Shane and Ilya’s antagonism is predicated on their direct competition as sportsmen. But, as is the case with Maurice and Alec in Forster’s novel, there’s also something about their overt hostility that is fundamental to their closeted love. When attraction cannot manifest publicly, its passion can only be portrayed as its opposite, and the violent interactions between the hard-bodied pair, who slam and check each other again and again in the rink, are part of this phenomenon. (This doubling is also fodder for comedy on the show: Shane’s mother, who is clueless about her son’s sexual activities, professes her dislike toward his foe by declaring, at one point, “Imagining he’s better than you? Fuck. Him. Right up the butt!”)