‘Central Park’ Recap: ‘Of Course You Realize This Means Ward’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘Central Park’.
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Something that people don’t take the time to think about all that much, is our impact upon others and it makes sense as to why that is the case. For the world is indeed packed to the brim with people we will only meet once and never again and we would rather focus our energies on having a positive impact on our family and the close friends that we bring into our lives along the way. But while that is a logical and meaningful course of action, we honestly should be a touch more cognizant of our impact upon others. Because sometimes, our words or our attitude in a single moment, can have a profound impact upon someone… for the rest of their lives in some cases, and if by chance we were mindful of our emotions and our words in that moment, we could bring about positive influence.
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If anything, this particular concept is paramount to our discussion today, simply because that fascinating truth was put on full display in the next episode of Central Park on AppleTV. Because ‘Of Course You Realize This Means Ward’, took the time to inform us of why exactly Owen is so big on preserving nature in the park and it relates to a singular, life changing moment. For when he was a boy, he had the chance to hear about the world from the supremely optimistic Dr. Ward Whitlinger, who spoke to the majesty of our planet and the need to protect it and that in turn motivated Owen to become the man he is today and fret over the possibility of meeting his hero one more time. Because he needed a speaker to talk about nature at a big field trip happening within the park and he wasn't sure if Ward would do it and well, surprisingly he got his wish and came to learn… that time has not been kind to his hero.

For Ward was now disillusioned with the world and its current state and rather than give an uplifting speech, he decided to warn the kids and that’s when this commentary came into play. Because Owen knew that hearing such a sour speech would have a negative long-term impact on these kids and turn them away from nature and potentially doing something good for the future of the world and that allowed for him to step in and do his own speech and song and dance number, one complete with our beloved busker Birdie, to give them the same hope that Ward gave him so long ago. And it was just amazing to see Owen be cognizant of the impact of words and the importance of keeping a good message alive, and thankfully, his speech saved the day and even helped Ward to realize that he didn’t fight hard enough and needed to hold to his own advice.

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Yet while that plot thread alone could have carried this episode for the entire hour, there was another fascinating bit of commentary to be found in this tale, one that piggybacked off the main one. For Bitsy felt that the time had come to finish her memoirs and well… her efforts to finish them became a race with her brother. Simply because he was working on his own, and that’s how they roll. But also, because… this plot thread made it inherently clear that deep down Bitsy is now concerned about her legacy and what she leaves behind and it was quite fascinating to see someone who is so supremely sour in nature worry about such matters. Leaving one to wonder if maybe Bitsy is slowing changing for the better. But more importantly, this plot thread makes it clear that legacy is more important to us than we give it credit and that when people realize they might be leaving a negative one behind... they might be inclined to change the narrative, and it will be quite interesting to see where this epiphany takes Bitsy in the weeks to come.
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But of course, what would an episode of this series be without some supremely lighthearted fun and that came about by way of the kids. For Molly and Cole swung by Brendan Brandenham’s big kite dancing competition... and yes, you read that right, kite dancing competition. Which entails a flying a kite indoors whilst dancing to a choreographed routine to accentuate the moment and well, that immediately engaged Molly and Cole like never before and they opted to try and improve Brendan’s routine and take it a new level for several reasons. Such as sharing in the experience together and to hopefully help Brendan dominate the field. But eventually they came to learn that sometimes the best way to help those we care about, is to cheer them on and enjoy the moment. Especially when they’re a kite dancer. Because it is definitely safe to say that only a kite dancer knows how to properly handle their business.

In the end however, this was just another heartwarming story for certain. One that really did allow for us to get to know our main characters on a whole new level. Since we now know what drives Owen daily and that Bitsy is starting to think about tomorrow and what she’s leaving behind and well, all of the concepts present here just serve to remind us of this show’s incredible intelligence. Because you just don’t see animated shows teaching kids and adults alike, about the importance of the words we choose in the moment and the power of legacy. But this one is all about life lessons and it deserves a round of applause for that. For this is a brave route to go for an animated show since the unspoken rule of shows in that vein is to entertain above all else. But most important of all, seeing this on display once again helps to reinforce the fact that this really is a special series. One that wants to have a profound impact on its viewers when all is said and done, by prompting us to think about how to better the world and our lives. Until next time.

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