Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Cast: Lee Pace (Ned), Chi McBride (Emerson Cod), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive Snook), Anna Friel (Charlotte "Chuck" Charles), Jim Dale (Narrator), Field Cate (Young Ned), Patrick Fabian (Mark Chase), Jonathan Mangum (Bernard Slaybeck), Riki Lindhome (Jeanine), Matt Braunger (Rick), Omar Avila (Manuel), Taji Coleman (Beth), Alex Endeshaw (Lab Technician), Wesley Harris (Science Teacher), Jon Eric Price (Ned's Father) & Sy Richardson (Coroner)
Ned, Emerson and Chuck visit the morgue to inspect the body of a car accident victim. With the police offering a reward to anyone who can find the killer, Emerson wants answers...Chuck: You don't like dead bodies, do you?
Emerson: Not when they sit up and talk.
After the rich production design in the Pie-lette (Pilot), episode 2 is surprisingly able to maintain the same quality, with film director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black) still behind the camera. The budget must be huge, as every episode of Pushing Daisies has to design an entire off-kilter world for these characters to inhabit. But, so far, so good...
Dummy cements the show as a murder-of-the-week procedural, or "forensic fairytale" as the producers claim. Of course, main character Ned (Lee Pace) is able to provide a crutch for the writers, as he can reanimate the dearly departed. But, with only a minute to get a statement from the stiffs, the writers can dictate how helpful each reanimated body is. The answer here is "not very", as a hit-and-run victim (complete with tyre-track imprint across over his face), has no idea what happened...
The accident leads Ned, resurrected childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel) and grouchy investigator Emerson (Chi McBride) to a car production company, where the Dandy Lion SX is being tested. It's a prototype vehicle that runs on Dandylion weeds -- just in case you need further proof Pushing Daisies exists in a fantasy world...
While the murder plot could be solved in Columbo's lunch break (the culprit being the only character you meet and have any reason to suspect), Dummy is nonetheless entertaining. With Jim Dale's narration (charming, but sometimes irritating and overused), stylized architecture, whimsical music, charming performances and cute dialogue, Pushing Daisies is unlike anything else on TV...
However, if you take away the lacking mystery, what you're left with is style overload and very little substance. The opening flashbacks explain Ned's supernatural ability (again!), but this time via a shameless steal from E.T! There's also a moment when Pie Hole waitress Olive Snook (the scrumptious Kristen Chenoweth) sings "Hopelessly Devoted" from Grease -- a moment intended to be heartwarming and sweet, but ends up being flaccid and misplaced.
Anna Friel is refreshing and daffy as Chuck, the object of Ned's affections, but doomed to die forever if Chuck ever touches her again. She's cute and sassy, but never cloying, and has a spark with the other actors.
Chi McBride, as private detective Emerson Cod, becomes a little eccentric here with his sudden interest in knitting, but is otherwise the show's cynical, deadpan voice. He works well to counter-balance the otherwise day-glo world.
As the lead, Lee Pace is actually the least interesting character. Piemaker Ned is just a bit ineffectual. His gift sets stories in motion, but he has no investigative background, so tends to just follow Emerson around, make doe-eyes at Chuck, and stumble onto clues. He does have a central relationship with Chuck, but they're so so syrupy together it's more sickly than heartwarming.
As mentioned before, the gorgeous Kristen Chenoweth, with her Broadway background, is called on to sing and generally provide extra cuteness with her Betty Boop voice and wide smile. She's a perfect fit for Pushing Daisies' vibe, but I hope she gets more to do in future episodes -- beyond sigh her unrequited love for Ned.
Dummy isn't bad, but the plot is slow and the mystery far too obvious. It gets by with surface-level quirks and some amusing visuals/gags: Dandylion-powered cars, robot crash-test dummies, "cheese box" fridge, etc. The cast are engaging (even if Ned needs a shot of adrenaline), but I'm unsure if Pushing Daisies can sustain interest whilst under such pressure to craft a uniquely styled world every week...
10 October 2007
ABC, 8/7c pm
