It’s been a hard week. Have ordered pizza and a LCRB (life-changing root beer) and decided that a pre-series finale @SchittsCreek rewatch is in order. Will be tweeting along the way so beware of spoilers and welcome!

The Pilot. It continues to astound me that these seemingly unlikeable characters evolved into people that I love and actually respect. Also, each character intro is perfect: Moira screaming, David shouting NO, Alexis on the phone and Johnny trying to fix it all. #SchittsCreek

One of my favorite laughs in the pilot is (seemingly) a callback to Sabrina, as the Roses sit in front of a comically large family portrait, just as the Larrabees did. #SchittsCreek

David and Alexis grow from selfish, spoiled brats to kinder, braver versions of themselves. Together, they share my favorite relationship arc on the show. Much like in Fleabag, the sibling love story is a slow burn and the worthiest one on the show.

Idk that I gave Annie Murphy credit for how good she‘s been from day one. She has - by far - been the biggest and best surprise on the show and this rewatch is highlighting how unreal her performance has always been.

S2 Ep 6: Moira vs Town Council. It’s really interesting watching Alexis break up with Mutt knowing what she just went through in S6. The scene between her and David afterwards is one of my absolute favorites. And their hug never fails to make me cry.

S2 Finale: Happy Anniversary. Once again this rewatch is bringing things into focus. Here, there’s a subtle shift that changes everything. After two seasons of maligning their new home, Johnny finds himself defending it and in doing so, cements the heart of this show.

They truly hit their groove in S3 but I think this is the scene where Schitt’s Creek found itself. It began to lead with its heart, and its humor followed suit. The episode ends beautifully with the family dancing together, and it makes me cry every single time. #SchittsCreek

MOIRA: Do you know your father & I hold great affection for the two of you? It may not always be obvious -
JOHNNY: Just say it, Moira.
MOIRA: We love you both very much.

They are learning to love who they are - & where they are - at the same time. It’s so simple. And so lovely.

And S3 already kills it right out the gate. #SchittsCreek

Season 3 Ep 7: General Store. Alexis goes back to high school and brings major Cher Horowitz vibes. This pleases me to no end. #SchittsCreek

A few scenes later, Alexis argues with Jocelyn about Marie Antoinette, saying she never actually said “let them eat cake.”

Jocelyn: Hmm. That depends on who you ask.

Alexis: Hmm. I asked Kirsten Dunst, who played her in the movie.

S3 Ep 8: Motel Review. So, my RNS* just kicked in and I realized that when Patrick and David meet, Ray is shooting engagement photos in the background. This show basically told us from the start where they were going AND NOBODY NOTICED. #SchittsCreek

*Rewatch Noticing Skills

Patrick and David’s first scene together is a delight to revisit. Patrick is so clearly taken by David’s Davidness that it’s infectious. And you fall in love with Patrick - and Patrick and David - immediately. #SchittsCreek

As S3 continues, David becomes more and more thrown by Patrick. He’s constantly surprised by this kind, confident guy who completely leans into how adorably uneasy he makes David. When Patrick offers to help him apply for a small business grant you get a glimpse of this dynamic:

Throw Stevie into the mix and it’s even better. Patrick and Stevie join forces to make fun of him in such a loving and hilarious way — that sometimes I wonder if David doesn’t mind being outnumbered. He’s finally found his people. #SchittsCreek

S3 Finale: Grad Night. This may be my favorite episode. Patrick’s attempt to let David know how he feels is so clumsy and pure and yet somehow brave and bold at the same time. The dinner invite, the present, the sports jkt! Finally Stevie opens David’s eyes to what’s going on —

— and we get one of the sweetest first kisses I’ve ever seen on TV. Then Patrick thanks David for “making sure that happened for us” - because he was nervous and might have chickened out otherwise - and then I miss the rest because I can’t see or hear over my guttural sobbing.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE. Grad Night also sneaks in a rare mother / daughter triumph for Moira and Alexis. When Alexis sees her mother on stage singing “Baby, I’m Yours,” we get a glimpse of how far these two have come both together and on their own.

And the season ends as it should, with the Rose family together, celebrating David’s birthday and Alexis’s graduation with the most perfect cake known to man.

The season is fantastic but the finale? The finale takes the cake. #SchittsCreek

As Patrick and David settle into their relationship, Alexis also finds herself in new territory. The feelings she didn’t have for Ted finally showed up... and now he’s with someone else. Annie Murphy is a queen of broad comedy — but it’s her subtleties that reign supreme for me.

These scenes struck me as special. In the first (S3 Ep 4), Alexis realizes David loves her after he tells her how much he used to worry about her. In the second (S4 Ep 5), she realizes that she’s in love with Ted when David flat out asks her. They go from subtext to candor —

— not only in how the two of them communicate but in how fiercely protective they become of one another. They’re more of a team than they’ve ever been and I love noticing these markers along the way — they’re delicious.

So, the time has come to talk about S4 Ep 6: Open Mic.

