have to feel the feelings and let them consume you.
Related Content: The Unmatched Softness and Warmth in Heated Rivalry’s ‘The Cottage’
And in every way where it matters, Ilya and Shane’s phone call is all-consuming—it’s picturesque in a way that Tierney and the entire crew deserve countless awards for. It’s picturesque in how the performances etch themselves into you. Heated Rivalry isn’t a show we’ll forget about when the next shiny new thing demands our attention. It’s a show that’s going to stay with viewers, growing even more beautiful with time.
Heated Rivalry is now streaming on Crave and HBO Max
First Featured Image Credit: ©Crave | Screenshot via HBO Max