I’m going to be crying about the Schitt’s Creek finale, and just the show in general for a long time. This Canadian import gave us such gentle joy and a wonderful compassionate show about a family that grows from vapid, greedy caricatures into real, loving people.
Every character on the show has had their own evolution, but I think one of the best examples of growth is that of Alexis Rose, as played by Annie Murphy. Alexis started the show as a stylish but empty girl with the depth of a sponsored Instagram post, but over the years she’s evolved into an independent, loving sister, daughter, and friend ready to find her own way in the world.
Alexis’s plotline in season six was all about the culmination of that growth. She struggled to find a balance between her career aspirations and her relationship with Ted. It was a hard choice, because it had taken Alexis so long to find herself and to be open to a healthy, stable relationship. But when faced with the choice of her own dreams and romance … she chose herself.
That’s really huge. In so many shows and movies, the idea of a happy ending is about someone finding their perfect match and riding off into the sunset with them. But that’s not reality. Romantic relationships are just one part of life, and for women especially, there is often much more to aspire to than the perfect match and a family.
For Alexis to choose herself, first over Ted, and then over staying in the same town as her brother or parents … that’s huge. Especially for a character who started the series kissing hot guys to make boyfriends jealous on social media and treated her time in a small town like prison.
I’m so proud of Alexis Rose, because the love she found in this series wasn’t just for her family, it was for herself. She stopped defining her worth by her money or relationships or follower counts. She discovered that the person she needed the most and whose respect was most important was herself.
This is a lesson that’s worth learning for everyone. That growth starts with ourselves and that self-love (not that kind, pervs!) is the foundation to so much more. It’s a hard lesson, and a scary one because it requires such a leap of faith. But it is vital for the journey into adulthood.
So thank you, to everyone behind Schitt’s Creek for giving us a woman who was fashionable and silly, the kind of girl that society makes so many jokes about, and allowing her to be strong and brave and still remain herself. A little bit messy, a little bit inspiring and, as always, a little bit Alexis.
(Image: Pop TV)
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