‘President Curtis’ Season 1 Finale Recap and Ending Explained: The Trees Were Behind Bunyan

Adult Swim’s ‘Rick and Morty’ spinoff has taken viewers on a wild ride in its first season, featuring a confident president navigating increasingly absurd crises. The season finale of ‘President Curtis,’ titled ‘Timber,’ brings this journey full circle by revisiting the villain from the very first scene, while also revealing the mystery behind a supposedly dead folk hero’s return.

Throughout the season, the show has tackled a range of bizarre topics, from a CIA moon conspiracy to a Hollow Earth energy crisis and even a Santa Claus twist in the penultimate episode. The finale needed to surpass these wild narratives, and it successfully does so by diving deep into the show’s central theme: the lengths a leader will go to protect their people and the impact it has on their public image.

The episode kicks off with Curtis and Special Agent O’Doyle confronting Paul Bunyan, who has returned to terrorize campers. They manage to defeat him using an obsidian boomerang. Back at the White House, the team learns that the ‘Lincoln’s Hat’ bill is moving forward, which proposes adding a stone top hat to Lincoln on Mount Rushmore. Curtis opposes the bill, and a group known as the Hatters has turned against him.

As the plot unfolds, Janice reports that Bunyan has inexplicably returned, now with a tree-like body. Curtis insists on taking matters into his own hands, despite Chief of Staff Banks warning that this could play into his critics’ narrative.

The major twist reveals that Bunyan was never truly back. When the team finally corners him, they discover that the creature is not Bunyan at all; it is a tree that has taken on his form, using his head as a source of raw power. The trees had given the head a body and manipulated it to spread their seeds through humans, hoping to reach outer space, but their plans were thwarted, leading them to resort to consuming humans instead.

Curtis, Banks, and O’Doyle work together to destroy the creature, utilizing Banks’ tracking skills, O’Doyle’s root network trick, and Finch’s anti-foliage spray. The battle culminates with Bunyan’s head being severed once again, witnessed by the governor.

Before this revelation, Curtis’s image takes a hit as news coverage portrays Bunyan as a hot, unarmed tree. Thousands of people plant trees in protest of Curtis’ actions, and the Hatters unite against him.

Curtis ultimately admits that his pursuit of Bunyan was partly personal, stemming from his disdain for the folk hero’s popularity. This moment of honesty helps him rally his team, shifting the focus from the monster to his choices.

The finale also introduces Curtis’s ex-wife, Governor Beverly, who arrives from Illinois and invokes White Flag laws, granting monsters the right to rehabilitation. She takes charge of the manhunt, and although Curtis agrees, he ultimately steals her helicopter, which explodes after he and O’Doyle jump to safety, covering themselves in mud to evade capture.

Beverly questions Banks’ loyalty and offers her a helicopter and a position at her side, but Banks chooses to remain loyal to Curtis. This moment reinforces her character’s loyalty.

With evidence that the trees orchestrated the chaos, Curtis could clear his name. However, he opts to hold a press conference, stating only that he killed Paul Bunyan again, asserting that fear has no place in the country. When asked about Bunyan’s evil nature, he confirms it without revealing the truth about the trees.

Meanwhile, the Lincoln’s Hat bill passes unanimously, along with an additional $10 billion in eco-friendly legislation. Curtis may deem the hat foolish, but he respects the democratic process. The finale concludes with him telling his team it has been an honor if things go awry, as Bill Withers’ “Use Me” plays over the closing scenes.

Adult Swim has already renewed the series for a second season, allowing the finale to leave some threads open. Curtis’s reputation may be tarnished, but his principles remain intact, setting the stage for a leader committed to doing the right thing, even at a personal cost.

Overall, the finale serves as a fitting conclusion to a season characterized by chaotic sincerity. It transforms a throwaway pilot joke into a compelling mystery, allowing Curtis to lose politically while gaining moral ground.

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