Schitt’s Creek: Why David and Patrick are the Best Couple on TV
and how it represents the LGBTQ+ community perfectly
Schitt’s Creek is my favorite show. I have watched it countless times and laugh out loud every time. I have seen few shows that depict the LGBTQ+ community as well as Schitt’s Creek does, and for the first time, I was able to relate to another queer character — a gay man — but still.
If you haven’t seen this show yet … why not? Seriously. Watch the show.
David is one of the main characters. He is Pansexual — but they don’t just outwardly say that as if it is some big deal. He is just David. A unique, quirky, and loving man. The actor, Daniel Levy, co-creator of the show, plays this role flawlessly. He draws you in from the first time you meet him, and the love for him only grows. When the topic of his sexuality finally came up in the show, Season 1, Episode 10, they did a spectacular job in both explaining his sexuality and not making it a “thing.” It was just a regular conversation.
If you haven’t seen it … again, why not?? Here is what happened.
David and Stevie (his best friend) recently had hooked up. Stevie was a bit confused because all along, she assumed he was gay. While they were in the liquor store picking out a bottle of wine to bring to a party, she asked gracefully with a perfect analogy about wine that led to one of my favorite lines of all time.
“I like the wine, not the label…”
[copied from the script Season 1: Episode 10]
Stevie: So, just to be clear,
um, I’m a red wine drinker.
David: That’s fine.
Stevie: Okay, cool.
But uh, I only drink red wine.
David: Okay.
Stevie: And up until last night
I was under the impression
that you, too only drank red wine.
But I guess I was wrong?
David: I see where you’re going with this.
Um… I do drink red wine.
But I also drink white wine.
Oh. — And I’ve been known
to sample the occasional Rose.
And a couple summers back, I tried a Merlot,
that used to be a chardonnay.
Stevie: Uh-okay.
David: Which got a bit complicated.
Stevie: Yeah, so, you’re just
really open to all wines.
David: I like the wine and not the label.
Does that make sense?
Stevie: Yes, that does.
David: Okay.
Stevie: Um, this is just very new to me,
so as long as you didn’t roll over,
and cry yourself to sleep with regret,
then we’re good, right?
David: No, no, no, I absolutely did that.
I just wept for hours in the dark.
I say we go with this
one, it’s the biggest.
Growing up, I knew I was gay, but I kept it secret in fear of what my family would say. I was married with kids at a young age. Four years into my marriage, I came out to my then-husband, another four years until I came out to the world and started to live my authentic life.
In the past, I dated men, so I had kissed and slept with them. The majority of the time, I was wasted, usually blacked out. Many mornings, I woke up next to someone I didn’t remember sleeping with and sometimes not knowing who they were. I never enjoyed sex. I did it to make people like me. I knew I didn’t like it, and I knew why, but I continued to live a pretend life out of fear.
The first time I kissed a woman, I felt something that I had never felt before. It was magical. I felt safe and desired. I felt butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t stop smiling. I knew I finally got what I had been dreaming of for so long.
A few seasons after the Wine episode — David met Patrick (Noah Reid). And their relationship blossomed beautifully. Patrick, who recently came out and had his first kiss with a man, explained this feeling perfectly in Season 3: Episode 13 after his first kiss with David.
“You know when you kissed me, that, that felt like my first time. All the things you’re supposed to feel, I — I felt them last night.” — Patrick
Most people were wary about me coming out. Thinking it was a “phase” and didn’t believe me because I hadn’t been with a woman before. As if sex is the only thing that makes you gay. I cried, trying to get people to understand me. When they started to accept it, they had an idea of the type of woman I would be with. Someone who looks similar to me with the same type of background as me. And white.
When I met my first girlfriend, I was in the clouds. I had never felt love like that, and so quickly. Now I look back and see it as infatuation and not love, yet I had never felt happier at the time. My family and friends were visibly shocked when they saw pictures or met my girlfriend. They did not envision me bringing someone like her home. I didn’t care; I loved her from the moment I saw her and loved everything about her. I didn’t care if people looked at us or judged us for being together.
