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“”’The Cottage”'” is the sixth and final episode of the first season of the Canadian [[Sports drama|sports]] [[Romance drama|romance]] television series ”[[Heated Rivalry]]”. Directed and written by series creator [[Jacob Tierney]], the episode was released on [[Crave (streaming service)|Crave]] on December 26, 2025.

“”’The Cottage”'” is the sixth and final episode of the first season of the Canadian [[Sports drama|sports]] [[Romance drama|romance]] television series ”[[Heated Rivalry]]” [[ ]], the episode was released on [[Crave (streaming service)|Crave]] on December 26, 2025.

Based on [[Rachel Reid (author)|Rachel Reid]]‘s [[Heated Rivalry (novel)|novel of the same name]], the series tells the story of two rival professional hockey players, Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov, whose on-ice animosity conceals a passionate, secret romance.

‘[[Heated Rivalry (novel)| ]], the the rival professional hockey players Shane Hollander Ilya Rozanov, whose on-ice animosity conceals a passionate, secret .

The episode received widespread critical acclaim, with Storrie and Williams‘ performances garnering particular praise.

The received widespread critical acclaim, with and Williams .

== Plot ==

== Plot ==

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“The Cottage” was met with widespread critical acclaim. The [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported a 100% approval rating for the episode, based on eight reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=””Heated Rivalry”: Season 1, Episode 6 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/heated_rivalry/s01/e06 |access-date=January 4, 2026 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>

“The Cottage” was met with widespread critical acclaim. The [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported a 100% approval rating for the episode, based on eight reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=””Heated Rivalry”: Season 1, Episode 6 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/heated_rivalry/s01/e06 |access-date=January 4, 2026 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref>

Tom Smyth of Vulture gave it 4 out of 5, praising its writing, character development, and emotional payoff, and wrote, “that’s why the more stories there are like ”Heated Rivalry’‘, for all its peaks and valleys, the better. Less pressure is put on each new entry, and more and more people feel seen.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smyth |first=Tom |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry Season-Finale Recap: Silent Retreat |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/heated-rivalry-finale-recap-episode-6-the-cottage.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260114152748/https://www.vulture.com/article/heated-rivalry-finale–recap-episode-6-the-cottage.html |archive-date=January 14, 2026 |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref>

of gave 5, and and , the ‘, , , and .<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=26 |title=Heated Rivalry Season 6 |url=https://www..com/heated-rivalry—episode-6-the-cottage |-date=January , 2026 |website= |language=en}}</ref>

The episode received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from Christine Kinori of ”The Review Geek” and 4 out of 5 stars from Tom Smyth of ”[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]”.<ref name=”:7″>{{Cite web |last=Kinori |first=Christine |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap, Review & Ending Explained |url=https://www.thereviewgeek.com/heatedrivalry-s1e6review/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=The Review Geek |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=”:8″>{{Cite web |last=Smyth |first=Tom |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry Season-Finale Recap: Silent Retreat |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/heated-rivalry-finale-recap-episode-6-the-cottage.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260114152748/https://www.vulture.com/article/heated-rivalry-finale-recap-episode-6-the-cottage.html |archive-date=January 14, 2026 |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=Vulture |language=en}}</ref> Describing the finale as “perfectly overwhelming,” Kinori lauded the cottage setting as a space that allows Shane and Ilya to be emotionally vulnerable with one another and highlighted the performances of Williams and Storrie, writing that their facial expressions “convey the depth of the couple’s emotional breakthrough.”<ref name=”:7″ /> Meanwhile, Smyth commended its writing, character development, and emotional payoff, arguing that the series benefits from presenting a wider range of queer stories, writing that “the more stories there are like ”Heated Rivalry”, for all its peaks and valleys, the better,” as it allows individual narratives to feel less burdened while enabling more viewers to feel seen.<ref name=”:8″ />

