When attempting to come up with a single word to try and describe Pushing Daisies, the one that keeps coming up is, um, quirky. I know it’s a bit of an overused word, but here it seems perfectly apt. I mean, this show isn’t out and out hilarious like say, The Office or 30 Rock. It certainly isn’t down beat or action-packed. The whole thing is just…just quirky. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The eccentric little surprise hit from ABC is actually one of the most unique series on TV right now or maybe ever, and if this first season is any indication, the show could have a cult following that could keep it alive for some time.
Take a type of mid to late ’80s Tim Burton-esque magically morbid sensibility (think Pee Wee’s Big Adventure or Beetlejuice), add in a dash of sensuality, and a surprising amount procedural style detective work, and that’s Pushing Daisies in a nutshell. The whole thing is rather goofy and fun and works because it’s a show that tries to be successful on all of those levels at once and for the most part succeeds. On top that, the show has plenty of tricks to help it stand out.
It helps to have a unique premise, and Pushing Daisies comes up roses in that department. Lee Pace stars as Ned, a young man with a penchant for making pies who has a special gift: with a touch he’s able to bring the dead back to life, but if they’re alive for more than one minute, another life is taken in their place to keep the balance. In addition, another touch has the dead staying that way indefinitely. Fortunately, while that premise sounds rather morose, it’s the touch of the show that has to stay deft.
Pushing Daisies manages to stay light and funny, and not take itself too seriously, which allows it to be able to broach a subject as serious as death without being weighed down. Ned uses his abilities to help solve murders, which he does in association with a P.I. named Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), but when a person comes back to life the situation is always mined for as much comedy as possible. With a premise like the one this series has, a little too much gloominess when it comes to death on this show would certainly undermine the magical aesthetic Daisies is trying to build.
On the other hand, add a little sexual tension to the show and what you’ve got is a solid-gold formula. That tension comes in the way of Chuck (Anna Friel), the victim of her own murder mystery, who just so happens to be Ned’s long lost childhood sweetheart. Bringing Chuck back to life to help solve her murder, Ned’s love can’t bare to take that life away from her again, but he can’t touch her either or all his love is for naught. The absolutely adorable situations this proposes comes up again and again and becomes the lifeblood for this show that makes it rather irresistible.
While some may find Lee Pace and Anna Friel too cute, their chemistry is pretty strong and seems rather genuine on screen. Chuck ends up being Ned’s conscience as well his love, keeping him down to earth even though he’s able to wield so much power. Pace is appropriately heroic and a little naïve at times, and Ned’s unrequited longings for Chuck keep us with him throughout. Friel plays Chuck as spunky as possible and her tomboy appeal is awfully charming when it needs to be.
Add to this mix a terrific art-deco look for the show (again reminding me of Burton’s lighter work) and some surprisingly clever writing when it comes to its mysteries, and you’ve got a show that stays constantly entertaining. Check out an episode like “Dummy” where our trio tries to solve a murder at an odd car factory. The car company in question is one that produces cars that run on dandelions, but there’s some sort of shenanigans that keeps getting people killed there. While the mystery itself is fun to watch, looking at the ’50s-esque design throughout the factory never lets you take your eyes off of what’s going on.
This is a wonderful show with a lot of heart, even when it comes to death. With fun performances and actually one of the best romantic situations on TV, Pushing Daisies keeps surprising you with how entertaining it can be. Hopefully the cleverness and the chemistry can keep up with the show’s look and this series will have a long life ahead of it that won’t need any resuscitation or superpowers.
The show looks absolutely beautiful on this set. The gorgeous print on this makes the colors and art direction on the show look spectacular. The sound design here is also nice accentuated by the disc’s audio track.
Pie Time: Time for Pie – This is actually a pretty decent feature for this set. Surfing through a series of different pies, you get to see more and more aspects of the production of the show through Featurettes. Director Barry Sonnenfeld is all over this, talking about how he was able to participate in the show, which is obvious when you compare the look of this show to his Addams Family movies.
Trailers
I wish there were more features on this DVD, but the show itself is very, very entertaining. With just enough romance and laughs, this show is as sweet as it is a wonder to look at and I hope there’s a lot more story that this series gets to tell.
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Warner Bros. presents Pushing Daisies – The Complete First Season. Created by Bryan Fuller. Starring Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Kristin Chenoweth, Field Cate. Running time: 379 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: September 16, 2008 . Available at Amazon.
