Mirrors are metaphor for hiding
And, the long journey to get there.
FEB 13, 2026
Mirrors as a Metaphor for Hiding
Heated Rivalry uses mirrors in two ways during Season One. At first I wanted to reaffirm and further explore the metaphor about internalized homophobia that Reddit user Aromaticchicken posted on …. 72 days ago (sigh).
(Oh Reddit, why must you use unconventional measures of time like ‘72 days [ago]’. So now, I have to count back how many days it is from today that this metaphor was posted. Let’s see, I think they posted the article on December 4, 2025. But, how would one know to look that up other than to go to the link above and scroll through their posts? No where does Reddit use normal dates like the rest of the world that I can tell.)
But, 10 pages into writing about how the mirrors in Heated Rivalry represent internalized homophobia, I actually stopped writing. It felt wrong. The clues weren’t lining up with that metaphor. Like the Ginger Ale metaphor we discussed in the last article, I started to dig deeper into what mirrors represent in this show and it isn’t internalized homophobia. I’m sorry again Aromaticchicken. Considering I was 10 pages deep into reaffirming this theory, it is a good take. My take encompasses a larger idea that can include internalized homophobia but really can mean different things to different people. The goal is the same though.
Mirrors in Heated Rivalry represent hiding. Much of that hiding is in The Closet. (Do I capitalize that? I don’t know. I don’t care either. I’ll do what I want. This is my article.) But not all mirrors are hiding someone’s queerness. Actually, there are only a couple mirrors that don’t represent The Closet. And to be honest, those really had me stumped because as I was dismantling the idea that mirrors represent internalized homophobia, I was forming the idea that mirrors represent The Closet. And, like I said, those couple of scenes really didn’t fit into the metaphor. The ‘hiding’ metaphor is the third metaphor I’ve landed on with these mirrors that fits them all.
Here is the thing, when we look at a mirror, we are seeing something; ourselves, the surroundings behind us, or whatever is in the frame of that mirror. Seeing these physical things makes us think, either consciously or subconsciously, we are gaining more information about the world, mostly about ourselves. It makes us think we have a better understanding of who we are when we can see our face and how we move. But, does seeing ourselves in a mirror really inform us more of who we are? I’m not so sure.
As it happens, mirrors, in real life, may alter how we present ourselves. Think of the last time you were chatting on a video call and adjusted your facial expressions or your hair to look better when your eyes drifted to the tiny rectangle that enclosed your face on the screen. Having a ‘mirror’ there made you more aware of how we are perceived by others and then prompted you to adjust your appearance to be perceived even more favorably. By doing that we are hiding parts of our true selves. We are presenting a version of ourselves that isn’t as authentic as it should be and we changed something about ourselves that we wouldn’t have if there wasn’t a ‘mirror’ there to inform us any differently.
So, these mirrors in Heated Rivalry are actually helping these characters hide parts of their true selves because without the mirrors, they wouldn’t know what was unfavorable. Or, what their world makes them understand is unfavorable.
I need you to be very clear about what I am trying to communicate. I am not trying to say being queer is unfavorable. Being queer is beautiful. There is nothing unfavorable about it. Accepting my queerness has brought me immense joy and I am proud of it. Also, I do not believe the creators of the queer joy series want us to believe being queer is unfavorable. It is the belief of these characters that their queerness (and that one scene with Shane in a suit before his first hookup with Ilya) is unfavorable and must be hidden.
This article will heavily lean on the mirrors are hiding the queerness more because that is what mirrors mostly represent in Heated Rivalry. When someone is hiding from their queerness they are in The Closet. Being in The Closet for some real people is due to internalized homophobia. But, there are other reasons why a queer person would stay closeted including discrimination, fear for one’s safety, internalized, transphobia, or living in a hostile environment
So, that’s what we are going to explore more here in a minute. How mirrors show us how characters hide in The Closet or from other ‘unfavorable’ aspects of their lives.
I promise we will get to the other way this show uses mirrors in another article later. Oh? You forgot there are two ways mirrors are used in this series? It has been almost two pages of blabbering about hiding that probably made you forget.
The other use of mirrors has nothing to do with hiding and it’s used in other films frequently. It does, in fact, help us see more about these characters which is exactly the opposite of this article. Bear with me, once you see its function in Heated Rivalry and know what to look for, you will notice it constantly in film. The catch is to know when the Heated Rivalry filmmakers use each method and when, maybe, those methods overlap.
