Adjusting to small town life in Schitt's Creek has been difficult for the Rose family, accustomed to a life of luxury and ease in the big city. The challenges of tackling rural living, so far from the urban amenities, has brought out the best in them and its brought out the worst in them.
Johnny Rose has gone from being a wealthy video rental magnate to owning The Rosebud Motel, his soap actress wife has had to resort to starring in B-grade horror movies, and their adult children David and Alexis have had to learn some real life skills other than ordering delivery from an app. While the hilarious ride that is Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek has recently showcased the Rose family thriving, they've all been a little underhanded towards each other along the way. Here are the 5 worst things the Rose parents did to the kids (& 5 the kids did to them).
THE PARENTS: MOVED THEM TO SCHITT'S CREEK
From the perspective of David and Alexis, arguably one of the worst things their parents ever did to them was uproot them from their pampered life of luxury and relocate them to Schitt's Creek. They were forced to leave behind friends, jobs (yes, they both worked!), and the comforts of Door Dash and Uber.
The period of readjustment wasn't a walk in the park for their parents, either. It came with a lot of resentment, financial strain, and reassessment of priorities. Ultimately, it was a growth opportunity for all involved, but the process was particularly hard on the adult children with no life skills.
THE KIDS: WHEN DAVID RAN AWAY TO NEW YORK
In the episode "Finding David", David has had enough of smalltown life in Schitt's Creek and decided to run away from his new home - back to New York City and the life he left behind as a gallery manager. His parents don't seem to notice at first, but then become frantic to find him.
Alexis joins them on their quest to locate David, and they eventually find him living in the last place anyone would expect- an Amish community. He didn't appear to make it very far from Schitt's Creek, and went from the frying pan to the fire when he was picked up in a buggy on the side of the road and made to work a farm.
THE PARENTS: WHEN MOIRA TOOK THE WRONG ALEXIS HOME FROM PRESCHOOL
It's established early on in Schitt's Creek that the Roses were self involved parents when their children were growing up. They left their rearing to "chambermaids" while Johnny built up his video store empire and Moira starred in a variety of soap operas.
It's for the best a child caring professional looked after them, because when Moira was young she mistakenly took another woman's toddler home from preschool and not Alexis. According to Moira, it was an easy mistake to make, as "Alexis looked Chinese as an infant".
THE KIDS: IGNORED HOW MUCH CHRISTMAS MEANT TO JOHNNY
In the Schitt's Creek holiday special Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose, the Rose patriarch just wanted to celebrate the holidays with all the traditional elements that used to make Christmas with the Rose family so special. Unfortunately, getting everyone to participate while in Schitt's Creek was harder than he thought.
The Roses used to throw lavish holiday parties, complete with Paul Schaffer at the piano while Moira and David sang "The Number". But now, Alexis just wants to go to a cookie competition with Ted's judgy friends, and David has no interest in using merchandise from Rose Apothecary to serve as decorations, much less make a guest list.
THE PARENTS: DIDN'T CARE WHEN ALEXIS WAS KIDNAPPED
The Roses weren't the most observant parents, often more involved in their own lives than the lives of their children. So it came completely out of the blue when Alexis told them that while on David Geffen's yacht, she was abducted by Somali pirates for an entire week.
It would be one thing if Alexis had no way to contact them, but she had access to her phone and sent a week's worth of texts! Moira's excuse was that she'd just had her "eyelashes dyed" and her vision was blurry. Luckily Alexis was resourceful enough to survive the ordeal, no thanks to the Roses.
THE KIDS: WHEN THEY NEVER SUPPORTED JOHNNY'S BUSINESS VENTURES
From the very first season, when Alexis ordered $400 worth of raw milk cans instead of milk pints for Johnny's black market milk scheme, it was evident that his children were never going to support his business ventures. If anything, their involvement made it certain they would fail.
In Season 4, when Johnny was embarking on the new brand roll-out for the The Rosebud Motel, complete with all new bathroom products in every room, David was supposed to get him products form Rose Apothecary on time. Instead, he decided the deadline wasn't important because accessorizing motel bathrooms wasn't on brand for his store.
THE PARENTS: WHEN THEY FORGOT DAVID'S BIRTHDAY AND ALEXIS'S GRADUATION
In Season 3 there's a lot of things to celebrate; Alexis graduating from high school and David's birthday, both of which get barely any recognition from the Roses. Johnny is busy with the Schitt's Creek Motel's first sold out night, and Moira is preparing for an out-of-town show with the Jazzagals featuring a prominent solo performance.
David is crushed that his family doesn't seem to care about his special day, and Alexis (though she hides it well) feels that her parents aren't acknowledging the growth she's done since moving to Schitt's Creek. Some good does come out of the chaos, because Patrick cheers David up by taking him out on the town.
THE KIDS: MADE FUN OF MOIRA'S NEW FILM
While starring in The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crowening may not be the most glamorous addition to her filmography, Moira was still very proud to be in the film, even if it took her hundreds of miles away from Schitt's Creek to shoot in Eastern Europe.
Alexis and David weren't very supportive of her endeavor, failing to see it for the brave maneuver it was, and necessary for the rebirth of her film career. When she'd call from set, her children could barely be bothered to come to the phone, they were so absorbed in the drama of their own daily lives.
THE PARENTS: WHEN MOIRA STOLE THE THUNDER FROM DAVID'S MARRIAGE PROPOSAL
After Moira returned from the set of The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crowening, she was elated to see her family again and spend time with them while the film went into post production. That thrill soon ebbed when she realized the film was going to be stuck in production purgatory in perpetuity.
While everyone else moved on with their lives, Alexis involved with Ted and the start of her own communications business, and David getting proposed to by Patrick, Moira had to steal focus any way she could, even if it meant having a complete and utter meltdown.
THIS KIDS: MAKING FUN OF THEM FOR NOT KNOWING ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA
Johnny Rose may not be the most technology conscious nor capable individual, but he tries to adapt to the changing times, despite his children's best effort to thwart his progress. And while Alexis might feel proud of herself for teaching him what a "Rollout" is, she nevertheless mocked him for putting out a message on "Tweeters".
Johnny has simply tried to rebrand The Rosebud Motel into a destination location any way he knows how, even if that means putting coasters in every room that say, "Tweet us on Facebook". His slow and steady attempts will ultimately result in franchising the motel and a means for the family to finally get out of Schitt's Creek.