Late to the Party Episode 1: Schitt’s Creek, Seasons 1-4
What’s this, another new concept for a blog series?
Late to the Party will be my outlet to discuss the not latest, but possibly still greatest, in arts and entertainment. There’s a lot of content out there, and I tend to let go of things that are no longer feeling relevant or zeitgeist-y so as not to fall further behind, but sometimes I do make time to revisit something I never got around to. And thus, Late to the Party is born.
It’s also a joke because, if you know me, you will know that I’m never late to anything, parties included. One of the more difficult learning curves of adulthood for me has been that if a party starts at 8:00 it really starts at 8:30, but the crowd that arrives at 8:30 is really the warm up crowd to maybe drink a glass of wine and snack a bit while they help the host finish getting ready- the real party starts at 10:00.
If you tell me a party starts at 8:00, I’ll be walking around the block at 7:55 with homemade spinach and artichoke dip because I’ve been there since 7:45 (I left the house early in case there were any problems with the train or I got lost or mugged or something) but didn’t want to arrive too early and make it weird.
Remember parties? Those were the days.
Anyway, let’s talk a little bit about Schitt’s Creek. And I really mean a little bit because I want to watch a few episodes of season five before I go to bed.
Although people had been recommending it to me for ages, I didn’t decide to watch Schitt’s Creek until the swept the Emmy’s at the end of last September. Another day, remind me to write a blog post about how much I love award shows. I know they’re problematic. It does not take away from my enjoyment.
Watching their Emmy wins lead me to give it a try, but I didn’t see what all the fuss was about especially in comparison to The Good Place and Insecure. For those of you out of the loop, like I was until recently, Schitt’s Creek tells the story of the Rose family- patriarch Johnny (Eugene Levy), matriarch Moira (Catherine O’Hara), and their spoiled offspring David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy), who lose absolutely everything and are left to live in a tiny town they bought as a joke, the titular Schitt’s Creek. It’s a cute and funny premise, and I have to admit there was something absolutely delightful about watching a wealthy family lose everything and fall from grace. But the episodes didn’t feel connected, it seemed more like a series of sketches featuring the same silly rich characters in a podunk town than an episodic sitcom. It was funny and charming, but it didn’t hook me. I didn’t need to know what happened next.
From September through the end of the year, I would just pick it up and watch a couple of episodes when I got bored. I kept being told the first two seasons are just okay, and then from there it just keeps getting better and better. And oh boy, did season three start to deliver.
By seasons three and four, it’s become clear that the Rose clan isn’t leaving Schitt’s Creek anytime soon, and in their own ways they each start to plant roots. Johnny comes to the aid of Stevie, the curmudgeonly manager of the motel where the family lives, when her grandmother dies and leaves the motel to her. Moira, the most reluctant Rose to participate in Schitt’s Creek activities, ends up earning a seat on town council and joining the local choir, the Jazzagals. David invests in a storefront and becomes a small business owner. Alexis decides to finally finish high school so she can enroll in courses at the local community college. This, my friends, is what we call satisfying character development.
As each member of the family embarks on their own journeys, their relationships with the people of Schitt’s Creek deepen as well. Stevie has been a delightful presence on the show since season one, mostly as David’s best friend who frequently takes him down a peg, and seeing her grow into a business owner is incredible to watch. All the random side characters, from Twyla, the somewhat air-headed cafe waitress, to Bob, who owns the garage in town and sits on town council, to Ray, the Swiss army character who somehow has a million jobs, are delightful and enhance every scene they’re in.
And we haven’t even talked about Ted and Patrick. Ted is Alexis’ boyfriend in season one, who she really only dates to make the actual subject of her affections jealous. However, he has a heart of gold, and later when Alexis needs a job to pay for her credits at community college, he lets her be the receptionist at his veterinary practice, no matter how unqualified she is and in spite of the fact that she broke his heart. Ted is adorable and handsome and smart and silly and watching him and Alexis navigate their feelings for each other is always funny and cute.
And Patrick. Don’t get me fucking started on Patrick. We first meet him when David applies for his business license, and it becomes abundantly clear that he as absolutely no idea what he’s doing. Patrick suggests they become business partners, and David accepts his help. What starts as a business partnership slowly grows into something more, and when I tell you that I did not laugh so hard that I cried, but I actually full body sobbed and laughed hysterically at the same time when Patrick said I love you to David for the first time and said he was his Mariah Carey… I just can’t with this show.
In addition to the superb acting and writing, I also want to give a nod to the impeccable casting and costume design. Every single character just works perfectly, and the vast majority of them are not names, mostly just Canadian working actors, but the casting team behind this show should be very proud of themselves, because whatever they did worked. And I genuinely can’t think of a time I’ve seen better costume design on a sitcom. The aesthetics are so cohesive and well-defined and do so much comedic character building. I can only aspire to one day have a personal wardrobe as well curated as the fictional wardrobes of literally anyone on this show, not because I admire their styles necessarily (though would I steal any number of things from Alexis’ or David’s closets? Absolutely!), but because each item that anyone wears on this show is part of their story and provides so much information about who they are. It’s just perfect.
I think I’m done ranting for now, and am gonna go stuff some dates with peanut butter and chocolate so I can get started on season five. I hope you’ve enjoyed me processing a show that’s been popular for years and I’m just now getting behind, because I have a feeling this will not be the last you’re hearing from me about Schitt’s Creek.