My friend, divi, shared the Reddit link with me in the middle of December which is a point before the last episodes even dropped. So, kudos to Aromaticchicken for presenting this metaphor early on and before all of the shows aired. Again, I’m sorry I disagree with this take. It did lay the groundwork for me to think more deeply on this topic so it was an instrumental piece in the subtext discovery process.
They actually include more metaphors in their post that are adjacent to the mirror metaphor related to hiding in The Closet. The whole show’s premise is due to the factors that influence why these hockey players stay in The Closet which renders them unable to fully live their lives together. So, it’s not hard to see how they jumped to those other metaphors and how they could get lumped into this same post. For the sake of those new to subtext analysis, mixing metaphors might get confusing. Today, we’ll just stick to mirrors as a way of hiding.
First we’ll touch on two scenes that show characters hiding something that isn’t their queerness.
Take a look at this shot of Grigori in front of that mirror pouring some alcohol into two tumblers. Why have him in front of that mirror? He could have poured those alcoholic drinks (metaphor for heterosexuality) on a side table looking out of the window. The use of that mirror is significant.
Ilya and Grigori are going to a gala that was likely organized to bring together the old and new guard of Russian hockey players because the Olympics is in Russia this year. (We don’t know anything about this party other than its a ‘gala’. This was as good a guess as any.) There are probably many other rich and famous Russians in attendance. Who doesn’t love a party? Everyone must look their best and Grigori dresses in his military/police finery. That jacket probably weighs 10 kg with all of those medals. He wants people to know he is important and whatever that is in, he is highly decorated too. What else do rich people do other than flaunt their accomplishments and money? Equally, what do people who want to be part of this class do? They look the part.
Through the dialogue between Ilya and his dad we find out that Grigori doesn’t seem to always know where he is or who is living. He believes Ilya’s mother is alive and we find out from Ilya she isn’t. He doesn’t seem to know where his current wife, Polina, is. Also, he also doesn’t seem to remember they are going to meet with the minister even though Grigori just mentioned that was the expectation. Ilya’s reactions to these slipups tell us that Ilya is just now realizing that his father has dementia in real time with us.
Grigori is hiding his cognitive decline behind all of that regalia and legacy. I believe he’s also hiding financial troubles considering Alexei continues to demand money from Ilya throughout the series. Both of these ideas are unfavorable for a once thriving Russian man and something to hide.
What country does that sound like? A decaying economy covered in the veneer of opulence but when you peer behind the curtain, the real truth exposes the decline of the quality of life for many of its people and the corruption propping it up like a house of cards. Hmmm??
There is more to this scene and the following Russian scenes that inform us about Ilya. They will be touched on later in another article. We can’t stray too far off track from this metaphor even if I do want to criticize Grigori for how horribly he parents Ilya.
This guy right here, Shane Hollander, was just propositioned by Ilya Rosanov in the showers. Ilya suggests he will knock on Shane’s door at 9 o’clock and implies they should have sex. Shane has never had a sexual experience with a man before and honestly this may very well be his first sexual encounter ever. (We’ll get into that in another article.) He’s in this state of panic where he has time to waste in his hotel but he doesn’t know what to do with the time before this Russian hockey player comes to “maybe” knock on his door. He gets this crazy idea to put on his suit.
Throughout the series we see Shane unable to grasp what is expected of him in different social situations so this tracks with his uncertainty. (Weren’t they shooting a commercial in their gear? Why would he need a suit to do that?!) He looks at himself in the mirror with this suit and realizes that this doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone wear a suit right before a casual hookup?
But, this IS a mirror and we think mirrors are for hiding things. So, what is Shane hiding here with that suit? Thankfully he takes the suit off before Ilya arrives which informs us that he does not want to hide that part of himself from Ilya.
What is he hiding though? Well, what other scenes does Shane wear a suit? Yes, you literally have to think about all of the elements in a shot and where else you see it in a series to figure out the hidden meaning. It’s hard work but worth it!
Shane is in a full suit with tie in three major points in this series besides this shot. The draft where he wins second pick; when he wins the Rookie of the Year followed by the scene with Scott Hunter at the bar then Ilya on the rooftop; and, lastly, when he presents an award with Ilya which is then followed up by the bathroom scene where they make plans to get together later, and then the hotel room. There are other scenes where he lacks a tie or a suit jacket and tie. So, we will discount those as they don’t quite match. It seems weird to be oddly specific about this but we need to single out those instances where the same care is taken with his outfit, where all of the pieces match, to see what those scenes share.
