First things first, we’re really happy to see news about Season 2 of Heated Rivalry. It feels like just yesterday we were watching Season 1, and yet it also feels like we still have forever to wait for Season 2. That’s the way of TV.
The news we received concerns the much-anticipated casting of two people we knew would be integral to Season 2 of the show: Troy Barrett and Harris Drover. Charlie Gillespie, of Julie and the Phantoms fame, and Justice Smith, who I most fondly remember from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, will be playing Troy and Harris, respectively.
And boy, like with any casting, there’s a lot to unpack here. And though there are no answers to be found yet, we can speculate. That’s half the fun!
Does Justice Smith Fit the Description of Harris Drover?
No, not really. He’s described as “stocky,” “pudgy,” and “chubby.” This doesn’t necessarily mean plus size, but it’s an easy interpretation and one the show could have leaned into. It’s certainly how I pictured Harris when I first read the book, even though that isn’t exactly the romance novel ideal. In fact, perhaps I imagined him as such because he doesn’t fit the romance novel idea, and that feels refreshing.
Justice Smith (a brilliant actor, who I always enjoy) isn’t anywhere near this description. And as great as it is to see a queer Black man get a role like this, there’s a level of expectation meeting reality that can be hard to come to terms with.
Of course, a lot goes into casting, and sometimes the ideal isn’t possible, or at least easy. Especially for a show like Heated Rivalry, that has to contend with issues like a likely requirement for nudity and being comfortable filming explicit sex scenes. That reality doesn’t mean disappointment or even some mixed feelings about the choice aren’t valid. We all want to feel represented.
Can Charlie Gillespie Be a Convincing Troy & What Can We Expect From the Character?
Troy Barrett is a much more complicated romance hero than Shane or Ilya, because he does need to go through a redemption arc to get to a point where we can root for him. There are a lot of nuances to the conversation the show needs to get right, especially considering Justice Smith is a Black man, so Harris Drover is now a Black man.
But those are writing issues, which we can and will examine once we have actual material to do so. For now, what we’ve seen of Gillespie makes us think he can pull off Troy Barrett and even make us like him. It’s great that we got to see one queer love story in Shane and Ilya. It’s amazing we get to follow this gay love story in Season 2, as well. And we cannot wait for Troy’s friendship with Ilya, either.
How Much Screen Time Will Troy and Harris Have?
Likely a fair bit, considering Season 2 seems to be combining Role Model and The Long Game. However, it’s absurd to believe they’ll have more screen time than Shane and Ilya when Heated Rivalry became what it is because of Hollanov. They are and will likely remain the center of the show.
But Season 2, by necessity, has to open up the world in order to tell the next chapter of Shane and Ilya’s story, and Troy and Harris are an important part of that, on Ilya’s side. Hopefully, the show is ready to expand more on what’s going on with Shane while we’re seeing more of Troy and Harris and Ilya by extension. That’ll help the season feel balanced and round out Shane’s character more. We see Ilya a bit in the other Game Changers books; Shane not so much. The more the show can flesh out what Shane was doing and thinking during those moments, the better the season will be.
There’s a lot that happens before The Long Game that is just casually mentioned and would add a lot to Shane’s development. And that way, the show can both give Troy and Harris time to be compelling characters without sacrificing Hollanov’s journey.
Will Season 2 Cover the Entirety of Role Model and The Long Game?
I have my doubts. I’ve had my doubts ever since Jacob Tierney refused to confirm for sure. The issue, of course, is that there isn’t a good stopping point in The Long Game. Either you leave it in a really bad cliffhanger, or you end too late. Though, perhaps, if we get to flesh out the years between the end of Heated Rivalry Season 1 and the epilogue in the book, we can get to a decent stopping point.
Likely scenario, in my opinion, is we get resolution for Troy and Harris in Season 2, but not yet a happily ever after for Shane and Ilya, and Season 3 incorporates a bit of Unrivaled, with hopes that a Season 4 can finish the story of the Game Changers universe. We’ll have to wait and see. And whatever they choose to do, we’ll have a lot to discuss in the lead-up to the season and once it comes out.
