Pushing Daisies gets the push

We already know Pushing Daisies has been cancelled in the US, so the subject header isn't very late-breaking news. No, it's just that I've decided to call it a day with reviewing Pushing Daisies. My heart wasn't in this season (owing to the fact I know it's been axed, possibly), and I've found the first five episodes generally tedious. It's still a handsome production, there's great dialogue at times, the actors give it 110%, and there's moments of quirkiness that still hit my pleasure spot... but, really, I've found this season too flat compared to season 1.

Maybe the novelty has just worn off for me? I've also started to gnash my teeth whenever Daisies reiterates its premise in narration or flashback for the umpteenth time (we GET IT already!) and I haven't felt like an armchair sleuth. Y'see, the mysteries are either impenetrable, or revealed to be totally unguessable in the last five minutes. A lot of that is by virtue of its left-field approach (which happened in season 1, too), but there hasn't been any joy in going along for the ride this year. Pushing Daisies now washes over me like melted Opal Fruits, so I can't summon the enthusiasm to actually review it. I will still be watching every Friday (or, rather, recording and watching it Saturday), as I've heard from fans that season 2 picks up very soon... but, sorry, no more full-length weekly reviews from me.

PUSHING DAISIES 2.4 – "Frescorts"

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)

PUSHING DAISIES 2.3 – "Bad Habits"

"There are Commandments! We follow all ten, and I am commanding you to stop!"

-- Olive (Kristin Chenoweth)

Spoilers. Three episodes into season 2, and I'm still worried that Pushing Daisies isn't keeping the momentum it built up in season 1, or developing anywhere very interesting. There are occasional references to Emerson's (Chi McBride's) missing daughter (to foreshadow the inevitable episode dedicated to a search), and Ned's absent father (likewise, I'm sure), but I have zero interest in the current storyline regarding Chuck's (Anna Friel) family tree....

It's not that the surprise about Chuck's Aunt Lilly actually being her mother is a terrible one, it's just that it has no tangible baring on the relationships: Lilly doesn't want to tell her sister Vivian (as Chuck's father was her fiancé), Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) has been sworn to secrecy, and because Chuck's aunts believe their niece/daughter is dead... well, it's not actually too much of a problem. And, when Chuck finally discovers the truth in this episode, the news elicits tears of joy.

"Bad Habits" was actually the best episode of season 2, so far -- mainly because all the characters were back together. Here, Olive asked for Emerson's help to investigate the murder of Sister Larue (Mo Collins), who was assumedly pushed off a bell tower and plummeted to her death. I'm no fan of Olive's three-episode arc about running away to join a nunnery, but it's certainly more appetizing when used as the setting for a mystery. The story, by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, was the usual mix of oddities and vaguely surreal diversions, peppered with amusing lines and the usual goofy acting. Chenoweth is particularly engaging and daffy in Pushing Daisies' universe -- often overshadows female lead Friel, who tends to get lost in a sickly miasma of puppy-love with boyfriend Ned (Lee Pace).

The mystery itself, like many on the show, was a little tricky and unwieldy to get a firm handle on (with talk of truffles and a restaurant accessible by secret tunnel), but the big explanation in the last ten minutes sorted it all out. And I appreciated the twist that the prime suspects were innocent all along, with a troublesome pig the accidental killer. Still, I do find that Pushing Daisies can overload the treacle and overcomplicate its recipe, as many episodes just feel incredibly random and zany – at the expense of letting us become genuinely interested to find out who the killer is.

One again, "Bad Habits" was an episode that entertained because of its smaller comedy moments and character development. I'm extremely grateful the nunnery storyline has finished, and Chuck knows about her aunt's guilty secret, though -- I couldn't have handled another episode with those subplots bubbling away in the background. Maybe now Pushing Daisies can get back to giving us weekly mysteries that don't feel too cloudy and difficult to actually care about.


3 February 2009
ITV1, 10pm

Writers: Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts
Director: Peter O'Fallon

Cast: Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Chuck), Chi McBride (Emerson), Jim Dale (Narrator), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Mo Collins (Sister Larue), Graham McTavish (Hansel Von Getz), Diana Scarwid (Mother Superior), Michael Hitchcock (Father Ed), Samantha Bailey (Young Olive), Diana Costa (Mother Snook), Mary K. Devault (Sister Mary Christina) & Marc Raducci (Father Snook)

TV Week 33: Being Human, Pushing Daisies & Whitechapel

In my thirty-third TV Week column at Newslite.tv, I go wolf for BBC Three's supernatural houseshare Being Human, turn pie-eyed with ITV1's Pushing Daisies, and peer through the smog at Jack The Ripper thriller Whitechapel.

PUSHING DAISIES 2.2 – "Circus Circus"

"This ain't no circus. A circus is supposed to smell like popcorn

and cotton candy, not wet saw dust and underarm."

-- Emerson (Chi McBride)

It was only a matter of time before Pushing Daisies circled a circus. The show already resembles a sideshow in many ways, with its vibrant colours and crazy goings-on, so seeing Ned (Lee Pace), Emerson (Chi McBride) and Chuck (Anna Friel) investigate a missing person's case around a Big Top was a perfect stylistic fit for this show. Sadly, like last week, peel away the assortment of sparkling visuals and a few amusing flourishes, and you're left with a rather drab storyline...

