(S01E04) Since my co-reviewer Izzy lives in Canada, she gets to see episodes of certain shows before we get to here in the States. One of those shows is Pushing Daisies, which airs on Tuesdays up there. After she saw "Pigeon" last night, she wrote me asking if this was the first episode that was shot after the now-infamous budget cuts were made. I thought last week's episode was the first under those restrictions, but I can see why Izzy might have thought that this one was made on the cheap.
To me, though, the less visual doohickeys there are in a Pushing Daisies, the better. A little bit of snazziness goes a long way with this show, and it leaves more room to actually tell the story. And this week's story was pretty good.
A quick note on why I think this episode looked a little off from an FX perspective: it seemed to me that a vast majority of this episode was shot in front of a green screen. There seemed to be a lot of scenes set in the children's toy-set-like backdrop of the PD world, and none of it looked as bright and cheery as it did in the pilot.
No matter; we saw a lot of goodness tonight, mostly involving the main characters. We saw Ned being able to control himself enough to not catch Chuck when she falls (and the consequences), we saw Lily and Vivian venture beyond the walls of their house and let a little fresh air in, and we also found out that Olive is going to be the most likeable "arch nemesis" that we've seen on TV in a while.
Think about it: in every episode we think she's going to do something mean, like reveal to Lily and Vivian that Chuck is indeed still alive. But then at the last second her humanity overcomes her jealousy and she decides not to, if only because it would traumatize her two friends so much. I mean, how can a woman who calls that once-dead carrier pigeon "Pige" and quotes from They Might Be Giants be all that bad?
By the way, can I tell you how happy the TMBG fan in me was when Olive and Vivian were singing "Birdhouse in Your Soul" as Lily drove them to the National Area of Retired Mills? When she was telling Viv to "make a little birdhouse in your soul," I chuckled and wondered if Bryan Fuller and his writers knew about the song when they came up with that line. Sure enough, the singing confirmed that. And that was the right amount of singing; any more than that and it would have gotten silly.
So are the mood enhancers Chuck is baking into the pies she sends her aunts helping them come out of their shells or is it the presence of perky little Olive? The jury is still out on that one.
Oh, and we now know a little more about Digby and how he was able to bypass young Ned's "discovery phase." The narrator said that when Digby came back to Ned, they both knew that Ned couldn't touch him. Is that canine instinct at work? This, of course, still doesn't explain how Digby is still alive, since we never established that Ned's powers give a being eternal life.
Finally, we get to the mystery, which always seems to be the secondary issue on this show. This one had some nice twists, but still nothing that a person couldn't predict. We knew that the man whose hand Chuck held in order to pretend it was Ned's hand wasn't all he was cracked up to be. But I think the one-arm thing was a bit of a shock, because that hand looked so real and that fake arm so... didn't.
Anyway, the story actually turned out to have a very Ned-and-Chuck-ish component to it, didn't it? And here I was, wondering why they were lingering on Lefty's efforts to tie up Elsita and not showing everyone's chase to the diamonds. Turns out they were stand-ins for two star-crossed lovers. And Pige was the go-between. How sweet. And now that Pige is all repaired (with a Bejewler-attached parrot's wing) I'm sure there will be more notes back and forth. And I think Elsita still has the diamonds hidden in her unexplained wooden leg, no?
More fun stuff:
- Chuck was a stay-at-home juror for a paraplegic judge. If such a thing really existed, everyone would want to be on jury duty.
- Chuck on Ned's non-catch: "It was a very affectionate gesture... in context."
- Ned right before he revives Lefty's old cellmate, who's been dead for years: "Theres a good chance he'll be on the dewy side." And, upon seeing him: "I prefer a little more eyeball."
- Lily's eye patch is very versatile. It not only holds back a torrent of tears, it can also hold a light that can be used during taxidermy or wing reattachment.
- Emerson when he goes into the windmill: "Hand up!"
- So now the coroner is in on Emerson's scam, huh? Considering he's splitting just his piece of the pie with the suspicious M.E., you've got to wonder when this enterprise becomes not worth it for ol' Private Investigator Emerson (P.I.E.).
- Lily spied Chuck with her good eye while looking at her rear view mirror. Hm. What do you folks think the ramifications are going to be for that little revelation? I think she thinks she was seeing things, but these close encounters are going to happen more often as we go along.
- What are these small problems Chuck and Ned have that make them like every other couple? I guess we'll find that out in small doses.
- Body Bags. Check. Plastic wrap. Check. Beekeeper's suits. Check. How long is it going to take before we run out of ways for Ned and Chuck to touch each other? Can HAZMAT suits be next?
The Cheers episode Ken Levine's still writing in his head
Giveaway Tuesday: Fastlane - The Complete Series
Giveaway Monday: The X-Files: Revelations on DVD
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-25-2007 @ 12:38AM
Joey Geraci said...
The fake leg thing was a little too ... twee. I like that word. Fits this show to a T.
So I guess the plane was somehow involved in the escape attempt? I didn't quite get how they were connected.
This show still have far too much twee if you ask me.
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10-25-2007 @ 12:39AM
Dottore said...
It's not a good idea for someone with only one eye to drive since drivers depend on peripheral vision and on depth perception. Shouldn't the other one drive?
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10-25-2007 @ 12:42AM
Marc Morrison said...
