Schitt’s Creek and the Pandemic
April 24, 2020
Tonight, sadly, we watched the last episode of Schitt’s Creek, a real tale for our times. A moral fable, but a high camp, screamingly funny one.
In the very first show, the Rose family, the protagonists, have it all. They live in a palatial mansion with chandeliers, a magnificent staircase, servants, and about an 18-wheeler’s worth of clothes apiece. They have lived large. The mother, Moira, is a former soap opera diva; father Johnny a buttoned-up executive; son David an NYC artist-wannabe; daughter Alexis a globe-hopping escort for Saudi princes. They have made self-involvement into an extreme sport yet can do little for themselves. Their hands flop at the end of their wrists like useless appendages, more Kardashian than the Kardashians. They are walking, talking moral vacuums. They are very unlikeable. But very funny.
When the Feds bust in, sorta like the coronavirus (hang with me here, I know the coronavirus was quiet and sneaky, unlike an FBI raid), and carry out the furniture, the Rose family is taken by surprise. Who knew their financial guy hadn’t been paying taxes? Who knew the White House office for pandemics had been dissolved? The Roses are kicked out of their house, and forced to move to a dumpy motel in a small town called Schitt’s Creek.
Their world becomes very small and confined there. They live in two adjoining rooms, and hate it. Hate it extravagantly. They really can’t believe what has happened to them and really, really want out. But as time goes on, the confinement forces them into relationship with one another and the town. They turn into real human beings. The kids, who are approaching middle age, learn to ride bikes. David gets his first job. Alexis goes to school. They become part of the community. They discover what really matters. They fall in love. They learn to hug, to say I love you, and to say goodbye.
I hope that we too can use our quarantine in whatever version of Schitt’s Creek we’re in to become more ourselves, to remember what is important, to connect to those we love. I hope it does not take six seasons like it did for Schitt’s Creek, but I hope that on the other side of this, we’ll have a better idea of the world we want to create. I look forward to seeing you all in that world. Hugs to all and good night.
©2021 Joy Cunningham