Emerson agrees to help Georgeann Heaps (Rachael Harris) find her missing daughter Nikki (Hayley McFarland), who has run away from home. They eventually discover that Nikki was shacked up with a mime artist called Rocky Basselli (Artie O'Daly), who is found dead inside his van. After being revived by Ned's life-restoring touch, Rocky reveals that Nikki left him for a clown at the Circus Of Fun. They speak to the circus ringmaster, Arnaud Bailey (Lee Arenberg), who isn't particularly helpful, but his assistant later admits that Nikki wasn't liked by the circus community and was seen leaving with head clown Jackie Johnny (Loren Lazerine), whose car is later found in a nearby lake – filled with fifteen other clowns...

Meanwhile, Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) is still at the nunnery, trying to get her life into perspective, but hindered by the arrival of Lilly (Swoosie Kurtz), whom she accidentally confides in about secretly loving piemaker Ned. Lilly herself is still guilt-ridden about lying to her sister Vivian (Ellen Greene) all these years, regarding the fact she's actually Chuck's mother, not her aunt.

"Circus Circus" was another episode that generally washed over me. It sometimes feels that Pushing Daisies places too much faith in its effervescent design, quirkiness and fairy tale pretensions. The circus was a great backdrop, but even that didn't feel particularly well-utilized, which ultimately wasted possibly the best setting for any Pushing Daisies mystery so far. As usual, the mystery is on the level of a Scooby Doo mystery, but it's very difficult to care about anyone who dies or goes missing on this show. The dead are routinely brought back to life (and never sound annoyed they've just been killed), and missing people are ciphers until the last few minutes of any plot.

As ever, it's the small details and moment of wit that helps draw you through: the mass drowning of clowns, the cannonball midget, the clown on stilts being taken away on a long stretcher, Olive's line about the nunnery's porridge ("I could throw up in my mouth a little and not even know the difference") and the mime artist explaining the circumstances of his death in silence. As for the ongoing subplot for Olive in the nunnery: I don't believe in why she's decided to go there, I don't find it plausible that Lilly would follow her there, and the pair's conversations regarding their respective secrets just gets reiterated.

Likewise, the amount of times the show has to re-explain its premise and storylines is becoming a real drag. Sometimes the exposition is handled brilliantly by the Narrator (Jim Dale) in a throwaway comment mid-scene, but too often we're "brought up to speed" on Ned's abilities, Olive's situation and the Ned/Chuck love-story in quite awkward, deadening ways. I wish the show would give us some weekly mysteries and whimsy without laboriously raking over old ground, or thinking anyone's particularly interested in the likes of Lilly and Vivian.

Ned and Chuck's romance continues to be extremely cloying; too cutesy and immature to be as magical and heart-warming as it's intended. Emerson usually takes the edge off that sickliness, but he's not been present in too many of their scenes when his cynical jabs are most needed. The strange thing is how season 1 wasn't radically different to anything here, but sweet and savoury was balanced better, and the mysteries were a cut above any we've had so far.

Overall, "Circus Circus" floundered quite badly for me, and my attention began to wander after thirty minutes. Again, things come together quite well in the end, but it's becoming a struggle to get to that point without being irritated, bored or distracted by everything else on the sidelines.


Writer: Peter Ocko
Director: Lawrence Trilling

Cast: Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Chuck), Chi McBride (Emerson), Jim Dale (Narrator), Field Cate (Young Ned), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Sy Richardson (Coroner), Rachael Harris (Georgeann Heaps), Lee Arenberg (Arnaud Bailey), Diana Scarwid (Mother Superior), Googy Gress (Bryce Von Deenis), Theodore Zoumpoulidis (Pierre), Michael C. Alexander (Customer #1), Artie O'Daly (Rocky Milano), Nicole Greenwood (Ms. Moss), Loren Lazerine (Jackie Johnny), Hayley McFarland (Nikki Heaps), Mark Povinelli (Small Person), Casey Weiant (Randi Jean) & Jackie Harris (Bailey's Assistant/De Jong)

PUSHING DAISIES 2.1 – "Bzzzzzzz!"

"Hey! You don't just get to put them pictures in my

head. That's an assault on my imagination."

-- Emerson Cod (Chi McBride)

The vibrant colours of this second season are tainted by knowledge Pushing Daisies has been cancelled in the US, so enjoy Bryan Fuller's "modern fairytale" while you can. This premiere, "Bzzzzzzz!", one again reestablishes the premise of the show – which is understandable, but something Pushing Daisies seems to do practically every episode, which is becoming a chore for regular viewers...

Essentially; piemaker Ned (Lee Pace) can bring the dead back to life for one-minute – any longer, and something else has to die to maintain cosmic order. He's already brought childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel) back from the dead, and is subsequently cursed to never touch her again – as second contact brings about permanent death. Chuck now works at Ned's restaurant, The Pie Hole, and they use his unique talents to help solve murder cases with cynical P.I Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), all while keeping his gift a secret from aerated waitress Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) and Chuck's grieving aunts, Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene.) Got that? Good.

"Bzzzzzzz!" is another rather formulaic case for the trio; a man called Dusty Fitz (Peter Cambor) wants them to investigate his wife's death, whom he suspects was having an affair. His late spouse, Kentucky Fitz (Autumn Reeser), worked as a Bee Girl for Betty's Bees (a company specializing in honey-based products) and was stung to death – and, after bringing her temporarily back to life, Kentucky puts them on the trail of a murderer at Betty's Bees.

Elsewhere, Olive is growing exasperated by her lot in life – besotted with Ned, who only has eyes for Chuck – so she tenders her resignation and becomes a nun at a mountaintop convent (note how Daisies' vibrant aesthetic shuns black habits for cyan-coloured ones, too). Olive, having learned that Chuck's aunt Lily is actually Chuck's mother in season 1's finale, is astonished to discover from her Mother Superior (Diana Scarwid) that Lily actually came to the very same nunnery to secretly give birth to Chuck... and that's not even the full extent of Lily's deception all these years...