It dawned on me as I rewatched this ep that it is all about people joining the Rose family, and the big gestures that mark their moments. First, of course, is Patrick’s soft, sexy serenade at the open mic which manages to at once publicly humiliate and humble our sweet David.

But don’t overlook the kind, loving gesture that Johnny orchestrates back at the hotel. Stevie is drowning in doubt, convinced that Johnny will someday ditch town, leaving her with the business. He tells her not to worry, he would never. She asks if she can get that in writing —

— and Johnny does just that. So with a song and a sign, Patrick and Stevie find themselves feeling the love. They’re now amongst family, and it’s Simply The Best. #SchittsCreek

Enter the secret ex-fiancé. David and Patrick’s time off gives us some ace depressive moments from Dan Levy, along with some quality David / Stevie time. But nothing tops the fact that David delays reconciling with Patrick BECAUSE HE LIKES THE GIFTS PATRICK KEEPS SENDING.

When David FINALLY extends an olive branch of his own IT IS SPECTACULAR and someday someone is going to have to explain to me how this scene is just as vibrant and visceral on the 100th watch as it was for the first. #SchittsCreek

#SchittsCreek soars when it comes to cold opens and the one for S4 Ep 11: The Rollout is no exception.

As S4 winds down, Alexis realizes that she can no longer hide her feelings for Ted. In her bravest step to date, she tells “the sweetest man she’s ever met” how she feels. She knows he’s with Heather. But she also knows herself now. And she knows she needs to confront this —

— because our Alexis is finally focusing on herself in a positive way for what may be the first time ever. It began when she got her degrees. It continued as she launched Alexis Rose Communications. And here, our PR girl beautifully rebrands herself. As a caring, capable grownup.

There’s a beautiful tug of war going on here. She is heartbroken, but proud to have put herself out there so she can begin to move on. Her first step? Co-chairing Singles Week, her first true business endeavor, with Moira. Moira, who sees Alexis more than she ever has —

— but she’s still not caught up. She doubts Alexis’s ability to do this on her own, naively undermining her daughter’s talents. Alexis and Moira’s relationship arc is one of my favorites on the show — especially when you consider where they began in S1.

Since then, Moira has made more room for Alexis in her life - singing at her graduation was a turning point. But now, at the end is S4, Moira begins to see Alexis for the woman she is in the process of becoming - and it’s a lovely thing. #SchittsCreek

Singles Week also has two big love confessions. First comes Patrick’s — timed perfectly, as always. I can’t do the scene justice, so I’ll let it speak for itself.

Cut to: David and Ted, face time face with only two things in common: the fact that they are both victims of recent I LOVE YOU attacks... and Alexis. The result is one of my favorite David moments ever, as we watch him realize his own love for Patrick while helping his sister.

It’s not often that David gets to play the protective older brother and it is a rare emotional moment for him, finally able to help Alexis after a lifetime of feeling helpless. He’s really rooting for her and this is #SchittsCreek at its best: surprising, kind and hopeful.

The season ends with four big victories, each welcome and satisfying in their own right. With a little nudge from Jocelyn - while she’s in labor, no less - Moira’s perspective shifts and she apologizes to Alexis for underestimating her. To be clear: this is huge.

David’s heart to heart with Ted opens his own eyes and he tells Patrick that he loves him, too. And then there is Ted, whose own surprise confession is the perfect end to Singles Week.

Throw in Roland and Jocelyn’s new bébé (Roland Moira Schitt!), and we have the end of an exceptionally beautiful episode... and season. Yay David! Yay Season 4! #SchittsCreek

Season 5! While Moira is off crowing in Bosnia, David and Alexis are trying to keep the electricity alive in their relationships and the result is perhaps my favorite throwaway #SchittsCreek joke of all time.

In “Love Letters,” Alexis and Ted talk about keeping things from past relationships and Alexis’s “empty journal” line a) kills me and b) makes me think of her upcoming reaction to Johnny’s Christmas gift — stamps aka “Stickers! Of old men!” #SchittsCreek

Post-baby Unhinged Jocelyn is my favorite Jocelyn. I’ve always loved how she sticks up for herself - particularly when dealing with Moira - but this Jocelyn phase is next level. As is her hair. Literally. #SchittsCreek

S5 Ep 4: The Dress. Moira orders an expensive dress for the (possibly upcoming) Crows premiere. It’s bad timing and Johnny suggests that for the next little while any money coming in should be for the family. You can see how it pains him to deny her this.

Moira tells him that the dress IS for the family. “To remind us that our futures lie outside this town. Feels these days like I’m the only one who hasn’t veered off course.” While the others are laying down roots, Moira is still looking for - and expecting - an eventual way out.

Moira does come around, though, so the dress must go. But not without one last look! David’s reaction is the sweetest, as is Johnny’s offer to ultimately keep it. But Moira does not waiver and it’s goodbye dress... for now. And family first, always. #SchittsCreek

Patrick’s high school slumber party themed housewarming party is the gift that keeps on giving. Also, I love Alexis’s hair this length. Okay!

