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It's been WILD to see. Crave giving a show based on a straight up romance novel six episodes is crazy and I can't imagine they'd have done it for anyone other than Jacob Tierney, who worked on their two prior biggest hits.

It has it for most of the week up here, except for Derry's drop day and the day after. It will have it again on Friday, without a doubt.

Jacob has said this -- that they're the rom com and Shane and Ilya are much darker and messier, working their way into becoming a romance. Right now, they're a lot of angst and struggle.

Yeah, I think this is where we probably just see different things in the show. The hockey part of the show is so familiar to me. Shane is the Connor McDavid/Sidney Crosby type -- the good Canadian-boy hockey phenom whose great on the ice, but his entire personality is hockey. One of my favourite scenes from the show so far is when he's at the biodome with his BFF teammate and he doesn't even have the social skills to be like "Oh, congrats!" about the new kid -- he's just like "Again?"

Meanwhile, Ilya is that stereotypical Russian player who provokes everyone and plays mindgames and smokes and drinks and messes around. To me, those two hockey archetypes + secret romance that will potentially blow up their entire lives is immediately interesting. It just turned out to be executed so much better than I expected. And also, to me, talking about hockey is so fundamental to their lives that I don't consider it not bonding. Shane keeps trying to bond BY talking about hockey -- we're going to the olympics, what do you think of the all-star lineup, are you excited to be part of this -- and Ilya shuts it down.

Because that's the other thing -- Ilya is trying NOT to have more feelings. He's trying to have less. He's not doing a great job at it, but he keeps trying to keep it a sex thing.

Plus, the whole tuna melt thing was SO messy. He's doing that thing where he reaches out and then pulls back immediately and Shane doesn't understand it at all. Stay -- because I'm not done with you. I'll make you lunch -- because I'm making it for myself. I like you. I'm also having sex with a LOT of other people. Like that's HIS attempt to bond (and get some more information) and it's confusing as hell for Shane. Shane is delighted to talk about what cities they like to play in -- but he is not at all comfortable talking about his sexuality, which is a topic Ilya really wants to get into with him.

(Aside: this is where I love the Gingerale theory -- all episode Shane can't get gingerale, except for at Ilya's, who just gives it to him without his having to ask. Yes, I know this is insane. But that gingerale came up FOUR times!)

Anyway. I can talk about this stupid show forever, so that's what I mean when I say I feel fed -- I really and truly do. I am with you that i want more bonding from them, but I think we're just not at that part of the story yet. Sick Dad and Dead Mom are looming large for me. And, of course, the whole Rose debacle. In the meantime, the yearning and the little crumbs they give each other is enough for me. Plus I just really love the performances. I cannot get over Conor Storrey's accent. I've seen interviews where he just casually says some stuff in French (which comes up a lot up here) and his accent is SO accurate. You can see Hudson Williams looking at him like, "Well, damn."

I started Red, White & Royal Blue, but I didn't get through the whole thing. I probably will eventually, because I didn't dislike it. I do have a low tolerance for tragic British royals, but mostly I feel like I know where that story is going, mostly. I like a heavy helping of angst, I think.