Like most episodes of Pushing Daisies, this is a veritable treat for the eyes – the production design is excellent, and the bee theme of "Bzzzzzzz!" gave us the expected visuals (golden-yellow hues, black stripes, hexagonal architecture). The details are always beautifully-handled (Betty's Bees HQ resembles a hive, its window panes are hexagons, etc.) and there's barely a minute that passes by without some on-screen confection.

That said, it can all become slightly wearing without a strong plot to hang it on, and I found "Bzzzzzzz!" to be rather tedious until it all began to tie-up in the last twenty minutes. There are never many suspects to point the finger at – CEO Woolsey Nicholls (Third Rock From The Sun's French Sterwart) and Betty Bee herself (Missi Pyle) are your options – and it sometimes feels like the same basic plots are simply being rewritten in different settings, given slight twists.

Still, there remains a certain charm to even the most humdrum of episodes, and "Bzzzzzzz!" was no different. The spectre of a bee-covered murderer was good fun, guest-star Pyle is perfect for Pushing Daisies (in fact, she's so good that it's disappointing they're not using her for a semi-recurring role), and the various distractions were entertaining: like Chuck moving out of The Pie Hole to assert her independence, Ned bringing dead bees back to life by having them poured over his naked body, and an icky dead body with bulbous bee-stings all over its flesh.

It's just that, sometimes, Pushing Daisies seems to be trying too hard, and there isn't much chance to really savour its unique style and kooky characters. It's the TV equivalent of a bag of pic n' mix sweets – you should really eat one at a time and relish the individual tastes, but someone's shovelling the whole lot down your throat, so you feel sick and sugar-high afterwards. Plus, these sweets have a very familiar tang, and Pushing Daisies doesn't give you anything savoury to refresh your pallet.

Overall, I'm sure there won't be many complaints from diehard Daisies fans, but the recipe just seemed a bit stale here. There was far too much recapping, the plot wasn't strong enough to overcome the retina-burning visuals, the Ned/Chuck romance often wanders into saccharine niceness that can be overbearing (something Emerson's cynicism didn't help to blunt this week), and I'm not particularly interested in seeing Olive's convent misadventures, either.

More "zzzzzzz" than "bzzzzzzz."


30 January 2009
ITV1, 10pm

Writer: Bryan Fuller
Director: Adam Kane

Cast: Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Chuck), Chi McBride (Emerson), Jim Dale (Narrator), Field Cate (Young Ned), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Sammi Hanratty (Young Chuck), Sy Richardson (Coroner), Missi Pyle (Betty Bee), French Stewart (Woolsey Nicholls), Peter Cambor (Dusty Fitz), Autumn Reeser (Kentucky Fitz), Diana Scarwid (Mother Superior) & Robin Gwynne (Customer)

Pushing Daisies snipped; signs of Life On Mars

Bryan Fuller's Pushing Daisies has been officially cancelled by ABC, in the wake of bad ratings for its second season. This now paves the way for Fuller's return to NBC's Heroes, which he left after season 1. For every cloud…

ABC have also ordered four more episodes of Life On Mars, which will air after Lost from Wednesday 28 January next year. The last two episodes of LOM:US won the series its best ratings since the premiere, so execs clearly feel it's developing an audience.

PUSHING DAISIES 1.9 - "Corpsicle"

Writer: Lisa Joy
Director: Brian Dannelly

Cast: Chi McBride (Emerson), Anna Friel (Chuck), Lee Pace (Ned), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Jim Dale (Narrator), Field Cate (Young Ned), Sy Richardson (Coroner), Sammi Hanratty (Young Chuck), Paul Reubens (Oscar Vibenius), Jon Eric Price (Ned's Father), David Alan Graf (Angry Neighbor), Tina Gloss (Ned's Mother), Grant Shaud (Steve Kaiser), Julia Campbell (Emma Newsome), Colby Paul (Abner Newsome), Michael Merton (Bill Richter), Jeff Marlow (Victor Narramore) & Audrey Wasilewski (Madeleine McClain)

Chuck runs away after discovering Ned's secret. Meanwhile, Emerson has to solve the mysterious deaths of life insurance agents and Oscar Vibenius returns..

"I won't bring him back so you can watch me
kill him again... I won't do that to you."

-- Ned (Lee Pace)

Apologies for the delay in reviewing the finale of Pushing Daisies, but here it is. "Corpsicle" wasn't intended to be season 1's last episode, but the writers' strike meant some rewrites turned it into one. To be honest, it's not particularly climactic, but it does involve the break-up of Ned (Lee Pace) and Chuck (Anna Friel) now that she knows he killed her father... and that's a meaty topic I wasn't expecting Daisies to tackle in its ninth episode...

Chuck has vanished after Ned told her the awful truth, meaning the Pie Maker is forced to walk the streets in the Christmas holiday season, trying to find her so he can explain himself. Emerson (Chi McBride) is as sympathetic as his cynical personality will allow, but really just wants Ned's help in another murder case. This week, various life insurance agents for Uber-Life are turning up dead -- usually frozen solid, or buried inside snowmen. The trail of frigid death leads them to a terminally ill teenager with a bad attitude -- but how can he possibly have killed the men who refused him a heart transplant?

Elsewhere, Chuck has gone to stay with Olive (Kristin Chenoweth), who keeps her a secret from Ned while she tries to get her feelings in order. Would it help if Ned used his gift to bring her father back to life, just for a minute? The show doesn't seem to realize that dead bodies decompose, and I'm guessing a minute-long conversation with a rotting corpse wouldn't be the best tonic. Chuck is also surprised when sewer-dwelling Oscar Vibenius (Paul Reubens) returns, last seen in "Smell Of Success", as he's becoming obsessed with why Chuck shares the "smell of death" with Digby the dog. Chuck is hesitant to reveal the truth to Oscar, but part of her feels like a weight would be lifted from her shoulders if someone other than Ned and Emerson knew the reality of her situation... but can Oscar be trusted?

