While the show Heated Rivalry focuses primarily on Shane and Ilya, the novels the book-to-screen adaptation is based on follow a Bridgerton-esque style, where almost every entry in the series focuses on a new couple. So, it stands to reason that some of these characters will come into play in Season 2 of Heated Rivalry, as Scott and Kip from Game Changer did in Season 1. However, they weren't the only leads from Rachel Reid's work to appear in those first six episodes; another one popped up in a few blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments, too. Now, after hearing that actor open up about his small role, I'm thinking about how big it could become.
Alright, here’s the background you need to know: In Scott and Kip’s book Game Changer – spoilers for that book are ahead – a bartender named Kyle Swift is introduced. He is a friend of Kip’s, and he has a massive unrequited crush on the smoothiemaker. Obviously, nothing comes of it; Kip and Scott share that historic kiss on the rink, and they essentially live happily ever after. Meanwhile, Kyle and Kip stay friends.
That’s not where Kyle’s story ends, though. In Rachel Reid’s book, Common Goal, we get to see his own romance unfold as he winds up in a relationship with Eric Bennett, an older goaltender for the same team Scott plays for.
Now, in the show Heated Rivalry (which you can stream with an HBO Max subscription), Kyle and Kip’s relationship is not a part of the story. However, Kyle is there, and he’s played by Matthew Finlan, who you can see in the photo below:
Not only that, but the actor who plays him told EW that the show’s creator, Jacob Tierney, gave him a whole rundown of Kyle and Kip’s history. Recalling how that played into filming one of his scenes, Finlan said:
Jacob [Tierney, showrunner] was like, 'Great, great, great, great, great. Awesome. So, yeah, just to let you know, there's a whole fourth book where your character has a relentless love, will-they-won't-they with Kip, but he's heartbroken, forlorn, and it never really comes to fruition. So if you can put all of that into two syllables, that would be awesome.'
So, while it’s never directly addressed on-screen, that history is there. And overall, Kyle being in Season 1 is a huge Easter egg that could be a way bigger deal later.
Much like how the book Game Changer was used as the source material for Episode 3 of Heated Rivalry, as it shifted focus away from Shane and Ilya and toward Scott and Kip, I could totally see another bottle episode in Season 2. And, who knows, maybe it will be about Kyle and Eric.
However, personally, I’d put my money on the book Role Model getting that treatment before Common Goal. That’s because Role Model has a deep and direct overlap with Shane and Ilya’s second book, The Long Game, which we know will be the focus of Season 2. However, I do think it’s perfectly possible that we’ll get to see Kyle and Eric’s story on screen at some point -- especially since the bartender has already been cast and spotted by fans.
All this is to say, keep an eye out for Kyle and the Kingfisher bar. Since they’ve cast him and confirmed that Matthew Finlan is, in fact, the Kyle Swift from Common Goal, the door is wide open for him to play a much larger role in Heated Rivalry.
