“I like the wine and not the label,” is how David Rose (Dan Levy) of the Emmy-winning comedy Schitt’s Creek defines his sexuality, or chooses not to define it, rather. After an unexpected drunken tryst, best friends David and Stevie (Emily Hamphsire) struggle to return to their previous dynamic in the wake of awkwardness and things left unsaid. To bring some clarity to the situation while wine shopping, Stevie attempts to inquire about David’s preferences using the wine as a metaphor.
“I only drink red wine, and up until last night, I thought you also only drank red wine,” Stevie comments. But David replies that he enjoys red, white, rosé, and even a “merlot that used to be a chardonnay.” At some points in the series, David refers to himself as pansexual, a designation that certainly fits. But the phrase “I like the wine and not the label” is such a succinct and effective way of communicating what it means to love without boundaries that the Schitt’s Creek gang had T-shirts printed up and it’s what they wear to Pride marches.
The saying was something that Emily Hamphshire (Stevie herself) referenced regarding her relationship with musician Teddy Geiger who came out as transgender in 2017. As per references on her Instagram, she implied the line helped her understand her own sexuality more fully, and likely it’s helped many others to understand themselves and their loved ones.
The Legacy of Schitt’s Creek
And while that one line has been so powerful and effective, it’s only one of the many ways that Schitt’s Creek has altered how queerness is presented in media and, as a result, how queerness is perceived in real life.
When the love for Schitt’s Creek was at its peek, which is to say beginning around Season 4 up through the final season’s Emmy domination, many of the headlines about the show centered upon the idea that Levy had created a kinder, gentler world in the fictional town of Schitt’s Creek. Both the town and show of Schitt’s Creek are small, but at their centers beat one giant, happy, healing heart, which is undoubtedly the reason the show is so beloved.
At a time when pretty much everyone on the planet was not ok (2020), the final season popped up to bring a welcome dose of snark, sunshine, and self-acceptance into our lives. But that’s not exactly how things started off in Season 1. The show began as a rich fish out of water story in the first few episodes but smoothly transitioned into an authentic character study charting the growth of four broken, vacuous, narcissistic (to varying degrees) individuals who prized money, status, and attention more than they did their own family. The Rose family clearly had a lot of room to grow.
Up Schitt’s Creek With a Paddle
And grow they did. Like literal roses flourishing in a well-kept garden, the quirky but kind and generous townsfolk of Schitt’s Creek pretty much loved the people the Roses would eventually become into being.
Throughout the series, town Mayor Roland Schitt (Chris Elliott) serves to motivate (generally unintentionally) Jonny Rose (Eugene Levy) to pursue his business dreams, often providing support both financial and physical. The Mayor’s wife Jocelyn (Jennifer Robertson) somehow manages to constantly keep the head-in-the-clouds Moira (Catherine O’Hara) grounded while also nurturing her creative talents without bruising her big ego.
And of course, Stevie serves as the rock David needs to lean on as he continually comes to terms with the fact that all of his New York “friends” only liked him when he paid for everything. Similarly, Alexis (Annie Murphy) relies on Twyla (Sarah Levy) to set her on the right path as she navigates a pair of relationships that help her understand how important it is to give to those you love and not just take.
At every turn, the Schitt family, Twyla, and Stevie (plus Ronnie, Bob, and Ray) are there to support their city slicker neighbors, even after the Roses were perhaps not so kind to them. Because that’s just what good neighbors do. It’s a foreign concept to the Roses at first, but it’s a habit they pick up on by series end. Jonny brings the Schitt family and Stevie in on his Big Business Endeavor as equal partners. Alexis makes some pretty selfless offers to Twyla even after she learns Twyla never needed her help after all.
We’re Here
Seeing unconditional kindness and support on a snarky comedy series when it can be so hard to find in the real world is nothing short of revolutionary. As is the way the show and the town handle David’s queerness. Though it’s a small town in an unknown rural area (the show is Canadian but comes to American audiences by way of Netflix), there are no small minds in Schitt’s Creek, only big hearts. David’s queerness is accepted as a matter of course (as is Ronnie’s).
His queerness is so heavily supported that the whole town rallies around his relationship with new guy in town Patrick. After a lifetime of flimsy relationships with gaslighters who did not value his worth, David begins a business partnership with a charming Schitt’s newbie, Patrick (Noah Reid). It quickly becomes clear they both want more than a business relationship.
Up until then, Patrick had considered himself straight, but his feelings for David make it clear that that is something he has to reconsider and process. As David and Patrick’s relationship progresses, Patrick faces the prospect of coming out to his parents. Because it’s a sitcom, obviously there are some comedic elements involved, but Patrick’s coming out is handled so perfectly, so thoughtfully, with great care taken to allow Patrick to tell his story in his own words, on his own terms.
A Happy Ending
The series ends with David and Patrick getting their “Happy Ending,” the name of the final episode which is a reference to their nuptials as well as a relaxing massage experience one of the grooms enjoy. But David almost doesn’t get his happy ending as a rainstorm throws everything about his Big Day into a tizzy. But just like the hundred times before, the citizens of Schitt’s Creek band together to make sure David getting hitched goes off without a hitch, again without even so much as a raised eyebrow about it being a “gay” wedding.
It’s the reason why so many viewers return to Schitt’s Creek again and again as a comfort watch: because the town is filled with the support, kindness, and acceptance so many wish existed in their daily lives. The real world is rough, but Schitt’s Creek is a charming and inviting world of delightful diners, lively Jazzagals a cappella performances, and folksy town council meetings. It’s a town where nobody bats an eye at the idea of “I like the wine and not the label.” A town where love truly means love, a small town with a big, accepting, supportive heart.
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