In another subplot, Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene) continue taking receipt of the Pie Hole pies with mood enhancers as flavouring, but Lily begins to hallucinate from the intake of drugs. This leads to a variety of trippy visuals for her to cope with, and also loosens her lips when it comes to telling Olive a secret about "dead" Chuck: she wasn't her aunt, she's her mother. Dun-dun-duuuhhh.

"Corpsicle" provided a decent climax for the season, which has thankfully been rewarded with a second. The situation with Chuck/Ned was more interesting than the mystery this week, but I still enjoy seeing Emerson and Ned investigate cases together, and the culprit wasn't that easy to guess. The motives for murder in Pushing Daisies can be just as silly as the modus operandi, but that's part of its charm. It's very much a live-action cartoon, with a fairy tale mentality, but the cast ensure it never becomes two-dimensional. The snowy, Christmas vibe was also magical, although I'm hoping a proper "Christmas Episode" will be written for season 2, as this one had too much going on to really focus on the season itself.

I'm also not convinced by how Oscar Vibenius is hanging around in the show, as it seems the producers just want to utilize Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman fans, I guess), but hopefully his presence will begin to impact the show when it returns. It seems likely he'll be told about Ned's gift soon -- but will it be better to make him a part of their crime-fighting team, or have him threaten to expose Ned? At the moment, Oscar seems genuinely interested in Chuck and just wants to help her, but we'll see how it pans out... there's something a bit sneaky about him.

Everything else was up to Daisies' usual high standard. The show has quickly settled into itself and, despite the fact there's a certain formula to its storylines, the ingredients that go into each episode are different -- and unusual enough to keep you entertained. The cast are all fantastic, the production design is exemplary, the mysteries involving, and the ongoing stories (Ned's secret, Chuck lying to her aunts, Olive stuck in the middle) help keep you coming back for more. The only character who's been quite dry in terms of back-story is Emerson, but this episode revealed he has a daughter -- so the writers have obviously realized Chi McBride deserves a meaty storyline next season. And I guess they have to replace Ned's guilty secret about killing Chuck's dad with something else now.

Overall, I originally had my doubts that Pushing Daisies could sustain its visual quality and not become narratively tiresome, but it actually delivered something no TV show is doing. It's pure family entertainment: visually delightful, laced with fantasy, imaginatively scripted, nicely performed... and just very easy to watch and enjoy. I wholeheartedly can't wait for season 2, which will hopefully refine the format even more.


1 June 2008
ITV1, 9.00 pm

Garbage casting for Terminator, Mad Men back on the Beeb & ITV's missing Daisy

Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson has been cast in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, as technology company CEO Catherine Weaver. The British singer joins fellow Brit Lena Headey, who plays the eponymous heroine.

In other news, BBC Four have confirmed they intend to broadcast the second season of hit drama Mad Men, which returns in the US this July.

BBC Four controller Janice Hadlow commented:

"We're very proud to have shown the first series of Mad Men on BBC Four, and are delighted to be able to bring the second series of this stylish and captivating series to its many British fans too."

And finally, ITV have revealed they plan to broadcast the second episode of Pushing Daisies, after controversially skipping it because the 9-episode season wouldn't fit into their 8-week Saturday night schedule. Unfortunately, it will only be broadcast via the ITV website.

An ITV spokesman commented:

"[this decision] was in response to fans wanting to see this episode. [Pushing Daisies has] done particularly well with younger audiences, and showing it online seemed to make sense."

PUSHING DAISIES 1.8 – "Bitter Sweets"

Writer: Abby Gewanter

Director: Allan Kroeker

Cast: Anna Friel (Chuck), Lee Pace (Ned), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Jim Dale (Narrator), Chi McBride (Emerson), Sy Richardson (Coroner), Field Cate (Young Ned), Molly Shannon (Dilly Balsam), Raul Esparza (Alfredo Aldarisio), Steven A. Ross (Guard), Leyna Nguyen (News Anchor), Wesley Harris (Science Teacher), Joe Don Harris (Cop), Tara Donato (Sheila), Tammy Dahlstrom (Woman), Reginald Veneziano (Tony), Nicholas Khayyat (Eugene), Abbe Meryl (Tina), Michael Cornacchia (Burly Bruce), Steve Hytner (Andrew Brown) & Mike White (Billy Balsam)

Emerson, Ned and Chuck investigate the death of a man who appears to have been strangled by a woman. Meanwhile, business at the Pie Hole is hit by the arrival of a new candy store...

"Sometimes a crime of passion is not realizing the
passion in time, while other times the crime is
not seeing the world as it is. But most crimes
of passion are, actually, a crime."

-- Narrator (Jim Dale)

I'm really enjoying how Pushing Daisies' stories spread out into unexpected territory. At first, Bitter Sweets seems to involve someone's strangulation by a life-size plastic doll belonging to a man called Burly Bruce (Michael Cornacchia), who considers plastic "Sheila" his girlfriend. As we ponder the suitability of a whimsical take on Lars And The Real Doll, the plot quickly twists around to concern murder at a candy store, owned by Dilly Balsam (Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon)...

