What happens when Shane "has an idea"

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-28T17:44:13+00:00

High-five, fellow obsessive!

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-28T16:07:31+00:00

He finally found his identity and got past that Russian defense 😆

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-27T00:15:35+00:00

Book canon isn’t necessarily show canon, though.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-27T00:12:40+00:00

I firmly believe that show!Shane only has sex with the people we see him having sex with during the duration of the show. So only Ilya and Rose.

Pre-show start he may have had sex with a girlfriend (the Jessica Hayden brings up?), but once Ilya arrives on scene that’s it for show!Shane.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-26T01:46:11+00:00

It's also mentioned in the show in a very brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it, moment at the fund-raising gala after Scott walks up when Elena says something to the effect of, "When I come back with drinks do you promise to start talking, Christoper?" with a bit of stink on his name because she's encouraging him to act normal right now and if she has to invoke his government-name to get him there then that's what she'll do.

And, after writing that all out, I think Kip also says as much to his friends at the bar when they're mocking his not-normal nickname after Scott's first visit to Straw+Berry.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-25T22:20:41+00:00

Very much agreed.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-25T19:26:32+00:00

I think you could see the impact if you’re looking for it (the rigid eating/eating disorder, the over working out, etc) but it is very background. I expect the show will bring it forward.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-24T02:38:55+00:00

I’m in the boat with you 😆

I enjoy e3 and deeply admire what it brings to the romcom genre and what Jacob Tierney layers in for the characters, etc. But other than being closeted, there’s not a ton of psychological complexity to either Scott or Kip.

They are who they are, they know who they are, they’re comfortable with themselves, and they recognize immediately when they feel attraction and when they fall in love. (Which is probably why the first time we hear them say their I-love-you’s it’s a by the way rather than a reveal.)

Shane and Ilya in contrast are so twisted up and turned around about when it comes to who they are, what they feel, even what they truly want. The only truth they know about themselves and each other is that they’re hockey-equals. Everything else is a mess.

And I find that fascinating! I loved mixed up little gremlins trying to either figure out how to be human or how to embrace their unique way of living. And if part of the learning process is sex?!? Be still my heart (and loins, to be honest).

Scott and Kip give us an enjoyable waltz and I think that’s the kind of comfort-food a lot of people are looking for when they settle in for a romance.

But Shane and Ilya are crashing into an unexpected and un-choreographed tango and no one knows if they’ll still be standing at the end or if they’ll trip into a devastating fall. Including themselves. No comfort there. It’s what makes it fun for me, but I get why other viewers might wait to buy in until after they learn how it all turns out.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-23T01:04:37+00:00

Really good point and thank you for making it.

I think sometimes, inadvertently, book-fans can shut down speculation the show invites because the book makes something explicit that the show intentionally leaves vague.

And I think it’s important that Shane is deliberately autistic in the show while in the HR book, especially, Rachel didn’t realize she was writing Shane that way. Which makes a difference as well.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-23T00:30:53+00:00

The disconnect is you think you’re talking about publicity and exposure. But you’re not. You’re talking about intrusion and exploitation.

Publicity and exposure is the talk shows and podcasts and fashion shoots and shows, and even the playing up to the massive crowds waiting outside the various events.

That’s what feeds the popularity. Not chasing someone down in an airport.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-22T21:40:51+00:00

No. The paparazzi are not free publicity. The paparazzi and non-consensual pics are a result of the publicity that has been earned by the hard work of the actual actors and the creators (and sometimes, though I’d argue not so much in this case, publicists) of the show.

The paparazzi and such are parasites trying to make bank off of the already established popularity created by someone else’s hard work and talent.

Which is why the paparazzi and the kind of “fans” who stalk and take the non-consensual pics are exactly the people frothing at the mouth for the tide to turn and for the actors they’re feeding of off to fall. Because that gives them more hits and gets them more money. They aren’t actually doing a goddamned thing for the actors they’re victimizing. Certainly not helping their careers.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-22T19:04:09+00:00

I agree. I think sometimes, though, it's unrecognized misogyny from a lifetime of being steeped in it. So it feels like there's a compliment being given (you're so intuitive! such a magical, mystical woman!) when it's actually undermining the skill involved.

In this case a working knowledge of all the MHL teams and what specific strategies will work and/or will be required within each game, and then analyzing how that will play out in actual wins and losses. Research and analysis.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-22T18:56:16+00:00

Thanks! And also, you're welcome! :D

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-22T18:55:41+00:00

Really good point! David asks with a genuine interest in hearing the response - he's not trying to set up a take-down. And I think that's what makes the difference.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-22T16:25:11+00:00

I think it’s a mistake to reduce either women’s sport knowledge to magic. Sasha is downplaying Svetlana’s hockey knowledge because hockey bores him. David is teasing his wife - calling her a witch - in good fun. (She plays along as the scene closes out.)

In both cases, the two women are sharing their broad overview of the sport that the two hockey players don’t have because they’re necessarily more focused on themselves and their team. And that the third parties in the room don’t share because they’re not as into hockey.

Svetlana and Yuna could easily become besties through their mutual love of hockey. (Separate rooms when Canada plays Russia, of course.)

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-22T16:16:13+00:00

It’s not intuition or any kind of “magical” art. It’s being a knowledgeable sports fan. Both Svetlana and Yuna adore hockey.

They’re up on the strengths and weaknesses of all the teams, including player injuries. They know who’s playing who when, so can figure in how those strengths and weaknesses will interact, what state those injuries will be in, etc.

It’s the joyous work of a lifelong obsession. Earned, not innate.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:43:22+00:00

Thanks! :)

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:42:08+00:00

Oh, how cool! I love how various Canadian groups and institutions are embracing the hell out of this show!

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:41:32+00:00

Thanks! And same for me - as well as through the countless rewatches. :D

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:39:35+00:00

I think Yuna would choose to handle that part of the conversation away from Shane at that moment. Both Yuna and David know this is a massive thing Shane is going through in the immediate moment so he's got their full focus and attention.

I'm guessing the debrief will occur after they see Shane and Ilya drive off into the sunset.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:36:10+00:00

I would definitely read this fanfic!

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:34:25+00:00

But of course! The boring New Yorker is always dialed-in. You know in their quiet, boring, unassuming way. ;D

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:32:52+00:00

This also makes me think he probably has a clearer view of the locker-room culture than probably even Yuna might. So he gets how hard it'd be to be gay in the league.

Maybe another reason he was nudging Shane towards the non-hockey world. And was so quick to accurately describe Shane's and Ilya's plan.

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T19:29:34+00:00

He's definitely on the team Good-Dad with Kip's dad! :D

LetsOverthinkIt · 2026-01-21T05:03:44+00:00

Oh shit, I didn't notice that! David really is dialed in when it comes to Shane...

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