#i seriously hope this doesn’t remind people of Moira rose from schitts creek

[joyus-whimsy]

Just a Moira appreciation post.

[constantlyirksome]

Schitt’s Creek 5x11 Review: All Hail Dan Levy.

Schitt’s Creek is one of the warmest shows on television. Seriously, sitting down and watching a new episode every week is like receiving a big hug. It’s self-care essentially. But occasionally, while things will always work out for the Rose family and company, Dan Levy likes to make audiences weep as well, and he does it so masterfully you have to thank him for it afterward. Whether it was Ted’s emotional speech a reunion with Alexis, David and Patrick's first date or even more recently, Stevie being let go by her boyfriend, the most impactful and memorable SC scenes are the ones that have you reaching for the tissues. This week’s episode takes the cake, delivering equal doses of emotional devastation and satisfying emotional resolution. At the heart of the episode is Patrick, who’s birthday it is, yay! And David, (who has really been rocking it in the boyfriend department recently with Pat's housewarming and then the baseball game), has decided to throw his beau a surprise party, who has always wanted one. After setting up a perfect night at the café he invites Patrick’s parents, who David has never met. SPOILER ALERT there is a reason for that, Patrick has yet to come out to his parents after breaking up with Rachel his fiancée, and by extension has yet to tell them that he is gay. They think that David is just Patrick’s business partner. But it’s too late to pump the breaks on the party because Johnny, welcoming the Brewers to the motel, puts his big bushy eyebrows in it and let’s slip about Patrick and David. I want to come out and say that as a gay man myself I value all types of coming out stories. They’re a crucial part of our lives in the LGBT community. I am not however always in favor of forced outings. Putting a character through trauma for the drama, when the situation isn’t well written to me is not entertainment. But Dan Levy is never thoughtless in situations like this, making painstaking sure that the story and arcs of each character are given the utmost respect and that in the end, the resulting episode puts more good into the world than bad. One quote from Love Simon (don’t get me started) that I really loved was; “I’m supposed to be the one to decide when and where and who knows… That’s supposed to be my thing!” Simon yells after being thoughtlessly outed. That sentiment is shared not only by Dan but David also who’s mad scramble to fix the situation and not traumatize Patrick was quite inspiring. Prepared to go in to bat for Patrick if his parents did have an issue with his sexuality, David goes to confront them with a gift basket. He goes in strong, but when he finds out that not only did Patrick’s parents know but were also fine with it, he almost breaks down. Wiping away a tear and taking a moment to appreciate “…how dark that could have gotten.” David loves his dorky boyfriend so much, to realize that he wouldn’t have to go through the trauma of a bad coming out clearly moved him. He then moves on to further prove his status as TV’s best character by telling the parents that they shouldn’t bombard Patrick at the party. To not rush to tell him all is well, which would have been nice, but as David said, would take away Patrick's right to chose how he tells his story. The two men sit down to sort out what’s happening in Patrick’s head. He apologizes to David, feeling he owed it to them and their relationship. David lets him know that Patricks coming out is not and could not ever be about David, that it was fine if he still didn’t feel okay coming out that night. This is also rare, as a lot of characters who’s partners are in the closet take it as an insult or a burden. I’ve heard the line “I’ve already come out once I don’t need to do it again”, like five times on television. David doesn’t do this, because he knows Patrick isn’t ashamed of his sexuality or his relationship. He says while his coming out was easy enough (he brought a ‘couple’ home one night and told his parents to deal with it) for a lot of people it’s very difficult. Did I mention how much I love David Rose? When Pat tearfully delivers a line; ““I know my parents are good people, I just can’t shake this fear that there’s a small chance that this could change everything… That they might see me or treat me differently,” his voice cracks and so does that heart of all audiences watching. It’s far and beyond Noah Reid’s finest acting moment on the show, and this sentiment would resonate pretty hard with a lot of queer viewers. Whether you come out once or a hundred times the fear that you could get rejected is paralyzing. But Patrick has David, and we have Schitt’s Creek to remind us that no matter what, the opinions that matter most are from those of our chosen family and friends who understand us. Patrick comes out, (his father has to stop his mother from rushing the process,) and it’s heart-warming. Then it’s followed by an even sweeter slow dance, David and Pat alone in the Café, I could have watched an extra ten minutes of it honestly. While this emotional rollercoaster is going down, queen Moira is grappling with money and her pride. Publicist Alexis suggests she go to a soap opera convention, a notion that Moira abhors (I’m using fancy words in her honor.) She doesn’t want to share a room with “a motley crew of pale, dewy-faced salamander people,” meaning her fans. She too learns the power of owning her new story from an old soap opera friend who now spends her days touring conventions and hocking cheap wine, and she couldn’t be happier. Moira leans into the experience, deciding spending time with fans was a fair price for a big payload, and that she needn’t be so protective of her image anymore because she is no longer the bougie snob she once was. Moving forward into the last few episodes of the season (so excited for the town's production of Cabaret,) the characters shed their insecurities and continue to grow. Let’s all hope Dan Levy and company all have many more opportunities to tell important stories like Patricks, to treat these issues with care and make their audiences happy sob a hundred times over.