What do all of these things have in common? In the beginning of each scene, there is some sort of prize to be won - a draft, Rookie of the Year, and Most Sportsmanlike Player. Even if Shane isn’t up for the award like the last one, they are somehow connected to winning an award or prize. So, Shane here in his suit is trying to hide that he is a prize to be won. Not, a trophy wife situation. But literally a person who is worthy of love and devotion because he is a kind and honorable man.
Shane, you should never hide that. You are a prize and Ilya should be grateful he has the chance to be with you.
Now that you’ve all dabbed your eyes a bit, can you find any other scenes in the series in which characters are hiding something that doesn’t have to do with their queerness? Because we have to move on and embark on several scenes that involve hiding because of queerness.
When I saw this scene, it was THE shot for me that solidified the mirrors are a metaphor for internalized homophobia. Wait, not that one. Not internalized homophobia. We’re talking about hiding. (But, maybe it’s interesting to those curious about discovering subtext to see how others come to their conclusions and have to rethink everything once new evidence emerges.) It’s still a great representation of my theory and viewing it through the lens of hiding in The Closet along with evidence above of hiding other things, these next few shots tell a more accurate connection to that theory. The caveat is here we are seeing the result of homophobia as the reason for this mirror of hiding (in the Closet).
In “Hunter” episode 3, we are unexpectedly detoured into a story about another hockey player we’ve seen as far back as the “Rookies” episode 1, Scott Hunter. He is a legend in this sport and has been mentioned enough times already for us to not be too surprised by this storyline. We see him fall quickly and deeply in love with a local smoothie barista, Christopher ‘Kip’ Grady. Most of us are so smitten by this episode we almost forget about Hollanov and some fans were sad when “Rose” episode 4 thrust us back into the lives of Shane and Ilya, our original protagonists.
What’s great is we don’t have to pick, people. We can like both story lines for different reasons. No story wins or loses; no characters are better or worse than the others (except maybe Grigori and Alexei).
After one night together, Hunter expresses his intense desire for Kip to live in his apartment and basically commit to being an exclusive couple but there is one drawback. Hunter isn’t out (there’s that hiding in the Closet, yikes). No one in his sphere has any idea that he is gay. No one from work, not his friend, Carter Vaughn, and certainly not his de facto family, the organization he supports, knows he’s gay. He can’t be out and thinks he has to wait until he retires years later to step out of hiding, hopefully, with someone like Kip by his side.
We know up to this point that Kip is out to everyone in his sphere; his dad, his friends, and his coworkers. Everyone knows he’s gay and loves him deeply including this part of him. This man is living a beautiful existence not hiding any part of his life from anyone and probably has been for years. He has not been pressured by a sport or other circumstance to stay closeted.
When Scott lays out to Kip what he wants, Kip is faced with the ultimate sacrifice to hide part of himself from his world to protect Scott. We see how deeply and quickly Kip falls for Scott as well. And, Kip chooses to step back into hiding for Scott for a little while at least. Kip is hiding part of his life in The Closet because of Scott’s struggles, not any of his own.
Again, this story line is about how Scott struggles with homophobia which keeps him closeted. Hiding in The Closet is a hard place to be in. Once out, it’s even harder to step back in it when circumstances outside of your control dictate the necessity to be there.
The audience does not want Kip back in that Closet or hiding, nor does he or Scott, but here he is faced with this decision. At first it’s easy living this little lie; secret romances are exciting. They cook for each other, look for the other to come home, make love, and discover more about each other that makes them fall even deeper in love every day. But real life eventually creeps in and Kip has to make a choice to protect himself or his relationship with Scott. Bless the story tellers here for allowing Kip choose himself.
We’re getting to that shot where Scott fills that whole mirror, I promise.
The filmmakers introduce us to Scott’s apartment in a grand way to help demonstrate to us how Kip feels about the disparity in their living conditions and the possibilities that await their future, even if just for one night. We see a sweeping span of the entrance, kitchen, living area, city skyline beyond the windows and back towards the entrance to an area leading to the bedrooms. It’s a full 180 degree rotation of that shot. We’re presented this experience through Kip’s eyes even though the shot never moves away from Kip on screen.
