2x06 The Shadow

Well. Damn. I never pegged Central Park as a show to make me cry, but this episode did it. It's funny that I said at the beginning of this season that without the central plot (see what I did there) of S1, the show has felt a bit aimless and Bitsy a bit (...sy okay not as good) superfluous. But that sidelining of an arc has allowed the show to get more experimental and risky, and while I liked Molly's episode, this is the true fruit of their labor.

There's the vibrant special opening. There's how the show goes with less is more for this episode's songs, letting each one breathe and soar. There's Winkler, with his homage to Peter Falk. He neither cruises on his usual typecast nor goes for easy parody.It's full of heart and affection. And the writing is the sharpest it's ever been, plenty of zingers in the pathos, with Tucci really nailing Bitsy's sardonic wit, but also the sadness at the center of her. A Moment Forever Ago already had a strong claim to the best song of the show, and then came the wordless finale. It wrecked me. After his meta plot took up a good amount of the first season, Birdie's been a bit more auxiliary this one, but he takes the spotlight in the show's most emotional segment yet that illustrates just why he does what he does.

This isn't an ordinary episode of Central Park. It stands alone and stands singularly. But if in between the winsome, charming, and sometimes unassuming usual crop are episodes like these, I'm happy to stick with the show. Even if you haven't seen any other episode, this one is well worth watching.