Schitt’s Creek- The Family Portrait Episode- “Letting go of your past.”
The Roses are startled by the arrival of a huge family portrait, which reminds them of their luxurious and grand past. They are at their wit’s end on where to place this “massive display of family bliss and opulence” in their current humble dwelling. The senior Roses are clueless about where to put this item and wonder whether it is the size of the portrait or the limited dimensions of their residence that is the pain point.
The children, David and Alexis, are not affected by this development except that they point out inconsistencies in the portrait or ridicule it for a laugh. This may be because David is busy with his own store launch. Alexis is navigating her complicated relationship with her ex-fiancé.
Johnny is quite expressive about his fondness for the family portrait, and that reminds him of the time when they were rich but had barely time for each other. The only place he found himself together with his family was in that portrait, which made it more difficult for him to distance himself from the picture.
The conversation between Moira and Johnny decides to let the portrait go. This implies how far they have come from their past selves; they accept they are not the same people they used to be. For better or worse, the portrait does not fit with their current life as they are not those people whose painted faces were on display. It is heartbreaking for the Roses to accept that their glorious past may never come back and somehow come to terms with the fact that the creek is their home and life now.
It is natural for human beings to crave happiness and hold on to that for as long as possible, but the wheel of time has its own way. Time takes us to our present, where we have to deal with memories of the past and hopes for the future. It is a constant hustle. Roses miss their past life for all the luxury and money it had to offer and accept that their present humble condition has brought them together and appreciate life more. The creek has helped them understand their true self-worth, not measured by their bank balance but by their talents, interests, and intellect. Schitt’s creek uses humor as a device to talk about issues that usually go unnoticed but actually have an impact on our lives.