We're just weeks into 2026, but it is already messed up. US imperial attacks on Venezuela, the ICE raids across the US and Renee Good’s murder, the kidnapping of activist Chantal Anicoche by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, continued Israeli attacks in Gaza...it's been a lot.

So why are we talking this week about Heated Rivalry, the unexpected hit TV show from Crave and HBO about two hockey superstars who embark on a decade-long secret relationship despite being the faces of an intense hockey rivalry?

How can we possibly be thinking about a TV show amidst the fascist hellfire all around us?

To be honest I was initially hesitant about releasing this conversation in this exact moment.

But on reflection, I realized that maybe the overwhelmingly positive response to Heated Rivalry these past few weeks-an excitement and energy that I definitely felt-says something about what we are yearning for right now. When talking to friends about Heated Rivalry, I realize that we are seeking tenderness. Community. Love. Connection. In a world where we have elected leaders who are the antithesis of these very values, and where many of us feel real deep despair, stories like Heated Rivalry allow us to be part of a world where our only concern - for that 30 to 40 minute episode - is to be immersed in a love story. And not just any love story. But one that dares to dream that love can thrive in the face of a world that is deeply homophobic and anti-queer. Maybe this show is resonating not in spite of this awful political moment we find ourselves in, but because of it.

So I’m happy to bring you the conversation I had recently with my good friend and previous guest on the pod, Dr. JP Catungal. We talk about JP’s creation of a Heated Rivalry syllabus, which addresses hockey culture, queer Asian representation, homonationalism, and much more. We also talk about the academic impulse to intellectualize things, fandom, and neurodivergence.

Related Links

1. JP's Heated Rivalry Syllabus

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