Whitney Evans of TV Fanatic gave it 5 out of 5 stars. She wrote: “It’s befitting that a sexy, brilliant, mesmerizing series would end its first run on an hour filled with the details, and charm its way onto the god-tier list of sweeping romantic episodes that have the unique ability to break you and put you back together with the promise of hope. [sic] It’s hard to overstate how grounded this hour feels, rooted in the romance genre’s greatest strength: emotional presence. There’s a heavy vulnerability throughout, one that replaces guardedness with assurances and grand words they’ve been fighting to keep at bay. [sic] I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it: Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams have put in some incredible work throughout the season, and both have several standout moments in the final hour where they get to showcase the abilities that have turned this show into appointment television. Storrie plays Ilya with ease, allowing his flirty, fun banter to flourish while always leaving room for his stoicism and restraint to ground the character, making the emotional breakthroughs in the finale feel earned rather than performative. He has a powerful on-screen presence, and he draws you into his orbit with no plans on letting you leave with every fleeting smile and hard-nosed line delivery. Where Ilya may be more outwardly expressive at times, Shane can present in a quieter, more measured, and introspective way. Williams always plays him with this quietly illuminating spirit and, at certain times, pathos, resulting in some of the season’s best character beats when he’s allowed to express every single emotion Shane is experiencing without uttering a word. It’s a special gift, and the finale is framed in ways that allow each man to exist in the quiet with the other, letting the stillness and gravity of the scene, along with their reactions, guide us through the emotions rather than spelling it out for us. When Ilya casually drops that he could marry Svetlana to obtain Canadian citizenship, Shane is noticeably upset, face hardened and eyes shining with a hint of confusion and unbridled pain. Williams plays it beautifully, keeping Shane so tightly wound that you can feel his pain ricocheting around the open concept living room, and only reigning himself in when Ilya very cutely admits to him how much he likes him in a way that only Ilya can. The tears gathering in Shane’s eyes, not falling but glinting off the soft lighting of the cottage, elevate the scene and this interaction, and it’s one of the episode’s best, amongst a sea of them.” She singled out the scene of Shane confronting his parents after being caught kissing Ilya by his father, stating, “Williams is once again supremely excellent at radiating Shane’s internal battle as it collides with his need to speak his truths in front of the three people who mean the most to him in the world. [sic] When Shane and Yuna talk alone, the scene becomes a gut-punch in the most profoundly satisfying way. It’s everything Shane needed to hear from his mother, whose opinion and love mean the world to him. [sic] Williams and Christina Chang are so brilliant in this scene, as Shane struggles even to look his mother in the eye. Yuna stands there passionately making her stance clear, and the sincerity of the moment is exquisite. It’s a perfect coda to an impassioned and romantic hour that’s never cheesy or overindulgent. It’s not begging for more, but instead closing this chapter of Shane and Ilya’s story in a way that feels honest to the story that’s been building since two teenagers met outside in the cold for the very first time. This part of Shane and Ilya’s story feels deliberately closed. It honors everything that came before and, more importantly, gives us a glimpse of what the future could be, while also reminding us that the very concept of love is something to be earned and beautiful, not deferred.” She also praised the ending and the season’s conclusion, saying “Lesser shows might opt to end the season on an angsty note, as even though the series is based on a book, it’s still a television show at the end of the day. The uncertainty of their relationship and whether they will find their happy ending could have served as the cliffhanger and hook to keep audiences coming back for another season. But Heated Rivalry has always understood that romance is the payoff in all of this, not something to ultimately be delayed or complicated for the sake of it. Shane and Ilya confessing their love for one another through muddled tears and bright smiles is joy, and the series trusts the audience to find the meaning in that. [sic] This story doesn’t end here, but this chapter feels whole and confident in that.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Whitney |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 6 Is a Triumph of Romance |url=https://www.tvfanatic.com/heated-rivalry-season-1-episode-6-review-the-cottage/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=TV Fanatic |language=en-US}}</ref>

