This article contains spoilers.
“This soundtrack is insane” was what struck me as I watched the final episode of “Heated Rivalry.” The show was a nuanced, tender and enjoyable series that began airing in late November on the small Canadian streaming platform Crave and was picked up by HBO Max a week before its release date. “Heated Rivalry” has become a quick sensation and is without a doubt consuming every part of my brain. The less talked about standout of this show was the amazing and niche soundtrack.
The power of a good soundtrack
The show started strong and set its tone with the intro song being “Rivalry” by Peter Peter. The original song plays as the main characters, Ilya Rosanov (Connor Storrie) and Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), shake hands after a hockey match. The challengers-esque song perfectly established the rivalry and set the pace for the tension held throughout the season.
Later on in the episode, “Sealion” by Feist plays to build anticipation as Ilya goes to meet Shane. The song features the perfect instrumental break, where Ilya runs into Shane’s mom, Yuna Hollander (Christina Chang), for an awkward exchange in an elevator. This scene builds tension and Ilya and Shane continue their escapade to the song by Feist.
The next standout song in the series was Wetlegs “Mangetout.” The show spans approximately 10 years, so the song overlaps with about two years of them competing in hockey and flirting over messages. This upbeat banger starts the show in the perfect light for the rest of the episode. The episode follows with another original by Peter Peter titled “Its You.” The song plays as Ilya and Shane are intimate, creating the perfect tone to show their relationship changing. This song wasn’t officially released until January 9th. So at first, it was hard to identify, despite it being a fan favorite, adding even more mystery to the small indie show.
Episodes four and five had most of the fan favorite songs of the show. Episode four starts with “My Moon My Man” by Feist. Almost the entirety of the song plays in a three-minute-long sequence of Shane and Ilya. Similarly to “Mangetout”, the song plays while spanning over about a year of them texting back and forth. The song is the perfect fit to make the viewers really feel the emotional complexity of their situation.
I really will believe in anything
After a heartbreaking and soul-crushing scene where Shane essentially breaks up with Ilya due to fear of their relationship becoming more than a fling. “All The Things She Said” by t.A.T.u plays as Shane and Ilya lock eyes while both are with other women at a bar. The song choice here I would describe as nothing short of a masterpiece. The song encapsulates the gut-wrenching feeling they both are experiencing, all while staying upbeat and matching the club aesthetic. The episode closes with a t.A.T.u song, and as the viewer, my stomach ached for the characters I am now emotionally attached to. The song choice only amplified this feeling.
The song that personally put this soundtrack in the “one of the greatest ever” category for me was during episode five. This episode was an absolute whirlwind of excitement. To understand the full importance of the song choice at the end of the penultimate episode, two scenes must be mentioned.
During the start of episode five, Shane and Ilya reignite their relationship. Later, playing each other in a hockey match, Shane gets knocked out cold. While drugged up in the hospital, Ilya visits him and Shane charmingly musters up the courage to ask Ilya to come to his cottage over the summer. Ilyas’s only response at the time was “Maybe.” On the other hand, during episode three, two new characters, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie Graham-Kuntz), are introduced. Their love story pans out throughout the episode, and it ends with the couple breaking it off because Scott, who was also a hockey player, had too much fear of being publicly gay in the sports world.
At the end of episode five, Scott has won the Stanley Cup and “I’ll Believe In Anything” by Wolf Parade begins playing. Scott pulls Kip from the crowd and kisses him on the ice on live television. This was set in 2017, meaning in this scenario Scott had become the first ever out of the closet hockey player. Shane and Ilya watch in their separate homes in absolute shock. The only reason they haven’t started dating is their fear of being openly gay. Shane bombards Ilya with texts asking what’s happening, just as Ilya calls him. The iconic song by Wolf Parade pauses. The fog in Ilyas’s brain had cleared. “I’m coming to the cottage.” The song continues as the credits play. “I’d take you where nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn.” The final lyric left a lasting emotional impression. To say this scene and song choice moved me is an understatement. This scene single-handedly made the show for me.
The final song that plays in the season was “Bad Things” by Cailin Russo as Ilya and Shane drive away into their happy ending. They were officially dating and although they had mountains of work ahead with public acceptance, they were boyfriend and boyfriend. “I get what I want, I want what I see, I wanna do, do, do, do bad things with you,” ends the episode as they quite literally drive off into the sunset, giggling. The use of the lyric “I wanna do bad things with you” perfectly encapsulates the show’s central themes. Throughout the series, the relationship between Ilya and Shane is portrayed as intensely sexual, with much of the narrative focused on their roles as “lovers.” Both characters frequently internalize the idea that being gay is something “bad”, shaped by societal pressure and self-doubt. By ending the season with a song that openly embraces this desire, the show reframes the word “bad” as something empowering rather than condemnable.
Throughout the series, there are more underground songs scattered throughout that add to the mood and tension perfectly, but the standouts and my personal favorites are clear. The use of the soundtrack made each crucial moment in the season all the more cinematic.