The only rooms we haven’t seen yet just in this introduction to Scott’s apartment is the bedroom and bathroom. And, it won’t take long to get us to that bedroom. It seems like the filmmakers are already saying to us “Scott wants to give Kip everything and has nothing to hide” due to the way they filmed that continuous and sweeping scene and the lack of mirrors anywhere in it. Kip is overwhelmed and maybe even pinching himself how lucky he is to have landed himself in this apartment with this very famous and sexy hockey player.
After his initial shock of the grandeur of Scott’s apartment, Kip remembers that they’re not just at Scott’s apartment for take-out, that is, if he read all of the signals correctly. And, of course, we see that this is exactly what Scott was thinking because moments later Kip decides “Or” to a topless Scott when Scott asks “Do you want a full tour now or…?”
We see almost all of that apartment in that sweeping shot and that is intentional. Every shot in film is meticulously designed and blocked to show us what the filmmakers want us to see. Sometimes that means leaving out details until they are useful later even if we have the impression otherwise. When they enter the Scott’s apartment the entranceway is dark, the living area is bathed by a soft glow (and a fire!). There are no obvious mirrors anywhere. All of this set up is intentional for a gut punch later.
However, we get to this above picture much later in the episode where we see a mirror in the entrance for the first time. This is new information. This mirror has never been shown yet despite us exploring the whole apartment with Scott and Kip. Do you remember what scene it follows?
Kip takes Scott to an art gallery showcasing his favorite artist actually. Scott decides to chance a venture out in public with Kip. Kip mentioned earlier that he loved this artist and what is a Scott to do other than to go to this gallery with his new lover with the intent to buy a piece to hang in Scott’s (their?) apartment. If you have oodles of money and no one to spend it on, this seems like a great opportunity to buy something for someone you love who would never be able to buy it for themself.
It’s clear in the gallery that Scott is on edge. This whole outing with Kip makes him uncomfortable. He’s hiding under a baseball cap and behind a pair of dark glasses. Unexpected noises make him jump. He flees at the first hint they could be a couple.
Look, I don’t know much about hockey in real life or how popular these star hockey players are seen by their fans. Do people follow them around with cameras like movie stars? By the way Scott acts, it appears to be the case. Maybe this is just what we are to know happens in this world. And, I guess that’s all we really need to know. What happens in our world doesn’t always apply to a fictional story. So, we have to forget about our biases when deciphering subtext and assume his fears of being photographed with Kip are real.
Scott is trying so hard for Kip and it’s absolutely backfiring. He is trying to stay calm, to hope the world sees Scott hanging out with a friend, not a lover, but also to do something special with and for Kip.
Scott flees the gallery after the curator/dealer makes vague hand motions towards them and asks “might they be shopping together” leaving Kip behind to cover for Scott’s unexpected departure. Scott couldn’t handle even the underimplied insinuation they could be together. The art dealer wasn’t even really assuming anything other than trying to understand how to approach these potential customers. It doesn’t even look like she recognizes Scott. It’s possible the art and hockey world don’t have a large overlapping section in their Venn Diagram of comparison. I wouldn’t know.
Anyone who has been in a homosexual relationship has probably had this happen to them especially in restaurants. Servers assume that a pair of differently gendered customers eating together is paying together unless there are obvious clues that this meal is a business meeting. But, they almost always assume a pair of same gendered customers eating together is paying separately and ask “Would you like separate checks?” The server doesn’t care either way, they don’t want to assume anything. There is usually no judgement behind the question, just the need for clarity. Unfortunately, by asking, they already have assumed something, which is that the same gendered diners are only friends. When in reality they’ve been in a romantic relationship for nearly 30 years. Server, couldn’t you see the heart eyes between those two?!
So, the art dealer doesn’t care what they are to each other. She already has customers in her gallery that she assumes are a gay couple and they are viewing the art and shopping without being bothered. She just doesn’t know how to proceed with these men who just walked in. But, the ambiguity of her assumption about them sends Scott into a right panic attack.
This is where it all leads up to this shot that made me go “YES! Mirrors do represent hiding in The Closet!” Scott enters his apartment here where the lights are now bright. The shot gives us a moment where Scott walks in front of the mirror. This mirror we have not seen up to this point no matter how many angles of the apartment we see of them making out or blending smoothies or having sex.