Writing for ”Fangirlish”, Lissete Lanuza Sáenz described the episode as a quieter but deeply affecting hour, praising Williams and Storrie for delivering performances that “feel like a punch in the gut, the good way.” She argued that the finale succeeds by embracing queer joy rather than narrative punishment, particularly in its attention to small, intimate moments, and called Shane’s emotional openness Williams’ “finest moment in the [series] so far”.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sáenz |first=Lissete Lanuza |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry Episode 6 Review: A Soft Place to Land |url=https://fangirlish.com/2025/12/25/heated-rivalry-episode-6-review-the-cottage/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=Fangirlish |language=en-US}}</ref> Ana Dumaraog of ”[[Screen Rant]]” praised the episode for delivering emotional payoff through understated, domestic moments, calling it “indulgent TV at its finest.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dumaraog |first=Ana |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry Finale Review: Shane & Ilya’s Cottage Ending Is Pure Indulgent TV |url=https://screenrant.com/heated-rivalry-episode-6-review/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> She highlighted the added conversation between Shane and his mother as a meaningful deviation from the novel that strengthens the season’s emotional core.<ref name=”:0″ />

Christine Kinori of The Review Geek rated 4.5 out of 5: “We made it to the cottage, but we ended up ugly crying because of how perfectly overwhelming everything was. Shane and Ilya’s journey has been a long one. However, we are happy to see them get to this phase in their lives. This episode saw them spend time at the cottage. It was almost like their perfect bubble, away from the world. A haven where they could be emotionally vulnerable with each other. It is also where they come up with a definitive plan to sustain their relationship. Based on their conversation, one can easily tell that they are in this for the long haul. In this finale, Connor and Hudson perfectly use their facial expressions to convey the depth of the couple’s emotional breakthrough. The actors’ exceptional performances, as well as the cottage setting, add depth to the story. I love that they added the scene between Shane and Yuna. You can clearly see her heart breaking for her son because she understands the gravity of what is going on. Her support heightens the emotional depth, too. It is also touching to see how Shane’s parents quickly embrace them. Sadly, we have come to the end of season 1. It was a wonderful cinematic experience though. Jacob and Rachel did an exemplary job in choosing to stick to the books. The actors were phenomenal.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kinori |first=Christine |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry – Season 1 Episode 6 Recap, Review & Ending Explained |url=https://www.thereviewgeek.com/heatedrivalry-s1e6review/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=The Review Geek |language=en-GB}}</ref>

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Lissete Lanuza Sáenz of Fangirlish said: “The episode, a more subdued and yet still very impactful hour, sees Hudson Wiliams and Connor Storrie deliver contained performances that feel like a punch in the gut, the good way. [sic] It works, just as everything in this show has, because Williams and Storrie are capable of having us glued to our screens with the force of their chemistry for 45+ minutes. But it also works very much because Jacob Tierney and Rachel Reid, before him, understood the power of queer joy. This, in many other cases, would be when the story goes astray. It isn’t here. [sic] These are two performers who have truly elevated the characters by treating them with not just care, but respect. It shows in the big moments, but it especially, especially, shows in the smaller ones. [sic] You can see everything in Williams’ performance. Pain. Longing. Fear. Love. Determination. Sometimes two or three things at once. The tears never fall, but his eyes water and go soft, and there’s so much to hold onto there. So much to dissect. It is, perhaps, Williams’ finest moment in the show so far, because it is Shane finally allowing himself to feel and say what he feels. And yet, let me be clear, Williams has been outstanding so far. He cannot be compared to Storrie’s Ilya, because the characters are so different and the demands are so dissimilar. Neurodivergent characters are often so hard to play in a way that feels both realistic and relatable, and yet Shane Hollander is the type of character not only Ilya Rozanov loves, but that we love too. That’s thanks to Williams, a great script, and solid source material.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sáenz |first=Lissete Lanuza |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry Episode 6 Review: A Soft Place to Land |url=https://fangirlish.com/2025/12/25/heated-rivalry-episode-6-review-the-cottage/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=Fangirlish |language=en-US}}</ref>

