When he was
but a ten-year-old boy Ned discovered he had… a curse - or a gift? - of a sort. He
watched his mother die of what appeared to be a heart attack right on their
kitchen floor while baking pies. But then he touched her and she suddenly was among
the living again… but alas, the neighbor almost immediately dies. Then later
that night when leaning down to give her son a good-night kiss, Ned’s mother dies
all over again – and this time she doesn’t awaken. Confused and upset, Ned’s
world is about to further shatter when his grief-stricken father ships him off to
boarding school, separating him not only from his remaining parent, but his
childhood sweetheart, Charlotte. As time passes, Ned learns to single-handedly
cope with his curse; he soon realizes that he can bring something – or someone
back to life, but only for one minute and if he were to touch that person
again, they’d die: forever. Years go by and Ned (Lee Pace) becomes an
established bakery owner of The Pie Hole, one of the premier bakery shops
around. He has a partnership with a private detective named Emerson Cod (Chi
McBride) who uses Ned’s ability to re-awaken the dead in order to solve his
cases – and any reward money that he might get as a result only helps Emerson’s
cause. All of it is a well-oiled process until a young woman by the name of
Chuck Charles becomes the top story on the ten ‘o clock news.
Chuck dies
under mysterious circumstances while enjoying her first – and only adventure.
Raised by her recluse aunts (Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz), Chuck was a
free-spirit but one that was sheltered when her aunts took her in following the
death of her father. When Chuck is rumored to have been murdered on the ship,
Emerson nabs the case and brings his trusty sidekick along… only problem is
when Ned lays eyes on “Chuck,” he realizes she is Charlotte, the one girl he
never forgot about. Awaking Chuck (Anna Friel), Ned tries to follow the rules
that his gift demands but only problem is he can’t let go of Chuck a second
time – and his ability to bring back the dead has another catch: if he doesn’t
touch the person a second time, someone else must perish. By allowing Chuck to
stay among the living, he gives her a second chance – one she fully embraces,
but angers Emerson, and his only employee Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) who is in
love with Ned, and makes no secret of it.
Okay, so
anyone who likes quirky productions cannot go wrong with this show. It’s most
definitely on the good kind of “insane” and is still to this day one of the
most creative programs I’ve seen. ABC had developed a plot that worked in their
favor because at the time – and even to this day, there was really nothing else
like it on television. The premise could be thought morbid – or rather it is but there is something about the show
that is perfectly endearing. The very nature of the show is always
light-hearted. It is kind of like sitting down to a warm cup of your favorite
tea or hot chocolate and catching up with old, treasured friends. It has been a
long time since I watched the entire DVD set (instead I’ve merely re-watched the
occasional random episode), but following that long ago rental, I was so
enthralled with the series that I didn’t even finish renting, instead I
followed a hunch and merely bought the entire first season and happily finished
watching it at my own pace – needless to say, I positively adore this under-appreciated
series...
It takes the
right kind of audience to find something special in a series such as this. And
what I mean by that is not everyone will think this is worth a look because
they will be too “concerned” about how the premise might present itself – a story
that is likely to raise its share of eyebrows and rattle a few staunch viewers.
That Ned can wake the dead is, I’ll admit a bit of a stretch but the show has an infectious energy
going for it and some truly wonderful characters. The way that Ned and Chuck
respond to one another is perfectly charming. They have such a tender chemistry
that it’s hard not to root for their happiness; Olive is hilarious (Kristen is as wonderful as ever in this role) and
Emerson is… well, he’s the deadpan humorous voice in the show. (Two of my very
favorite episodes are “Dummy” and “Bitter Sweet.”)
Whether or
not you’ve already seen this, or are just getting into the series, know this –
you’re not likely to see television quite like this anytime soon.
(Pushing Daisies is rated TV14 which
equals a PG13 MPAA rating. The
reason for such a rating was quite a bit of sexual innuendo that would often
creep into the scripts. Naturally, the better part of the show is morbid, so
the humor sometimes follows suit. At least one episode implies intimate
relations between an unmarried couple. Various bodies are featured in the
morgue – the camera pans most of the murders.)
I loved Pushing Daisies; I was so sad when they cancelled it.
ReplyDeletexxx
My friend loves this show.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I will watch,but it sounds intresting.
I've never heard of this show! To bad it' been canceled or else I would start watching it :)
ReplyDeleteC.C. - me, too! This was (and still is!) one of my most beloved shows. It was sweet, but clever, and I liked that about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks bunches for following me - please visit often. =)
Ella - this show is AWESOME! Your friend knows how to pick "great" television. =) Yes, it is quirky, but the writing is fantastic.
If you do see it, enjoy it. =)
Trinka - yes, the show is cancelled... but you can still check it out via the DVD sets - and let me just say: it is totally worth it! If you like whimsical, quirky television or movies, this is the perfect choice. =)