And, Scott hasn’t stopped panicking when he crosses in front of the mirror. His whole body takes up that mirror. (Do we wonder if that mirror was selected and hung in such a way so that we can see all of each of those character’s torsos?) Kip walks in right after to console him. Thankfully Scott apologizes and admits his unnecessary worry and unexpected departure were not okay.
His panic means he’s upset about how the world perceives him and to be perceived to be anything but straight would probably destroy the life he created. He’s also angry with himself that he’s likely disappointing Kip. He believes he can’t let anyone know about his sexuality but he doesn’t want Kip to have to live in secret either. Scott is admitting in this moment that those two realities - loving Kip the way Kip deserves isn’t possible while Scott is hiding parts of his life from the world. They both deserve sunshine but Scott can’t see a way to open that door yet to step into that sunshine.
That mirror is showing us so much of what is going on internally in Scott’s mind. And, he’s suffering in his hiding.
Do you notice that Kip keeps his back to the mirror for most of the time he passes by the mirror? He does so under the guise of closing the door gently and maybe stealing himself for what is about to happen with Scott. It would be easy to ignore that blocking.
But, look at that shot below. We see all of Kip’s back for a nice long pause. Robbie GK, who plays Kip, must have felt as slow as molasses in that scene, stalling for what probably felt like eternity so the camera could get that one shot of his back in the mirror. Because, Tierney wanted us to see Kip’s back in that mirror for as long as possible to show us that he has turned away from hiding his sexuality and is proudly out by facing the audience (or, the world).
What is Scott doing with that mirror when he enters the apartment? Scott faces the mirror exclusively. He fills it up completely, never turning his back to it. He has his back towards us the whole time. We are the world and he isn’t able to show us who he really is because he is hiding in The Closet.
There is a tiny instance where Kip is facing the mirror right when he enters the apartment. I bet we could read it as at some point as Kip enters his early adult life he too was hiding in The Closet; Maybe as a teenager when he was still grappling with his sexuality. But, that time in The Closet was short-lived and he’s never really gone back in.
Aromaticchicken made an excellent point in their post when Shane and Ilya are in front of a public bathroom mirror after the MLH awards, Tierney uses shots with mirrors to convey their dilemma.
They both experienced a huge public appearance where they were most definitely stuffed into a closet. But, when they can shut out the world, and all of the nastiness that comes with it, and it’s just them connecting again, there is no mirror. They are not hiding from each other. They know each other intimately and neither judges the other or condemns the other for their sexuality or other foibles. Yes, each is in pain here for different reasons. But, once they put that aside, it’s just them - two men in love. This, I can say, happens in real life folks.
We see that happen with Kip and Scott in this scene too. Towards the end of it, the camera cuts to the other side of the entranceway. It’s a 180-degree turn where there is no mirror. We need to take this 180-degree change in perspective as a cue that something else is happening now. Kip holds Scott to comfort him hoping to calm him down and reassure him that Kip is not upset with Scott’s behavior. When they are embracing and pouring into each other, at that moment, Scott no longer has that fear. No longer is the challenge between the difference of one lover in the closet while the other is out. They are just two men in love.
Let’s take a look at how metaphors can overlap and support the ideas presented in a scene. This is a scene we discussed in the Ginger Ale as Metaphor for Sexuality article. I just didn’t include any pics in that article. I’m leveling up!
We see Scott standing in front of a very large mirror holding his brandy/whisky/scotch drink. And, Shane is holding his Ginger Ale micro-sipping out of a tiny straw. We only know its Ginger Ale because Shane admitted as much to Scott that it was indeed his carbonated beverage of choice. But, Shane isn’t in front of that mirror. His arm just barely touches the frame of the mirror.
Remember, every shot in film is intentional and clearly designed probably before the actors even get to set. The camera could have been positioned farther to the actors’ right side (Stage Right) and we would have gotten them both standing in front of those wine bottles. Or, the camera could have been positioned three meters to the left of the characters (Stage Left), our right, where they could have been standing in front of a wall.
Here’s an image of those two terms mentioned above if you’re new to stage direction terminology. To give context, Shane is standing Stage Left of Scott.
Why not put them BOTH in front of that mirror? We are supposed to see only Scott in front of the mirror and Shane next to it, just barely touching it. Even more, Shane is wedged firmly between that shelf of wine bottles and the edge of the mirror. Not literally mind you, just the visual representation of his body between those two physical features.
