‘Central Park’ Season 1 Episode 10 Review: Low-stakes finale sees snakehead fish replace Bitsy as villain
Spoilers for ‘Central Park’ Season 1 finale, ‘A Fish Called Snakehead’
The first season of ‘Central Park’ came to an end in the same mellow pace and wholesome vibe that has been a fixture of the whole show. Created by Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, and Nora Smith, this Apple TV+ show follows the Tillerman family that lives in the titular New York City green patch. Their idyllic life, however, is brought to a halt when a hotel heiress called Bitsy (Stanley Tucci) plans to try and buy the park and replace it with condominiums.
Over the course of the season, we saw Bitsy make multiple attempts to sabotage the park and its systems in order to give it a bad name. And every time, the Tillerman family has come to the park’s rescue. But the finale was, in that regard, slightly different.
It began with a jogger noticing a snakehead -- predatory fish -- in the park’s pond. This became a major cause of worry for Owen (Leslie Odom Jr.) and the kids. Paige (Kathryn Hahn), meanwhile, was still stuck on her investigative piece on Bitsy. She knew everything, yet she had little evidence for any of it. Naturally, her editor did not publish it.
At the same time, Bitsy was having trouble of her own. The mayor informed her that New Yorkers would never agree for the park to be sold to Bitsy because they all hated her and for good reason. She was a batty old woman who treated everyone like scum. So, Bitsy was forced to hire an image consultant.
With the snakehead news going viral, the image consultant proposed that Bitsy solve the problem. If she was seen as a savior by the people, she would have an easier time taking the reins of the park. So, she hired a celebrity zoologist, who pretended to catch the snakehead. He was actually carrying an already-dead snakehead.
But Paige realized this and together as a family, the Tillermans were able to get the real fish as well. And unsurprisingly, that story went viral too, making Bitsy look bad again. So bad, that she wanted to buy the newspaper and fire everyone.
Bitsy still remains determined but for the time being, it would seem that the Tillermans have found a way to ensure peace at the park. ‘Central Park’ began and ended its first season in a chill, laid back manner. And this lack of urgency seems to be what works for it.
It’s a feelgood show with feel-good characters. Even the villain is such an exaggerated cartoon villain, it never really feels like there is any real danger to the park or to those who live and work there. It may look like ‘Bob’s Burgers’, but the stakes here are somehow much lower. And, it has some catchy show tunes that both work as earworms and help move the story forward.
‘Central Park’ isn’t a compelling story but it’s one you can enjoy at any time of the day and it’s one that makes you feel relaxed. The low-stakes finale in that respect makes every kind of sense.
‘Central Park’ is available for viewing on Apple TV+.