Ana Dumaraog of Screen Rant: “Heated Rivalry Episode 6 Is Indulgent TV At Its Finest. Despite essentially losing the element of tension that comes with sneaking in and out, “The Cottage” maintains its emotional intensity with quieter moments. Similar to how Tierney pulled back on intimate scenes in episode 5, it barely features any raunchy moments, focusing on Shane and Ilya being more domesticated than anything. In the outing, Tierney rewards viewers with the relationship payoff that it deserves after weeks of set-up. Shane and Ilya being playful, eating burgers, lounging on the couch aren’t pin-drop moments, but they’re some of the most enjoyable moments of the series because it’s novel for them and the viewers. A notable change from the book–when Tierney includes a one-on-one conversation between Shane and his mom, Yuna. The honest discussion adds weight to the internal turmoil that he has been feeling about his sexuality. While David is a staple throughout Shane’s ”Heated Rivalry” thus far, it’s clear that his bond with Yuna is special. So seeing her own come to terms with what’s happening in a supportive way is a welcome deviation. ””’Heated Rivalry””’ still wraps up in a satisfying way, and Hollywood knows that it’s a rare feat these days.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dumaraog |first=Ana |date=2025-12-26 |title=Heated Rivalry Finale Review: Shane & Ilya’s Cottage Ending Is Pure Indulgent TV |url=https://screenrant.com/heated-rivalry-episode-6-review/ |access-date=2026-01-04 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref> In a different article Dumarog wrote, she said, regarding the scene between Yuna and Shane: “Adding this moment perfectly encapsulates how brilliantly Tierney toes the line between staying true to the novel and deviating from it. Giving the pair this quiet but powerful conversation strengthens their relationship, and also emphasizes just how much Ilya has lost with the death of his own mother. Throughout ”Heated Rivalry” season 1, Yuna has been present in Shane’s life, managing her professional affairs. At this point, however, the conversation becomes just between a mother and a son.”<ref name=”:0″ />

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== References ==

== References ==

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“The Cottage“
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 6
Directed by	Jacob Tierney
Written by	Jacob Tierney
Featured music
Cinematography by	Jackson Parell
Editing by	Véronique Barbe
Original air date	December 26, 2025 (2025-12-26)
Running time	51 minutes
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List of episodes

“The Cottage” is the sixth and final episode of the first season of the Canadian sports romance television series Heated Rivalry, developed by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid‘s Game Changers novel series. Directed and written by Tierney, the episode was released on Crave on December 26, 2025.

The first season primarily adapts Heated Rivalry (2019), the second novel in the Game Changers series, which follows rival professional hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), whose on-ice animosity conceals a passionate, secret romantic relationship. In the episode, Shane and Ilya spend their summer at Shane’s cottage, where they confront their fears about family, secrecy, and their future together. After they are caught by Shane’s father, Shane comes out to his parents and openly acknowledges his relationship with Ilya.

“The Cottage” received widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its writing and performances, particularly those of Williams and Storrie, as well as its focus on queer joy, intimate character moments, and a romantic resolution that favored emotional payoff.

Kip (Robbie G.K.) and his friends watch on television as Scott (François Arnaud) accepts the MLH Most Valuable Player Award and publicly reflects on his coming out, while also acknowledging Kip during his speech.

Fast forward to July, Shane (Hudson Williams) picks up Ilya (Connor Storrie) from the Ottawa airport and drives him to his cottage, where they plan to spend two weeks together in private. At the cottage, Shane and Ilya admit that neither has been with anyone else since they last saw each other months earlier and agree to be honest with one another during their time together.

As the days pass, Ilya opens up about his family, including the trauma surrounding his mother’s death by suicide. Shane, in turn, speaks about his parents and his fear of coming out to them. Ilya encourages Shane to be truthful, while Shane reassures Ilya about his past relationship with Rose. Their growing closeness leads Ilya to suggest marrying Svetlana in order to secure American citizenship, a proposal that upsets Shane. Shane asks Ilya for time to find an alternative solution.

Shane later proposes a plan that would allow them to remain together while protecting their careers: reframing their rivalry as a friendship, launching a charity, and having Ilya pursue a transfer to a Canadian team, allowing him to live closer to Shane. Moved by Shane’s commitment, the two finally confess their love for each other.

