(Published July 9, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
In the unique world of the fantasy-comedy series “Pushing Daisies,” life and death are normal occurrences, but one guy wields extraordinary power over them.
This ongoing, contemporary fairy tale regularly juggles unconsummated romance themes and crime scene puzzles, but it’s devoid of dourness. While its focus on bizarre and horrible tragedies doesn’t evoke the feeling of morbidity, there’s dark humor that consistently keeps it from becoming heavy and really serious. Still, there’s an ever-present aura of sadness too, not only for the victim of the week, but also for the offbeat show’s lead character.
The man blessed and cursed with the ability to resurrect the dead for a full minute, Ned the pie-maker (Lee Pace) learned about his “gift” the hard way. As a boy, his magic touch instantly revived his dead mother, but unbeknownst to him at the time, each resurrection has a price: his neighbor drops dead shortly, as if the cosmos required to maintain a balance. But when Ned’s tucked into bed by his mom later, neither knew that a kiss on the kid’s forehead would prove fatal. For good.
Many years later, he’s faced with the decision to keep somebody alive for longer than the allowed time. Ned, now a baker at his store The Pie Hole, partners up with private investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) to help solve crime-related deaths, initially for reward money.
One such unsolved case leads them to Ned’s old childhood sweetheart Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel), who met her doom at the hands of an unknown attacker. Ned restores her, and Chuck’s soon privy to his enigmatic secret. Death claims someone nearby, but Ned’s too excited about their unexpected reunion to care. Sadly, they can never, ever have skin contact again, lest she goes for all eternity.
“Pushing Daisies,” created by Bryan Fuller (“Wonderfalls”) and co-produced by Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men In Black,” “Addams Family”), was a Golden Globe nominee for Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy). The show mostly follows a typical crime-solving show structurally, but its narrative consistently mines deliberately quirky elements.
The artificial, Burton-esque atmosphere, a mix of bright colors and retro designs, happily gives the show an innocent, glossy look. The imaginatively written voiceover narration often keeps it smooth, too. It repeatedly segues to funny or freaky flashbacks and wittily points out well-placed analogies for the Ned-Chuck relationship.
The “unreal” world also allows for other creative liberties. The diminutive waitress Olive Nook (Kristin Chenoweth), for example, once sang an impassioned version of “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” the song descriptive of unrequited feelings for her employer Ned.
The show occasionally employs visual effects such as animation, bringing Ned and Chuck’s fun memories of imperiled clay people to life. Images superimposed on green screens, such as those in greedy candy shop owner Dilly Balsam’s (guest Molly Shannon) funky flashback sequence, also add welcome campiness.
“Pushing Daisies” is easy viewing, thanks to the show’s aesthetically pleasing otherworldliness. The repetitive emphasis on the touch-free romance gets perplexing at times, but the episodic stories are, for the most part, well-penned and lively.
(The series airs every Tuesday,
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