Schitt’s Creek — the bit of sunshine we all need in 2020
*Spoiler alert*
Having written this post a little over two years ago, it is quite a surprise that here I am writing a post praising a TV series. But then, surprises have been the sine qua non of 2020.
Expectedly, I have seen no more than a handful of shows. And since I watch only a few, I pick the globally acclaimed ones, so I have hardly had major disappointments. This trend continued when, on recommendation from a couple of friends, my wife and I started watching this Canadian sitcom, Schitt’s Creek, sometime in July.
As far as the plot goes, this is a run-of-the-mill riches to rags story, following the antics of a family that has fallen from their giddy high life in New York to an oblivious existence in a decrepit town. Over the 6 season arc, they realise that happiness lies beyond money, and grow as individuals in their own right. Hardly a storyline you can hold your audiences with.
Yet, somehow, Schitt’s Creek does.
The show brilliantly creates a bunch of stereotypical characters, and then alternates between reinforcing those stereotypes, almost outrageously at times, to shattering them at others. Johnny Rose, the fallen tycoon, is surprisingly awkward & clumsy even at business handling. His daughter Alexis is the typical blonde on most occasions, and shows her smarts in others. His wife Moira holds on to her mould of a starlet in denial, and literally amazes everyone by taking the snootiness to obscene levels.
The show’s interpersonal relationships also continue to amaze. When David & Stevie have an amorous escapade early on, it is hard to imagine they would develop the most endearing of platonic friendships later. The insufferable Schitts, the town Mayor and his wife, eventually serve as enablers in the Roses’ return to stability. Alexis and, the cafe hostess, Twyla are chalk and cheese, but somehow manage to find wisdom from each other’s company.
For those of us who have seen the banter between Ross and Monica growing up, the sibling rivalry and revelry between Alexis and David offers a new perspective. How the two actors have actually caught similar mannerisms speaks volumes of the actors’ craft and effort in making this so real.
But where the show really took the cake for me was its fresh take on the relationship between Patrick and David. I have often found on-screen depictions of homosexual relations to be over-the-top — usually with high stress on society’s response to them or overly sexualising them — which ends up making it discomforting. Dan Levy, who plays David and also conceptualized the show, makes none of those mistakes.
The fact that David and Patrick are both guys is almost a side-script to their relationship. There is a moment of drama when Patrick’s parents react with shock to their involvement, and then it is revealed they were only bothered about why their son had to think twice before letting them know. No one in David’s family, nor any person in the small town are ever shown raising an eyebrow. And the relationship is all about love, respect and tons of aww-able moments.
Makes one wonder how different the world could be if people simply minded their own business.
It is a show entirely about the people in it — we do not even get to know where Schitt’s Creek really is. It tells you there is more to people than meets the eye, and it might be foolhardy to jump to conclusions about them without giving them a fair chance.
More than anything else, it is a feel-good reminder that rough times go away, and while life after them might be nothing like it was before, it can still be equally good, or better.
