I have finished Schitt's Creek. All six seasons, all episodes. It is everything I thought it was when I saw the first trailers; sweet, adorable, so infused with love it oozes out.
A review, this is a review, would not be a review without some criticism. I do not have much and will not let the criticism overawe this transcendent, touching, hilarious, serious series.
Schitt's Creek is wildly popular in the United States. The screenwriters' lines for Alexis, David and Stevie are on tee shirts, of which I have one, or will whenever it is delivered (late); they are on license plates in several states, they are part of millennial nomenclature. Annie Murphy/Alexis Rose has set a fashion trend, not as all-enveloping as was that of Annie Hall in 1977 but still a trend setter.
Yet the show is not American at all. In fact, I believe the show has been ignored by American critics (not fans) by being an all-Canadian production: it is a CBC project filmed entirely in Canada; Eugene Levey, Dan Levy, Sarah Levy, Emily Hampshire, and Catherine O'Hara are all Canadian actors and the first three family members. Although it is based on the American Kardashian family Hollywood seems to have a stigma about an all-Canadian series. I think it has gotten shorter shrift than it merited, and any short shrift of Schitt's Creek is nothing short of absurd. That obviously is not a criticism of the concept, the production, the screenwriting or the actors. It has deservedly become a legendary series and that legend will live.
Annie Murphy/Alexis Rose is a North Star talent and character. And the screenwriters seemed to realize very early on that there was more to this character, and to this actress, than a Kim Kardashian imitation. Ms Murphy got the part over Eugene Levy's objection and at Dan's insistence because "she was so obviously a good person." Quite an eye there by young Levy. The screenwriters saw that and to their everlasting credit allowed little Alexis to be the one character in the series to truly grow. Alexis is the whole package, smart, competent, street wise, bold, opportunistic, beautiful, kind, diplomatic, hard-working. I was afraid they were going to have Alexis end up with that dolt Ted which would have been a syrupy match made in cinematic hell and sure to end in divorce. But, she finally let Ted go to his turtles and self-mating flies. That was not the life for Alexis Rose and was never going to be. At the end, having proven her nous to herself and to more than half of her brother, to all of Jocelyn, to half of Mr. and Mrs. Rose and to Stevie, little Alexis leaves to take her talents to the Big Apple. Alone. She turns down lottery multi-millionaire Twyla's offer of a little start up money as a going-away gift with, "If I am going to do this on my own, I am going to do this on my own." Alexis will find a great, good man in New York who is the entire package, as is she. Alexis is the visionary and guiding light, the uber-competent character in the series. Innumerable times she helps her mother and her brother; she gets half-acknowledgment from David, 100% but indirect, jealous, thieving acknowledgment from Moira/Ms O'Hara, and, repeating, from insightful Jocelyn. When she alone gets the family out of the escape room game it is she who makes her own escape from the family.
Moira Rose/Catherine O'Hara is and remains as her husband, not realizing, said one time, an "embittered person with too much time on her hands." The Moira character does not grow, not a bit. She is a caricature of a doddering dowager. It is boggling and to me infuriating that Ms. O'Hara has gotten such positive critical reception while Ms. Murphy has got almost none. Annie Murphy is the star and Alexis Rose the most memorable character and she lapped the field of competition, thanks to the intuition of Dan Levy and the screenwriters.
Dan Levy/David Rose, weirdly, since he is playing himself and he and this father are co-creators, does not grow. He regresses to a child-like screeching petulance and dependence. David is not as bright as Alexis, nor as competent or shrewd, is not as kind or insightful and when he meets Patrick he has met his superior who will take care of him for the rest of his life. Weird, that. Maybe that's who Dan Levy is, or what the screenwriters saw Dan Levy as being. But, no growth.
