Queer joy versus the Canadian utopia in Heated Rivalry
Heated Rivalry seems to be getting hotter and hotter. But one debate about the show is why it seems to be depicting a fantasy world. One of the common complaints I’ve seen online is that the story is not realistic. Hockey players continue to exist in a world of homophobia and trauma, and this brings up feelings of anger or betrayal. The story is not reflective of reality, they shout.
And if you are not very familiar with Canadian television, then Heated Rivalry might be the first time you have encountered the Canadian utopian storytelling technique.
Heated Rivalry is not supposed to be reflective of reality because the storytelling technique Canadians often use is to start a narrative in the ‘real world’ and twist it so we show the world we want to live in. I define this as the Canadian utopian ideal. It depicts our ideal world.
Queer joy is for characters
Many viewers have obviously picked up on the queer joy theme in the show. However, queer joy and the Canadian utopia are two different techniques.
Heated Rivalry, Scott and Kip
Queer joy is experience by the LGBTQ+ characters. It contrasts the trauma narrative where queer characters are subjected to loss or death. Queer joy, conversely, allows queer characters to have a ‘happily ever after’ and experience a positive outcome in their relationships.
These characters are given a story arc that brings joy to their sexual identity. It is not exclusive to the romance genre, or Canadian storytelling, and others have pointed out shows where characters experience queer joy like Heartstopper and Red, White and Royal Blue.
Canadian utopia is about place
The Canadian utopia technique is connected to setting, not character.
The fictional world also has a story arc. The narrative will start in the real world and then eventually it changes to become the world we want to see.
All characters experience the utopia because they each occupy the same fictional world, however, they are not necessarily aware that the world is utopian. Not all characters experience queer joy.
Scott and Kip are the primary characters who experience a queer joy story arc. And later, Ilya and Shane have a similar outcome. However, Svetlana, Shane’s parents, and Ilya’s family, and Hayden who is juggling his kids, do not experience queer joy.
Funeral scene in episode five
The fictional world transforms after Ilya’s father dies, unburdening Ilya financially and emotionally. His brother is essentially ex-communicated from Ilya’s life. And we don’t really know what becomes of Svetlana or Sasha. Ilya confesses to Shane that he hates his life in Russia, and that no amount of money is good enough.
The Canadian utopia is revealed in episode five when Scott and Kip kiss on the ice after the MHL cup. This is the setting twist. The setting experiences an arc, and it is evident because of what doesn’t happen.
Episode five, Scott and Kip kiss
If we were still in reality, Scott and Kip would experience a severely negative reaction to this moment. Fans would boo. People would throw drinks on the ice. I’ve seen fans lose their minds over a bad penalty. A same-sex kiss after the cup? Commentators would gag live on air. The broadcast would have been cut. For Shane, who is watching the game on television, it would have instantly gone to commercial. Sponsors and advertisers would be pissed.
And none of that happens.
We are in the Canadian utopia now, and the world is more tolerant than it was before. There are hints this utopia was coming in episode four, when Rose reacts too reasonably after discovering Shane is gay. There’s no outburst. No accusations of embarrassing her. And no attempt to out him. She is basically like, ‘whatev’s let be friends.” A Scarlett Johansson type from ‘X-Squad’ probably wouldn’t be so chill about this news.
Canadian TV has been doing this for decades
There is nothing particularly innovative about a twist in the setting arc because Canadian television has been using this utopian technique since the 80s.
The reason the setting changes from reality to utopian is to: prompt a moral question, or to examine a complex topic through fiction. By altering our response to difficult subject-matter in a fictional world, it allows Canadian audiences to ‘try it on for size’ and see if we want to become this new reality. Do we want to shift our culture and society towards this utopian ideal?
Schitt’s Creek
It’s evident in Degrassi High, Schitt’s Creek, Trailer Park Boys, Workin’ Moms, and Still Standin’. There are elements of it in Kim’s Convenience, North of North, and Anne with an E. It’s not difficult to find. In every genre of Canadian television, the utopian ideal can be found.
What is unusual is how Heated Rivalry burst its cultural river bank. It is no longer contained for a Canadian audience. The show has exploded beyond our borders and many countries are seeing this utopian storytelling technique for the first time. Some love it. Some are upset that is deviates from reality. Others don’t know why it’s happening at all.
But the Canadian utopia links directly to the Canadian identity. Canadians don’t ask ourselves who we are. We ask ourselves who we want to be.
About the author
Lexie Angelo (@angelolexie) is a Canadian writer and PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh where she studies liminal geographies and highways in Canadian crime fiction. She is a two-time recipient of the Sir James Lougheed award and was shortlisted for the New Writer’s Award by the Scottish Book Trust in 2024. She teaches detective fiction at the University of Calgary. Find her at lexieangelo.com or langelo@ed.ac.uk
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