Can we put all of these elements together? Scott is drinking his, uh, man-drink. Shane is drinking Ginger Ale. Scott is in front of a mirror. Shane is wedged between two different images. Even though we don’t know it in “Rookie” episode 1, we find out later that Scott is very gay. And, he’s firmly in The Closet except to the man of his dreams and, unintentionally, that fierce friend of Kip’s, Elena. He’s performingheterosexuality there with his man-drink which is some sort of alcohol and definitely burdened with hiding in the Closet by standing in front of that mirror.
Often when things or images are presented above a character’s head, it is what they are thinking about. Look at how big that mirror is. Scott is most definitely thinking about The Closet so much that the mirror takes up half the shot. That big of a mirror is significant; that’s a big closet. Poor Scott.
Now, you could get really technical with me and say ‘Definitely Still an Amateur, Scott is turned away from the mirror and towards us. Doesn’t that mean he is turning away from The Closet and showing us all of himself?’ And, you’re right. That’s what I said above, almost. I will counter with you that we don’t actually see his image in the mirror either way, front or back. The angle of the mirror is such that we don’t see anyone or anything in the room in the mirror except some lights. And, I would give the filmmakers some grace here. It would be strange to position a standing mirror in that shot such that we see Scott’s face. The point is there is a large mirror in which Scott is standing in front of that is above his head while he’s drinking down a healthy dose of performative heterosexuality. It’s so large in fact that Shane could also have fit in front of that mirror with Scott but he isn’t.
What about Shane? Well, Shane is still very much trying to figure out who he is. He’s young, 18 maybe? (Tell me in the comments, I don’t know). He is faced with three choices right there in the shot. He has a choice in his hand, Ginger Ale (his homosexuality); the one to his right, the mirror which he is just barely touching (hiding in The Closet due to external homophobia); or the one to his left, the wine which he is covering with his shoulder (heterosexuality). And, as the series progresses, he chooses all three at different points. Shane is not guzzling that Ginger Ale. He’s drinking it in tiny sips. Right now, he’s really just dabbling in the idea that he is attracted to men. Later, in the series he very much wants Ilya, he definitely hides his love for Ilya (the mirror), which also means his desire for men (the Ginger Ale), and he has that pivotal experience with Rose (all of that wine). All three of those ideas featured in one shot. Brilliant.
I’d like to point out that the closest of those three ideas is the one in his hand. Make of that what you will.
And, that mirror is most definitely just Scott’s Closet. Shane isn’t in there hiding with him. They don’t know that about each other. If Ilya was standing there in place of Scott, Ilya and Shane would probably be shown in front of the mirror together. Most of the experiences of their Closets are shared. Not all, but most. Because they have a relationship that is most definitely not open to the public.
How awful is that idea though? Scott is in The Closet and, yet, next to him is someone who might understand his pain and struggles. If Shane was shown with the same mirror above his head too, I would say they were out to each other but not the world. But, Shane is not in that mirror. For most queer people, hiding in The Closet is a very lonely and isolating existence.
Shane is technically hiding parts of his life from the world right now. But, is it The Closet? There is one quick shot at the beginning of this scene where we do see him briefly in front of that mirror. But, it’s a quick shot. Scott’s is not.
Maybe there is more nuance behind the length of those shots of them each in front of that mirror. Does it represent how long they’ve been hiding? Scott has been hiding for decades; Shane only a year, two?
Or, is it more about what’s going on inside Shane’s head? This is a point in his life where he is trying to figure everything out. He’s probably very confused about his desire for Ilya, working through those feelings alone. And, he probably fully expects to one day meet a nice woman to settle down with (Checking in on all of those wine bottles in the back. Yup, they’re still on the shelf.). He doesn’t have anyone in his life to talk to about what this is with Ilya nor does he see anyone represented in a queer relationship in his world that could be a model for a future version of himself and Ilya. Nothing about his feelings for Ilya is concrete or clear. So, is he hiding something he doesn’t even understand yet? Yes, but it is The Closet? That seems like a strong idea for what Shane is working through at this moment.
