5x11 Meet the Parents

[8.5/10] I think I enjoy it when Schitt’s Creek swerves me. The show is so apt to devolve into corny sitcom tropes and random intervals that when it seems to be heading that direction, and instead pivots to some place real it gives me such delight. This episode fits that bill perfectly.

THe “surprise party destined to go wrong” is such a trope. I’m not knocking it. THere’s a lot of good humor to mine from the setup, but it’s an old chestnut. Then, when Johnny spills the beans about David and Patrick dating to his parents, I figured we were going to get some sort of wacky spillover where everyone’s mad at everybody, because that was going to be the “special surprise” at the party. Then, when David didn’t realize that Patrick’s parents weren’t aware they were dating, I assumed we were going to fall headlong into a pit of over-the-top relationship drama.

Instead, the show goes someplace real. David and Patrick’s conversation is great. Rather than going into relationship drama pablu, it touches on Patrick’s comprehensible reluctance to tell his parents because he loves them and is afraid it will change their relationship forever. Rather than just being hurt, David is understanding and supportive of what his boyfriend is going through. It’s mature and sweet and you feel so much for Patrick -- a very well written and acted scene.

Then you have the scene where David goes to talk to Patrick's parents and they swerve you again. You worry that they’re going to react poorly, and be harsh with David, and that the dad in particular seems ready to disown him. Instead, the hints at disappointment and frustration are just over why Patrick didn’t feel comfortable enough to tell them. It’s an incredible sweet twist, and David’s efforts to keep them from telling Patrick that they know, so that he can break it in his own way, is another great moment of maturity and understanding from David.

(As an aside, Johnny is also hilarious in the scene in his fumbling efforts to smooth things over.)

Then you have the scene where Patrick does actually tell his parents. There’s another dose of pure humanity there. The actor who plays PAtrick does such a good job communicating the characters fears and hopes and hesitation in that moment, and his parents do an equally good job at trying to convey support for their son while at the same time not letting him know that they’re already aware. The dad’s simple reaction of “I like him” is such a warm moment, and the smiles and joy after everything is out in the open is a lovely and cathartic close to the scene.

Then, of course, you have David and Patrick slow dancing in the end, reflecting on what Patirck realized and what David sacrificed or finagled in order to make this happen. One of the cornerstones for great writing is characters achieving what they want, but in a way that they didn’t expect, which changes them. This episode embodies that beautifully, with David giving Patrick the best birthday surprise he could hope for, albeit in a way that shakes out a little different than the genuine surprise party he was planning. It’s one of the show’s best stories, and the writing and acting are fantastic throughout.

As if that weren’t enough, the Moira/Alexis storyline was very good too! Moira is one of the characters who hasn’t gotten as much character development as the others. Catherine O’Hara is great, but Moira is not dramatically different in season 5 than she was in season 1. I like the show starting to change that here.

Her fear of lowering herself by doing a convention, only to meet another soap star who does them regularly and makes bank that changes her mind, is a great character note for her. She seems to take her colleague’s (and fellow soap legend) advice that there’s a freedom to letting go to heart (even if it means letting weirdos take pictures of your feet). I’m interested to see if the show sticks with that tack vis-a-vis Moira, or if this is a one-episode flight of fancy. I hope it’s the former.

Overall, two great character-focused storylines, with plenty of laughs to keep things moving.