Pushing Daisies Watch: When This Dandy Lion Is A-Rockin'...

I wasn't crazy about the "pie-lette" episode as much as everyone else was. I thought the second episode was much better. I was really nervous that it was going to suck because all of the critics had only seen the first episode. I thought they did a good job of mixing the procedural element with the characters (better than Reaper has done). However, I kind of agree on the too cute aspect especially with Ned and Chuck's flirting or whatever that is. Over all, the show held up and I am praying that it held up in the ratings.

I have a feeling with shows like Pushing Daisies and Reaper will eventually move away from the "case of the week" as time goes on and they have a steady audience. Maybe they can do longer arcs or someting. But I am not going to worry about that right now.

I like Pushing Diasies, if only becuase the visual style is so differnt. I'm glad the really high concept shots are limited to the flashbacks and narratives since a full show of that would burn me out quickly. The fact that it is so vibrant makes it a welcome break from the dark, zooming and smokey dramas that make up what feels like 75% of the prime time lineup.

I remain cautiously optimistic about the show, finding myself (like James) simultaneously transfixed and annoyed. What a beautiful shot! Why won't the da*n narrator shut up! What a touching, tragic romance! Knitting is an affectation, not characterization! I'm glad James made the comparison to Reaper, since what's good for the goose is good for the gander: both shows are simply high-concept procedurals, and both could use a dose of more than just the concept to really drive them forward. Oddly, while Daisies is the pedigreed show and the more ambitious, and I can certainly appreciate the latter in TV, if I were to drop either Daisies or Reaper anytime soon, it will likely be Daisies. There's something more enjoyable (or is it less annoying?) about the slovenly unpretentiousness of Reaper ("we're just trying to have fun here") than the possible art-house condescension of Daisies ("we dare you to have fun here"). Here's hoping Daisies finds the right balance of outre style and accessibility to keep me coming back.

I really enjoyed it. The show has a dark sense of humor that pops up at just the right moments - I was practically about to go into a diabetic coma from Chenoweth's musical number when the show stabbed that feeling in the heart with the "Digby thought about how much he loved salt" line. And hey, who doesn't like Bulimia jokes! (That stern faced nurse at the end killed me.)

And I think you're totally accurate with the Wes Anderson comparison. I keep comparing it in my mind to The Royal Tenenbaums (although part of that may also be due to the everpresent narration there as well) with their shared character eccentricities.

But yes, I can't imagine doing a weekly Watch on this, both because I expect it to be canceled any hour now and because I question how much week to week forward movement this show will have.

@Jim and Tom Shaw: Wes Anderson! Yes, that's a perfect parallel.

I think, in the end, this show won't do it for me. There's something alluring in shows like Lost and Twin Peaks that allow the unreality to build upon the mystery and intrigue. Here, the unreality feels like a means to an end.

Agree that the narrator has to shut up. It gets annoying when every 3rd line is a description of a character's age down to nanoseconds.
The overall feel is cute but looks more for the sake of it, just like Anderson's movies actually. And what's with all the cleavage and boobage? Lady put it away.

I agree, I really want to like it more than I do. The writing and the visuals keep me coming back, but if it goes away I won't mourn like I did for other late great shows.

I am completely distracted by the touching thing and not in a good way. I find myself scanning the screen every time, and even wondering if they had to redo scenes if the actors accidentally touched. That really pulls me out of the magical Willy Wonka world too much.

Why do all comments end-up bashing/hating/complaining?

I enjoy the show, will DVR it when I can't sit for it live, and am constantly looking for Ned to touch Chuck accidentally.

One morsel I am a little worried about is that THE DOG is still alive! UNAGED! This means Chuck will never age. This means that she is basically doomed to live forever... yikes!

@kevbo - I thought about Digby....I think Chuck just touches Digby whenever Digby "dies" and Digby comes back. Sure, he's aged (probably the oldest dog ever) but every time Digby is reanimated, it kind of "restarts" his organs so that he is no longer "old" on the inside.

I love this show, and this week only strengthened my strong feelings...Chuck and Ned have amazing chemistry, Emerson Cod is brilliantly funny, Olive's song was phenomenally well done (dancing around holding one of Digby's paws?), and the art direction on the show is still top notch. Simply put, after two weeks, one of the most inventive and DIFFERENT shows on television. Some will love it, some will hate it....I am firmly in the former camp.

@Chaddog - I think you meant Ned, not Chuck, above.

In any case, I'm fairly certain kevbo is right - the narrator has mentioned in both episodes that once Ned touches a reanimated creature for a second time, it dies...permanently.

So, if we take it at face value that Digby's unaltered appearance is on purpose, and not just due to a production oversight (given that ~19 years have elapsed, it would be a big oversight), it seems logical to conclude that creatures Ned reanimates don't age normally.

Which doesn't actually worry me too much, per se. It's not something that will really become an unavoidable question in Chuck's case, narratively, for quite some time yet.

I want to like this show. Although I think the basic set up is grim, I do find it clever and charming especially some of the dialog and everyone is acting up a storm, but for the whole second episode I kept thinking "Why isn't she wearing long sleeves!!!"

Really, if you knew that even the merest glancing touch by someone would kill you instantly and you felt a need to hang around anyway wouldn't you at least stay on the other side of the room or as I kept wondering wear long sleeves?

They seem to want to have their pie and eat it too, making a fuss about each of them holding their hands behind their back, etc. while they are standing inches away from each other. It just doesn't work for me and is distracting me from the flow of things. I'm not sure if it will work for me in the long run, if they don't deal with this better, and I am not sure how they can.

I thought it was clear that anything Ned touches does not merely come back to life, it then remains ageless (pointing out it is the same dog, and that the fruit will never spoil).

So yes, I imagine (and if I was Fuller, given my previous history with television, would film first after the pilot and contractually guarantee it shows up at the end of the last episode) the following scene:

Narrator: After 82 years, 4 months, and 16 days, Ned died.
(We see an extremely old Ned sitting on a porch overlooking a field of daisies in Couer d' Couer, while a still young Chuck busies herself in the background, arranging pictures of their kids and grandkids.)
Narrator: Chuck noticed her husband's condition, and for the first, and last, time, kissed him.
(Chuck literally dies in Ned's arms with smiles on their faces; the camera then pans to a shining midday sun.)

And yes, the concept that Ned will not as much as bump into Digby or Chuck for twenty years, especially given that he didn't know the rules with Digby, is ridiculous. However, this show is a fantasy: lighten up.

I love this show. I find myself leaving cynicism at the door and giggling wildly the entire time. I love the art direction (did you see how bright white and red that morgue is? a pretty cheery place to house the dead). I also very much like the actors. Like the titular character on Chuck I feel that The Pie Maker here is played as a more realistic nerdy guy rather than a caricature.

I too was moved by the aforementioned narrative quote about Olive's heart being full, moreso that a show with that dialogue will also unapologetically poke fun at a girl with an eating disorder. That's my kind of humor.

It must be mentioned, since I've not seen it mentioned anywhere else, did it seem like every female character in this episode was dressed and lit to show off cleavage above all else? I'm not complaining, but it bordered on gratuitous.

This is officially my favorite new show of the season.