Wednesdays 8PM Eastern/7PM Central ABC"Pushing Daisies" is about Ned (Lee Pace), a pie maker who at nine years old discovered he could bring the dead back to life. He figures out the rest of the rules in a horrible way. If whomever he revived, stays alive more than a minute, anyone else in close proximity dies. His dog dies, he revives him and a squirrel dies. His mother kills a fly, he brings the fly to life and his mom dies from a blood vessel popping in her brain. He brings her back to life, but his neighbor (the father of the girl he loves) dies. But there is just something worse. His mother kisses him good night and dies. Meaning that he touches whoever he brought back to life one more time, they are dead forever. Now in present time, he brings murder victims back to life to find out who killed them but only for a minute. With private detective Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), they collect the reward money, which most often is attached to who had been killed.
What can I say? No words can accurately express how wonderful this show is. I will try, it is beautiful, imaginative, warm and full of promise. The show was created by Bryan Fuller, who also created "Wonderfalls," "Dead Like Me," and the pilot for "The Amazing Screw-On Head." It is also directed by Adam Kane and Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the pilot and executive produced the live-action "The Tick." He also directed the two Men In Black movies and produced the upcoming Enchanted. It shows in its beautiful imagery that is not too showy and not off-putting, it reminds me a bit of Tim Burton's work. Even with its morbid subject matter, it is fun and optimistic. Chi McBride, who made up for "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer" with "Boston Public," more than makes up for it as Ned's partner, who serves as Ned's conscience, in this one. The dialogue is crisp, maybe a bit too intelligent for average folk. Personally, I just love the dialouge. Lee Pace wonderfully plays Ned with exuberance and understandable lament, Ned is a man who chose not to touch anyone fearing he might loose them and as a result, many want to get close to him but he doesn't let them. Lee Pace has a way he makes things sound matter-of-factly. The narrator is a bit tacky but he grow on you, explaining every scenario and the pilot, if anything, definitely needed explaining. The complicated plot and other plot twists are made simple through the narrator and apt storytelling.
Above are Charlotte "Chuck" (Anna Fiel) and Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), the two women in Ned's life. Olive Snook, works for Ned in his pie shop and lives next door. She gives his dog the much need affection he needs since Ned's touch would kill the dog. She has come on to him and can't understand why he won't get close to her. Chuck, Ned's lady love at 9, whose father died, was Ned's first and only kiss. Chuck was killed on a cruise and Ned's world spirals. He knows the risks but he lets her live longer than a minute--the crooked funeral director dies in consequence. Like Ned, Chuck has a unique story as well. She was raised by her two shut-in aunts and had to take care of them. Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene) are her creepy and eccentric aunts, who used to be synchronized swimmers with a mermaid gimmick. Chuck was also forced to stay at home, so she read many many books dreaming of an adventure. Once she decides to go on cruise--which is free, taking some prized monkey trinkets for the tour office lady--and dies at the hands of a murder who suffocates his victims with a pink bag with a happy face on it. Every time the bag appears are pretty eerie.The episode has a lot of names have repetitive themes such as the town he and Chuck lived in--Coeur d'Coeurs. Chuck's aunts were the Darling Mermaid Darlings, and Boutique Travel Travel Boutique. There is a wonderful scene where Chuck is surprised she can't touch Ned, she asks, "Not even a kiss?" Ned gives her a face of 'are you kidding me?' which is classic Lee Pace, if such a thing would be known by the mainstream audience. So yeah, Chuck and Ned play the unrequited love with great something... I am out of words.
I just pray it won't get canceled and people will catch to it.