Their time at the cottage is interrupted when Shane’s father (Dylan Walsh) arrives unexpectedly, sees Shane and Ilya together, and immediately leaves. Shane becomes distressed and worries about how his parents will react, but Ilya insists on supporting him and accompanies Shane to speak with his parents. Shane comes out to them and explains his relationship with Ilya. Shane’s mother (Christina Chang) later apologizes for not creating a safe environment for him to come out sooner. Later, during a family meal, Ilya refers to himself as Shane’s boyfriend for the first time, and they discuss their relationship and future plans.

Afterwards, Shane and Ilya return to the cottage and plan a dinner with Shane’s parents.

Tierney makes the most significant departure from Reid’s books in this stretch of Heated Rivalry, and for good measure. He adds a scene between Shane and Yuna alone outside the house, where they honestly discuss what just happened. Shane, assuming that his mom is disappointed, explains that he tried very hard to not get to this point, but Yuna immediately dismisses him, saying that she’s the sorry one for not making him feel safe enough to talk to her about it.^[1] He is a tricky character in that way. He’s so internal, and his struggles are so internal. I think Yuna is too. They are actually quite similar. I really felt like those two needed a moment together. Not just because of where we’ve come from, but also because of where we’re going, and how involved Yuna is in the rest of their story. How crucial a role she plays. I think that my little gay heart just needed a moment with Shane and his mom. They needed to talk and that was it.^[2]

I rewrote that scene twice while we were shooting it, too, because there was way more dialogue, and then I was like, “I hate everything.” I was just like, “What are they talking about?” I knew it had to be there, and it was not obvious to me initially what exactly should be said, but then, when I kind of reduced it to its bare bones, truly, to your point, I was like, “When do we start crying? When does this start hitting me?” And it was when he said, “I really tried.” I don’t have kids, but that would hit me. That would hit me really, really hard.^[3]

Speaking of the cottage, you mentioned in a previous interview that you cried while reading the script for episode six. There are multiple emotional beats in this episode, but what in particular hit you the hardest? Yeah, well, that was the only time I had the benefit of being surprised, because I read the scripts before the book, before I knew anything. I wasn’t told there is a happy ending. I was going in blind. I don’t know what’s gonna happen at the end of this cottage! I remember the last romance show I watched was Normal People, so I’m not exactly like, “This is gonna be great.” So, I remember the first time Ilya brings up Svetlana, that upset me because I’m already reading through the eyes and POV of Hollander. So just hearing “I could marry Svetlana” is horrifying. That means regression. That means, “Oh, we’re living fairy tale right now, and that’s reality.” And it’s also a reality I can’t understand because, you know, Ilya is bisexual. Shane is…God, get the women away from Shane! So it is horrifying for him. And then also the scene where, it’s very sweet, when Shane mentions that they can start a mental health organization. I don’t think Shane knows how sweet that is to Ilya. I think it kind of comes from Shane’s pragmatism and he’s sort of [thinking], Well, this was good and Ilya will appreciate this, but I don’t think he knows to the extent. And then, Ilya’s line, of course, “She would have loved you. Like I love you.” Ugh! And then the final nail through the fucking skull in my eyes was the scene with Yuna. That was the scene that felt the most pointed in my upbringing. You know, Asian family….There were some stereotypes that are true, in my experience and a lot of Asian kids’ reality. Perfection, discipline, a lack of straying left and right meant a lot of old, outdated conventions and old biases. Being gay is one of them. So having that release… I didn’t know at that point if Yuna would tell him, “Okay, well, do you want to be a part of this family or not? You’re not going to be talking about that again.” To the degree of which she brought him in and said, “That’s okay,” really just sent me.^[4]

Tierney: I wanted to end the show with the feeling I ended the book with, which is, “I’m so happy they get to be happy.” And I didn’t need more information, I didn’t need anything other than to just see them be happy together. We didn’t know what the future would hold for this show, we didn’t know if we were going to get a second season or anything like that. So I also wanted to make sure that we created a credit sequence to honor all of our cast and crew who worked on the show that you couldn’t skip through. That was like, “Let’s do movie credits, because we shot this like a movie.” I understand the impulse to skip to the next episode, or whatever you’re doing when you’re streaming the show, but it was really important to me to create a sequence where people can look at the names, and we can also just watch these two be sweet together in a car with a golden sunset behind them. Keep it nice and simple but also heartfelt, and we can appreciate all the incredibly talented people that put their time and their heart into making the show what it is.^[5]