Of course Shane is hiding his whatever-this-is-with-Ilya from the rest of the world but some straight couples do too for a multitude of reasons. We do see a portion of a mirror in their first sex scene. It’s not front and center and it only shows parts of their back and legs if I recall correctly. And, they are meeting in secret from their teammates. This is a secret rendezvous. They know being caught like this would be very bad for their reputation. Shane makes sure that Ilya knows the world can’t know they have been intimate with each other. However, they aren’t a couple at this time at the awards. They don’t have to hide much at all. It’s not like they love each other yet and have to hide that too. They don’t even have a history really. He likely thinks this fling will fizzle and he’ll skip on to a life of heterosexuality without a hiccup. Also, those mirrors in the hotel room in that first encounter could show us some of Shane’s internalized homophobia because he’s not sure that what he is doing is right or good even if he very much enjoys what he is doing.
That’s vastly different from Scott’s experience who does not have any intention of ever finding a woman to settle down with. He fully expects to start dating men when he retires from hockey.
So, I don’t see this mirror in the shot with Scott as a representation of a definitive Closet for Shane. This scene to me is showing us Shane is really between several possible outcomes and hasn’t decided yet what route he will take. Because, what is he even anyway? Straight with a convenient rival-with-benefits that happens to be male? The Q part of the LGBTQIA+ alphabet? Bisexual? He’s not really sure yet. How can you see the walls of The Closet when you haven’t even defined who you are?
What a great shot with all of those overlapping metaphors.
Who likes a jealous Ilya? In “Rose” episode 4 Shane rebounds off of a semi-serious relationship with Ilya when their feelings get too intense. How are two pro hockey players, the top of all of the players in the MLH, presented as mortal rivals supposed to be in a loving and romantic relationship? They can’t. Rose Landry comes on the scene at the exact timing that Shane needs a distraction and a potential future spouse. We’ve already talked about how she’s perfect ‘on paper’, right?
Ilya finds out through the news of Shane’s and Rose’s relationship in the gym with his teammates. It’s very clear Ilya is not over their semi-serious relationship and, later in the hotel room, finds it incredibly difficult to just relax with his teammate. He finds himself in front of this mirror staring at himself. What do we think he’s feeling?
Ilya has never been uncomfortable with his sexuality or his attraction to men. It never feels like he is a victim of internalized homophobia. He fully embraces his sexuality. That part seems pretty easy. He never labels himself either but he’s clearly interested sexually in both women and men. Though, it is probably easier as a high-profile hockey player to stick to female partners because that is what is expected and wouldn’t cause a media storm if a partner was identified. It seems he’s only worried about losing his job as a hockey player and getting deported back to Russia, not necessarily the revelation that he is queer. Because walking back into Russia as a disgraced ex-hockey player and a known queer man would end badly for him no matter how you slice it. Everything that is harmful to Ilya about his sexuality comes from without: the toxic culture in hockey, his fear of having to return to an unforgiving Russia as an outed man, and the fear of disappointing his family. Best keep his not-completely-straight sexuality to himself.
There is this one problem though that Ilya never wants to go away: Shane Hollander. He just this side of actually saying the words to Shane that he loves Shane in the Tuna Melt scene. Ilya had, in that scene, been testing the waters on how Shane feels for him; asking Shane to stay, making him food, hinting that he would rather not find another female sexual partner in place of Svetlana who is less available, implying he would want to be exclusive with Shane and, most importantly, I think, allowing Shane to lead their sexual encounter for the first time.
And, it seems to Ilya that Shane is reciprocating those subtle cues; taking a nap together instead of leaving like they’ve always done, asking about his father because he understands the word ‘papa’ when Ilya answers the phone, and initiates sex in a way that allows Ilya to receive the pleasure when he’s usually the one providing it, or at least calling the shots.
For the first time they are able to let down their walls during sex speaking each other’s given names.
Just as quickly as those revelations opened doors to potential possibilities in their relationship, Shane slams that door in Ilya’s face, crushing any hope for something more.
Now Ilya is left in shambles. He not only is no longer in contact with Shane, Shane is absolutely not having sex with him and has moved on with Rose Landry. In all of the years Ilya has known Shane, Shane has never had another romantic partner whether secret or out in the open. Ilya assumes (probably correctly) that Shane has only had one sexual and semi-romantic partner: Ilya. He’s essentially sexually monogamous with Ilya even if they aren’t a true couple. Ilya probably assumes that Shane would apply the same principles to his and Rose’s relationship. Crushing defeat for Ilya.
