‘Central Park’ Recap – ‘Golden Owen: Manager Damager’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 305 of ‘Central Park’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
​
One particularly important lesson that we learn regarding relationships, is that they require give and take. For while we need a great deal from our partner, our partner needs things from us, such as good communication and a sense of validation. And of course, they need our support and love as much as we need it from them, and when we learn that particular love lesson… we quickly find ourselves within the framework of a healthy relationship. Where everyone gets what they need and we feel secure and happy in what we have and as long as we work to maintain that balance, because sometimes we go the wayside… we and the person we love will be okay and make wonderful memories together.

But what’s funny, is that we often forget to apply this exact same lesson to our friendships as well. For we tend to see those as nothing more than a bonus relationship. Where everything is built upon a status quo, and we can easily reunite with old friends and pretend as though nothing has changed and it makes sense as to why we think this. For friends do come and go in our lives and it is the close ones that matter and even then… they too get this treatment when they simply should not. For they are the family we choose, and they require the same give and take to feel as though this friendship matters and it is important, we apply that care to them. If anything, this is top of mind today, simply because Owen Tillerman was forced to learn this lesson in the next episode of Central Park on Apple TV+.

For when we catch up with Owen in ‘Golden Owen: Manager Damager’, he was on cloud nine. For the mayor just wanted the park manager committee to sign off on his new campaign to get it rolling and Owen was going to meet them later on in the day and well, since the committee was made up of old friends that have been through thick and thin with Owen, he firmly believed that getting their sign off would be nothing short of a breeze. But an attempt to pull a lighthearted prank revealed to Owen, that these old friends… who invited Owen to their weddings and shared their lives with him and Paige… did not think highly of him in the slightest. In fact, they viewed him as a bit of an egotistical nuisance for his standing as manager of Central Park, and his actions from having that title.

---

A reality that shocked him to no end. Since he truly believed that these old pals always viewed him in the same light as they did back in the day. But therein lie the lesson. Since Owen was indeed big on bragging about the park and its wonder and never once took the time to see how they were or what they needed professionally or personally, and that meant… they didn’t get what they needed from an old friend. And once he was armed with that knowledge, he finally made an effort, and while that was indeed awkward at times… that push and his honesty about his inability to provide them with what they needed, mended broken fences and it also got him the sign-off he needed. But more importantly, Owen learned that lesson and reminded all of us, to make sure our close friends get some love now and again.

However, what would an episode of this series be, without a little time spent with Bitsy Brandenham? For she was facing a unique crisis in this tale. In that, her propensity to just fire folks left, and right was coming back to bite her. In part because she was woefully understaffed, but also because anyone she brought back was ready for revenge and well… this little problem led to a unique collision of worlds. For while she and Helen were dealing with some super shiny floors, Abby and the kids wandered into the hotel for a quick break while Abby continued to strike out at finding a job in the Big Apple. But another exiting staff member, gave her a chance to shine as a server in the cocktail lounge and just like that, the family now has deep ties to the Brandenham and its eccentric owner.

In the end, this was just… another delightfully meaningful tale. One that offered up another unique lesson about life and the relationships that mean the world to us. Because we really do forget about the lesson here and hopefully this does indeed remind us to tell those old friends we love them and cherish them and check in on them to see what they need from us. Because we are all in this together and we are friends for a reason so why not nourish something that is positive and fulfilling? And now that we’ve reached the end of this delightful little journey, it would seem that more conflicted storytelling awaits us. Since the campaign is going forward and Bitsy has her hands in that… and her ‘partnership’ and Abby’s new role… should lead to some fascinating conflict for certain. Until next time.

---

Powered by JustWatch