Vulnerability, Authenticity, and the Collapse of the Patriarchal Identity: the Hero’s Journey in Heated Rivalry
It has been a long time since a pop culture phenomenon truly invited me into reflection. Barbie was a powerful example, but I believe that despite its massive audience, the film was overshadowed by the voice of patriarchy. No one remembers Oppenheimer anymore, yet it was there to compete with a female-centered narrative.
Fast forward to now, and we are living through social events that have destabilized our sense of reality, our institutions, and consequently, our identities. Heated Rivalry emerged in the middle of this collective convulsion, becoming an obsession across different layers of society. What is fascinating about this series, produced on a low budget by Crave in Canada, is the intense collective engagement it generates. It manages to unify multiple audiences at a time when we are so vulnerable and dissociated.
The show quickly became a shared obsession. In a world that is highly polarized, how does this work of art manage to speak to such different audiences and unite such opposing positions?
The answer is simpler than we think: authenticity and vulnerability. Our collective consciousness is being tested by the cruelty and violence surrounding us. Every day we live under existential pressure from oppressive and devastating news. Our nervous systems can no longer endure the avalanche of harm, cruelty, and terror. What is remarkable is that we have found an escape from this chaos. Collectively, we are transporting our consciousness to “the Cottage,” a world we wish could be real. A world where vulnerability is welcomed and identity is respected. And this is a universal language.
Women are exhausted by what patriarchy is demanding right now. I understand that this extinction process is loud and uncomfortable. It is like a pig at slaughter. It will be dirty, loud, and unhinged. But we know this is the final stage and the last screams of existence. We have reached a limit where we can no longer hold the emotional and physical infrastructure of humanity. It is exhausting because, beyond fighting for survival in a world where the hoarder class has chosen to manufacture fear and chaos to expand their dominance, we are still fighting for our rights and our simple need to exist.
The patriarchal, capitalist, colonial model is designed to individualize, polarize existence, attack vulnerable groups, exploit resources (whether people or nature), and concentrate power in a controlling and petty ruling class. The system is dismantling, yet it continues to double down, placing visibly fragile leaders, physically and psychologically, who perform strength and dominance as spectacle.
Therefore, witnessing a fictional world where men, inside an intensely patriarchal and toxic masculine space, begin to create new ways of being feels like a release. They form new bonds. They learn to respect boundaries. They invent a language for honesty and care. In their search for authenticity and space for vulnerability, something shifts. What unfolds on screen becomes a sensory relief not only for the characters, but for the audience as well. It is not just a story. It is a collective exhale. A shared climax.
Characters seeking authenticity and vulnerability symbolically counter the violence of performative leaders who force us to live in pain because, deep down, they never completed their own hero’s journey. These leaders, despite occupying positions of power, can no longer control the narrative through force, violence, and obedience. Destruction becomes necessary for those who are already destroyed inside. There is a need to impose pain because they are incapable of dealing with their own vulnerability.
I understand that patriarchy also hurts men. They undergo emotional mutilation from childhood and are recruited as soldiers of the status quo. Connecting with emotions and empathy makes one “weak” and vulnerable. This is assigned to women, and through such rigid roles, men abdicate their own existence and their own humanity.
Thus, watching protagonists in the world of sports, in environments so strongly associated with combat, strength, and competitiveness, connect with vulnerability and authenticity offers us a template for new possibilities. We witness a cycle of heroes where humanity, love, care, empathy, and compassion are expressed and celebrated. It is truly a cry for freedom. Painful and frightening, yet beautiful to witness.
Beyond the obvious LGBTQ+ representation, the series includes other groups as well. Characters with disabilities, such as Hollander, who is autistic. Rozanov, an immigrant. This deepens the sense of collective representation and belonging.
In a world marked by constant division and polarity, Heated Rivalry succeeded in creating a work of art that connects multiple audiences because it speaks about humanity. It speaks about living under external pressure while maintaining a performative existence. It is annihilating.
These polarized identity models no longer meet human needs in 2026. A structural change in our ways of living is necessary. This template may be an initial path for thinking, discussing, and living the integration of the masculine psyche. Perhaps in this way, men can find references on a healing path from the emotional mutilation imposed on them since childhood.