The candy store, Balsam's Bittersweets Taffy and Sweets Emporium, is run by Dilly and her brother Billy (producer/writer/actor Mike White), who become enemies of the Pie Hole after a misunderstanding – which it's later revealed was orchestrated by Dilly to enable her to put the Pie Hole out of business. After the Balsam's ensure a surprise visit from a health inspector, Ned (Lee Pace) is unable to explain why he has a pantry full of rotting fruit. The truth is he can restore the produce to full health with a simple life-giving touch, before baking them in his pies. But he can't use that as an excuse for the clear health hazard, now can he?

The gloves come off for Olive (Kristen Chenoweth) and Chuck (Anna Friel), who decide to retaliate by dressing up as cat burglars (oooh, sexy) and sneaking into the Emporium at night – to let loose some rats in Dilly's kitchen. Once Ned hears of their underhanded actions, his straight-laced attitude forces him to try and reverse the damage, leading him to stumbles upon Billy's dead body in a pink vat of taffy. And, wouldn't you just know it, the police arrive to tackle an intruder at that very moment -- believing they've caught a murderer red-handed...

With Ned banged up in jail for a crime he didn't commit (and sharing a cell with oddball Burly Bruce), Emerson (Chi McBride) is forced to try and solve the mystery of killed Billy and dumped his body in the Emporium's vat – using everyday means of detection, as he can't use Ned's magic touch to reanimate corpses and ask them questions.

There's also a minor subplot for Olive, whose potential love interest Alfredo Aldarisio (Raul Esparza) returns to the Pie Hole, but is back on the road before Olive decides she'd like to start a relationship with the travelling salesman -- as pining for Ned is getting her nowhere. The storyline doesn't really have much kick to it, and I'd personally forgotten about Alfredo, but it was nice to see the writers move Olive away into her own romantic storyline – as the Chuck/Ned/Olive love-triangle didn't have much zing to it.

The script by Abby Gewanter was quirky, sharp, fast-paced and kept you on your toes. The narrative bounced around very well, after a slightly slow start, but only truly began to fly once the Emporium was introduced into the episode. It could be easy for Pushing Daisies to slip into a formula, but this episode proved it can keep things unpredictable, and I was very pleased to see a murder mystery where the culprit wasn't obvious.

The guest stars were all very good, particularly Molly Shannon as the villainous chocolatier and Mike White as her lame-brained brother. The main cast continue their good work, clearly very comfortable around each other now, and it was exciting to see Ned reveal his secret to Chuck in the dying seconds of the show. How will she react, knowing that her true-love was responsible for the death of her father? It should results in a fitting and emotional finale next week.

Overall, it took awhile to really settle into itself, but Bitter Sweets ranks as another impressive episode of Pushing Daisies. The show seems to have found its mojo in recent weeks, and I actually find myself excited to see a new episode now. It's been an inventive, quirky and original fantasy drama since episode 1, but now the character relationships are really beginning to pull you into the stories, and the imagination of the plots is really quite delightful.


24 May 2008
ITV1, 9.00 pm

PUSHING DAISIES 1.7 – "Smell Of Success"

Writer: Scott Numerfro
Director: Lawrence Trilling

Cast: Anna Friel (Chuck), Lee Pace (Ned), Chi McBride (Emerson), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Jim Dale (Narrator), Paul Reubens (Oscar Vibenius), Field Cate (Young Ned), Victor Z. Isaac (Delivery Boy), Tina Gloss (Ned's Mother), Terry Anzur (Anchorwoman), Sarah Jayne Jensen (Anita Gray), Tim Conlon (Chas Spielman) & Christopher Sieber (Napoleon Lenee)

The team investigate a scratch-and-sniff book author whose life is being threatened...

Ned: Do you really think people can change

their lives by smelling the right smell?

Emerson: If so, I’m getting me some cash pot pourri.

You have to commend the imagination in Pushing Daisies. A whole episode based around the attempted murder of an author who's written a scratch-and-sniff book? You just don’t get that on any other detective shows. While it's true the series is childlike in its handling of everything (even death is something of a lark), I appreciate its eagerness to entertain and the (so far) impressive way it dreams up peculiar ideas...

Smell Of Success' crime story begins with the death of Anita Gray (Sarah Jayne Jensen) while reading an advanced copy of her employer Napoleon Lenee's (Christopher Sieber) scratch-and-sniff book "The Smell Of Success". It appears that someone tainted Lenee's book with chemicals that caused an explosion when scratched, although the booby-trapped book was clearly intended for Lenee himself, not his unfortunate assistant...

Emerson (Chi McBride), Ned (Lee Pace) and Chuck (Anna Friel) investigate probable suspects, targeting people who stood to gain from Lenee's death – like authors in direct competition with his book's release. Eventually, the team unearth the fact that Lenee used to have a similarly smell-obsessed lab partner called Oscar Vibenius (Paul Reubens) – but they fell out because Vibenius thought bad smells were necessary to appreciate good smells. Vibenius vanished years ago and has taken to lurking in the sewers. Could he be responsible for the attempts on his old friend's life, driven by jealousy over Lenee's success?

In a subplot, Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) is given a mermaid fin by Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene), which pleased her enormously as she was such a big fan of their old act, "The Darling Mermaid Darlings". Lily and Vivian are becoming more depressed over the death of Chuck and pining for their glory days as entertainers, so Chuck decides to bake them a pie infused with the smell of chlorine – which seems to do the trick, inspiring her aunts to synchronize swim once again.

This was a very well constructed episode, brilliantly using the central theme of smell to tie all the plots together. Even the flashback to Young Ned (Field Cate) revealed that he used to sneak out of bed and secretly bake a pie, just so he could get to sleep by smelling its aroma. Seriously, this guy Ned is obsessed with pies! It's actually a bit worrying.

