‘Central Park’ Recap: ‘Squirrel, Interrupted’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

When a television series features an engrossing plot thread, one that permeates the course of a season and is revisited on a weekly basis, said show often provides the audience with a little gift in the middle of the season to break up the routine. In that, they tend to feature an episode that more or less just lets loose and has fun with the story for a change, something that really does serve as a welcome respite from all the details that the audience has been keeping a close eye upon. But while this is a nice little treat to experience from time to time, the structure and genre of some shows, make this kind of move an outright impossibility. Because comedy shows already let loose week in and week out, so taking the time to alter course and have more fun just seems like a silly notion.
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But some comedy shows, are supremely unique in nature, since they offer carefully curated laughs that are designed to go with an engrossing plot. Which means it is quite feasible for them to find a way to step away from said plot and have fun, and it just so happens that one particular comedy series out there, meets this description to a tee. For the Apple TV+ series Central Park, has done a phenomenal job of providing the audience with a juicy plot and some hearty laughs and well, after six episodes of exploring how exactly Bitsy Brandenham is going to get her grubby little hands on the park at the heart of Manhattan, the folks behind the scenes decided it was high time to do the impossible; and let loose and have a little fun with the story for a change.

A feat that was accomplished in ‘Squirrel, Interrupted’ by spending part of the episode in the park with the Tillerman family as they enjoyed all that it had to offer. Take Molly and Paige for instance, who decided that perhaps the time had come for Molly to explore her chess playing horizons since she was starting to wipe the floor with her mom at the game, and getting a new opponent in front of her would give her a better idea of where her skill set was currently at. As it turns out, this little experiment helped to prove that she is really darn good at the game, and it was just a true delight to see a proud momma cheer her daughter on in a hilariously bloodthirsty fashion, and watch Molly quietly learn more about a game that she’s clearly skilled at and loves and nice little moments such as these didn’t end with board games. 

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Because Owen and Cole were all-in on a special event happening within the entirety of the park. For Cole’s favorite author was hosting a special Scavenger Hunt for fans of his Squirrel themed booked series, and this allowed for father and son to bond as they found squirrel-ly themed treasures throughout the park. Or rather, mostly bond. Okay, not bond at all. Because Owen didn’t understand the plot of the books and got a little technical with his son on the matter, motivating Cole to finish the hunt with a friend of his. But since Owen is a great father, he took the time to learn the plot of these books so that he could help Cole win the grand prize; one on one time with his favorite author. Which made this part of the story supremely sweet and touching since it was just amazing to watch Owen go the extra mile for his son.
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Yet what was truly surprising about this particular tale, is that it also allowed for Bitsy Brandenham to let loose with her family as well. Which was quite the treat since we hadn’t a clue that there was anyone else in the Brandenham line outside of dear Bitsy. But as it turns out, she actually has quite the large family, one that meets up yearly for a little Brandenham soiree at her brother’s estate, and while it seemed as though this event would show a gentler side to Bitsy, that simply wasn’t the case. Because she came to this event to brag about her plans, and to antagonize her brother. Because they have clearly been embroiled in a sibling rivalry for years on end, to the point where she’s willing to deprive him of his meat smoothie just because she can. If anything, this segment definitely provided the audience with a great deal of laughs because the interactions here, and a surprise nut shot, were off the wall hilarious.

Plus, it also revealed that dear Brendan, whom Molly hasn’t obsessed over in a hot minute, is a Brandenham, and still thinks of Molly often. Something that will likely be important down the line, since he is the only one who showed some genuine concern over Bitsy’s plans to take over the park. But in the here and the now, it’s best we celebrate what an outright treat this episode turned out to be. Because it really did accomplish the impossible, and allowed for us to just get lost in some daily adventures with dynamic and fun characters, and you can never go wrong with getting to know the incredible people that populate a universe you love and once again, this just goes to demonstrate the sheer brilliance of this series. Because it really is an animated show unlike any other, and it should be interesting to see what other kinds of surprises await us down the line storytelling wise, as we close in on the season one finale. Until next time.

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