Emily Hampshire/Stevie Budd is the perpetual third wheel in the series, the episodes, and the scenes. The Stevie character had more to offer. She is also shrewd, she is centered, she is ambitious, and I kept waiting for a Stevie breakthrough. Others did too. I saw a headline that season six was to be Stevie's season. It seemed that way after her performance in Cabaret. But that was season five and when season six picked up she was back to being shunted into her role as plaid-shirt and-jeans-wearing small town motel operator after flailing as on again off again partner in Mr Rose's motel franchising business, in a short, unhappy stab at being a flight attendant for a regional airline that in corruption and incompetence could have been called Trump Air instead of Larry Air. The screenwriters did not seem to have a handle on the Stevie character and they made a minor, but being minor, an unforgivable mistake on her. In one episode a jealous, teasing David is sitting in the motel lobby reading a book. It turns out to be Stevie's high school yearbook. "What are you reading?" Stevie asks in knowing embarrassment. David approaches the counter. Stevie was voted most likely to get the guy, David says. And the girls too! Stevie as bisexual. But then, I think in the very next episode Stevie and David have the iconic "red wine, white wine" (print the tee shirts) conversation. Shopping together for some party or other Stevie modestly and almost in a whisper says, "I like red wine drinker. I only like red wine. And until last night (when they had had sex) I thought you only liked red wine too." Stevie as flamboyantly heterosexual. Bird pump, there.
The screenplay's use of he characters is formulaic. Each of the main characters, Johnny and Moira Rose, one set; David and often David and Alexis or David and Stevie or David and male lovers, another set; Alexis, Alexis and David, Alexis and boyfriends, the third and final major set, and it seems to me that so covetous were each of these sets in their face time that they must have had it in their contracts that they would get more or less one third of the scenes in every fucking episode, no matter what, no matter the revelation of Ms. Murphy/Alexis, no matter the promise of Stevie. It was stilted how there was never a deviation from the divvying up.
So you end with some criticism and that highlights it. No, I shan't let that happen. +'s and -'s Schitt's Creek is a miracle, it is luminous, it is good without being syrupy, it is as near perfect as a TV series and human beings can be. Schitt's Creek is the True North. It will live as long as cinema does. God bless the Levys, the screenwriters, Ms Hampshire, and especially the divine North Star, Annie Murphy/Alexis Rose.
Good night friends. And enemies.
A review, this is a review, would not be a review without some criticism. I do not have much and will not let the criticism overawe this transcendent, touching, hilarious, serious series.
Schitt's Creek is wildly popular in the United States. The screenwriters' lines for Alexis, David and Stevie are on tee shirts, of which I have one, or will whenever it is delivered (late); they are on license plates in several states, they are part of millennial nomenclature. Annie Murphy/Alexis Rose has set a fashion trend, not as all-enveloping as was that of Annie Hall in 1977 but still a trend setter.
Yet the show is not American at all. In fact, I believe the show has been ignored by American critics (not fans) by being an all-Canadian production: it is a CBC project filmed entirely in Canada; Eugene Levey, Dan Levy, Sarah Levy, Emily Hampshire, and Catherine O'Hara are all Canadian actors and the first three family members. Although it is based on the American Kardashian family Hollywood seems to have a stigma about an all-Canadian series. I think it has gotten shorter shrift than it merited, and any short shrift of Schitt's Creek is nothing short of absurd. That obviously is not a criticism of the concept, the production, the screenwriting or the actors. It has deservedly become a legendary series and that legend will live.
Annie Murphy/Alexis Rose is a North Star talent and character. And the screenwriters seemed to realize very early on that there was more to this character, and to this actress, than a Kim Kardashian imitation. Ms Murphy got the part over Eugene Levy's objection and at Dan's insistence because "she was so obviously a good person." Quite an eye there by young Levy. The screenwriters saw that and to their everlasting credit allowed little Alexis to be the one character in the series to truly grow. Alexis is the whole package, smart, competent, street wise, bold, opportunistic, beautiful, kind, diplomatic, hard-working. I was afraid they were going to have Alexis end up with that dolt Ted which would have been a syrupy match made in cinematic hell and sure to end in divorce. But, she finally let Ted go to his turtles and self-mating flies. That was not the life for Alexis Rose and was never going to be. At the end, having proven her nous to herself and to more than half of her brother, to all of Jocelyn, to half of Mr. and Mrs. Rose and to Stevie, little Alexis leaves to take her talents to the Big Apple. Alone. She turns down lottery multi-millionaire Twyla's offer of a little start up money as a going-away gift with, "If I am going to do this on my own, I am going to do this on my own." Alexis will find a great, good man in New York who is the entire package, as is she. Alexis is the visionary and guiding light, the uber-competent character in the series. Innumerable times she helps her mother and her brother; she gets half-acknowledgment from David, 100% but indirect, jealous, thieving acknowledgment from Moira/Ms O'Hara, and, repeating, from insightful Jocelyn. When she alone gets the family out of the escape room game it is she who makes her own escape from the family.
