Pushing Daisies, Season One (2007)

 

Cast: Kristen Chenoweth, Anna Friel, Lee Pace, Swoosie Krutz, Ellen Greene, Chi McVride

 

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Rated: TV14

reviewed by Charity Bishop

If Tim Burton and the creative designer of Lemony Snicket got together, the result would be Pushing Daisies, a "dark" comedy filled with absolutely adorable moments, memorable main characters, and enough quirk to put the hop back into your step. It's nuttier than one of Ned's pecan pies, but memorable if only for the smile that it leaves on your face at the end of the hour. It's not for everyone, but for the wacky among us, it more than hits the spot.

When Ned was quite young, he discovered something about himself. He had the magic touch. He could touch anything that had died and make it come alive again. But if he touched it a second time, it would die again... and this time stay dead. The way he found that out was by bringing his mother back after she had a brain aneurism on the kitchen floor. When she kissed him goodnight hours later, she keeled over again... but the damage had already been done. What nature gives, nature takes away, and for every creature he brings to life for more than two minutes, something else in the close proximity dies. In the case of his mother, it just happened to be the next door neighbor. Chuck's dad. Chuck was the cutest little girl on the block, and all Ned ever wanted was to love her. Years later, Ned (Lee Pace) has opened The Pie Shop in town. He also works with a seedy private detective (Chi McBride) in solving murders. The solution is really quite simple -- you ask the corpse who did it. All seems fairly well until he discovers that the next dead body is Chuck (Anna Friel). Sent off on a happy go lucky cruise to have a brief vacation from her two strange aunts, Chuck was crept up from behind and strangled without a word.

But once Ned brings her to life, he cannot bear to send her back again, and the nearest individual keels over dead -- this time, it's the funeral parlor owner. Explaining to Chuck what has happened, and attempting to keep the ramifications of his gift mostly obscured in the telling, Ned is surprised that she takes to her new life with gusto. Her presence in the Pie Shop is of great concern to Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), the woman who secretly loves Ned. Knowing that there is something off about their relationship, she sets out to discover the truth. In the meantime, the trio are caught up in a number of cases ranging from missing diamonds to abused crash test dummies. The result is an always funny but meaningful series whose premise is utterly unique and the stories are delightful. They may not be to everyone's liking, but just about all my friends were hooked on it right around the same time I was. It's one of those shows that you look forward to all week long, and then give a happy sigh of satisfaction at the conclusion.

The chemistry between the cast is perfect. Pace is adorable in a very anxious, self-conscious kind of way that makes his Ned completely sweet and a little bit selfish. The fact that he cannot touch his beloved dog (hit by a car...) means that he makes use of some antics, such as a back scratcher. Watching him dodge accidental collisions with Chuck is also fun, as is the lovesick expressions that Olive keeps sending him. Chenoweth became well known on Broadway for her starring role as Glenda in Wicked!, the preppy high school antics of the witches of The Wizard of Oz -- and yes, she does bust out her singing pipes on occasion, as well as one of the most piercing screams ever to hit the airways. The private eye was a bit weird for awhile but soon settled into favorite character status, and there are some good performances from various guest stars, as well as the insane aunts that Chuck must avoid at all costs, and to whom she sends anti-depressant-laced pies.

Due to the writer's strike, the first season is sadly short-lived at only nine episodes, but the second season promises to make up for the first. There are a handful of content concerns for viewers to be forewarned about. It's not a show you want to plop youngsters down in front of, because a great deal of the show is exceedingly morbid. What else would you call waking up dead people to talk to them? Because Ned and Chuck cannot touch, their relationship remains innocent and cute -- they make stuffed animals touch noses on their behalf, and Chuck often hugs the nearest person and tells Ned the hug is for him. But one episode features a dream Ned haves in which Olive propositions him; it's implied she's topless (only a head and shoulders shot is seen) and sitting on him in bed. There are so many outfits showing cleavage that my friends and I jokingly have said that the bust lines often upstage the actresses. "Dummy" implies a steamy encounter in a car (the windows fog up, and the car shakes).

Language is mild and scattered, but there is a fair amount of sometimes nasty violence. It will not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you have a morbid sense of humor and enjoy the wacky and wild, Pushing Daisies might just make you smile.