When S5 Ep 8 rolls around, we get glimpses of the gradual arc that Stevie will have over the rest of the series. I’ve always loved her relationship with Johnny, and here we see him selflessly putting her heart before his own when the hotel wins a Hospie but Stevie gets dumped.

Their bond as partners and friends only grows as things continue - and it remains pure and sweet and lovely. But the big news in this episode is the launch of Moira and Stevie’s unexpected - and unexpectedly heartwarming - relationship.

It’s surprising to think that Moira sees something of her pre-fame self in Stevie, but she senses a connection and offers Stevie Cabaret, the show that launched her own career - hoping that it will once again help a young girl see what she is capable of. #SchittsCreek

And lest we forget that The Hospies also gives us Alexis’s audition... to the theme song from her old reality show “A Little Bit Alexis.” It defies description and we should be grateful to live at a time where it exists.

S5 Ep 11: Meet The Parents. One of the kindest, sweetest episodes. When Patrick must face coming out to his parents, he tells David that “I owe it to us.” The night they had their first kiss, he thanked David for doing that “for us.” For Patrick, they were a team from Day 1.

What I love here is that David is completely selfless. He offers to pretend they’re just business partners when he meets Patrick’s parents if that would help. He is sad and it stings but he instinctively puts Patrick first - something the David we met in S1 would never have done.

David goes to meet them on his own and Patrick’s parents are not phased by the news — they just want to understand why their son didn’t feel like he could tell them. David doesn’t tell Patrick that they know — he lets him have that conversation on his own terms.

Patrick ultimately realizes that his parents must have known - and David explains that it was a messy day and he was just trying to detangle things and make everything okay. As Patrick tells him, mission accomplished. #SchittsCreek

I don’t even know what to say about Patrick’s proposal. I usually miss most of it because I can’t see through the deluge of tears. Anyway, here:

Stevie’s reaction is so sweet and I love that Patrick asked for her permission to propose. I also love how much David and Stevie support one another. It’s show day but she still manages to deliver his engagement gift: monogrammed towels — a darling callback to the pilot.

And then it’s showtime and Stevie shines in Cabaret. Watching David watch her step into the spotlight is pure joy. I love how proud he is of his best friend.

Cabaret is a highlight for sure - from Stevie’s self discovery to Moira’s loving guidance. But the absolute best bit? A quick, genius moment from Miss Alexis Rose. #SchittsCreek

S6 kicks off with one of my favorite Alexis looks — and I think the only non-leggings / pajama pants she wears in the entire series.

Alexis hijacking maid of honor duties and then taking a step back because Stevie needs it more than she does? Just another reminder of how far our Alexis - and the siblings - have come. And when David asks her to give him away? MY HEART.

And speaking of, Alexis throws together a premiere for Moira’s movie - and it is perfection... until the live crows attack. IT’S CALLED AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

I love these two photos — the first, from when the Roses excitedly gathered to watch The Crowening trailer and the second, when they gather to see just how much damage the crow attack has done.

But in true Alexis Rose fashion, our girl does major damage control, spins the entire catastrophe as a PR stunt and saves the day alongside both Moira’s and her own career. Moira and Alexis began the show as perfect strangers and it is perhaps the most drastic shift we see.

The icing on the cake? Moira truly sees her daughter and is finally able to give her credit for what she’s accomplished. And for who she’s become. #SchittsCreek

I didn’t make this but absolutely adored this callback. Ted and Alexis’s breakup is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. How do they do that?! HOW???

It’s a pleasure watching how every character gets what they want. Alexis lost Ted but found herself and found herself a career. Moira’s career is back on track and after six seasons, Johnny (and Stevie!) have finally got a WIN.

It kills me that the family is heading in different directions but it’s earned and it’s right. And I’m so comforted to know that David and Stevie are both staying put. I’ve loved watching them cheer each other on with candor and honesty — and celebrate each other. I mean, look:

Me trying to get all my thoughts into a twitter thread that no ones reading. #SchittsFinale

The kids watching Sunrise Bay brings me great joy. And Alexis’s post-breakup slump is glorious.

Especially when she manages to steer Moira in the right direction, reinforcing the fact that they both - finally - know their own self worth. #SchittsCreek

All the while, Johnny, Stevie and Roland are finding their own way. Roland steps up and claims Johnny much in the same way that Johnny claimed Roland and Schitt’s Creek back when they ran into old friends. It’s Roland’s shining moment and it’s lovely.

Plus, who doesn’t love seeing them cheered on with Jocelyn’s oaktag puff paint posters?!

It’s also lovely watching Stevie come into her own as a business woman, remind Johnny what he’s achieved before and letting him know that he can do it again.

And I love that Alexis knows that she can make it in NYC without everyone else - and that it doesn’t stop her.

David realizing that he actually wants to stay is one of my favorite moments. As is the moment when he tells Patrick that he wants to stay, wearing a little Easter egg to tug at our heartstrings.

The #SchittsFinale was a gift. To feel the love and respect they had for the show come through in every line was remarkable. Thank you for taking such good care of the ending, @SchittsCreek @danjlevy @Realeugenelevy. And for six wonderful seasons filled with humor and heart.