In every way, Schitt’s Creek nails the romance between David Rose and Patrick Brewer so perfectly that it consistently feels as brilliant and as evocative as reading a romance novel does. There’s an honesty in their exchanges that’s so carefully penned it ensures that every interaction they have is that much more sincere and vulnerable, and we get the most gorgeously undeniable proof of it during David and Patrick’s first kiss in Season 3, Episode 13, “Grad Night.”
First, there’s something so poignant about the detail that it happens in a car. A symbol meant for movement—travel. Going from one place to another. It’s intimate in a way that’s especially comforting, knowing this relationship is their endgame. We all love a classic goodnight kiss, and the fact that it’s also David’s birthday is significant, given…well, everything. Still, Patrick takes a chance to informally ask David out, knowing his family forgot his birthday, and David takes a chance when he leans forward to kiss Patrick. And it’s the response afterward that makes my heart squeeze. It’s every moment that comes before. Every stolen glance. Every shy smile. Every conversation.
When it happens, Patrick tells David (and the audience) that this is his first kiss with a man, and he would’ve hated wondering what it would’ve been like if David hadn’t made the first move. And there’s something so achingly vulnerable about his honesty because it’s everything we need to see that he’s completely different from any of the other men David has been with. He’s special. Incredibly so. It’s also not just the words he says aloud, but it’s Noah Reid’s performance as he touches on a different side of Patrick we haven’t seen yet. He’s quieter, yes. A little shy, definitely. But Patrick, like David, has a bold side, too. He knows what he wants, and he isn’t afraid of vocalizing it.
In addition, one of the most profound details about David and Patrick’s first kiss is the words thank you. Patrick not only thanks David for kissing him, but he also thanks him for doing it for them. For taking a risk not only on their business endeavor, but all the feelings growing between them—spreading into something bigger. Something better than either of them ever thought possible. And how Dan Levy plays off of Reid’s bold shyness is tremendous because he fully acknowledges that he understands everything Patrick is trying to utter aloud. He sees him, just as Patrick sees David.
This beat is all about moving forward in their admiration for one another and taking yet another extraordinary risk. There’s magic and warmth in the way that David cups Patrick’s face with everything in him to show that this isn’t just some random kiss. It’s meaningful. It’s everything. He’s holding onto Patrick like he’s something precious and deeply special because he is. He has been from the moment they met, and every playful interaction between them is the most honest that either of them has been, not only with themselves, but with someone else. It’s why their first kiss is so substantial and evocative. Deeply tender yet adorably hot at the same time.
It’s cozy and it’s vulnerable. It’s sweet and it’s awkward. It’s a myriad of emotions all at once because it’s everything that the two of them have been wanting—and everything that’ll continue to grow between them.
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