Writer: Bryan Fuller Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Cast: Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Charlotte "Chuck" Charles), Chi McBride (Emerson Cod), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive Snook) & Jim Dale (Narrator)
Ned, a piemaker with the ability to resurrect dead things, helps an investigator friend solve his once-dead childhood sweetheart's murder...Bryan Fuller seems to be fascinated with resurrection. The idea of reanimating the deceased was the driving idea behind his ill-fated series Dead Like Me, a concept he returns to with Pushing Daisies...
Lee Pace (who starred in Fuller's sadly cancelled Wonderfalls) takes the lead as Ned, a piemaker at "The Pie Hole" whose touch has been able to bring dead things back to life since he was a young boy. However, there are caveats; if the resurrected stay alive longer for than 60 seconds, something else in close proximity has to die, and if Ned touches the resurrected again... they die for good.
The Pilot opens on a bright yellow field of flowers (resembling the Windows XP default wallpaper) and we're introduced to young Ned, his dog Digby, and childhood sweetheart Charlotte "Chuck" Charles. It's in these scenes that Ned discovers his extraordinary talent and begins to fathom its rules. After Ned's mother suffers a fatal blood clot, he brings her back to life (but at the cost of killing Chuck's dad), only for his mum to kick the bucket for good after kissing him goodnight.
With the rules established, the story moves forward a few decades and we find Ned has become a successful piemaker, using his ability to bring rotting ingredients to succulence. It's not long before ex-cop Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) witnesses Ned's ability and persuades the pieman to use help him solve murders. After all, simply asking corpses who killed them in the "60 second window" certainly reduces police investigation time!
It's not long before Ned is asked to investigate the murder of childhood sweetheart Chuck (now an adult in the shapely form of Anna Friel), and can't resist keeping her alive past the 60 second deadline (no pun intended.) Now, the once-dead Chuck must help them find her own killer...
There's plenty to recommend in Pushing Daisies; particularly its visual style, which is reminiscent of a contemporary fairy tale, brought to life by film director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black). Sonnenfeld's quirky big screen sensibility gives the Pilot real scope and fluidity, particularly with its colourful production design that often rivals a Hollywood movie.
Fuller's script is great fun, although the episode's murder mystery is secondary to establishing the rules and character relationships. The wit and black comedy sit nicely in the vibrant world presented here, particularly in the early childhood flashbacks that combine elements of Dr Seuss and Amelie.
The tone is kept light and frothy, despite potential for darker territory to be explored (see Carnivale), and any moral dilemmas concerning Ned's divine ability are given short shrift. The Pilot, and most likely the rest of the series, is more interested in providing viewers with breezy fun, not ethical questions.
Lee Pace is good as Ned, although his character is somewhat underdeveloped and used as an instrument for the central idea. Chi McBride is similarly just along for the ride most of the time. Both actors are fine, but they're written in broad strokes because of the balancing act an introductory episode must perform. Only Anna Friel manages to transcend the writing, giving a rounded performance that's romantic and amusing in equal measure.
There also good support from Chuck's aunts, Lily and Vivian, two synchronized swimming Mermaids whose glory days are behind them, played by Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene (Little Shop Of Horrors). Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth) is also a fun presence as a waitress who fancies Ned, setting a minor love triangle into motion.
While all the actors perform well, there's no denying it's Bryan Fuller's deft storytelling, Sonnenfeld's swift camerawork and the handsome set-design that really sells Pushing Daisies' Pilot. Rarely have I seen a premiere as polished and eager to entertain.
There's also an abundance of childish innocence at work. The vibrant flashbacks to Ned and Chuck's youth are obvious, but the script mentions the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, character names are amusing/eccentric, and the Pilot is narrated by Carry On actor Jim Dale (who reads the Harry Potter audio books in the US.) Dale's distinctive voice is very evocative, making you feel like you're being read a bedtime story.
Overall, there's every indication that Pushing Daisies will be a success on the evidence of its Pilot. The premise is sound, the writing is fun, the directing is wonderful, the actors likeable, and the concept shows a lot of potential. If the series can sustain this level of quality, it's definitely a bedtime story I'll be tuning in for.
