Chapter 60 Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
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Summary
On February 22, 2010, at the Pacific Coliseum, Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha take the ice for their Olympic free skate. The performance begins with Shaw convincing herself she is merely getting into character—a creature of the night, bent on consuming her partner. But from the opening twizzle sequence, the routine unravels. Shaw's toe pick snags Heath's tailcoat, causing a bobble that he barely saves. What follows is not a synchronized performance but a battle. Heath spins Shaw so violently that she hears her spine crack, and she claws at his jaw, leaving marks. They move through the program with raw aggression, channeling years of resentment, jealousy, and secrets into every movement.
By the final position, Heath dips Shaw low, burying his face in her neck as if drinking her blood. But instead of the usual roaring applause, the arena of over fifteen thousand spectators falls silent. A smattering of tepid, uncomfortable applause finally breaks the quiet. Unable to bear the pressure, Shaw shoves Heath away. His hand, still tangled in her hair, catches the clasp of her choker, and red beads scatter across the Olympic rings. Shaw leaves the broken necklace behind, and they skate off without bowing.
At the boards, Coach Lena confronts them with a sharp “What was that?” in her thick German accent. Neither Shaw nor Heath responds. Lena stalks away, muttering expletives, and refuses to join them in the kiss and cry area. Shaw and Heath sit on opposite ends of the bench, avoiding each other's eyes. Nearby, Veronika Volkova waits with her team, Yelena and Dmitri, ready to see what color their medal will be. The announcer calls for the scores for the American pair, and Shaw braces herself for the numbers that will confirm their fall from gold-medal favorites.
Key Events
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Shaw and Heath deliver an unhinged, violent routine at the 2010 Olympics, marked by physical clashes instead of synchronized skating.
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The opening twizzle sequence nearly fails when Shaw's toe pick snags Heath's tailcoat.
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Heath spins Shaw so hard her spine cracks, and she claws at his jaw, leaving visible marks.
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The final position is met with silence from the crowd, followed by tepid applause.
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Shaw shoves Heath away, causing his hand to catch her choker and scatter red beads over the Olympic rings.
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They skate off without bowing, leaving the broken necklace behind.
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Lena confronts them at the boards, then stalks away, refusing to join them in the kiss and cry.
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Shaw and Heath sit apart on the bench while Veronika Volkova and her team wait nearby.
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The scores for the American pair are announced, leaving Shaw to face the consequences.
Character Development
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Katarina Shaw: Shaw initially rationalizes the violence as part of her character, telling herself that champions must be willing to inflict and endure pain. But as the performance ends, she realizes what they've done—they warred against each other instead of competing together. Her shame is palpable: she leaves the broken choker behind, skates off without bowing, and sits in silence, gritting her teeth to keep from shivering. This moment strips away her self-deception, forcing her to confront the destructive nature of her ambition.
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Heath Rocha: Heath is equally furious and silent. He saves the bobble but throws himself into the next hold with barely contained rage. His actions—spinning Shaw violently, gripping her neck, and inadvertently breaking her choker—reveal a man who is as consumed by their toxic dynamic as Shaw is. His refusal to speak or bow suggests a deep-seated acknowledgment of failure, though he remains inscrutable.
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Lena: The coach's reaction is immediate and severe. Her demand for an explanation and her refusal to join them in the kiss and cry underscore her disappointment and anger. Lena has invested in their success, and this public unraveling represents a betrayal of her trust and their training.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
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Destructive Passion vs. Precision: The chapter contrasts the raw, uncontrolled passion of Shaw and Heath's performance with the precision required for competitive skating. Their routine is all passion and no precision, and the crowd's silence reflects the failure of that trade-off.
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Sacrifice for Success: Shaw tells herself that inflicting and enduring pain is what it takes to be a champion. This theme is pushed to its extreme, showing how the pursuit of glory can become self-destructive.
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Public Humiliation: The silence of fifteen thousand spectators and the scattering of the choker beads over the Olympic rings symbolize the public nature of their failure. The broken choker becomes a tangible emblem of their shattered partnership and lost composure.
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Loss of Control: The performance spirals out of control, from the initial bobble to the violent moves and the final shove. Shaw's inability to stop the chaos mirrors her loss of control over her own emotions and ambitions.
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The Broken Choker: The red beads scattered over the Olympic rings serve as a powerful symbol. The choker, a piece of jewelry often associated with elegance and restraint, breaks under the strain of their conflict, suggesting that their relationship and their competitive facade have been irreparably damaged.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a pivotal turning point in The Favorites. It marks the moment when Shaw and Heath's long-simmering tensions explode on the world stage, costing them their status as gold-medal favorites. The public humiliation and the broken choker foreshadow the unraveling of their partnership and set the stage for the aftermath that will define the rest of the novel. The chapter also deepens Shaw's internal conflict, as she is forced to acknowledge that her ambition has led her to sacrifice not just precision but also her own integrity. The silence of the crowd and Lena's abandonment underscore the isolation that comes with such a spectacular failure, making this a moment of reckoning for all involved.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What does the broken choker symbolize in this chapter?
The broken choker represents the destruction of Shaw and Heath's partnership and the loss of control that defines their performance. The red beads scattering over the Olympic rings highlight the public nature of their failure, turning a personal object into a symbol of their shattered ambitions. It also suggests that the elegance and restraint expected of Olympic athletes have been violently broken.
2. How does Shaw justify the violence during the performance, and how does her perspective change by the end?
Initially, Shaw convinces herself that she is getting into character and that champions must be willing to inflict and endure pain. She tells herself that this is what it takes to be a champion—sacrificing everything on the altar of ambition. However, by the end, she realizes that they have not competed together but warred against each other. Her perspective shifts from rationalization to shame, as she acknowledges that their performance was unhinged and that they have likely fallen off the podium.
3. Why does the crowd's silence have such a powerful impact on Shaw?
The silence of over fifteen thousand spectators is a stark contrast to the roaring applause they usually receive. It forces Shaw to confront the reality that their performance was not just flawed but deeply unsettling. The silence, followed by tepid applause, signals that they have failed not only technically but also emotionally, and it triggers Shaw's desperate shove and the breaking of the choker. The crowd's reaction is a public judgment that Shaw cannot escape.