It has been two years since ‘Schitt’s Creek‘ left us with sobbing eyes and satisfied hearts! We wanted more, but the creators were aware that’s what made it special. The awareness. The show is touted as one of the greatest shows in the history of sitcoms. The predecessors faltered, but they set the path for it, and the show became a trailblazing one for brilliant writing and performances. Undoubtedly, the show was not on the radar for the longest time. It first aired in January 2015, but the eventual rise of the series was after Mariah Carey tweeted about it.
Along with the audience, Mariah Carey, and other stars, Prime-time Emmy Awards acknowledged the love of the audience making it an ‘Outstanding Comedy Series’ Thank you, Emmys! The enduring riches-to-rags-to-riches story of the Rose family who ends up in a modest town with their immodest attitudes touched hearts. But, the narrative gives us the many facets of humans, their love, relationships, and inspire us to love, accept, and the most important lesson – hope.
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‘Schitt’s Creek’ Gave Us A Privileged Family In Not-So-Privileged Circumstances
When the show went on-air, like the world, I was not aware that a world with no bias, and discrimination existed. We did not believe this Canadian masterpiece existed! The world they are set in is a utopian one, a utopia that the world needs right now. Not the post-apocalyptic ones, where we live an ideal life. But, the show gives us a post-modern utopia, where there are flawed humans, people with varied sexual orientations, and equations beyond society’s comprehension, but a non-judgemental evolved world.
The story is of a millionaire family that goes bankrupt as their accountant cheats on them. They lose everything, besides Moira’s precious wigs. Moira sketched by the effervescent Catherine O’Hara portrayed the trials of a rich, famous life, but with a human side to that snooty nature.
After losing everything, there remains one possession that Johnny (slick Eugene Levy) has. It is a town that he bought as a joke for his son, the obnoxiously adorable David (charming Dan Levy). The family, with no option, shifts to that quaint, sleepy town (until their arrival) with crushed dreams and high hopes. When the season begins, David and his sister Alexis (the impressive Annie Murphy) fight over where they will sleep.
Both want to sleep in the corner bed because of the fear of getting murdered. They go back and forth yelling, “You get murdered first”, “No, you get murdered first”. This establishes the tone of the family arriving in the town. The prejudice we too had, perhaps! However, with each passing episode (the length of the episodes keeps the pace and storyline in tandem) life unfolds for the privileged family in not-so-privileged circumstances.
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The Show Made Us Believe That Love Is ‘Simply The Best’
The first three seasons establish the characters with their quirks, idiosyncrasies, and exaggerated personas. Talking about exaggerated personas, Alexis Rose! She possibly has been in the most obscure situations with the most famous persons on the face of this earth. Alexis doesn’t skate through life, but walks through it in really nice shoes! She has done nothing extraordinary in life. Alexis was the spoilt daughter of a rich father. She went to cruises, parties, yachts of the Sheikhs of Arab, and the backstage at Teen Choice Awards.
So, her life in ‘Schitt’s Creek‘ is to go on a walk, drink vegetable smoothies, eat yogurt and flip through dated magazines. But, nobody loved like Alexis! She went through the gamut of emotion—attraction, confusion, infidelity, attachment, love, and detachment. Life presented her with situations, but the phase pushed her through all the insecurities, affairs, and career decisions. In her life, she, for the first time, chose herself and it was liberating for her and for us to witness!
Schitt's Creek just won Outstanding Comedy Series at the 32nd #GLAADAwards. Thank you @glaad for this great honor! This award is incredibly special to us. 🌈 pic.twitter.com/Crdl8MuNui
— Schitt's Creek (Pop) (@SchittsCreekPop) April 9, 2021
The LGBTQIA+ representation has been evolving with the times bringing inclusivity and narratives of different identities and communities to the forefront. ‘Schitt’s Creek‘ trailblazed the representation of gay intimacy and pan-sexuality. Dan Levy portrayed that insecure yet confident man that we see around us wearing the most outlandish clothes with heart in the right place and fear in it.
I watched the show when I was in a very crucial and emotionally taxing phase of exploring my sexuality. My teen self was presented with the question—am I attracted to both women and men or just men? I wish someone explained to me the intricacies of sexuality as David did to Stevie. Well, I came out gay.
“I like the wine and not the label,” David tells Stevie when they try to understand each other’s preferences. The friendship that these two shared is so aspirational these days in the wake of multiple deceits, insecurities, social media standards, and the parameters. Stevie, played by Emily Hampshire, is that awkward kid who runs her family-owned motel, which is on the verge of shutting down until Rose’s family comes as a savior.
The transparency, support, ups, and down that the two experience till the end of the series are worth waiting to see how this awkward girl becomes the groom’s maid and a partner in a chain of motels, and David from a scared, lovelorn queer man to a confident owner of an Apothecary run by him and his lover, Patrick.
The show skyrockets from the fourth season when everyone in the family is trying to find their footing in the town with the aid and advice of the locals. David realizes his parents thought of him as an incompetent man when he spearheaded his artistic endeavors. But, the parents, like any other, never wanted to see the already bullied, bogged down David become the butt of a joke. Alexis is off to high school to complete her education. Johnny Rose starts helping Stevie with the motel’s makeover and Moira polishes her creative instincts. But, the most enduring of everything is the blooming love between David and Patrick.
‘Schitt’s Creek’ Taught Us Heart Wants What It Wants!
In one of the episodes, the mayor of the town Roland Schitt and Johnny Rose get high on marijuana. They talk about their respective children—Mutt and David. During the conversation, Johnny tells Roland that his son is pansexual. But, what he says next is the desire of every LGBTQIA+ kid. He says, “We can’t tell our kids who to love.” That struck a chord with not just the people from the community, but everyone who watched it.
Moira and Johnny were not there when their kids were growing up, but now they are restricted to four walls, and they could understand them better. There are these crucial moments in kids’ lives and it is essential for parents to not understand them, but process them, ask about them, and gradually start accepting them.
"We can't tell our kids who to love."#IDAHOTB #LoveIsLove pic.twitter.com/FuLjkmtLoG
— Schitt's Creek (@SchittsCreek) May 17, 2018
So, when David falls for Patrick (a drool-worthy Noah Reid), he is precarious. It is because of his past relationships where he was not treated well. A clown, whom he dated left him at a party! Patrick, a young gentleman from a humble background becomes his business partner. Love blooms gradually with David fearing the consequence of commitment, but Patrick held his hand, looked into his eyes, and promised to sing ‘Simply the best’ till death.
The show was a powerhouse when it came to showing intimacy between two men. Those two were unabashedly and unapologetically in love with each other, so they express it! With lots of PDAs, kisses, hugs, and casual bursting into songs. Intimacy plays a role in love, and the show got everything about it right!
The end left us with a hope of a better life and a better world even if we endure the jerks of life. We are all on a bus, experiencing jerks, but there is always hope for a destination. The show hugs you throughout the journey of life.
For #NationalComingOutDay, a reminder from @SchittsCreek that not everyone will have the same experience and things won’t always go according to plan. But as David Rose said, it’s something very personal and something you should only do on your terms.
(🏷: @danjlevy @olreid) pic.twitter.com/56Yn2vVhCH
— CBC Gem (@cbcgem) October 11, 2022
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