Moira Rose/Catherine O'Hara is and remains as her husband, not realizing, said one time, an "embittered person with too much time on her hands." The Moira character does not grow, not a bit. She is a caricature of a doddering dowager. It is boggling and to me infuriating that Ms. O'Hara has gotten such positive critical reception while Ms. Murphy has got almost none. Annie Murphy is the star and Alexis Rose the most memorable character and she lapped the field of competition, thanks to the intuition of Dan Levy and the screenwriters.
Dan Levy/David Rose, weirdly, since he is playing himself and he and this father are co-creators, does not grow. He regresses to a child-like screeching petulance and dependence. David is not as bright as Alexis, nor as competent or shrewd, is not as kind or insightful and when he meets Patrick he has met his superior who will take care of him for the rest of his life. Weird, that. Maybe that's who Dan Levy is, or what the screenwriters saw Dan Levy as being. But, no growth.
Emily Hampshire/Stevie Budd is the perpetual third wheel in the series, the episodes, and the scenes. The Stevie character had more to offer. She is also shrewd, she is centered, she is ambitious, and I kept waiting for a Stevie breakthrough. Others did too. I saw a headline that season six was to be Stevie's season. It seemed that way after her performance in Cabaret. But that was season five and when season six picked up she was back to being shunted into her role as plaid-shirt and-jeans-wearing small town motel operator after flailing as on again off again partner in Mr Rose's motel franchising business, in a short, unhappy stab at being a flight attendant for a regional airline that in corruption and incompetence could have been called Trump Air instead of Larry Air. The screenwriters did not seem to have a handle on the Stevie character and they made a minor, but being minor, an unforgivable mistake on her. In one episode a jealous, teasing David is sitting in the motel lobby reading a book. It turns out to be Stevie's high school yearbook. "What are you reading?" Stevie asks in knowing embarrassment. David approaches the counter. Stevie was voted most likely to get the guy, David says. And the girls too! Stevie as bisexual. But then, I think in the very next episode Stevie and David have the iconic "red wine, white wine" (print the tee shirts) conversation. Shopping together for some party or other Stevie modestly and almost in a whisper says, "I like red wine drinker. I only like red wine. And until last night (when they had had sex) I thought you only liked red wine too." Stevie as flamboyantly heterosexual. Bird pump, there.
The screenplay's use of he characters is formulaic. Each of the main characters, Johnny and Moira Rose, one set; David and often David and Alexis or David and Stevie or David and male lovers, another set; Alexis, Alexis and David, Alexis and boyfriends, the third and final major set, and it seems to me that so covetous were each of these sets in their face time that they must have had it in their contracts that they would get more or less one third of the scenes in every fucking episode, no matter what, no matter the revelation of Ms. Murphy/Alexis, no matter the promise of Stevie. It was stilted how there was never a deviation from the divvying up.
So you end with some criticism and that highlights it. No, I shan't let that happen. +'s and -'s Schitt's Creek is a miracle, it is luminous, it is good without being syrupy, it is as near perfect as a TV series and human beings can be. Schitt's Creek is the True North. It will live as long as cinema does. God bless the Levys, the screenwriters, Ms Hampshire, and especially the divine North Star, Annie Murphy/Alexis Rose.
Good night friends. And enemies.
