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Schitt’s Creek exploded in the pop culture scene in 2020. From the snarky quips to the revolutionary depiction of a small-town free from homophobia, the show garnered massive Netflix viewership and swept at the Emmys. Schitt’s Creek follows the Rose family, who lose their entire fortune and are forced to move to the tiny, rural town of Schitt’s Creek, the one asset the government allowed them to keep. The characters help make this show such a memorable one in the sea of binge-worthy dramas and comedies.
Whether it’s Moira’s over-the-top theatrics to David’s iconic one-liners, the Rose family captured the hearts of millions. Each member of this eclectic bunch shows tremendous personal growth throughout the show, but it’s the daughter, Alexis Rose, whose character develops the most. For all her faults, Alexis Rose grows and changes the most throughout the show, and that change shows it’s never too late to turn things around.
From Selfish To Selfless
When we first meet Alexis Rose, the dazzling, somewhat ditzy socialite has nothing left but the extensive wardrobe she salvaged from her family’s mansion and a colorful history of world travels. She has little regard for others’ feelings, whether she’s openly flirting with a guy she knows has a girlfriend (while she also has a boyfriend), bickering with her brother David, or half-heartedly carrying out her community service sentence.
Throughout the seasons, however, Alexis’s tunnel vision expands until she’s suddenly conscious of almost the entire town’s feelings. When she confesses to her ex-boyfriend Ted that she still loves him, she admits it’s not fair to him for her to be telling him this while he’s moved on. She sits through a painful lunch with Ted and his new girlfriend, and when said girlfriend says she owes Alexis a favor, Alexis secures the woman’s products to be sold in David’s store.
When David selects his best friend Stevie to be his maid of honor for his wedding, Alexis is stung but quickly realizes Stevie needs the title and job more than she does, and she helps Stevie out and encourages her. Alexis begins and continues to put others before herself unconsciously. When she chooses to help others, it’s not to further a hidden agenda or get something in return. She makes these choices because she wants to and for no other reason.
Never Too Late To Start Over
In season 1 of Schitt’s Creek, Alexis Rose is in her late 20’s, an age range where one is supposed to have their life figured out– at least, according to societal expectations. In season 3, it’s revealed she never graduated high school. No job, no high school diploma, and no direction; Alexis starts the show waiting on a flaky boyfriend to come save her from the motel.
But by the show’s end, Alexis Rose graduates both high school, community college, starts her own business, and snags her first professional job all on her own merit. And she does this all about ten years later than what’s typically expected of a person. Most folks either graduate high school and dive headfirst into college or join the workforce immediately, all at age 18.
Alexis Rose becomes the only graduate of Schitt’s Creek High School who can legally drink. She gets her first-ever job in her late 20’s as a secretary. While she’s had many firsts that most people will only ever experience vicariously through the latest pulpy Netflix film (such as obtaining her driver’s license in seven different countries and going on a blind date in Bali with Leonardo DiCaprio, to name a few), boxes the majority of average citizens check off in their teens remain blank for her for the first half of the show.
This late foray into education and the workforce, however, aren’t punished by the narrative. While Alexis does have to put in a lot more effort for her degrees and building her business than she has ever had to for anything else, the show doesn’t belittle or shame her. Sure, the story of her ditching her final semester at an exorbitantly priced boarding school to go on a yacht with a soccer player is meant to be laughed at, but she’s never shamed for hitting these milestones a decade later than normal. Schitt’s Creek tells audiences that, like Alexis, it’s never too late to start over or to finish a journey you’ve yet to complete.
Growing As She Goes
While Alexis changes for the better, she never loses her original quirks. Her name-dropping of high-profile celebrities she’s befriended or dated in the past, wearing sky-high heels to completely inappropriate places for such deadly footwear, and goading her brother into petty arguments never ceases.
These little details make up the essence of who Alexis Rose is. While she drops her more negative character traits and embraces more positive ones, losing little pieces of who she was in the past would negate her growth and prove it to be inorganic. Personal growth is vital to any character, but having a character who makes a complete 180 from their core personality makes that change feel disingenuous. By the series finale, Alexis Rose continues to make mistakes and engage in childlike sibling squabbles, but she’s still learning, still working on herself, and still, the fashionable, fabulous former rich girl audiences fell in love with back in season 1.
Starting From Scratch
Alexis receives numerous opportunities to either get out of town altogether or get money, jobs, or both handed to her-but she turns them all down.
When her ex, Ted, offers her a secretary job at his veterinary clinic, she insists on being interviewed by him and eventually gives up the position altogether when she realizes far more qualified candidates than her want the job. When an old friend from her past comes to Schitt’s Creek and offers her a cushy marketing job, Alexis declines. In one of the last episodes of the show, a waitress at the local café, Twyla, is revealed to be a millionaire lottery winner. When she offers Alexis some money for her venture into New York City, Alexis turns her down.
Multiple chances arrive for Alexis to take the easy way out, and she chooses not to take it every time. She proves to the audience, and to herself, that she wants to work for what she wants, and she’s willing to put in time and effort in order to achieve her goals.
Blossoming Into A New Life
The spoiled girl who first came to Schitt’s Creek, while still stylish and worldly, becomes a smart, capable businesswoman over the course of six seasons. Marked by subtle changes and obvious good decisions, Alexis’s gradual growth throughout the show remains unparalleled amongst the cast. Sure, Moira becomes more maternal and caring, David less shallow and warmer, and Johnny kinder and less business-oriented, but it’s Alexis who changes the most.
Alexis Rose becomes a whole new woman while never letting go of her sparkling charm. She’s truly a rose which, while pretty before, blooms into one who sheds her thorns and grows stronger roots. Seasons 1-6 of Schitt’s Creek are now streaming on Netflix.