The finale also showed us why Ilya is such a “grump”—he was the one to find his mother after she died by suicide. How did that detail inform your approach to the character? That point is everything to me. For his dad to sweep it under the rug, for them to never speak of it again, for his brother to wish him ill because of how he showed up in the family after that—so much feeds into that moment. Those are situations that, not to sound hyperbolic, ruin people’s lives. I carry that with me in everything I do with Ilya.^[6]

Well, books are so different from TV and I didn’t know if I was even going to get to make more of these. As much as I care about their charity and what they’re going to do, I don’t know that we need a bunch of exposition at the end of a season of TV like this. I wanted to leave the viewer with what the book left me with emotionally, which was the kind of warm, fuzzy feeling of them getting to be happy together. I thought of doing something with just a bit of elegance, and there’s a simplicity to the two of them in a car, driving off into the sunset, and not over a cliff. That was all I ever wanted out of this story. Part of the balancing act of the storytelling for me was always that you get this big moment with Scott and Kip in the last episode. It is this massive rom-com public declaration of love, and what I love about Shane and Ilya’s story is that you get another version of that kind of happiness, which is this small moment with the two of them just being allowed to be in love. That was the sweetest ending I could come up with for them, for now.^[7]

Were you surprised he said it first? Yeah, but even though Shane doesn’t say it first, he says all these things that are, if they’re not love, what the fuck are they? You know, “Let’s start a foundation.” He’s staying up in the middle of the night plotting their way. When Ilya says, “You think that far ahead, Hollander?” “I do about this.” Hollander is not a planner. He’s a diligent worker. He’s someone who is routine — dial in, show up in the game today, show up in practice right now. Forget in five years. Be the best hockey player now. It’s out of character to let this game plan run so far ahead. But it is because he loves Ilya so dearly. So I think he, even though he didn’t say it first, he made that cottage a home for Ilya to be able to say it.^[8]

FirstOntario Concert Hall on Summers Lane in Hamilton: Scott Hunter gives his MVP speech in episode 6, those scenes take place on the concert hall’s stage, same like Ilya and Shane’s awards scene.^[9]

Barlochan Cottage, Muskoka Lakes, Ont. A gorgeous, 2,500 sq. ft. cottage stood in as Shane’s Quebec getaway. The entire episode is set there, both inside and outside and on the lake. (Trevor McIvor Architect Inc.)^[10]

How long was the process of finding the right cottage for the finale? Long. It was tricky. Because it’s not just about the house. It’s about how far down the road it is. Can we get the trucks down there? Is there room for a base camp? Can we put people up around there? It’s a lot. Cottage country is tricky to shoot at. But then, when we saw this house, I loved it. I was like, “Can we make this work?” The truth is, it was smaller than I had in mind, but as soon as I saw it, I was like, “Oh, this feels like a place Shane would build.” When I thought about it, it was like, he wouldn’t build a five-bedroom house. He’d build a small place for himself, and Hayden and Jackie could come up with the kids, and that’s it. It felt like the right size. It was a beautiful house, and God willing, we can go back there next year.^[3]

The cottage was the last two days of shooting. So all of episode six was the last two days, but the drive when we’re in the car leaving was two weeks into the shoot. So we still had, like, three weeks of shooting left while we’re shooting the drive off. Me picking Ilya up in the “It’s not a Jeep, it’s British, it’s good in the snow” car took place, like, three weeks into shooting. So, yeah, there was still a lot of out of order to it.The last scene we shot was mine and Ilya’s conversation by the fire, where he talks about his mother. And then it was, “That’s a wrap.” So it was kind of a beautiful place to end.^[4]

This episode was so many beautiful one-take shots that Jacob had gotten.^[5]

