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Premierewatch: 'Pushing Daisies'
What a lovely thing to have Pushing Daisies back on television. And lovelier still to see that the show hasn't lost anything of what made it so charming in the 10 months or so since it was last on the air.
Wednesday's premiere did a deft job of bringing folks up to speed, with a tidy recap for new viewers or those who've forgotten what's going on mixed in with a little bit of new information -- the origins of Chuck's bee fascination, the "ballet of avoidance" that is Ned and Chuck's home life -- for loyalists who have been anticipating this return, then launched into a main story that had the usual complement of quirks along with a nice thematic tie-in. I'll say it again: TV is better for this show being on the air.
These spoilers wear slippers with bells on them.
Murder o' the week
Chuck, Ned and Emerson -- who's authored a pop-up book called Lil' Gum Shoe in his spare time -- investigate the death of one Kentucky Fitz (Autumn Reeser), the No. 1 "Bee Girl" (though not this kind of Bee Girl) at honey-based cosmetic company Betty's Bees, which has just been taken over by a rival company run by Woolsey Nichols (French Stewart).
When Ned un-deads Kentucky, she reveals that was sabotaging the hives at Betty's Bees, and a person seemingly made of bees caused her to be swarmed and stung to death. Suspicion first points to founder Betty Bee (Missi Pyle), who was being shunted aside as the face of the company in favor of Kentucky, and Chuck goes undercover as a new Bee Girl to dig up the dirt on Betty. Chuck herself then gets swarmed -- but has the good sense to hold the plastic-encased queen bee the bee-person spits at her in her mouth, thereby convincing the drones that she's a nesting spot -- which leads them to Betty's childhood home and the discovery that Kentucky was not sabotaging the hives but in fact helping Betty steal them as a counterattack against Woolsey for diluting the purity of the Betty's Bees product line.
That leads them back to Woolsey, who was in love with Kentucky but couldn't bear the fact that she was sabotaging the company, so he sics the bees on her. DNA on the plastic queen-bee case he spat at Kentucky and Chuck is the proverbial smoking gun.
The thematic part
The larger part of the episode dealt with the idea of what makes a home, and the secrets everyone is keeping from everyone else possibly breaking those notions apart. Chuck and Ned have developed a delicate dance to make sure they never touch, with Ned wearing lots of corduroy and bells on his slippers and Digby (yay Digby!) barking a warning when necessary.
It's all going swimmingly -- until the aunts show up at the Pie Hole in search of Olive. Lily, see, has told Olive not to come around with the specially baked, homeopathic antidepressant-laced pies after Olive learned Lily is actually Chuck's mother, but Vivian is so distraught at not having either the pie or the company that she insists on taking the bus to the Pie Hole to make sure Olive isn't dead. Keeping Lily's secret from Chuck, and the secret that Chuck isn't dead from Lily and Vivian, is just too much for Olive, who lets out a hell of a scream and then starts ranting about how she's "sawed-off shotgun of secrets" and that "truth buckshot could come spewing out of my muzzle."
She announces she's quitting her job, to which Ned replies, "This is your home. Where will you go?" Lily knows a place: a nunnery where the sisters wear teal habits and Diana Scarwid (Lee Pace's Wonderfalls co-star) is in charge and, in a "Lord, beer me strength" sort of way, explains that during her time at the convent, Olive will be taking a vow of poverty, which means all her things are being given to the poor. Oh, and when Lily comes to check up on her, she reveals that the reason she let Chuck believe her mother died in childbirth all these years is because Vivian and Chuck's dad were engaged, and Lily had an affair with him. Damn, Lily, you bad. (This also makes Chuck's family tree rather confusing -- if the story is Chuck's mom died in childbirth, and Vivian was engaged to her dad, shouldn't Vivian know that something was amiss?)
Olive's sudden departure has freed up the apartment next to Ned's, and Chuck figures she might move in -- much to the piemaker's chagrin, even after she explains how romantic and Parisian it will be, with the his-and-hers suites and the "coy midnight knocks on the door" -- "You'll be knocking?" Chuck asks incredulously. Ned, however, is having some serious separation anxiety; having been abandoned by his father, he now figures Chuck is on her way out too, moving into her own place and getting a job (even if it's just a temporary, undercover one).
