Writer: Rina Mimoun
Director: Adam KaneCast: Chi McBride (Emerson Cod), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Chuck), Jim Dale (Narrator), Sy Richardson (Coroner), Field Cate (Young Ned), Raf Mauro (Old Dead Guy), Vince Cefalu (Bradan), Jayma Mays (Elsa/Elsita), Dash Mihok (Lemuel "Lefty Lem" Weinger), Karly Rothenberg (Becky Caden), E.J. Callahan (Jackson Lucas), Pamela Kosh (The Curator), Victor Z. Isaac (Delivery Boy), Dan Glenn (Young Jackson) & Michael Oosterom (Pigeon Puppeteer)
After a crop-duster crashes into the side of a building, Emerson, Ned and Chuck try to prove that the pilot didn't commit suicide, leading them into a case involving stolen jewellery and an escaped prisoner...Lefty: I'm sorry, was that guy your boyfriend?
The guy who took a step back and let you fall?
Chuck: It was actually a really affectionate gesture. In context.
The guy who took a step back and let you fall?
Chuck: It was actually a really affectionate gesture. In context.
I was initially worried that Pushing Daisies wouldn't be able to keep up its production values, but it's the fourth episode and there's no sign of the vibrant aesthetic going rusty. Even if you're not particularly charmed by the show's retina-burning visuals, you have to admit it's impressive work from the production team – who are essentially cranking out film-quality fantasies on a comparative shoestring every week.
Rina Mimoun's script is another confection of high imagination, as Ned (Lee Pace), Chuck (Anna Friel) and Emerson (Chi McBride) investigate the circumstances surrounding a crop-duster flying into the side of a building. At first it seems like a suicide, but Ned and Emerson are recruited by the pilot's widow to prove otherwise (as she can't collect his life insurance if he killed himself). Meanwhile, Chuck gets to know the handsome sole survivor of the crash, Lemuel "Lefty Lem" Weinger (Dash Mihok), who lived in the apartment the plane flew into. But Ned soon deduces that Lefty might actually be an imposter, when they discover the real apartment owner dead and stuffed into a trunk...
The storyline with Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) continues, as she's spending more time with Chuck's aunts, Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene), who are still unaware their niece Chuck has been brought back to life by Ned. Olive herself doesn't know why Chuck has decided to keep herself a secret from her family, just believing she's faked her own death for some nefarious purpose. And, of course, she wants Chuck out of the picture so she can have Ned all to herself...
In typical fashion for Pushing Daisies, events soon branch off into unexpected territory – as Lefty is revealed to have been a prisoner cellmate of Jackson Lucas (E.J. Callahan), a long-dead thief who told Lefty where he'd hidden his stash of diamonds. And , of course, the location of the buried treasure just has to be the most eccentric place possible: a windmill in the middle of the N.A.R.M (National Area of Retired Windmills). Of course! And I haven't even mentioned the titular pigeon, which dies after flying into the Pie Hole's front window, is accidentally resurrected by Ned, before Oliver takes it to have its broken wing replaced by Chuck's aunts – who have a fondness for avian taxidermy, it seems...
Phew! It's quite a whirlwind of activity, although some of it does seem to be distracting you from relatively straightforward plots. But it's so thick with incidents, peculiar events, zany imagery and syrupy flashbacks, it's like being immersed in brain treacle for an hour. It’s still an enjoyable experience watching this show, even if it's lacking in subtleties and seems to throw everything at the screen in a maelstrom of primary-coloured, goofy excess.
I think Lee Pace is settling into the role now, although it's still true that he's basically an instrument for detective Emerson to use. Anna Friel is fantastic as Chuck, getting around Ned's problem with pure enthusiasm and the desire to help deliver justice and get to the bottom of a good mystery. Kristen Chenoweth is practically a special-effect herself, with her diminutive dippy blonde routine and Betty Boop-esque voice as Olive. And any show that finds the time to have Jayma Mays appear as a red-haired windmiller is fine by me, as she's another actress who fits the show's vibe perfectly.
Overall, if you're still watching Pushing Daisies, you're clearly someone who appreciates something different on TV. It's a bit turbulent and ladles on the syrup too much at times, but the imagination, cheeky fun, and beautiful imagery is enough to see me through. The performances are also perfect for the material, and it's nice to see every episode since the Pie-lette stay as fresh and elaborately produced.
It could certainly become tedious if the recurring plots don't move on (and I already think it's a mistake to have Chuck and Ned resume their childhood romance so quickly), but things certainly take a step forward between Olive and Chuck here, and Pigeon held my attention very well.
26 April 2008
ITV1, 9.00 pm