I enjoy this show (as I also highly enjoyed Dead Like Me), however the inconsistent powers/supernatural mechanics are bothersome at times. However I do enjoy Emerson, and the relationships on the show are whimsical, which is something tv (especially network tv) hasn't done in a while.
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10-25-2007 @ 12:44AM
Joel Keller said...
@Dottore: Heh. You make too much sense to be a viewer of this show :). Actually, I'm sure that the fact that the one-eyed aunt is the only one who knows how to drive was written purposefully, just to keep the tweeness in play.
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10-25-2007 @ 12:51AM
Oreo said...
Bringing back dead people doesn't bother you Dottore? :)
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10-25-2007 @ 1:39AM
stephen said...
i think she was holding his real hand (his left) and it was his right hand that was fake.
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10-25-2007 @ 3:24AM
Midnight13 said...
Another great episode if you ask me. So when I first started to watch this show and saw the name Ellen Greene I thought "I recognize that name." I knew I had seen her in other projects before but just couldn't place her. It never thought to look on Internet Movie Database. Then tonight I'm watching "Pushing Daisies" and the scene where they are singing "Birdhouse In Your Soul" comes on (favorite scene of the episode) and the lightblub comes on. She was Audrey in the musical version of "Little Shop of Horrers". Also the red-haired girl, who guest starred was on "Hereos" last season. One other thing, the star-croseed lovers thing was very reminiscent of "Wonderfalls", I wonder how long it will take for Caroline Dhavernas to make an apperance on "Pushing Daisies".
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10-25-2007 @ 4:22AM
Derek said...
I came back (after giving up earlier) to see if the show had changed, only to find it was still way too over-narrated, even if Jim Dale does have a good narrating voice, it's too much and too often, and the hours minutes and seconds thing is still to annoying.
The stupidest plot point for me in this episode was that the aunt's pie was being spiked with homeopathic mood enhancers and they worked. Everyone (with half a brain) knows that homeopathic medicines are just placebo's, so they couldn't have any effect unless they knew they were receiving them.
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10-25-2007 @ 4:57AM
xbxtv said...
Hey Derek, you think you're very savvy, don't you?
First of all, giving up and coming back within 4 weeks. That makes one ep you didn't see? Or even two?
Secondly, believing that Ned can bring dead people back to life but not believing that homeopathic mood enhancers do work within this show. Interesting...
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10-25-2007 @ 5:15AM
Snorre said...
Derek:
Yeah, and what's up with all this TOTALLY unrealistic stuff about bringing people back from the dead?
Dude, it's a _fantasy_ world. Let yourself go a little bit.
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10-25-2007 @ 5:19AM
Kristopher said...
The bird part looked a bit too fake, and it stood out to me, sadly. But i loved this episode, as i love all the episodes. They're so cute i cant help but beam after they end, and during them too of course. The red-headed girl also played Charlie on Ugly Betty, first thing i noticed when she popped up on the screen! I thought this story was quite interesting, and i cant wait for next weeks!
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10-25-2007 @ 5:33AM
Thomas said...
If this show wasn't so sweet then there would be some serious fetish wear involved rather than beekeeper suits.
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10-25-2007 @ 8:21AM
Jeff Goebel said...
I'm surprised nobody noticed (or commented) that Chuck TOUCHED him in this episode. Those of us with a PVR even rewinded iut to re-see her reach her hand out and stop Ned just as he's about to go in to the coffin. She even says something like WAIT! and then hands him the glasses.
It seemed like an odd oversight in a show based on not being able to touch. I guess she can touch Ned's clothes fine.
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10-25-2007 @ 8:30AM
Erika said...
I'm surprised no one noticed that Chuck touched Ned in the graveyard right before she gave him the glasses! She touched him and she didn't die again! Someone really slipped up. Other than that HUGE blooper, it was another great episode. I'm glad that it was picked up for an entire season.
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10-25-2007 @ 9:52AM
chadwick said...
When I saw the preview for the show before the premiere I thought it wouldnt make two episodes. I actually like it and hope it continues the storyline. It's a great show to sit down with your woman and watch together. It is funny, entertaining and yes CUTE. Like a said, good for some P.T with the girl.
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10-25-2007 @ 10:07AM
Dan Chichian said...
This is definitely one of those shows that you have to give up reality for, and I am all for it. I think if you like Eureka you will like this show and vice versa. Both require an open mind and an engaged imagination.
Derek - if the homeopath idea bothers you that much you can follow Joel's suggestion that maybe it is Olive who is bringing the aunts happiness. This could lead to Chuck being as jealous of Olive as Olive is of her.
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10-25-2007 @ 10:45AM
Will said...
Best episode of the season so far. I'm glad I added this show to my DVR.
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10-25-2007 @ 11:19AM
jstueve said...
skin to skin is the touch of death, chuck touching his jacket, is fine. even the other way is fine, ned touching her clothes, but with linen fabrics these days, that might too risky.
Hey Derek, try a little birdhouse in your soul, dude!
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10-25-2007 @ 11:24AM
KateGee said...
I think if you can accept that you can bejewel a parrot's wing onto a pigeon you can probably accept that Digby is smarter than the average dog. He did stop to pull a fire alarm on his way to look for Ned, right?
I personally like my shows without a lot of reality: Heroes, Reaper, Buffy, X-Files...
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10-25-2007 @ 11:44AM
eric f. said...
I had doubts at first, but I am totally sold on this show now.
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