(S01E01) After weeks of massive advertising and marketing, Pushing Daisies has finally arrived! The result? You either love it or hate it. I've read a good number of reviews for this new ABC show over the summer and rare are the reviewers that are on the fence about this show. What seems to make them love it or hate it is the same thing: the format. If you enjoyed movies like Big Fish or Amélie, you should be inclined to liking Daisies. I fall in that category. Actually, tonight's airing marked the third time I watched the pilot of this fairytale-ish series. Every time, I'm entertained thanks to the colorful scenery, the chemistry between Ned and Charlotte, the narration style, the cutesy storylines, the procedural aspect, etc.
Not even 25 seconds in the episode, you know that Pushing Daisies will not be like any other show on TV. The scene is highly colorful (yellow flowers and a bright blue sky), the soundtrack is reminiscent of fairy tales, and the narration is quite precise (not a minute older) and entertaining (at least to me). The action takes place in the little town of Couer d'Couers (the way narrator Jim Dale pronounces it, I think they meant "Coeur d'Coeurs," which is the proper French spelling for "heart"). We meet young Ned who is happily running with his dog, Digby. But there is a black cloud coming in this picture perfect scenery: a van hits Digby. It is at this time, and not a second later, that our lead character discovers that he has the power to revive the dead by touching them. But he doesn't know that this gift comes with a price since there was no instruction manual coming with it, and he learns it the hard way. After his mother suddenly passes away, Ned revives her. Soon, Charlotte's father dies. (Charlotte is nicknamed Chuck... yes I know, another character named Chuck this season! We have Chuck Darling and Chuck Bartowski just to name two.) This tragic event highlights the fact that if Ned revives someone and doesn't touch the person again under a minute, someone else will die. Later that day, Ned learns more about his powers when his mother kisses him as she puts him to bed. When he touches for a second time someone he revived, the person dies... for good. That's a lot to take in for a kid.
The episode jumps to about 20 years later. Ned (played by Lee Pace) owns The Pie Hole, a restaurant specialized in pies (could this be as an homage to his deceased mother?). As a side job, Ned works with Private Investigator Emerson to solve murders and collect the rewards. Emerson chooses the cases; Ned revives the deceased and asks them who killed them before touching them again. The gig works pretty well until Chuck, whom Ned hasn't seen in 20 years, is murdered. After reviving her, Ned can't come to terms that he has to send her back to the dead especially since she was his first kiss (probably the only one too) and because he still has a huge crush on her. Since he let Chuck live, someone else had to die, Ned can never touch Chuck again (unless they find a loophole down the road), and she has to hide because everyone around town knows she died.The rest of the episode has Chuck, Emerson and Ned work together to find who killed Chuck and collect the reward. Their investigation leads them the Chuck's aunt's home where the killer eventually turns up. Since Daisies has a fairy-tale side, the ending is a happy, of course, one.
Even though we already know a lot about Ned's powers, we don't know everything. For example, his dog died/was revived about 20 years ago yet he still looks like he did back then. Does it mean that people he revives but doesn't touch again stop aging? Or at least, age at a much slower pace?It'll be interesting to see how Chuck and Ned work and live together yet never touch one another. They already showed some creativity in the pilot (Emerson hugging Chuck, the kiss using the monkeys, the holding hands) but they can't do that forever. I wonder if it'll drive them crazy to a point Chuck will try to get a place of her own. Or maybe they'll allow one another to see other people even if technically they are not dating one another? Ned will also have to tell Chuck about her father's death. Will she forgive him especially since he also lost his mother due to his powers? (Okay, technically, she didn't die because of him but her second death was because of his powers.)
I thought that the characters were well-defined (at least enough for a pilot episode) thanks to the narration and flashbacks. It allowed me to relate to them and care about what happened to each. I enjoy the character of Ned a lot. He has a lot of insecurities and views life in a different way due to his powers and his upbringing. Olive, even if a tad annoying, will be a good comic relief. I didn't care much for the aunts though and I wonder how they will include them in every episode since they are regular characters. Maybe they'll open a shop near The Pie Hole? Or they'll learn of Chuck's "live again" status, thus be present in her life?I really enjoyed the format and feel of the pilot. The camera work, the narration, the claymation/live action scene, the flashbacks, etc., all helped suck me in the storylines. The possibilities for storylines are endless since the series has a procedural element. I'm a little bit concerned that the episodes not directed by Barry Sonnenfeld will not have that same magic and look. While at the New York Television Festival Sonnenfeld releaved that he wrote an "how to direct Pushing Daisies" instruction manual. So let's hope the other directors follow it.
Oh and for those wondering yes, it is a song from Amélie that plays when we first meet the aunts.
Oh and for those wondering yes, it is a song from Amélie that plays when we first meet the aunts.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
10-03-2007 @ 9:27PM
Goats said...
I loved it. It's definitely the best new show of the season, by far.
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10-03-2007 @ 9:28PM
Beth said...
LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Love the look. Love the fairy tail. Love Chi. I will be tuning in!
http://boob-tube-type.blogspot.com/
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10-03-2007 @ 9:30PM
Lynn said...