My girlfriend was a heavier set, masculine-presenting, black woman. She was also a lesbian and a child of an immigrant — she had many social battles to face. Intersectionality is important.
Eventually, it became evident this person was not the person I thought they were. She was a textbook abuser, and I was blinded by it. The first few months were amazing. She made me feel so loved and desired. She said things to me that no one had ever said to me before. Something I had been longing for. But I didn’t see the red flags. I didn’t hear the tone in her voice. I allowed myself to be talked down to and belittled. I didn’t see the way she treated other people. She slowly got me away from my friends and family. She became controlling and emotionally abusive. We began the relationship as an “ethically non-monogamous” relationship. A new concept for me, but I thought I was evolved enough to handle it. I was not. And she was NOT ethical. She was allowed to sleep with anyone she wanted any time she wanted, no matter how I felt. Yet, when I would talk to anyone else, she became extremely jealous and possessive and would not allow me to meet them. It got out of control quickly.
After she told me she would be monogamous with me, she kept cheating. She accused me of being crazy and drove me to do ridiculous things. Looking through her phone to prove she was lying to me, reaching out to the woman she was sleeping with, and saying crazy things. I am not proud of those moments. The list of things she did to me is long. Highlights would be: hitting me in the face at a bar in front of a room full of people (to which we both were kicked out), texting my family as me from my phone saying the most hateful things, pushing me to the ground, which knocked my teeth out, chocked me, and walked out the door as I was crying for her to not sleep with someone else- she left anyways and came home the next day. She never chose me. I could go on.
So, what does any of this have to do with Schitt’s Creek, specifically David and Patrick’s relationship?
Well, I have heard some criticism of Patrick and how “unrealistic” his character is. A few things I heard were…
- “Patrick doesn’t seem gay.”
- “He just came out; he wouldn’t be with someone as flamboyant as David.”
- “He wouldn’t marry the first person he met.”
I get defensive of these things because people said similar comments to me when I came out (minus marrying the first woman I dated… but my first was abusive, Patrick’s was David).
- Saying that Patrick doesn’t seem gay is rude and stereotypical. People didn’t think I looked gay enough when I came out — it wasn’t until I cut my hair short and buzzed one side I finally looked “gay enough.”
- People never pictured me being with someone who looked and acted like my ex. It didn’t matter to me. She was the person I was attracted to and loved at the time. No one was going to change my mind about that, not even her.
- I would have married my ex if I wasn’t still legally married. I am so thankful now that I wasn’t able to because it would have been a disaster. Patrick marrying David is believable because David shows in his actions how he loves Patrick and is a genuinely loving, good guy. I would marry him too if I were a gay man!
Not only is the storyline amazing and the characters believable — the chemistry between David and Patrick is one I haven’t seen before in a fictional relationship. They work so well together, and the glances they give each other are looks of real love and joy. Those details can’t be taught- it’s the emotion that comes out. Even better, the chemistry is fantastic among ALL the cast. You love them all, and they bounce off each other seamlessly.
I am not a critic, but I know what I like — I’ve watched enough shows to know when something is magical. Schitt’s Creek is magical.
Special thanks to Eugene Levy and Daniel Levy. Father and son created and starred in the series and POP Television & CBC network for broadcasting the show, another great thing Canada did right. And I appreciate them wrapping up the show and going out on top. Even though I selfishly wish there were five-plus more seasons, they knew when the story was complete and didn’t drag it out because of its popularity.
If you still don’t believe me that they are the best couple on TV, check out some of my favorite scenes from the show. There are many more to choose from, so do yourself a favor and watch the show … Enjoy!
The Barbeque: Season 4 | Episode 7
The Olive Branch: Season 4 | Episode 9
The Hospies: Season 5 | Episode 8 (A Little Bit Alexis)
Life is a Cabaret: Season 5 | Episode 14
Edit: I just noticed all my favorite scenes have some music or singing involved — this was not intentional. Schitt’s Creek is not a musical show — it is a genius show that successfully intertwines music and singing into it beautifully and sporadically. You’ll just have to watch the show to find all the true gems.
