Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) is definitely the least developed character on Pushing Daisies, so this episode is a welcome attempt to fill in some of Emerson's back-story, as we discover just how much private investigating is in the gumshoe's blood...As a child, young Emerson (Stevie Wash Jr) was part of a mother-and-son operation with sleuth mom Calista Cod (Amelia Borella); a lady who reappears in the Pie Hole looking every inch the battleaxe stereotype (Debra Mooney), but it soon becomes clear that the Cod's have a close, healthy relationship. Although, Calista is unaware that her precious son fathered a daughter seven years ago, who was taken away by her mother. Ever since, Emerson has been trying to find his missing child by taking the rather illogical step of creating a pop-up book ('Lil Gumshoe) to guide her home. It kinda begs the question: if Emerson's a brilliant P.I, why can't he find her through more traditional means?
"Frescorts" is actually more concerned with the mystery-of-the-week; sadly, another undercooked confusion of red herrings and zaniness, that doesn't make any real sense until the Narrator (Jim Dale) provides his explanatory recap in the last five minutes. Even then, I tend to find the cocktail only makes a bleary half-sense. Pushing Daisies has always been quite an insane mess in the plotting department, but season 2 has been particularly difficult to get into. There's very little sense of a mystery coming together as the moments pass by, as you're usually sidetracked by a subplot (Emerson's mother), or mildly confused by the appearance of another eccentric guest-star (David Arquette, playing a loner called Randy Mann.)The story basically involves the search for whoever killed popular nice-guy Joe (Joshua LeBar), a man they later discover worked as a "frescort" (a friend escort) for the My Best Friend, Inc. agency – meaning there are lots of clients who could potentially have murdered their platonic fake-friend. Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) and Chuck (Anna Friel) go undercover as employees, honing in on upbeat secretary Barb (Heroes' Dana Davis) as they snoop around on the inside for clues.
To be honest, I think most episodes of Pushing Daisies need a repeat viewing to get a grip on how everything sticks together. The writers can certainly knit bizarre storylines, but they're not particularly good at keeping the audience engaged and interested in seeing the outcome. Some of this is because there's little passion behind the fact someone's been murdered/kidnapped (with episodes carrying the same emotional weight as a Hannah Barbera cartoon), but it's also because Pushing Daisies is intentionally ker-azy and constantly trying to out-weird itself, which just becomes rather distancing. Right now, I'm mainly hanging on for the occasional neat visual (Joe's body vomiting phemaldehyde, another needing to have its lung inflated by bicycle pump to speak) or the spirited performances (particularly McBride and Chenoweth, I find.)Overall, this was occasionally amusing and well-paced, but I'm growing tired of how clueless and bored the mysteries make me feel – even when the mystery is explained, it was never possible for the audience to have worked it out for themselves (which has always been the point of these shows for armchair sleuths.) Instead, I just try to enjoy the visuals and daffy charms of its cast, but it's not always enough to stop me growing agitated. Still, great to see the show didn't slip into cliché with the Emerson/Calista relationship (I was so prepared to find they didn't get along these days), and the suggestion that Chuck and Ned have some form of sexual relationship (despite not being able to touch) when Chuck reveals she's naked under a duvet.
20 February 2009
ITV1, 10pm
Writers: Aaron Harberts, Gretchen J. Berg & Lisa Joy (story by Lisa Joy)
Director: Peter Lauer
Cast: Chi McBride (Emerson), Anna Friel (Chuck), Jim Dale (Narrator), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Lee Pace (Ned), Debra Mooney (Calista Cod), David Arquette (Randy Mann), Alexandra Barreto (Veronica Villanueva), Dana Davis (Barb), Hayes MacArthur (Buddy Amicus), Phil Abrams (Dr. Eugene Halifax), Amelia Borella (Young Calista), Heather Brooker (Missy Scrivner), Colton Haynes (Ares), Joshua LeBar (Joe), Carolyn McDermott (Brave Faced Wife), J.R. Nutt (Teen Buddy) & Little Stevie (Young Emerson)
