DISCLAIMER: This recap of Central Park episode “Garbage Ballet” is rife with spoilers galore. You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution.
Welcome back, park residents! Central Park blessed us with a double header this week by streaming episodes 3 and 4. “Garbage Ballet,” the fourth episode, is the best of the bunch thus far. Kathryn Hahn and Tituss Burgess shared some fun scenes together. As per usual, Stanley Tucci brought his A-game, doling out sardonic one-liners like candies falling from a broken piñata. While Central Park did have a bit of a slow start, the series is starting to find its niche. “Garbage Ballet” is the proof in that proverbial pudding.
Alright, ready to delve into “Garbage Ballet?” Let’s get to it.
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Now, we open with our favorite troubadour/narrator Birdie (voiced by Josh Gad) giving us the lowdown on the down low. Owen (voiced by Leslie Odom, Jr.) is butting heads with the borough’s garbage manager Esposito (voiced by Fred Armisen). Apparently, Esposito’s location is chock full of trash. So much trash that he must redirect Owen’s shipment of garbage to a place in Brooklyn. Hence why Central Park is now rife with, well, trash.
Meanwhile, at the Tillerman residence, Paige (voiced by Kathryn Hahn) is ill. So, she decides to ingest too much cough syrup, which leads to her hallucinating a rat on the floor. It was only a sock, but Cole (voiced by Tituss Burgess) feigns sickness so he can prevent his mother from slaughtering any potential vermin that may have taken up residence in their home. Paige goes full John Rambo and it’s hysterical. Thank God for Kathryn Hahn.
Next, Molly (voiced by Kristen Bell) hasn’t heard from her crush Brendan in days. You know, ever since she kissed him and triggered a severe allergic reaction. Owen tries to console her but, in typical awkward dad fashion, his attempts are futile.
Later, Helen (voiced by Daveed Diggs) informs Bitsy (voiced by Stanley Tucci) that her maids are refusing to clean a room on the seventh floor, citing that it’s “haunted.” Apparently, this is an old claim that crops up every once in a while. Meanwhile, Paige, fueled by cough syrup, begins turning her home upside down while she’s on the hunt for those villainous rats. Cole is hot on her heels as he attempts to thwart her steadfast mission. I sincerely hope these two have more scenes together for the remainder of the season.
Then, Molly is in her science class. She’s paired up with a classmate for an ecosystems lab assignment. Molly incessantly overhears her classmates gossiping about her disastrous first kiss with Brendan. They claim, in hushed whispers, that he died. Of course, this sends Molly’s mind in a tizzy. During lunch with her lab partner, Molly is so taken with her predicament that she dodges any question related to her project. That’s when said lab partner proffers an intervention and vows to help Molly get out of this mess.
Meanwhile, Owen and Birdie decide to round up the exorbitant amount of garbage in the park and deliver it to Esposito’s doorstep. Brooklyn be damned! They, along with some other park workers, develop a train of carts filled to the brim with garbage bags. Next, Paige ventures to the basement while armed with a broom. She’s sporting a fashionable headband tied around her head akin to John Rambo. Cole, who’s actually sick because of his close contact with his mother, follows suit into the basement. Suddenly, both scream when they spot a bevy of scurrying rats. Paige decides to call the exterminator and Cole has abandoned his mission to prevent potential rat killings.
Later, Bitsy is meeting with her maids. She strikes a bargain with them – she’ll spend the night in the aforementioned room. However, her maids must clean said room the following day. You know, after Bitsy proves that there’s no such thing as ghosts. Then, we see Molly and her lab partner are in the former’s bedroom. Molly’s classmate is riffling through her sketchbook. Said partner notices that Molly’s superhero alter ego, Fisti-Puffs, is fighting bad guys and generally kicking butt until Brendan comes along. After that, it’s all about him. Why can’t Fisti-Puffs be a bad*ss in her own right without a boy taking center stage? I love that. A supremely vital message to pass on to young girls everywhere.
Then, the girls discover that Brendan’s phone has been in Molly’s possession all this time. That explains why he hasn’t returned her texts! She plugs it in and we see a flood of incoming texts flash across the screen. Her lab partner urges Molly to delete the evidence – get rid of those incriminating and/or embarrassing text messages. That’s a true friend right there.
Next, we see Owen and Birdie going off the trail on a garbage train as they make their way to Esposito’s garbage facility. The managers verbally duke it out face to face after Owen notices that said facility is almost entirely bereft of garbage. If they aren’t actually swamped, then why did Esposito refuse to take Owen’s garbage? According to him, the mayor spearheaded redirecting Central Park’s waste to the facility in Brooklyn. At Bitsy’s behest, mind you, but Owen doesn’t know that yet. It’s all a part of her evil scheme to claim the park for her own. Owen and Esposito put their heads together to find a loophole. Success! They pinpoint a city law that they can properly seize for their purposes. Esposito vows to start accepting Central Park’s garbage once again. Yay!
Later, at the Tillerman house, Owen tells Paige and Cole that the exterminator couldn’t find any rats in their basement. Not even droppings or scraps of trash. Molly’s predicament with Brendan is resolved. Brendan is on the mend and he’s not angry with her. Consider that a teenage dilemma solved. Meanwhile, Bitsy takes the plunge and commences her overnight stay in the supposedly ghost-riddled room. Initially, she feigns being frightened to scare the maids. However, she starts to hear something. Could it be a long-deceased relative? Or merely a figment of her imagination?
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Now, Central Park is slowly but surely finding its footing. I really dug Leslie Odom, Jr.’s duet with Fred Armisen as Owen and Esposito attempted to find a loophole to override the mayor’s decision regarding Central Park’s garbage. Of course, any scene with Stanley Tucci and Daveed Diggs is gold. Kristen Bell is wonderful as Molly, but I don’t find myself forging an attachment to her character. Her story just doesn’t resonant with me. However, I did enjoy the message Central Park conveyed this week about girls not placing their identity in a boy. That girls can be strong all on their own. We sorely need more messages of empowerment, especially in these uncertain times.
Do you think Bitsy will survive a night in the haunted room? Will Brendan ask Molly out on a second date? What else will Bitsy do to foil Owen’s plans for park prosperity? Join me next week as I recap Central Park, here on Geek Girl Authority.
Central Park streams Fridays on Apple TV+.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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