We should mention that it’s known and implied several times that Ilya is not sexually monogamous with Shane. Shane knows this. Ilya knows Shane knows this.
This is where I’m going to say that I don’t pass judgement on these fictional characters, or real people either, in how they conduct themselves in their romantic or sexual relationships. As long as everything is consensual and everyone is being honest with each other, that is key. Even at that, it’s none of my business. I don’t stand by the traditional conservative rules that everyone should be in heterosexual monogamous relationship. If Ilya wants to have multiple sexual partners, I don’t care. If Shane wants to be monogamous, I don’t care.
Having said that, there are times in film and art where lack of consent can tell an important story. This topic should be presented carefully and the audience should understand that the message is ‘This is a bad thing’. Thankfully, lack of consent isn’t a part of this story.
So, here is Ilya who just about declared his love for Shane and was crushed by Shane’s reaction. He’s trying to get Shane out of his head staring daggers into his own eyes in that mirror.
He’s forced into hiding here. He can’t tell his teammate, who is obliviously choosing dinner from the hotel menu, that he’s struggling after this breakup. No one knows he is in love with Shane and has to watch from the sidelines as Shane moves on with life without Ilya and begins this highly public and publicly approved relationship. Ilya is very jealous of Rose. Or, is he jealous that Rose can be seen publicly with Shane and that it is not Ilya on Shane’s arm? It doesn’t matter. It’s probably all of the above. What matters is external homophobia has forced him to hide this part of his life. His solution is to drown out his sorrow by finding someone to have sex with at a club. That should scrub this man with freckles out of his mind. Right?
Ilya here is hiding from a world that can be dangerous to him. But, that leaves him bereft and angry. He’s mad at himself too for falling so deeply for Shane.
Before we leave this metaphor, let’s go back to “Hunter” episode 3. There are a few notes to point out about the art gallery scene that are intentionally crafted.
Shiny surfaces are used widely in place of mirrors in this show to also convey that metaphor of hiding. This shot below shows Kip and Scott entering the gallery and we’re treated to the left third of that shot with a surface that could be a mirror or just a wall of very clean, reflective glass. The material is less important here than the effect. It’s a huge mirrored surface.
We didn’t need that shot. Jacob could have positioned the camera in front of the entrance of the gallery in which the actors walked towards us. But, Jacob used that angle to get that reflective surface to show us something specific.
Take a look at the right third of that shot. It’s an area separated by a wall of glass but it’s transparent. Now, look at our guys positioned in that entrance. Who is positioned by the mirrored surface and who is positioned by the transparent surface? Scott is on the left and Kip is on the right. Scott is closeted, and hiding, and Kip is not.
When a shot like that seems unnecessary or maybe just pleasing to the eye, artsy even, take a deeper look. Sometimes it’s worth pausing the film to see how all of the elements work together to convey a message.
Here it is clear that Scott is positioned close to the mirrored surface because he is hiding his true self and Kip is positioned on the right close to the transparent surface to show us that he is not.
It’s not really important to note this but just a thought about how that shot was crafted. Those actors are technically not even near that glass corridor. But, the message is still clear that we understand one of the characters is struggling and one is not.
Do you notice where the curator is positioned? She is in the middle ground between Kip and the transparent glass. I’d wager the filmmaker wanted us to understand she too is queer and openly living life without fear or shame. She’s definitely standing in front of something that looks like a closet. But, she is not actually hiding in it.
Also, in the beginning of that scene Kip tells Scott “You don’t have to do this.” Scott replies with a grimaced smile “It’s cool.” But, the background police siren tells us that this public appearance is not cool with Scott. He’s internally screaming and all of the alarms he’s created for himself to never be in this type of situation are going off right now. He’s definitely freaking out. Poor guy.
As you come across shiny surfaces or mirrors in this show, drop them in the comments below. I wish I could go through them all but that doesn’t leave you with anything to find on your own. I’m waiting for someone to point out the shiny surface of some chair legs later and give a thought about what is being hidden in that scene.
So, mirrors, and mirrored surfaces, are for hiding what the character thinks is unfavorable to the viewer. Much like we hide bits of ourselves when we look into the mirror, these characters hide too. Sometimes they’re hiding dementia, their worth or their queerness. No matter what, I’m just glad there aren’t that many mirrors at the Cottage!
See you at the Cottage!