Season Review: Central Park Season Two, Part Two (Episodes 9-16)

Overview:

The lovable Tillerman-Huntley family learn more about themselves and the world around them as they continue to experience life’s trials and tribulations, all while through the unique filter that’s created by Central Park’s diverse beauty. Owen, Paige, Molly, Cole, and even Central Park itself all face new hurdles, but if they can make it through to the other side then they’ll be the best version of themselves. They also sing a lot along the way, too.

Our Take:

The last episode from the first-half of Central Park’s second season aired seven months ago, but it feels like it’s almost been twice as long since the series’ uplifting melodies were last heard. The world continues to be abrasive and unpredictable and the mundane freedom that’s casually depicted in Central Park almost now seems like an impossible pipe dream after the increasing number of safeguards that have become routine parts of society. It’s a true joy to return to the Tillerman-Huntley family and their earnest brand of anxiety. These concluding eight episodes from the second season should satisfy those who were pleased with Central Park’s previous episodes. However, these installments are also more of the same and it’s unlikely that these episodes will bring in any newcomers who haven’t already been won over by the charming animated series. Central Park wraps up its original two-season order with its most confident harmonies, but there are early signs of an identity crisis as this comedy seeds its future.

Central Park finds the right balance between its adult storylines and the coming of age plots that involve the Tillerman-Huntley children where everyone is able to invade and share each other’s anxiety, but in an endearing fashion. More importantly, these moments all land and feel natural as opposed to coming across as cloying and forced. This season allows Molly and Cole to find new creative outlets to express themselves, which remains entertaining for adults, but could actually be helpful for the younger demographic who have experienced similar changes in their lives. There’s a wonderful Sleater-Kinney-esque song about famous women on their periods that’s one of the highlights of the season.

Central Park continues to champion a sunny and positive attitude throughout its second season, but these episodes do force the show’s characters to confront their weaknesses and push them into situations where they either become strong enough to persevere or inevitably succumb to old habits and weaknesses. Owen and Paige are undeniably parents who love their children and would do anything for them, but it can’t be denied that their unconventional lives have resulted in lapsed parenting and certain deficiencies that have developed in their children through this quasi-alternative lifestyle. Central Park digs deeper into how Owen’s responsibilities at the park sometimes drive him crazy and might not be worth the mental strain that they cause in him. Despite how this season acknowledges these faults, episodes are about shedding baggage, figuring out your passion, and how to share it with the world in a way where it doesn’t entirely consume you, which can be just as dangerous as a nihilistic attitude.

These episodes properly share the wealth among the show’s cast of characters and the supporting figures are given a lot more to do, especially the fringe employees of the park, like Elwood. Plenty of the songs from this season are given to tertiary figures outside of the core cast, which also adds more variety to everything. Building upon this, songs feature different varieties of character combinations where people sing and harmonize together that haven’t been done before. 

There’s also the introduction of the Tillerman-Huntley grandmother and it’s nice to expand the boundaries of the family now that the audience has gotten a chance to really know them all. It makes sense to now pull back the layers a little more and meet the people that are responsible for Owen and Paige’s quirks and how much of Cole and Molly’s personalities are generationally engrained. Central Park’s narrator, Birdie, grows a little thin and he could be removed without the series really suffering, not that he’s actively ever a problem. He’s just a character that often becomes superfluous and an element that the show has moved past after it’s progressively found its voice. 

These new episodes of Central Park also take advantage of the series’ New York City setting in ways that exhibit a genuine passion for the city. There’s an episode that looks at the visual time-based spectacle of “Manhattanhenge” as well as the city’s many weird pop ups. It’s always exciting when the series expands its scope to include the entity city, not just the titular park.There are some apocryphal stories about Central Park’s past and heroic figures from its earlier years, whose influence is still felt and carried on in the park through the current generation, which in turn reflects the show’s themes of recycling, cooperation, and the power of the greater good. These experimental episodes are an encouraging turn for the series and show how it’s able to get out of its head a little more and mix up its formula in creative ways that still feel true to the show and aren’t total departures from the norm.

Aesthetically, Central Park still looks gorgeous and the varied visuals that accompany the musical numbers have never been better. Inventive choreography and editing drives these songs forward and they really feel effortless at this point. There’s some excellent wordplay in the dialogue and songs, like “Ideally I’ll deal with it,” and other clever lyrical refrains. There’s a really fantastic drug song that takes some odd turns and when a show has made this many songs it’s only natural to dip into more experimental and ambitious numbers, which aren’t always winners, but result in songs that are at least more creative and interesting

Central Park remains such an easy, healing television series where every episode is a burst of joy and blissful escapism. To some, Central Park may not feel essential or universally trump other animated comedies with its existence, but the gleeful optimism and acceptance that it spreads is enough to justify two seasons of heartwarming television. These eight new episodes are about as strong as the first half of season two, which is overall slightly more confident than the show’s first year, but audiences might expect more from this series in the future. Central Park has established an excellent foundation and reinforced many characters’ dominant quirks to great effect, but a third season will hopefully push the storytelling and characters to more experimental and unexpected places. Central Park is cozy and secure enough in its own skin that there’s no question that it could keep this routine going for many years to come, but this show will only improve if it gets further out of its comfort zone.

Part 2 of Central Park’s second season returns on March 4th with three episodes, following with weekly releases