But after a second near run-in with Vivian, who explains that Chuck's room is still exactly the way it was before she died the first time, Ned realizes that they both have to move on, and that doing so doesn't necessarily mean that he'll get left behind. He gets Chuck's stuff from the aunts' house and fills Chuck/Olive's place with it -- which strikes me as incredibly romantic and sweet. Also sweet: the reveal at the end that Emerson wrote Lil Gum Shoe as a way to bring his missing daughter back to him.
And, oh yeah -- Ned's father is lurking around the Pie Hole!
The fun stuff
- I really loved the two-level discussion about workplace romance. "We ruled out office romance," Ned replies to Olive's theory about the case. "Oh. I'll just cross that off my list then," she replies. "I haven't ruled out office romance," Chuck says, causing Ned to melt a little bit. "Romance does give us a motive," Emerson chimes in, then adds with a pointed stare at Olive, "Someone's always lovin' someone they shouldn't be lovin'." They may not all have been talking about the same thing at the same time, but it was also apparent they were catching everyone else's meaning.
- Emerson's dressing-down of Kentucky's husband as he's about to cry: "It is not OK for a grown-ass man to weep in public with a bunch of happy families around eating pie. If you can't hold it, take your ass to the men's room and cry in private on the toilet -- like a man!"
- The entirety of Kristin Chenoweth's shotgun-of-secrets rant, including her ineffectual throwing of napkins and the long, broken scream -- and then the Sound of Music spoof after she arrives at the convent.
- Also at the convent, Mother Superior's clear exasperation at Olive's inability to get with the program: "Gawd ... in His infinite wisdom brought you here."
OK, I'm gonna dose myself with a scoop of shut the fudge up and let you weigh in: Are we happy to have Pushing Daisies back? What'd you think of the premiere?
I am so happy Pushing Daisies is back. The premiere was great. So many great lines.
On a side note Ned mentions Happy Time Temp Agency which is a reference to another Bryan Fuller tv show called Dead Like Me (which was genius & unfortunately cancelled). Happy time is where the main character in Dead Like Me worked. Just wanted to mention that & I loved how they stuck that into the episode.
good one dory! i didn't catch that! now i have to rewatch the episode tomorrow online.
john t | Oct 1, 2008 10:47:34 PM | #I am also delighted that PD is back. To carry on with the Sound of Music spoof, I was highly amused with Olive's use of the word "flibbertigibbet" - and no, it's not a title of respect.
Dory, I also noticed the Happy Time homage to DLM. Awesome. And definitely appreciated.
Lisa | Oct 1, 2008 10:50:29 PM | #I am so glad that Pushing Daisies is finally back! I really liked this episode. I'm glad they didn't try and change the whole concept of the show like other series have when coming back for a second season.
When Olive completely lost it in front of everybody, I thought that was one of the best moments of the night. Chuck's family is a lot more complecated than I ever imagined. I like that Ned was able to realize that Chuck needed her own life. I thought Lily and Vivian were both great too. Emerson's book leading to finding his daughter sounds interesting. I wonder if Ned's dad coming back will shake things up even more than all the other revelations we've heard so far.
Penny | Oct 1, 2008 10:52:36 PM | #This show is amazing! Everything about it just makes me relaxed and excited at the same time... But on to the show... This was an excellent episode. Though more Autumn Reeser would have been nice. This show can be so romantic (Chuck and Ned) but so heartbreaking (Olive) but so cheesily entertaining all at the same time.
Mandy | Oct 1, 2008 10:53:31 PM | #Next revelation : Ned's real mother is Lily ^^
spoilerhunger | Oct 2, 2008 6:12:45 AM | #I loved Pushing Daisies last night. In HD! It looked great and really nice to see everyone back. If you have never seen if, go check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJr8hYadMjE . Don’t let a good show disappear!
JennyJames | Oct 2, 2008 8:50:54 AM | #So Vivian and presumably Chuck should be under the impression that Chuck doesn't have a single blood-relative alive?
