The Favorites

As 16-year-olds, Kat and Heath carve their names into the wooden headboard of Kat’s bed a few days before they are set to leave for their first US Figure Skating Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.

In the documentary, Nicole Bradford, Kat and Heath’s coach, discusses how Kat set her mind on becoming a famous ice dancer like Sheila Lin when she was just four years old. Ellis Dean, a former ice dancer now in his forties, discusses the paucity of men in the sport.

Lee, Kat’s older brother, catches the couple in her room. He drags Heath out, but Kat attacks him so that Heath can escape.

In the documentary, Nicole reveals that Heath grew up in foster care. He took up ice hockey when he was 10, and Kat managed to convince Heath, who had a crush on her, to skate as her ice-dancing partner by the next year. Ellis remarks that age 11 is extremely old to be taking up the sport, while Jane Currer, a US figure-skating official in her seventies, asserts that starting late is always a disadvantage.

Ever since their father’s death, Lee, who is just five years older than Kat, has been in charge of her life. He drags Kat back up to her bedroom, and from her window, she watches Heath get away safely. Kat reflects that everyone believes Heath is her first, true love, but it is actually skating. She fell in love with the sport when she first watched Sheila Lin and her partner, Kirk Lockwood, skate together in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Sheila’s fierceness and confidence inspire Kat, and skating is now her only way out of her current situation.

Kat sneaks out of the house once Lee is asleep and finds Heath, who is hiding in the stable, his refuge since Lee banned him from the house after their father’s death. Kat gives Heath the keys to Lee’s truck, which she has stolen; they resolve to drive off in it before Lee wakes up.

In the documentary, Nicole reflects on how, despite Heath’s late starting age, his and Kat’s mutual connection translated into a talented partnership. When they were 13, he was due to be transferred to another foster home, hours away; however, Kat convinced her father to become his legal guardian so that they could continue skating together.

Kat and Heath drive to Cleveland for the competition, arriving in time for an open practice session at the rink. Kat sizes up the other pairs and zeroes in on their real competition: One team, in full makeup and costumes, runs through their program impeccably. Kat and Heath practice while the other team is still on the ice, and the other girl knocks Kat down. Kat notices her name tag, which reads “Isabella Lin,” and realizes that she is Sheila Lin’s daughter.

In the documentary, Kirk talks about his old ice-dancing partner, Sheila. Jane remarks that to truly understand Kat, they must first discuss Sheila.

The boy on the other team, Isabella’s twin brother, Garrett Lin, helps Kat up. Kat remembers how Sheila, who won two consecutive Olympic gold medals, had the twins between her first and second Olympics.

Garrett apologizes while gently pointing out that he and Isabella, or “Bella,” had the right of way according to the rules, as their music was playing; Bella, however, is unapologetic. Sheila appears rink-side and summons the twins while Heath goes to get a medic for Kat. Kat is approached by one of the other skaters, who introduces himself as Ellis Dean; he thanks Kat for running into Bella, claiming that she deserved it.

In the documentary, Garrett appears on screen; he reflects that he and his sister were like a “ready-made ice dance team” for his mother (36). Ellis muses about how Sheila never revealed who her children’s father is, though they were born nine months after the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics. Kirk marvels at Sheila’s focus on returning to and winning at the 1988 Olympics despite being a young mother.

Kat’s fall leaves her with a badly bruised hip. Despite the pain, she refuses to pull out of the competition; she and Heath complete every event, despite the latter’s protests. With just one event left to go, they are in fifth place.

In the documentary, Ellis, Nicole, and Garrett all acknowledge Kat’s toughness and resilience as an athlete, while Jane remarks that the sport cannot be held liable for a skater choosing to compete while injured.

Kat and Heath skate their final piece to resounding applause. However, they receive a far lower score than they expected.

In the documentary, Ellis claims that they were robbed of the podium, asserting that the judges were biased against Kat and Heath. Jane, who was one of the judges, defends her decision, claiming that presentation is important and implying that Kat and Heath’s performance was inappropriate.

Kat is bitterly disappointed that, despite a stellar performance, she and Heath finished in sixth place. However, she is awestruck when Sheila approaches and compliments their performance before asking about Kat’s plans for the summer.

