The Favorites

A stunned Kat accepts Heath’s proposal, though she can’t stop feeling uncomfortable about the way it happened. Bella is the only one who notices her discomfort. Back at the hotel, Heath finally registers Kat’s feelings; however, she rushes to reassure him that she does want to get married.

In the documentary, Kirk, Ellis, and Jane discuss the couple’s further rise in celebrity status and the spotlight on their relationship that followed their engagement. Documentary footage shows the pair dancing in the show “Stars on Ice,” a performance that ends with a kiss.

Kat reflects on how the kiss in their routine for Stars on Ice had started as a spontaneous act; by the end of the tour, it was as choreographed and mechanical as their private sex life. After the tour ends, Kat and Heath attend a Team USA fundraising gala as guests of honor. Kat is stunned to see her brother there, talking to Ellis.

Kat and Heath are furious to discover that Ellis invited Lee to the event, with Lee claiming that he just wants an opportunity to clear the air. Unbeknownst to the public, Kat already reached out to Lee through a lawyer in the past, offering to cover the costs if he agreed to go to rehabilitation; he had never responded. Kat dismisses Lee and, wanting to shift public focus away from an angry Heath, slaps Ellis.

In the documentary, Ellis admits that he deserved the slap. Footage from the night shows Ellis with a bloody nose and Lee collapsing to the floor as Kat evades him. Kat says something unintelligible to Lee before she, Heath, and the Lins leave. Garrett, who witnessed the entire thing, refuses to tell the documentary producer what Kat said to her brother.

Outside the party, Kat asks Heath for some space so that she can collect herself, and he walks off, upset. Bella berates Kat for the constant drama between her and Heath; she reminds Kat that they are athletes, not reality stars, and urges her to pull it together as they train for the Olympics.

Back in their hotel suite, Kat waits for Heath to return. A storm breaks out, and it begins pouring rain. She worries about where he is. Online, she sees that Ellis has already reported on the night’s incident on his blog. Heath finally returns.

Kat helps a shivering Heath wash off. He initiates sex in the shower, but it quickly grows mechanical, as always, and they stop midway. As Kat steps out of the shower, she notices multiple missed calls from an unknown number. She picks up when it calls again; Ellis is on the other line, frantic and apologetic about something.

The documentary shows news footage from the night of the gala, revealing that Lee died from a drug overdose a few hours after his altercation with Kat. Kat and Heath subsequently move to Germany and begin training with reputed coach Lena Müller. After the 2010 National Championships, Heath and Kat and the Lin twins are named to the Olympics team. The media coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics heavily publicizes the upcoming clash between these two teams.

Kat is thrilled to be an Olympian in Vancouver, even as she reflects on how the true intimacy between her and Heath has almost completely petered out. The pair sit for an interview on a day in between events, and when asked about whether they will take time off from skating to start a family, Kat snaps at the interviewer, a young woman named Inez Acton.

The documentary shows footage from that interview, with Kat berating Inez for the questions about her romantic life rather than her professional one. Kat claims that she doesn’t want kids, and Heath freezes beside her. In the documentary, Inez reflects on how Kat’s behavior was completely unexpected from female Olympic athletes, who are usually meant to be respectful and humble; Inez personally found it inspiring.

After the interview, Kat and Heath argue. Heath accuses Kat of keeping him and all emotion out, pointing out that she didn’t even grieve when Lee died. Kat remembers her last words to Lee: “You’re not my family, Lee. You’re nothing to me. I used to wish you’d died instead of our father, but now I’m glad he’s not alive to see you like this” (297).

Wanting to avoid a conversation about the state of their relationship, Kat initiates sex with Heath. Their lovemaking turns intense and passionate, and Kat hopes that this is enough to retain control and ensure their win.

In the documentary, interviewees discuss the astounding performance that Kat and Heath gave during their original dance event; they increased their lead so much that the gold medal was almost assuredly theirs.

Just before the final event, an anxious Bella approaches Kat with news.

Bella shows Kat an article revealing that during the three years Heath was gone, he was secretly training with Veronika Volkova. He endured harsh training methods that left him bleeding and offered information about Kat, the Lins, and Sheila’s academy. Heath approaches Kat, trying to explain, but a furious Kat brushes him off, determined to remain focused on the finals.

In the documentary, Ellis refuses to reveal his sources about the story on Heath. Archival footage from the finals shows Veronika and her daughter, Yelena, arguing; in the present, Veronika asserts to the documentary producer that she never did anything to tear Heath or Kat apart.

Kat attempts to channel her rage into her performance, but the intensity translates into a lack of precision, and for the first time, her and Heath’s performance is met only with tepid applause.

In the documentary, archival footage shows Kat and Heath receive bronze medals; the Russians only receive silver after a disturbed Yelena makes mistakes in her performance, and the Canadian team receives a surprise gold. Kat and Heath wear funereal expressions. Garrett notes that when the expectations are as high as they were for the pair, “Anything but the best feels like failure” (310).

Back at the Olympic Village, Heath and Kat fight. She asserts that he should never have left her, and he, in turn, claims that all she cares about is winning. He tells her that he underwent training with Veronika to become good enough for Kat, but it somehow still isn’t enough. Kat takes off her engagement ring and throws it away before storming off; Heath doesn’t follow.

Kat spends the rest of the evening drinking and dancing at a party. When the twins arrive, she is drunk and accuses Bella of intentionally sabotaging Kat’s performance by showing her the article just before the finals; she also accidentally outs Garrett. The twins leave, each equally angry with Kat.

As Kat steps outside to sober up, she runs into Ellis, who advises her to make things right with Heath; it is clear to everyone that despite everything, the two of them love each other deeply. Kat returns to their room to resolve the argument but finds Heath in bed with someone.

In the documentary, grainy footage from that night shows Kat rushing away while Heath and Bella follow her. Kat and Heath have a public shouting match; Kat finally yells at both him and Bella before she leaves. Garrett notes that this is the last time any of them saw Kat for years.

Furious and heartbroken at having caught Heath and Bella having sex, Kat leaves the Village and walks around aimlessly. She ends up at Sheila’s hotel and is surprised to find her former coach drunk in her room. Sheila laments the wasted promise of her children, Heath, and Kat. She claims that she did whatever she could to help them, and Kat realizes that Sheila leaked the article about Heath and is also the one who sent him to Russia in the first place.

Sheila affirms that she did send Heath to Russia. That night in Japan, he went to Sheila, looking for advice on how to get good enough for Kat, and she sent him to Veronika. Miraculously, he survived Veronika’s torturous training methods and turned out to be the toughest competition of them all. Sheila asserts that she did what she did because Kat was throwing all her opportunities away for love. Kat realizes that all Sheila cares about is winning; even her children are a means to an end. Remembering what Heath said to her, Kat realizes that she has become the same way in trying to emulate Sheila. She finally has had enough—she no longer wants to be Sheila or even herself: She just “[wants] to disappear” (326).