And is the Aunts house Chuck's old house or is it next door? And how did this come about that Chuck is left to the possibly former fiance of her father in lieu of anyone else? Or how did her father get her from the convent?
Oy with the Poodles already.
I can't believe I missed the Happy Time reference, Dead Like Me was awesome, at least the 1st season.
It was so nice to have Pushing Daisies back last night, like having an old and dear friend visit. The show is just so much fun to watch, visually and the storyline etc. I hope for many years of this :-)
Dave | Oct 2, 2008 10:15:36 AM | #Unfortunately, the ratings were poor, and since this is ABC, I don't imagine it'll be on for a full season, unless they move it to a different night. Awesome would be right before Desperate Housewives on Sundays, especially if they can take off that be-damned Extreme Makeover Home Edition, aka Let's Build Huge Houses For People Who Couldn't Afford Them Before And Can't Afford Them Now, Yo! Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll not be seeing The Piemaker and his crew for much longer.
Revenant | Oct 2, 2008 12:07:56 PM | #I missed about the five last episodes from last season, because I lost the tape. Why and how did Ned tell Chuck about his "involvement" in her father's death?
I love Kristin Chenowith's remake of "The Sound of Music". I felt so bad for her when her belongings were taken away from her.
That scene where Olive was about to burst at The Pie Hole, because of all the secrets she has learned was hysterical.
I forgot how funny French Stewart is.
Lee Pace & Kristin Chenowith should have won the Emmys. Even though I am so happy for Jean Smart's win.
Revenant, I like your suggestion of putting "Pushing Daisies" on Sundays. It would blend well with "Desperate Housewives".
Great start to the season. People either love or hate this show and I fall in the former group.
It's so different and unique that it even took me most of the episode before I got comfortable (once again) with the fast pacing, rapid fire dialog, quirky storylines and heavy visuals. I’ll probably watch this episode one more time to drink it all in.
Good to have Pushing Daisies back.
I just LOVE Olive! Kristen C is so funny, but then the whole cast is a joy on this show.
Now, am a daft, but if Chuck's aunts are blood relatives (which I am not sure of) who does she think her mother was? Their sister? Confused..
My favourite line - Olive asking about her bags. "You said the porter would come and get them?" Mother Superior (ah Wonderfalls mom!): "I said the POOR would come and get them."
Cath | Oct 2, 2008 3:27:15 PM | #Loved it! PD is back in fine form, which is more than I can say for all of my fave shows this season.
Jen | Oct 2, 2008 4:29:07 PM | #Carly -
Essentially, the burden of carrying the secret started to overwhelm Ned as he and Chuck got closer, and in the next-to-last episode he just up and told her. It led to Chuck leaving for a short time, but they reconciled by the end of the last episode.
Rick | Oct 2, 2008 6:44:34 PM | #Thanks for the link to the IMDB page for INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS! That's exactly what I thought of watching this episode! :D
Casey | Oct 3, 2008 9:27:00 AM | #Maybe it was just my feed, but the music was so loud for most of the episode that the dialogue (which flies fast and furious) got lost in it. The show is a lot of fun, but missing half of it because the music is too loud is not cool.
Julie | Oct 3, 2008 9:46:36 AM | #I thought there was a bit too much narration in this episode. So much exposition! Other than that, a lot of fun. Poor Olive. As I think that Chuck and Ned are destined for one another, I`d like Olive to have a romance of her own, rather than pining after Ned. Sound of Music parody was very funny.
JustDroppingBy | Oct 5, 2008 1:54:03 PM | #Ric-
Thank you for your help.
Carly | Oct 8, 2008 1:25:02 PM | #I LOVE this show and I am very glad it is back on!
I loved the comment The Piemaker made to Chuck, if she was imagining "training her bees to move like a person". They went from wild theories to a silly couple moment. Also, I am finally starting to like Olive, and this episode proved that she is a kind person.
(p.s. I would like to thank everyone posting for using proper spelling and complete sentences.)
i sorry to here the show was canciled it was good show
sam hair | Jan 19, 2009 11:25:28 PM | #i sorry to here the show was canciled it was good show
sam hair | Jan 19, 2009 11:25:30 PM | #
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