As Lenee, Christopher Sieber gave a good performance and was a suitably bizarre character – having installed a decontamination chamber to his apartment, to protect his delicate nose from contaminants. It was also interesting to see him pick up on Chuck's deathly smell, which Vibenius also noticed. Speaking of which, Paul Reubens is perfect casting for a show like Pushing Daisies, as his character PeeWee Herman used to inhabit an equally zany universe. I'm glad to see Vibenius will be returning, now that he knows something's amiss about Chuck. The show could do with a fresh narrative strand like this, as it can't survive on the depressed aunts and Ned and Chuck's cursed love forever.

Very slick, very entertaining and nicely written. It even had tiny Kristen Chenoweth in a mermaid costume, replete with jiggling bosoms. And I love the amusing throwaway oddities like Emerson's strange love of knitting, and now pop-up books – proving he's just as unusual as everyone else beneath his sarcasm. By now, you're either into Pushing Daisies' groove, or you're choking on its primary-coloured, screwy sensibility. I'm still unsure how long the Ned/Chuck relationship can go, or how relevant the flashbacks to Young Chuck can remain, but I have to give the show top marks for originality of its weekly premises. The mysteries aren't particularly taxing, and sometimes fall apart under scrutiny, but they're still a lot of fun.

Overall, Smell Of Success is one of the best episodes so far; just the right level of forward momentum for the recurring plots, an involving mystery, a sense of cohesion, good guest stars and plenty of amiable wit. I could have done without the "Morning Has Broken" song, though.


17 May 2008
ITV1, 9.00 pm

PUSHING DAISIES 1.6 – "Bitches"

Writers: Dara Resnik Creasey & Chad Gomez Creasey

Director: Allan Kroeker

Cast: Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Jim Dale (Narrator), Chi McBride (Emerson), Anna Friel (Chuck), Lee Pace (Ned), Field Cate (Young Ned), Sy Richardson (Coroner), Sammi Hanratty (Young Chuck), Ed Brigadier (Minister), Jenny Wade (Hallie Hundin), Joel McHale (Harold Hundin), Mark Harelik (Ramsfield Snuppy), Christine Adams (Simone Hundin), Lydia Look (Heather Hundin) & Jessica Lundy (Hilary Hundin)

Ned, Chuck, Emerson and Olive try to solve a murder mystery involving a man who was killed over a dog, and claims one of his four wives killed him...

"Digby and I have been together for a very long time. We're
intimate, but it's the appropriate level of canine-human intimacy."

-- Ned (Lee Pace)

I'm a week behind with my Pushing Daisies reviews, so last
night's episode 7 should be up very soon...

I have to wonder what will happen when Pushing Daisies begins running out of appropriately quirky and eccentric backgrounds for its murders. Maybe there's an inexhaustible supply of oddities out there, we'll have to see. This week we're thrown into the competitive world of dogs, with our Scooby Doo-like foursome investigating the death of dog breeder Harold Hundin (Joel McHale), that he tells Ned (Lee Pace) was the result of his wife poisoning his coffee. Trouble is; Harold was a polygamist with four wives...

The set-up allows the Pie Hole crime solvers to split up to each investigate one of the marital suspects: Emerson (Chi McBride) tackles sexy dog obedience teacher Simone (Christine Adams); Chuck (Anna Friel) takes guide dog breeder Hallie (Jenny Wade); Ned approaches short-tempered dog breeder Hillary (Jessica Lundy); and Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) talks to dog psychologist Heather (Lydia Look).

Eventually, it becomes clear that Harold was killed over his decision to allow Ramsfield Snuppy (Mark Harelik) to genetically clone his perfect pooch Bubblegum (a crossbreed of Border Collie, Labrador, Jack Russell Terrier and Poodle.) Unfortunately, one of his wives took exception to the idea of every family owning their own exact duplicate of their beloved Bubblegum, so killed Harold – not realizing he'd already signed Snuppy's contract. Indeed, Snuppy soon arrives to claim Bubblegum's ashes after the poor pooch was run over by Simone.

There's a definite Scooby Doo vibe developing, which I don't mind. Maybe it has something to do with all the canines in this week's episode. Anyway, similarities to Scooby Doo is only a problem if the quartet of private investigators have very little to do, but this episode's idea to make the deceased a polygamist got around that problem brilliantly. Every character had something to achieve, and a suspect to focus on. The bizarre world of dog breeding is perfect fodder for a show like Pushing Daisies, which exaggerates the doggie business with its usual day-glo vibe, and mixed in a number of amusing elements – such as Simone's dog obedience lessons rubbing off on a "brainwashed" Emerson, and the amusing way Harold's poisoning led him to stab himself multiple times in the chest...

For the main characters, Chuck gave Olive a decent reason for why she never touches Ned (she's allergic to him), and Olive herself backed off from pursuing Ned after their kiss last week – giving him the option to try to make things work with childhood sweetheart Chuck, but letting him know she'll still be around. But not forever.

The regular flashbacks to Young Ned (Field Cate) weren't very compelling or interesting this week, but there was a nice dream sequence for Ned when he "woke up" to find he could touch Chuck. The show's thwarted romance remains surprisingly potent and tugs at my heart-strings. It's something a bit syrupy and twee, but a balance is being made just recently. I also found it strangely amusing to see how Chuck and Ned sleep in separate beds, but in the same room, almost like brother and sister -- which is what their relationship resembles physically. Well, whenever they're not snogging through clingfilm!

