Schitt’s Creek Review: Start Spreading the News (Season 6 Episode 13)

The Roses have outgrown their time together in Schitt’s Creek.

That harsh reality is the centre focus of Schitt’s Creek Season 6 Episode 13, “Start Spreading the News” as the fate of a looming finale forces these characters to uproot their lives once more.

As comfortable as we’ve come within the walls of the Rosebud motel, it’s time for this family to checkout.

Thankfully, the beginning of this goodbye is not a somber event. In fact, it’s the exact opposite as this series celebrates the characters and the beauty of their humilities that have made this story something truly special.

Schitt’s Creek owes a great debt to Moira Rose.

Sure this series has a lot going for it, but without her peculiar accent and ambitious fashion, this comedy would never have quite the ability to prosper from phrases like “barbarous jape” and “clangorous vociferous yes“.

So you can imagine our delight to see Moira finally realize her worth as an actress. She demands the world in return for her talent and in the end, she receives it in the form of a tennis bracelet and the lead role in the Sunrise Bay reboot.

Moira’s happy ending has been one of the biggest questions of the series and while we would have liked to see her come to appreciate Schitt’s Creek more, this beautiful pelican of a woman never belonged in this town as a permanent fixture anyway.

However, it’s clear in Moira’s reaction to an emotional group of Jazzagals that her love for the townspeople is very much the important takeaway from her journey.

 

It’s always been a bit of a running joke that Twyla has had a terrible go at life. She’s a down on her luck waitress with a very troubled childhood. This fact is made all the more hilarious by the fact that Eugene and Dan Levy cast Sarah Levy in this role, rather than giving her a spot in their television family.

But it is Sarah who gets the last laugh as she reveals to the audience that Twyla has been sitting comfortably on 46 million dollars for some time now after winning the lottery and continues to work at the cafe because it’s what makes her happy.

As far as surprises go, this is a huge one.

There was a time when all the Roses wanted was a bailout and the irony that a millionaire was taking their lunch orders every day is not lost on us. Neither is the fact that Twyla now owns the cafe!

It’s arguably the boldest move this series will make in its final hours — but once again, it is the right one for Schitt’s Creek and the town’s kindest resident.

Another right move? Twyla telling Alexis this information in confidence. Alexis has been Twyla’s closest confidant since the beginning, but she has also taken pity on the small-town girl for her way of living.

The episode caps off Alexis and Twyla’s relationship beautifully with this reveal by allowing Alexis to see her friend in a new light and understand that it ultimately doesn’t matter that Twyla is a millionaire. She has learned to care about the person, not their money.

It’s an important detail that Alexis turns down Twyla’s offer to help her buy an apartment in New York. To take the money would undermine all the growth the socialite has experienced and just wouldn’t feel authentic to the independence Alexis has fought for this season.

This episode arc for the two girls demonstrates how well Schitt’s Creek understands the journey its characters have undergone, and the steps needed to complete those journeys.

Arguably a highlight within an episode full of highlights, David and Stevie’s tearjerking heart-to-heart packs the emotional punch expected as we begin to say goodbye.

Schitt’s Creek really nails the dynamics of their relationship in this scene.

On the one hand, they have been through a lot together and want to see each other find happiness. On the other hand, these two are kind of incapable of having a proper heart to heart. They would much rather show their support through reluctant affection and layered sarcasm.

So, not only is David cutting Stevie’s intervention short by making a remark about her B.O. completely on par with their relationship, but it’s how they show their love for one another.

This scene is what ultimately allows the episode to revisit the fact that Patrick was just going to buy David the house of his dreams with even more admiration. It’s a grand gesture that makes our hearts swoon and that feeling only increases as we delve deeper into the fantasy of Patrick and David settling down in Schitt’s Creek, until it is no longer a fantasy.

For an episode devoted to prospering from the fruits of its character’s labour, David’s growth really shines in this final hour.

David orchestrates such a selfless act for the man he loves, giving up his flashy dream of going to New York to settle down in Schitt’s Creek. He goes all-in on the town he was so reluctant to love because he knows that’s what Patrick and Stevie deserve — and ultimately what will make him happy.

Of course, then he turns around and steals three pizza slices from the table before his family can finish opening the box because that is still very much David. This series has such a beautiful way of playing to David’s strengths without glossing over the selfish parts of him that make for such an honest character — and a true comedy icon.

David, who ran away to live with Mennonites because he couldn’t stand living in that small town for another day, turns out to be the Rose who stays. Who could have ever predicted that?

Watching as David embraces the love of his life in front of their new home doesn’t feel real. It feels like a damn fairytale — the kind David has always deserved.

Growing up sometimes means growing apart. That must come as some relief to the family that has spent 3 years in a two-bedroom motel together, but seeing the Roses part ways after finally finding one another is an emotional event in its self.

But again, it is an event that this series handles with an incredible level of precision and class for a half-hour comedy.

Each character’s journey feels like the right one — the one they have earned. Yet I can’t help but notice that by following these separate dreams, the Roses are falling back into the distant family dynamic they had before they came to this town.

As we sit here in aw at the level of storytelling this series has demonstrated, it is becoming increasingly clear that Schitt’s Creek is leaving the best for last.

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

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The series finale of Schitt’s Creek airs Tuesday, April 7 at 8/9c on CBC and Pop TV. Followed by a one-hour special, “Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell” at 8:30/9:30c.

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