Was there any moment that came up organically during filming of the finale that you just had to include in the episode? Tierney: The one thing was Ilya smacking Shane while he’s giving him that blowjob, that was a delightful surprise. It really made me laugh. Because again, if we’re talking about the evolution of the sex on this show, of going from it being like very tentative and impersonal and very physical and distanced, to being incredibly intimate and incredibly personal, and then also to being funny and fun — the way that a real couple will have sex together, where they’re not just doing one thing all the time. So when Connor started smacking Hudson’s face, we were all chuckling behind the camera. And at the end — God bless Connor, he’s very much the kind of actor — he was like, “Is that OK?” I told him, “You can keep doing that as long as Hudson doesn’t mind getting smacked around a bit.” And Hudson, as you can probably tell from his interviews, does not mind getting smacked around a bit. So, it was another moment of them speaking to how comfortable they felt with their characters, and how free they felt to bring their real connection into these moments where they can be playful and they don’t have to be serious or fake some kind of intensity that isn’t necessary for that moment. There is something that we were all very conscious of in a show with this much sex, which is that it will get boring to see the same thing over and over again. So anything to make their sexual connection feel electric and alive and different and funny is welcome — we come from a place of comedy over here, so we’re thrilled with funny.^[5]

The actual location of Shane’s vacay home is Muskoka Lakes in Ontario, Canada. The gorgeous estate with windows everywhere was designed by architect Trevor McIvor, and just one of the many IRL places from Heated Rivalry that fans can find by traveling up north.^[11] Far from a studio set, the cottage in question is an architect-designed retreat on Lake Muskoka in Ontario, designed by Toronto-based architect Trevor McIvor.^[12]

According to series creator Jacob Tierney, one of the episode’s most memorable moments, which, to avoid spoilers, we’ll simply refer to as the couch scene, had to be refilmed due to a massive rainstorm that rendered a perfect take unuseable. “We had to pause because that whole house was glass. So when it’s raining, it just sounds like a tin can.”^[13]

The first time the actors shot it, they sat in silence and cried at certain moments. They both thought they nailed it. “[Tierney] lets the entire song play, comes up and he goes, ‘Okay, let’s do one where you guys don’t look like you wanna kill yourselves,'” Storrie recalls. “And then [we] start from the top and he’s like, ‘You know, this is a happy ending, like boyfriend stuff: talking, maybe a touch.'” Williams remembers of this day on set, “Jacob came over and looked at us and goes, ‘It’s happy. Are you guys crying?!'” In the final moment, Williams turns to Storrie and does a version of Ilya’s “attack-y” face, as Tierney describes it. He left that sweet exchange in to show how Shane is capable of breaking his guarded facade. “I think Shane does have a playful side that is stifled…Under every scene in season 1, there’s not much room for super goofy play,” Williams says. “There’s a tentative nature to episode 6. Although it’s calm, it’s still like, ‘Can this work, when we’re left alone to our own devices?'” “It does feel like a puppy learning to play,” Tierney adds.^[13]

When I read the scene, I was emotional, and then ever since then, I have been emotional.^[14]

The mother-and-son scene filmed over two days. “The first time we couldn’t get through it because it started raining,” Hudson recalls. “And then we came back the next day to shoot it, Jacob goes, ‘I rewrote it.’ So Christina and I are in the little makeup room of this little cottage, memorizing the scene, and it was so beautiful. It made so much sense. It stands on the right side of what I think a parent should be because there are outdated notions. There are old school ways of parenting that maybe we can leave in the past…As someone who thinks of raising their kids in the future and wanting to be a father, this is the environment you have to foster.”^[8]

But then there’s the blowjob scene. That was comedy. That was improv. Yeah, to a degree. Connor and I were kind of goofing off in the makeup trailer, which was a cottage that was a two-minute drive away from that cottage, getting ready. I was preparing my monologue the whole morning. I’m prepping it, working it. Then Connor, being the great scene partner he is, he was like, “I’ll be here doing this.” Then he did something and we were hitting each other, goofing off. Then he’s hitting me, hitting me and he did this slap. I was filming myself on my phone doing this. I was like, “Do that again.” I couldn’t hold in my laughter because it was so brilliant. It’s so funny, and it makes sense for where they’re at in the story. I remember showing that to the intimacy coordinator. She was cackling. She’s like, “You have to do that.” Then Jacob was like, “Go for it. Go crazy.” The first take was the first time I broke broke because Connor is taking all the liberties. I am shoving him. I’m slapping him back. I’m putting the phone away to get in the gasps and moans. I’m so happy with how that scene turned out.^[8]