I loved it. Absolute love. It was just what I was hoping it would be. But I agree, I can see people either loving it or hating it. I can see why people wouldn't like for it, but I just adored it.
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10-03-2007 @ 9:33PM
tozmervo said...
It was funny that you said "Not even 25 seconds in the episode, you know that Pushing Daisies will not be like any other show on TV" - That's just about when I messaged a friend online, "Wow, I already like this show."
Where have I seen Anna Friel (Chuck) before? IMDB isn't helping me out, but I swear I've seen her on another show.
I just hope it makes it longer than Wonderfalls!
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10-03-2007 @ 9:37PM
Darren said...
I loved the show. It felt like a Tim Burton vignette. So kooky but so well written and so many nuances to the show make it unlike anything I've seen on TV in a long time. Of course the strangeness of the show could work against it. However it plays out, I'll be back for a second helping of whatever pie Olive has fallen in love with next week.
Also love PIE (Private Inspector Emerson)! LOL
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10-03-2007 @ 10:08PM
Fladam said...
Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz were wonderful.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:10PM
Isabelle Carreau said...
Fladam: Indeed the actress were good. What I don't really get is the usefulness of their characters as regulars beyond this episode. I'm sure the series will find a way to explain why they are sticking around though.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:20PM
Tele-Toby said...
I first saw this at the ABC Preview Party at the Paley Center in NYC and couldn't wait to see how it would look on a small screen. I was NOT ready for the amount of commercials that filled the hour. Maybe it was because the show was so delightful that it sped right by. But I'm thinking it was overloaded with the ads.
This is such an original vision, I hope it finds its audience so that it's around for a long time.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:22PM
Rich Keller said...
I really liked this show. What made if for me was Jim Dale's narration. That guy is teriffic and he really painted a wonderful picture involving the characters.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:32PM
Ryan said...
I have nothing to complain about. It was fantastic. I absolutely loved it.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:32PM
Carissa said...
Oh well. I am quite frequently the odd man out. I wanted to like this show, because I love the concept, and the actors. But I felt like I was watching some kind of strange combination of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cat in the Hat and Dead Like Me. I loved Charlie and Dead, so not liking this is killing me. I feel just like I did when everyone but me in the online tv community loved Arrested Development. Just felt like it tried too hard for me.
It is different, so I hope for the rest of you the show gets a shot. It's nice when a show can buck the system and survive.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:33PM
Joel Keller said...
@Darren: My sentiments exactly re: the Tim Burton feel. Just don't tell Sonnenfeld that; he'll get pissed. :)
I'm guessing the Kristin Chenoweth character is there to be an eventual romantic complication for Ned and Chuck. Still not sure what roles Kurtz and Greene are going to play going forward, but it's nice to see both of them back in regular roles.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:34PM
Porchland said...
Love it or hate it? Please post links to all those negative reviews when you get a chance. Thanks.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:55PM
DOMINIC said...
FINALLY REFRESHING TELEVISION.
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10-03-2007 @ 10:59PM
Victor said...
Wow... this one is going to be tough. I liked the pilot episode well enough, but I don't know if I'll be able to handle the extreme stylization week after week.
Easily the best new show of this fall, but it's going to be tough.
Thankfully, Barry Sonnenfeld only directed this episode, so maybe future episodes will tone down the "Gosh, isn't THIS a neat camera angle?" moments.
Definitely for a specific audience, I fear. I'll be curious to see what the numbers are like over the first three episodes.
hmm...
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10-03-2007 @ 11:23PM
Josh said...
A true gem for television. My only suggestion would be for ABC to add volume to the dialogue. Many times the clever banter was tough to decipher since Ned talks so low-key. Now I got to grab some pie...
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10-03-2007 @ 11:51PM
Tele-Toby said...
Speaking of the abundance of Chucks (with "I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry" and "Good Luck Chuck" over in the movie universe), we've got a lot of Darlings this season. The Darling Family of "Dirty Sexy Money", Chuck Darling of "Back To You" and The Darling Mermaid Darlings of "Pushing Daisies". Makes me think of Captain Darling from "Blackadder Goes Forth".....
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10-04-2007 @ 12:03AM
The Pie Maker said...
Excited to see the folks here at TV Squad loved it as much as I did. I've seen the pilot a few times before tonight and I was so interested to see what others had to say about it.
Let's hope the ratings are where they need to be.
In addition to TV Squad, The Pie Maker has a lot of great in-depth news, gossip, and exclusive access to Pushing Daisies.
http://www.thepiemaker.com
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10-04-2007 @ 12:32AM
Ryan said...
Ooh for those who didn't like it, try and give it a second viewing (i.e. see the second episode). Maybe the initial "holy crap it's quirky and cutesy and everything is so bright and what the heck is up with those angles" reaction came because it is SO different from anything on TV. Might take some getting used to?
Then again that can go in reverse. Those who love love love love it off the bat because it's "quirky and cutesy and everything is so bright and those wonderful angles" and SO different from TV might discover it's not the BEST.THING.EVER.
BTW I fall in the second category since I do love love love it, so yeah. ;-)
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10-04-2007 @ 12:40AM
DMD said...
Loved it.. for the dialogue alone..
Nice to have Lee Pace back, he was terrific on 'Wonderfalls'
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