Production
Development and writing
The series was announced in January 2025 as a television adaptation of Heated Rivalry (2019), the second novel in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series, which follows rival professional hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov whose on-ice competition conceals a secret romantic relationship. [1] While the first two episodes focus primarily on Shane and Ilya, the third episode shifts its narrative attention to Scott Hunter and Kip Grady, a different pairing introduced in Reid's first Game Changers novel, Game Changer (2018). [2] [3] This episode marks a return to the series' focus on Shane and Ilya and continues the story following the events of the second episode. [4] [5]
Jacob Tierney served as the sole writer for the first season. [6] The episode's title refers to Rose Landry, an actress introduced in the episode who forms a close bond with Shane and later enters a romantic relationship with him. [7]
Changes from the source materials
The episode alters the outcome of Shane's storyline following the nightclub sequence. In the novel, Shane returns home alone after leaving the club, breaking down in tears on the side of the road as he confronts his unresolved feelings for Ilya. The series instead depicts Shane acting on his attempt to suppress those feelings by taking Rose home and sleeping with her, while Ilya returns home alone. [8]
Casting
"Rose" stars Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander, Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov, Christina Chang and Dylan Walsh as Shane's parents Yuna and David Hollander, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana Vetrova, and Sophie Nélisse as Rose Landry. The supporting cast includes Callan Potter and Benjamin Roy as Shane's teammates Hayden Pike and JJ Dagenais, Kamilla Kowal as Hayden's wife Jackie, Franco Lo Presti and Harrison Browne as Ilya's teammates Cliff Marleau and Connors, and Devante Senior as Rose's friend Miles. François Arnaud is credited as starring but does not appear in the episode.
The casting of Nélisse was announced in June 2025 alongside Williams, Storrie, Chang, Walsh, Kharlamova, and Arnaud. [9] Browne, who portrays Connors, is a former professional hockey player and known as the first openly transgender athlete in a professional team sport. [5]
Filming
Principal photography for the first season began in April 2025 and took place over approximately 36 to 37 days. [1] [10] Filming was conducted out of order, with Tierney directing all six episodes. [11]
Filming for the episode took place at several locations across Ontario. Italian restaurant, Ciao Bella Hamilton, previously featured in the first episode, was reused for Shane's lunch with his parents. Scenes depicting Ilya running through Moscow during the off-season were filmed in front of Dundurn Castle, while sequences of Shane and Hayden running in Montreal were shot along a nearby trail behind the same location. The nightclub Mansion in Hamilton served as the setting for the Russian club scenes featured in the opening montage and later reappeared during the episode's final club sequence. A residential property in Dundas doubled as Ilya's Boston home, where Shane later stays the night. [12] [13] French restaurant, Le Tambour Tavern, also located in Hamilton, was used as the Montreal bar where Shane meets Rose. [12] All hockey-related scenes, including locker rooms, ice surfaces, and spectator stands, were filmed at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph. [12] [14]
The hockey sequences required an intensive and carefully scheduled production period. All hockey-related scenes were filmed during a single block later in the shoot, with the cast not stepping onto the ice until approximately the fourth week of production. [11] Williams, Storrie, and Arnaud trained extensively with a hockey coach in preparation for the scenes. Although the on-ice material represents a relatively small portion of the finished episodes, filming these sequences was time-consuming, spanning roughly three full weeks of production. [15]
Due to the episode's extensive sexual content, intimacy coordinator Chala Hunter was present throughout production to oversee the staging of intimate scenes. Hunter worked closely with Tierney, Storrie, and Williams to establish boundaries, choreograph physical interactions, and ensure that scenes were performed safely and consensually. [15] [16] In an interview with GQ , the two actors stated that intimate scenes throughout the series were carefully planned and executed under her supervision, while still allowing for what Hunter described as "artistic interpretation". [17]
In an interview with Vulture , Hunter reflected on how the execution of the one of the episode's intimate scenes had a notable emotional impact on the closed set, extending beyond their technical requirements. While she noted that practical considerations, such as concealing simulated physical actions, occasionally led to moments of levity, she emphasized that the scene ultimately resonated deeply with the cast and crew. According to Hunter, the performers' use of eye contact and the inclusion of each other's names underscored a shift in the characters' relationship, signaling growing emotional investment alongside physical intimacy, which she described as both "attractive" and "heartbreaking." [16]
Music
The series' musical score was composed by Peter Peter. [18] [19] In addition to its original score, the episode featured several needle drop tracks, [20] most notably "My Moon My Man" by Canadian musician Feist and "All the Things She Said" by Russian duo t.A.T.u., which transitions into a remix by British producer Harrison. [21] [22] The songs' appearance in the episode, particularly "All the Things She Said", had reportedly led to increased digital downloads, [23] and on-demand streaming activity in the United States. [24] [25] [26]
Tierney stated that "All the Things She Said" was selected for its cultural and emotional resonance, particularly within queer communities, describing it as "imprinted on us in terms of memory, like a time, a place and a feeling." He explained that the track's history as a Russian pop hit made it especially fitting for the club sequence, capturing what he described as the "sexy, but intense longing" between Ilya and Shane. He added that the transition from the original track into Harrison's remix heightened the emotional impact of the scene. [22]
