Schitt’s Creek Review: The Pitch (Season 6 Episode 12)

The time has come for Schitt’s Creek to start getting its affairs in order.

That thought alone makes Schitt’s Creek Season 6 Episode 12, “The Pitch,” a hard pill to swallow. On top of a looming finale, this episode also reintroduces the Roses to a sliver of their old lives — and a legitimate chance at a reprieve from small-town living.

None of this creates the greatest circumstances for a good laugh, but thanks to a moving investment pitch and honest pushback from the people closest to the Roses, this episode showcases the difficult decision the family has to face in the coming days.

As Jocelyn so beautifully pointed out, “It’s like deal or no deal, but with the rest of our lives.”

As the Roses cling to a familiar hope that they will soon be leaving Schitt’s Creek for good, we see them revert to a time when this kind of behaviour was the driving force behind their actions.

But the Roses are not alone anymore and as Johnny so beautifully points out in his pitch, the Rosebud motel is no longer a symbol of resentment for him. Yet, this family has to be presented with a choice before they can come to terms with that sentiment.

So, Schitt’s Creek makes the difficult decision to go without much of the quick banter and comedic bits it has so easily displayed in these final days. Other than Moira’s desperate hysterics and David’s weird cutup denim jeans, there isn’t much comedy to cushion the damage this renewed hope is causing our ensemble.

Instead, this episode relies cleverly on long pauses and messy dialogue to get the point across that this crossroads the Roses are choosing to go down is not an easy one. Their open desire to leave will have lasting repercussions this time and will test their growth like never before.

And for the most part, one can stand behind that decision, knowing these characters need to be temped with a slice of their old life to realize what they have now is worth far more. No funny business can get in the way of that decision with just two episodes left.

Patrick and David’s scene is a perfect example of Schitt’s Creek‘s deliberate attempt to demonstrate a different, but equally smart, form of storytelling as David barges in with the idea of moving to New York and Patrick refuses to bail him out by playing into the muffin banter.

Patrick’s quiet approach to the rest of the episode leaves the store scene raw in our minds and wide open for later discussion.

However, the choice to rely mainly on foot-in-mouth comedy with Roland and Moira to keep things light is a weak choice in my opinion. One could argue it’s a form of comedy, but some could also argue that foot-in-mouth comedy is more of a personal hellscape than entertainment.

It’s taken Roland six seasons to step up, but he has finally shown us why his character is more than just the butt of a long-running joke.

Roland has always considered himself to be better and smarter than Johnny in every way and he’s quick to blame his own screwups on the man — which arguably, has led Johnny into some hilariously uncomfortable situations.

However, these selfish qualities have made Roland more of a liability to this partnership than an asset. That is until he doubles back to grab his briefcase and upon hearing a room of investors mocking their pitch he does the unthinkable — he stands up for Johnny Rose.

The town mayor is intimidating and some would say even heroic as he puts the men in their place. Roland goes as far as to maturely advise Johnny to forget about Mike and those investors, securing this moment as a possible swan song for Roland Schitt.

His triumphant time in the spotlight is certainly a highlight of the episode, as is his wife’s amazing poster making skills.

No pressure, Schitt’s Creek, but when you name an episode after Johnny’s big pitch, it’s got to be good. Thankfully, the pitch is more than good — it’s the absolute schitt!

There’s that moment in the final days of a series when everything just clicks and you know you’re going to be okay with what comes next. That moment doesn’t always come. Thankfully for Schitt’s Creek, it does, in the form of a tearjerking speech from Johnny about the impact a rundown motel has had on his life.

Johnny’s pitch brings everything full circle in a beautiful and triumphant moment as Rosebud Motel gets the glorious tale of family and redemption it deserves. To see Johnny and Stevie’s lives change for the better because of the motel that brought them together is something truly heartwarming.

And seeing Stevie own her powerful businesswoman status is all we ever really needed from this series in its final days.

The shift into high gear for Schitt’s Creek‘s two-part series final can be felt all through this rollercoaster ride of an episode.

The silent communication between Patrick and David is some of this angsty installment’s best work and yet there’s so much left unsaid throughout this episode that one can only hope will be addressed in the forty minutes we have left with the Rose family.

The first of this show’s goodbyes feel so right and yet I can’t help but resent Schitt’s Creek a little for having the audacity to actually leave us.

And the look on Patrick’s face as the Roses celebrate their first big win tells us nothing about this goodbye is going to be easy.

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

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

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