Kat is excited about Sheila’s invitation to her academy and cannot stop talking about it, but Heath is more reticent, worrying about the costs. Once they are back home, they take on multiple jobs to save up for the academy’s summer session, which is in Los Angeles, California. When they still come up short, Kat sells her mother’s engagement ring, the only connection she has left to her mother, to make up the rest. Heath is shocked when he finds out, wondering how Kat was able to so easily let go of something that meant so much to her.

In the documentary, Sheila speaks about how she founded her academy because she wanted to create something lasting after the end of her career. Kirk describes how he was sure that she would succeed, despite her lack of business experience and the fact that she was raising two young children by herself.

Kat and Heath arrive at the Lin Ice Academy and discover that Ellis is also training there over the summer. Ellis’s partner, Josephine “Josie” Hayworth, shows Kat to the girls’ dormitory. Heath is dismayed that he and Kat will not be rooming together, as he had originally expected, and Kat wordlessly urges him “not to make a scene” (59).

Kat is unable to sleep without Heath by her side. He sneaks into her room in the middle of the night, managing to climb up to the second-floor window. A relieved Kat manages a few hours of sleep; by the time she wakes up to her early-morning alarm, Heath is already gone.

In the documentary, Garrett acknowledges the privilege that he and Bella were born with. He also touches on the accompanying pressure, claiming that Sheila wanted them to skate alongside their competitors at the academy as a reminder of how replaceable they were.

While Heath is unhappy at the academy, Kat enjoys the grueling hours, physical exhaustion, and constant pressure, feeling closer to success than ever. However, she does wish that Sheila were present more.

Kat and Heath’s dance choreography incorporates a complicated lift that they struggle with when practicing off-ice. They finally take to the rink to try it out, but Heath stops the lift when he realizes that Kat is about to fall. Sheila appears beside the rink, asking Heath why he stopped.

Sheila dismisses Heath’s reasoning that he was trying to protect Kat and instructs them to repeat the sequence. They complete the lift, but Kat falls, hurting Heath with her skate blades in the process. A mutinous Heath skates off. His mood is worsened when Garrett offers to show Kat how to do the lift and executes it perfectly with her. Garrett then invites them both to a July 4th party at their house. Despite Heath’s reluctance, Kat accepts immediately.

In the documentary, Ellis and Kirk discuss Sheila’s famous “Red, White, and Gold Party” (73), an extremely elitist, invite-only event that was a remarkable networking opportunity within the skating world.

Ellis gives Kat and Heath a lift to the party. Kat dresses up in clothes and makeup borrowed from the other girls, but to her dismay, a sullen Heath is pointedly dressed casually.

Ellis reveals to Kat and Heath that he only skates with Josie because her wealthy, senator father pays him to. At the party, Garrett welcomes them in enthusiastically. A brooding Heath is rude to Garrett. When Kat chides him for his bad attitude, Heath storms off.

Ellis takes Kat along with him to mingle. He points out one of the guests, Jane Currer, the judge who gave Kat and Heath their harsh score at Nationals. Ellis asserts that relationships and politicking are part of the sport; to win on ice, one has to be good at these things, too.

As the party progresses, there is no further sign of Heath. Kat steps out to get some air and spots Bella alone by the pool. When Kat confronts Bella about her antagonism toward Kat and Heath, Bella reveals that she is the one who wanted to invite them to the party.

In the documentary, a former ice dancer, Francesca Gaskell, asserts that it is possible to be friends with one’s competitors. Garrett asserts that Kat was the best friend his sister ever had until a particular incident took place.

Bella says that Kat is good but not as good as her yet. She suggests that the two of them push each other to be better. The girls discuss their respective dreams of winning all the championships possible, including securing an Olympic gold medal; Bella wants to surpass her mother’s career as well.

As they swim together, Bella advises Kat to be more discreet with Heath, as everyone knows that he visits her room at night; she also warns Kat against mixing romance and skating. Heath arrives at the pool unexpectedly, looking for Kat.

Heath calls out that Ellis is leaving, but Bella urges Kat to stay for a while longer, and she accepts; Heath goes home alone. Bella invites Kat and Heath to stay in Los Angeles as her and Garrett’s training partners. When Kat gets back to the dormitory, she sneaks into Heath’s room and tells him about Bella’s offer. Taking Bella’s advice about finding a way to convince Heath, Kat sleeps with him. Heath then agrees to stay in Los Angeles, asserting that Kat is his home.