‘Heated Rivalry’: 9 Troy & Harris Book Moments We Must See in Season 2
What To Know
- Season 2 of Heated Rivalry will spotlight the romance between Troy Barrett and Harris Drover.
- It’ll adapt key moments from Rachel Reid’s Role Model.
- Troy and Harris’ story is intertwined with Shane and Ilya’s romance.
Heated Rivalry Season 2 will bring another beloved Rachel Reid book couple to the screen: Troy Barrett (Charlie Gillespie) and Harris Drover (Justice Smith). While Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya’s (Connor Storrie) romance continues in The Long Game, the guarded Troy starts playing for the Ottawa Centaurs after Ilya does, slowly opening up to the team’s friendly social media manager. Troy and Harris fall in love over the course of Reid’s Role Model.
Following in the footsteps of Season 1’s Game Changer couple Scott (François Arnaud) and Kip (Robbie G.K), Troy and Harris will be the secondary couple of Season 2. Also like them, Troy and Harris’ story is intertwined with Shane and Ilya’s, even more so than Scott and Kip’s. Whether Troy and Harris will get their own bottle episode, too, or if their book scenes will be interspersed throughout — Role Model and The Long Game occur in tandem — remains to be seen. Regardless, there are plenty of standout moments that we absolutely need to be adapted.
So, Swooon is manifesting them all by putting our scene wishlist out into the universe. Without further ado, here are the 9 most important — and/or most fun — Role Model moments that we’re hoping make it into Season 2. (Spoilers for Rachel Reid’s Role Model and The Long Game ahead.)
Every single Chiron scene
If you don’t know who Chiron is already, you’re in for a treat. Chiron is the Centaurs’ team puppy, visiting the players at the rink when he isn’t training to be a therapy dog. In fact, Chiron is present on Troy’s first day. It’s the perfect introduction to the Centaurs’ sweet dynamic as a whole — they all absolutely love Chiron — and it establishes Ilya’s dog obsession pre-Anya. (IYKYK) Later in the book, Harris cheers the team up after a string of losses with Chiron, even making the dog a Twitter account. (We need the show to make a real-life one, too.) Basically, there’s no such thing as too much Chiron. We need him to steal every single scene.
Troy’s Q&A with Harris
Oh, Troy. His awkwardness during his social media Q&A is adorable. Who in their right mind says salmon is their treat of choice? Regardless, it’s the first moment that Troy and Harris really bond, and Harris starts to crack Troy’s shell. Not to mention, there’s some delicious tension when Harris has to place a mic on Troy.
Troy’s constant visits to Harris’ office
After that, Troy can’t help but be drawn to Harris. When Harris offers to carpool with Troy to their teammate’s barbecue, Troy offers to pick up a coffee for him. Harris puts a request in for a cake pop, too, and Troy shows up with three. They’re shaped like snowmen! It’s absolutely adorable, and we need to see it play out in full. From then on, Troy’s visits to Harris’ office become a regular thing. We need a montage of them all to get the maximum effect of the simp that Troy is.
Troy thinking Shane is hot
Shane comes out to his teammates as gay between Heated Rivalry and The Long Game, so Troy’s heard rumors about Shane’s sexuality. While Troy wonders about how Ilya would react if he came out to him, Troy thinks about how Shane and Ilya are “friends” and run their hockey camp together. He wonders if he should ask Ilya for Shane’s number. “Shane was a f**king babe,” he thinks. Troy never voices the thought in the book, but somehow, Troy needs to tell Ilya that he thinks Shane is hot in the show. It would make for a stunning (and hilarious) jealous Ilya moment.
Sabrina Lantos / HBO Max
Ilya and Troy visit to the Kingfisher
Not only would this be a great way to have Scott and Kip come back, but Ilya and Troy’s visit to the Kingfisher after a New York match-up is just as funny as it is sweet and emotional. Troy has never been to a gay bar before, and Ilya taking him along with him goes a long way in making Troy feel comfortable and boosting his confidence. In fact, once they leave, Troy comes out to Ilya, and Ilya to Troy. As a result, Troy starts putting some of the pieces together about Ilya and Shane’s relationship. Ilya isn’t the only one who clocks people!
The post-plane beach day
We’re decidedly not looking forward to the emotional turmoil of the plane scene, but we are looking forward to what comes after it. Shaken and worrying about the flight home from Tampa, the team tries to get their mind off things by having fun at the beach. It’s essentially that Top Gun scene, but with traumatized hockey boys instead of pilots and a frisbee instead of a volleyball. Harris takes advantage of the moment by ogling all the shirtless Centaurs, Troy included. It adds some much-needed levity after their literal life-and-death moment. Of course, we wouldn’t mind ogling at all the shirtless men, either. We feel you, Harris!
Troy meets Harris’ family
Once they start officially dating, Harris invites Troy to his family’s farm. Troy is a fish out of water, but feels at home with Harris’ equally bubbly siblings and parents. Troy, sadly, hasn’t ever had that bond with his own family, and he’s never experienced being open about his relationship and sexuality before. The visit is deeply moving and a major turning point in Troy’s journey to coming out.
‘I think I’m in love with him, Mr. Neck-Neck’
After hooking up at Harris’ place, Troy grabs Harris’ stuffed giraffe, Mr. Neck-Neck, and confesses how he feels while Harris steps out of the room. We need this exact line, word-for-word, in Season 2. Obviously.
Coming out & Pride Night
There’s no way these scenes aren’t in Season 2. After meeting Harris’ family, Troy tells Harris that he wants to come out. He kisses Harris in front of everyone in the locker room, and they’re met with clapping and cheers. Soon after, Harris makes a video for Troy to post on his social media before the Centaurs’ Pride Night game. Before taking to the ice, Troy tells off his homophobic dad, coming out as gay and revealing his relationship with Harris. It leads directly into Troy and Harris’ love confession. Troy gets a standing ovation from the crowd before the game starts.
Remember, Ilya and Shane are still in the closet at this point, and we find out in The Long Game the impact Pride Night has on Ilya. It’s without a doubt the Episode 5 moment of Season 2. We already know it’s going to be a masterpiece.
Heated Rivalry, Season 2, TBA 2027, HBO Max & Crave
