‘Central Park’ Recap: ‘Episode One’ & ‘Skater’s Circle’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

'Episode One'

The true beauty of this era of peak television, is that anything you could possibly want to see on the small screen, is available to you at any time that you like. Which is a wonderful thing if you’re in the mood to binge a crime drama or experience sheer terror by way of a horror tale. And if by chance you’re a fan of animated television, well then there’s more good news to be had, since an endless number of cartoons await you on every streaming service and network. But while it’s wonderful to know you can revisit animated adventures from your youth or experience something brand new, there’s a wonderful caveat that comes with this surge of digital or hand drawn worlds, in that, their stories are getting better and better.

Simply because these tales are no longer being marketed to only young children, they truly are designed to cater to all ages or adults in some cases as well. Which means the same care that standard shows receive is going into animated shows and that is giving life to some supremely incredible stories and universes and for proof, then look no further than the AppleTV+ series, Central Park. For this particular tale not only provides the audience with a new world to explore, since there are few shows out there actually set in this iconic Manhattan location, but the writing of this particular series is simply top notch and that’s really where we are going to spend a lot of our time today in regard to this recap, because these well-crafted scripts deserve to be celebrated.

In fact, let’s start by examining what makes ‘Episode One’ so engrossing and enchanting. Because this particular pilot episode does a phenomenal job of establishing the world that we are going to be immersing ourselves within. For we spend a lot of time learning about the Tillerman family and what makes them tick. And it doesn’t take long for us to understand that they are a good and honest family, and it’s quite wonderful to see Cole and Molly, the parents in this family, enjoy careers that feed their passions and provide them with mental peace, and it’s equally as wonderful to see that they’ve raised a pair of normal kids that are trying to figure out their place in the world. Because it makes this family oddly relatable, which is something you rarely see in animated shows these days. For so many feel that quirky characters are the only way to stand out. 

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'Skater's Circle'

But the world-building doesn’t end with the family in this particular tale. For our introduction to Bitsy Brandenham helps us to understand immediately that the park is in serious trouble thanks to her vision of what it should become, and having her dog be lost and retrieved by Owen Tillerman is a lovely way to bring hero and villain face to face in unexpected fashion and this pilot episode really does do a stellar job of setting up the overall plot and ‘Skater's Circle’ does an even better job of building upon it. Because  this is the story that sees Bitsy make her move to secure Central Park as private property, which leaves the audience wondering exactly how she has such power and influence over the city council, and her power play sets the stage nicely for a grandiose struggle between good, hard-working people and a rich and slightly batty Bitsy.
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Which in a way, adds a little subtext and commentary that’s relevant to modern times, a rarity in animation these days, and the depth in this second episode doesn’t end there. Because this story really does take the time to show the audience, just how important a place like Central Park is in a metropolis as large as New York City, and it’s a nice touch to see Cole work to rebuild broken relationships with people that use the park on a regular basis so that it feels like home and can continue to thrive. And really, all of these elements allow for the audience to become vested in this family’s journey, and you truly want to see this good man succeed and save the park from Bitsy’s dastardly and sneaky plan to turn it into a tourist mecca. Yet while everything we’ve discussed thus far, makes it seem as though Central Park is an animated family drama, make no mistake about it, this series finds a way to lay on the comedy in between the brainer stuff.   

Because the jokes come fast and furious in this show, and are sometimes delivered in a perfect deadpan manner, and they’re further enhanced by Birdie’s unique sing-song narration and quite frankly, some lovely musical numbers. Which is perhaps the greatest accomplishment of this series, since musicals and serial television tend to be a disaster together. But here, the songs work, and they’re toe tapping-ly good and they oddly have their own relatable ties to the audience as well from time to time, as evidenced by Molly’s musical number, ‘Weirdos Make Great Superheroes’ and really, when all is said and done, this is just feel-good television. Because it constantly finds a way to put a smile on your face, the jokes simply work and it does indeed offer more than just gags and goofy moments and that likely means we are in for more wonderful storytelling and hilarious moments as season one rolls on and truly, it should be interesting to watch this series grow in the weeks to come as the Tillerman family works to save the park that means everything to them. Until next time.

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