Even just the decision to let that scene continue over the end credits was something that I found really moving, but also really interesting from a creative standpoint. When did you decide to just let the camera run on Hudson [Williams] and Connor [Storrie]? The sound drops out, and we’re just hearing the closing track, so was that just a matter of teeing them up and letting them do whatever they wanted in terms of ad-libbing any dialogue? I was playing the song in the studio. They were listening to the song. That was always the intention. That’s always what I wanted to do. I wanted to give us movie credits. I wanted everybody, all the actors, the crew, to see their names. I didn’t want you to be able to do the skip thing because I get it. I do the same thing, too, especially if I’m binging a show. I’m like, “Go to the next episode. Go to the next episode.” But I thought, this is six one-hours, it’s one story, and I really wanted to make sure that I could put our credits up in a way that was engaging enough for an audience to keep watching. And I love that song. Also, that way, for anyone who maybe didn’t sit through them the first few times, they get to read the names of the people as they go by and take a look at who made the show that I hope they like.^[3]

Peter Peter

The series’ musical score was composed by Peter Peter.^[2][15] In addition to its original score, the episode featured several needle drop tracks,^[16] most notably “Bad Things” by American musician Cailin Russo, which featured during the end credits.^[17] According to Billboard, the songs’ appearance in the episode had led to a surge in official on-demand streaming in the United States.^[18]

“The Cottage” was released on December 26, 2025, on Crave. It was also released on HBO Max on the same day in the United States and Australia.^[19]

^[20]

“The Cottage” was met with widespread critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating for the episode, based on eight reviews.^[21]

Whitney Evans of TV Fanatic gave the episode a perfect 5-star rating, describing the finale as “heartbreakingly beautiful and hopeful.” She praised the episode’s quieter approach to emotion and singled out the performances of Storrie and Williams, noting that the finale allows both actors to convey emotional breakthroughs through stillness rather than dialogue. Evans highlighted Shane’s conversation with his parents, particularly the private exchange with his mother, calling it “a gut-punch in the most profoundly satisfying way,” and commended the decision to end the season with romantic resolution rather than manufactured tension.^[22]

The episode received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from Christine Kinori of The Review Geek and 4 out of 5 stars from Tom Smyth of Vulture.^[23][24] Describing the finale as “perfectly overwhelming,” Kinori lauded the cottage setting as a space that allows Shane and Ilya to be emotionally vulnerable with one another and highlighted the performances of Williams and Storrie, writing that their facial expressions “convey the depth of the couple’s emotional breakthrough.”^[23] Meanwhile, Smyth commended its writing, character development, and emotional payoff, arguing that the series benefits from presenting a wider range of queer stories, writing that “the more stories there are like Heated Rivalry, for all its peaks and valleys, the better,” as it allows individual narratives to feel less burdened while enabling more viewers to feel seen.^[24]

Writing for Fangirlish, Lissete Lanuza Sáenz described the episode as a quieter but deeply affecting hour, praising Williams and Storrie for delivering performances that “feel like a punch in the gut, the good way.” She argued that the finale succeeds by embracing queer joy rather than narrative punishment, particularly in its attention to small, intimate moments, and called Shane’s emotional openness Williams’ “finest moment in the [series] so far”.^[25] Ana Dumaraog of Screen Rant praised the episode for delivering emotional payoff through understated, domestic moments, calling it “indulgent TV at its finest.”^[26] She highlighted the added conversation between Shane and his mother as a meaningful deviation from the novel that strengthens the season’s emotional core.^[1]

Ariel Messman-Rucker of Pride wrote that the episode succeeds not only through its lead performances, but through its willingness to foreground queer joy and moments of genuine connection alongside the realities of closeted life.^[27]

“The Cottage” at IMDb