Schitt’s Creek Season Premiere Review: Smoke Signals (Season 6 Episode 1)

In case it bears repeating, Schitt’s Creek is simply the best.

The Canadian comedy is no stale cracker, finding its stride long before this premiere and solidifying that ageing success with Schitt’s Creek Season 6 Episode 1, “Smoke Signals.”

This episode is merely the start of a season-long victory lap that will showcase the well-oiled machine this series has become with what feels like blissful ease.

Most of us feel like Roland right now, unprepared to save Moira’s bébés from a toaster pop fire and panicking at the idea of this wonderful show being ripped from our lives forever. Thankfully the Rose family is here to make our last stay as comfortable as possible in the face of finality.

Yes, there’s certainly an air of finality to this premiere. Even if we weren’t aware that this was the Rose family’s last hurrah, we would still feel it in the very essence of this show.

Not only has Schitt’s Creek devoted an admirable amount of time to fleshing out its characters, but the series has also made the growth and humility of these people the driving force behind the story itself.

The Roses we see today are hardly the ones we first met. Part of me is thankful for that. Those Roses would never have been able to carry the emotional weight of this journey as far as they have, and certainly not with this much passionate sarcasm.

As hard as it is to say goodbye to this wonderfully wacky family, any more time with them would feel wrongfully borrowed. This is Schitt’s Creek time to truly shine and our time to come to terms with what it means for them to go out at the top of their game.

This premiere has so many great dynamics to take in.

Moira and Johnny are at their best when they are putting out each other’s fires, both metaphorically and figuratively. Moira returning to her closet of shame is only half as hilarious as Johnny’s attempts to coerce her to come out for something other than a wig change.

Their decision to take a walk by the town’s creek makes for some of this episode’s best material and a particularly great umbrella homage to Beetlejuice.

These two will always be the rock grounding this series no matter how elaborate Moira’s outfits get and it’s nice to see the premiere cut out a small slice of happiness for them to enjoy before schitt inevitably hits the fan more than once.

My only complaint is that we didn’t get to see more of their little outing in between the chaos of the wedding venue fiasco. It’s taken this long for us to get to the darn creek, could we not have taken a moment to enjoy the scenery a little more?

It’s rather commendable that after six seasons, Schitt’s Creek is still able to make the same character pairings feel fresh and intriguing.

Patrick and David are particularly adorable as David tries to shield his fiance from the horrors of his mother’s latest breakdown, only to expose the poor man to the cutthroat world of wedding planning in the process.

Thankfully Levy takes a moment to torment the audience as well with a tear-jerking moment overlooking that gorgeous wedding venue. Seeing that vulnerability break through David’s sarcastic exterior, even briefly, is always an emotional endeavour.

The close dynamics of Alexis, Stevie, Patrick, and David are ones we’ve explored several times before. Yet their outing to look for wedding venues is propelled to new heights as Patrick comes to terms with David going full bridezilla and Stevie learns Alexis does not know what flying economy means at all.

The group as a whole is really fantastic with their knives out and hearts full. However, it is Alexis and David’s newest sibling spat that ends up stealing the spotlight.

Like any sibling squabble, Alexis and David’s latest is an epic one with all the exaggerated arm movements, annoyed grunts, and manipulation required to make this chaotic conversation high-class entertainment.

I love that despite the bickering and Alexis storming out in that cute outfit (seriously those pants are amazing), we can still see these are two people who fight because that’s how they express their love for each other.

Of course, Alexis would try to pretend like she rescheduled her trip for David and of course David would see right through her scheme. To expect any less from these two would be to sacrifice a driving force behind the lovability of this show’s lingering vanity.

It is this witty moment between the Rose siblings that ultimately solidifies this episode of Schitt’s Creek as one of the show’s best yet.

This episode doesn’t feel like a premiere as much as it feels like reuniting with old friends.

We are quickly embraced by the dependable humour and creature comforts of the Rose family’s loving lifestyle. Nothing feels forced or out of place as the family goes about their lives with us happily in tow.

We laugh at the expense of Alexis and her unfortunate date mix up, while we rejoice at the thought of David and Patrick tying the knot at the motel and living full lives together for years to come.

There is so much to celebrate and not just with this individual premiere. It is the beautiful legacy and dependability Schitt’s Creek has managed to infuse into this episode and all the others that came before that we toast to today.

It’s quite possible that “Smoke Signals” is the only good thing we have in this world right now. That and David’s iconic shorts sweater combo. For that, we must rejoice!

—

What did you think of this episode of Schitt’s Creek? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

Schitt’s Creek airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBC and Pop TV.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

18 Tremendous Ted Moments from ‘Schitt’s Creek’