Ned: I’m out of counter space, so I’m stress baking in my head.
Chuck: Feels like you’re stress baking me.
Ned: I’m channeling fear into anger.
Emerson: Anger leads to hate.
Chuck: Hate leads to stress baking the people you love.

Watching tonight with one eye and a heavy heart was probably not the best way to appreciate another fine outing from Bryan Fuller et al. I barely caught the key party exchange¹ and had to skip back to enjoy Ned’s innocence and Chuck’s teasing tone. I only barely noticed the Yoda bit. And I couldn’t tell you what color schemes the costumers and set dressers went with if you held a gigantic musket to my head.

But I did still smile. It’s hard not to smile while watching this show. Which is pretty remarkable considering my mood today and how directly it is related to this canceled gem.

One of the many things Pushing Daisies has done well over its too-short run, is always cast interesting guest stars. The sort of actors who fit in its hyper-stylized settings. Tonight was no exception, as Shelley Berman² appeared as the victim and the great Ethan Phillips as his (only) friend and attorney. A convoluted mystery³ involving test of loyalty, backup wills, and swashbuckling bell ringers. Well, one swashbuckling bell ringer with a penchant for green clothes and purple prose.⁴

The big mystery took a more prominent role tonight (perhaps contributing to my sense of MoW complexity) following on Dwight’s discovery of Chuck’s empty grave last week. During one of his outings with Vivian, she showed him a picture of Chuck and everything clicked for him. Well, clicked as well as it can for someone who (probably) doesn’t believe people can be brought back from the dead.⁵ Stephen Root is bringing a delicious malevolence to Dwight that makes every scene he’s in crackle with dread. It was little wonder Olive was anxious when he showed up at the Pie Hole. Of course Lily fears no one.

The cliffhanger for the night was huge, but sort of anti-climactic. Let’s be honest with ourselves: if Chuck’s dad isn’t in the coffin, exactly no one is going to be surprised right now. *Maybe* if it’s filled with gold, boxes of Cracker Jack, or yellow galoshes we’ll be surprised. No, Ned’s father and Chuck’s father were involved in something deep and mysterious from their time in the UN Peacekeeping Forces together and wanted to stay close when they returned to civilian life. It wasn’t just the low cost of real estate and gentle climate of Coeur de Coeur that put Ned and Chuck next door to one another. It was…well, that’s the big mystery, isn’t it.

Some favorite bits:

• “Stakeouts are only fun when there are binoculars for everybody.”
• Ned’s recurring nightmare. It’s not funny, but I think he saw E.T. one too many times.
• The aforementioned scene with Olive and Dwight. Kristin Chenowith did a great job expressing her fear.
• Lily’s Big Bad Mama scene with Dwight.
• “About time I get to do a gun pointing around here.”
• Elise and James Andrew reading a copy of “Trophy Wives” magazine.⁶
• Lily’s shock⁷ at Dwight’s arsenal.
• Rob Wright: “The facts were these; these were the facts.”

What did everyone else think?

1. For a worldly pervert, I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t heard of this ’70s staple until Sam and Annie took a walk on the undercover wild side on Life on Mars. [↩]
2. !!! [↩]
3. Or, I really didn’t pay enough attention. [↩]
4. I mean really, the guy makes me sound like a tough guy. [↩]
5. Yes. Probably. We don’t know what’s up with the pocket watches, or Ned and Chuck’s dads. [↩]
6. My subscription card is in the mail. [↩]
7. And excitement? [↩]

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R.A. Porter is an aspiring television writer who currently toils away in the software mines. He can be found at Sketch War, his personal blog, and stalked on Twitter.

Tags: abc

posted by rporter in → Reviews