I'm enjoying seeing Olive more actively involved in the team now, as I initially thought she'd be quite extraneous to weekly events. Maybe the writers quickly realized how Kristin Chenoweth fits into the screwy world far better than anyone else. Chi McBride also got some much-needed development, as Emerson actually got a love-interest in the shapely form of Simone. His character's the perfect antidote to the sugary nature of the show -- with his withering put-downs and sardonic quips -- but I'm glad to see he's finally being given something more substantial. Hopefully Emerson will get another chance to shine in a plot that isn't tied-up at the end of an episode.

Overall, I can understand why some people might think Pushing Daisies is a case of style over substance, but I find it a refreshing show for a number of reasons: the cast are all very good, the imagination of the stories has yet to fail, and it's unlike anything else on the box right now. Jim Dale's narration is still a bit intrusive at times, and I don't know how long they can keep up the Chuck/Ned dilemma before it becomes incredibly irritating (as there's surely no hope for a miracle cure), but I'm still enjoying the show's vibrancy and commitment to telling amusing, creative, family-friendly stories.


10 May 2008
ITV1, 9.00 pm

PUSHING DAISIES 1.5 – "Girth"

Writer: Katherine Lingenfelter

Director: Peter O'Fallon

Cast: Anna Friel (Chuck), Lee Pace (Ned), Chi McBride (Emerson), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive), Jim Dale (Narrator), Ellen Greene (Vivian), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Field Cate (Young Ned), Barbara Barrie (Mamma Jacobs), Hamish Linklater (John Joseph Jacobs), Carlos Alazraqui (Gordon), Ralph P. Martin (Pinky McCoy), Christopher Neiman (Lucas Shoemaker), Leyna Nguyen (Newscaster) & Jon Eric Price (Ned's Father)

On Halloween, Olive hires Emerson to track down a horse-riding ghost who's been killing jockeys...

"Though Olive Snook had won the race for her life, in the race
for the pie-maker's heart, she had once again placed second."

-- Narrator (Jim Dale)

Ah, the Halloween special. They're always good fun, and Pushing Daisies' supernatural premise would seem like a great basis for some spooky goings-on. The story this week revolves around the ghost of world-famous jockey John Joseph Jacobs (Hamish Linklater), who appears to have returned from beyond the grave to avenge his death, by killing jockeys who were instrumental in his tragic downfall. Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) asks for Emerson's (Chi McBride) help in solving the mystery behind J.J.J, in an episode that plays very much like an episode of Scooby Doo...

It's actually something of a relief that Girth sidesteps the usual emphasis on Ned (Lee Pace) and Chuck's (Anna Friel) relationship, as there's only so much saccharine romance you can stomach. Instead, this episode notably pushes Ned into the background, after resurrecting a few trampled jockeys, and the focus actually settles onto Olive and Emerson for once. Girth reveals that Olive was once a professional jockey (which I can buy into because of diminutive Kristen Chenoweth's 4'11" stature), and hides a dark secret about the circumstances of J.J.J's death.

The whole episode is built on the idea of ghosts from the past returning to figuratively haunt people on Halloween, as it's revealed in flashbacks that Young Ned (Field Cate) discovered his father left home and moved in with a new wife and two new sons on Halloween. There's a wonderful scene where Young Ned, hidden under a blanket as a trick-or-treating ghost, interacts with his father without his knowledge.

For Olive, the past involves her part in a sinister plot with other jockeys (who now appear to be on a vengeful spirit's hit-list), while Chuck grapples with her guilt over allowing her aunts Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene) to think she's dead. Also nice to see the antagonism between Chuck and Olive increase, as Olive thinks Chuck has faked her death for some ominous reason, unaware that Ned resurrected her with his magic touch.

Pushing Daisies continues to impress me with its stylized world and day-glo colours, but this episode wisely gives us a break from the usual retina-burning extravagance. As a Halloween episode, it's uses a darker colour palette than previous episodes, with shadowy horse stables and a few night-time sequences. But it's still slightly disappointing as a Halloween episode, as it wasn't particularly scary or creepy enough to get under your skin, despite the presence of a fire-breathing horse that seemed to reference The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow in the teaser.

It's a shame, but fortunately this episode gave us a lot of character development – particularly for Ned, whose childhood flashbacks get more relevant as the week's pass by, and Olive with her jockeying past. Chi McBride remains underutilized as Emerson, but his injections of cynicism are wonderful and really help keep the show balanced.

Unfortunately, like a great many US mystery shows, the identity of the spectral horse-rider becomes a little bit obvious towards the end, but the way various clues are spread throughout the story very well, and the specifics regarding J.J.J's death are amusingly strange and engaging. I particularly loved the performance by Barbara Barrie as Mamma Jacobs, a character who could give Emerson a lesson in sarcasm and the art of barbed put-downs.

Katherine Lingenfelter's script also had some memorable laughs (such as Olive's weak attempt to open the tomb with a shovel), and a sublime ending with Ned using his childhood ghost-blanket idea to allow Chuck to interact with her aunts for the first time since her death. It was surprisingly touching, so the actors are certainly doing their job in making the human relationships work, amidst all the peculiarities of Pushing Daisies' universe...

Overall, Girth was a great episode only let down by a central mystery that didn't quite provide the necessary punch after such a build-up. And how the horse could breathe fire was never explained! But, despite some flaws, the character development for Olive and Ned was excellent, and the show continues to provide an hour of charm, giggles and sweetness. It's not the perfect treat for Halloween (on account of its cartoon-level of scares), but it's hardly a nasty trick either.


3 May 2008
ITV1, 9.10 pm

PUSHING DAISIES 1.4 – "Pigeon"

Writer: Rina Mimoun

Director: Adam Kane

Cast: 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.

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

Push off, ITV

So, ITV's US import Pushing Daisies got a very impressive 5.7 million viewers on Saturday night. That's 500,000 more viewers than the timeslot average.

I'm sure those millions can't wait for episode 2 this Saturday. But they won't see it. ITV are skipping it and heading straight to episode 3, because their 8-week schedule won't accommodate the 9-episode season (i.e, the football's on in 8 weeks, innit.)

"Episode two was the only show we could drop without spoiling the storyline," said an ITV spokesman.

I agree, it could have been worse. But why not show a double-bill last Saturday? Or episode 2 on Sunday?

Oh well. The episode will be shown when Pushing Daisies is repeated by ITV, but die-hard fans may want to download it. I suppose it gives people an added reason to buy the DVD, too.

PUSHING DAISIES 1.3 – "The Fun In Funeral"

Writer: Bryan Fuller
Director: Paul Edwards

Cast: Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Charlotte "Chuck" Charles), Chi McBride (Emerson Cod), Ellen Greene (Vivan), Jim Dale (Narrator), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive Snook), Sy Richardson (The Coroner), Raul Esparza (Alfredo Aldarisio), Field Cate (Young Ned), Victor Z. Isaac (The Delivery Boy), Brad Grunberg (Louis/Lawrence Schatz), Kristin Veitch (The 30s Woman), Howard Mann (The Elderly Man), Eddie Shin (Wilfred Woodruff), Albert Wong (Fambing Woo) & Leyna Nguyen (Newscaster)

A death at a funeral home sends Ned back to Couers d' Couers, to face his own part in a "murder". Later, Chuck bakes anti-depressants into a pie meant for her grieving aunts, which Olive decides to deliver...

"At that very moment Chuck saw the pie maker, perhaps not as he really was, but as he would always appear to her: her Prince Charming."

-- Narrator (Jim Dale)

Pushing Daisies is still convinced nobody knows the concept behind the show, so we begin with another regaling of the rules by narrator Jim Dale and some whimsical flashbacks to Young Ned (Field Cate) in a classroom with two jars of fireflies, which he uses to test his life-giving power.

Creator Bryan Fuller returns to write episode 3, The Fun In Funeral, which also acts as a direct continuation of the Pie-lette, because undertaker Lawrence Schatz (who randomly had to die as a result of Ned resurrecting Chuck for longer than 1 minute) returns as this episode's macguffin.

It transpires that Lawrence (Brad Grunberg) used to rob dead bodies of their jewelery, and has stashed the loot somewhere. His twin brother Louis (Brad Grunberg again) promptly arrives and the plot thickens when Ned (Lee Pace), Chuck (Anna Friel) and Emerson (Chi McBride) later discover Louis dead in the Piehole's freezer and unearth some hate-mail directed towards the Schatz brothers...

The production design retains its high quality, the budget even being stretches for throwaway gags (a salesman imagines being sucked out of a room along with all the oxygen). It’s wonderful to have a show that transports you to a modern fairytale world every week, although sometimes the vibrancy and bright designs can be a little distracting. Most off-putting at the moment is the repetitive musical cues, often intrusive and overused narrations by Jim Dale, and the central relationship between Ned and Chuck.

Ned and Chuck have been immediately stuck making doe-eyes at each other, lost in their own personal world of sickly romance that, narratively, seems to offer a dead-end. Of course, Ned has a secret that could ruin everything (he was responsible for killing her father to save his mother), but beyond that undercurrent of potential heartache, it's a relationship that's solid and irritatingly cutesy.

It might have been better to have Chuck politely spurn Ned's romantic advances after he brought her back to life. I know that's perhaps too predictable for boy/girl relationships on TV shows, but without an element of drama, you're just watching two people soppily in love – floating around in a day-glo world of happiness and charm, where even death is little more than an enjoyable lark.

Perhaps I'm being too unfair. Pushing Daisies is at least different to everything else on TV and that should be applauded. Visually and conceptually, it's head and shoulders above most other shows. The actors are all charming, although Lee Pace is still too ineffectual for my taste. In this episode's finale, when he's engaged in a sword fight with this week's villain, he still doesn't register as anything other than a likable goofball.

Bryan Fuller's script is pretty good, although the plot becomes quite hazy and desperate in its later moments. I'm finding it difficult to really care about murder mysteries where the dead are brought back to life and never seem particularly bothered about what happened to them! If victims don't seem to care, why should we?

On the plus side, Fuller has a great deal of fun playing around with the concept (kisses through cling-film for Chuck and Ned), a moment when Ned can't retouch a resurrected man when his coffin lid slams shut, and a revived body's first words being "honey, did you turn off the gas?"

Piehole waitress Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth) is also given a greater part to play, as she hand delivers a pie to Chuck's aunts – Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene) – who are grieving over Chuck's death. After being invited in, Olive soon realizes the big secret surrounding Chuck's appearance on the scene as her rival for Ned's affections. It's great to see early development on this issue of Chuck's secret life (pre-death?), and Chenoweth is a perfect match for the show; with squeaky voice, stilted mannerisms, smooth complexion and flawless hair. Never mind the production budget, she's by far the best "effect" on show.

The Fun In Funeral is entertaining, but it's becoming clear to me that Pushing Daisies has plenty of charm, but little bite. I'm yet to be convinced the Ned/Chuck relationship won't just become incredibly annoying, while the music and narration is already beginning to grate on me. I admire the show's ambition and applaud its style, but it’s emotionally leaving me as cold as that dead undertaker...


17 October 2007
NBC, 8/7c pm

PUSHING DAISIES 1.2 - "Dummy"

Writer: Peter Ocko
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

PREVIEW: PUSHING DAISIES 1.1 - "Pilot"

ABC - 3 October 2007
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.