What if you had the power to bring the dead back life, what would you do with said power and how would you use it? Would you use it to help people or would you just lock yourself away afraid of a lasting human connection. A young man named Ned (Lee Pace in a phenomenal performance) knows this better than anyone does, you see Ned has a special gift with one touch the young pie maker can touch the dead and bring it back to life. Ned has lived a life of solitude as his power has some side effects you see although the pie maker can bring things back to life however, by doing so something of equal life must be took in its place to survive. Therefore, the pie maker has locked himself away in his oddly named pie shop "The Pie Hole" making the pies his mother loved so much. One day a snarky private investigator named Emerson Cod discovers his secret and purposes a deal with the pie maker help him wake the dead to find out who killed and they collect the reward money and split it evenly and by doing so Emerson Cod keeps the pie maker's secret from the rest of the world. After a personal tragedy, the pie maker’s childhood sweetheart Charlotte "Chuck" Charles joins this mismatched sleuth as they solve some of the quirkiest murder mysteries ever conceived. From "Dead Like Me" and "Wonder Falls" creator Bryan Fuller and executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld the director of "The Addams Family", "The Addams Family values", "Men in Black" and "Men in Black II" comes a magical, tragical, fantastical show that is nothing like you have ever seen before or will ever see again these are the stories of "Pushing Daisies".
I have always had an eclectic taste when it comes to what I will watch on T.V. but after 12 years of watching the same shows over and over and over again I have found myself bored with all these police procedural that have graced the small screen over the last 35 years. The most famous are "The Streets of San Francisco"(1972-1977), "NYPD Blue"(1993-2005)," Law & Order" (1990-2010), "C.S.I.” (2000- ) and the list goes on. I have seen so many cop shows that I am all copped out(no pun intended) I want something new, something original, something fresh, stylish, quirky and I have finally found the show that I have been for so long searching for Bryan Fuller's masterwork "Pushing Daisies". "Pushing Daisies" is a stylish, fast paced, intelligent, and ever so quirky tale of an average pie maker with an extraordinary gift. He can bring the dead back to life with just one touch but there is a minor stipulation to his power he can only bring the dead back to life for one minute or else someone or something else of equal life must die in its place. Bryan Fuller has crafted a quick witted show that has elements of police procedural, forensic drama, fairytale and romantic comedy, Fuller blends all these elements together in such a swift and ingenious fashion . Even though the high quirkiness is at times off putting to some the well written fast paced dialogue and lightning fast acting all help set the mood for one of the most original and intriguing shows to ever grace the small screen. "Pushing Daisies" is the show people who prefer great fresh programming have been waiting for; if it were allowed to continue would have become one of TV’s best shows. Sadly after two short seasons this beautiful show meet its end far sooner than it should have mainly due to the fact it isn't "C.S.I." or "Law & Order" this forensic fairytale(as the creator of the show describes it) was scrapped before it had its chance to really prove itself worthy. "Pushing Daisies", If I had known about it while it was on the air, I would have sat down every single Wednesday it was on just to see the misadventures of the eccentric pie maker, his snarky P.I. partner Emerson Cod and the love of his life Charlotte "Chuck" Charles as they investigate idiosyncratic crimes wherever they may lead.
I have always been a fan of Tim Burton and Bryan Fullers masterpiece (I did not really care for "Dead like me") has obviously borrowed from the ideas and visual queues from the famously macabre director. As I was watching this show my mind constantly drifted to the work of Tim Burton the symmetrical sets like the set in the season two episode "Buzzzzzz!” where the windows and the entire building has the look like your inside a bee hive. It reminded me of the Ghost world in Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice"(1986) and the multi color house and quirky characters in ”Edward Scissorhands"(1990) "Pushing Daisies" is like a mishmash of some of Burton's best and peculiar works. This a show for the idiosyncratic, for the people who love there shows strange and beautiful and who love there characters as quirky as the characters in "Twins Peak" than this is the show for you.
I have never heard of Lee Pace he has not done many films for me to catch his name however, after I read an article that named the new cast members who have signed on to the final installment of the hit fantasy/ romance franchise Pace's name was one that was mentioned. So naturally, I had never heard of him so I looked up his previous credits and one of them had been the short-lived television forensic fairytale "Pushing Daisies" from the creator of "Wonder Falls" and "Dead like Me.” So naturally, I started to watch the show and I, from the very first episode, fell head over heels in love with this fantasy, comedy-drama mystery series that takes the standard formula of the A-typical police drama and puts a completely new spin on the genre and gave us some of the most lovable characters you will ever watch. Lee Pace's performance as the eccentric closed off pie maker Ned (no last name is ever given) is a mixture of nervousness, awkward shyness, intelligence and great baking skills. Pace plays Ned as a man who closed off due to his strange and fantastical gift and the pain it has caused him during his life, now Ned is using his gift to help others get justice in there deaths. Pace is the perfectly cast as the pie maker he is able to keep up with the fast-paced dialogue by Bryan Fuller Pace gives Ned the kind of every man quality that is admirable in a protagonist. But Ned is not like other protagonist he is a slightly awkward fellow who only feels at home when he is baking pies in his little pie shop "The Pie Hole" with his loyal waitress Olive Snook(played with great comedic wit by Kristen Chenoweth) who is secretly, deeply in love with the affectionate disconnected pie maker. Pace this is a glorious breakout performance for this highly talented young actor who proves with each episode of this highly inventive show that he has the right stuff to be a real movie star and not a T.V. star. In "Pushing Daisies" Pace shows, that he is going to be around for a very long time if he chooses his projects well. The rest of the cast including Chi McBride, Anna Friel, Kristen Chenoweth, Field Cate, Ellen Greene, and Swoosie Kurtz all deliver stellar supporting performances in this magical, fantastical show that was killed before its time.
"Pushing Daisies" is not the show for everyone mainly due to its fast-paced dialogue, quirky characters, and its heavy black humor this show had a hard time establishing a lasting following. However, it has found the audience after it has been taken off the air that could have saved it when it running. This is a glorious triumphant of the imagination and true creativity that shines brighter and stronger than any of these standard police procedural that have seemed to last longer than really, truly original shows like this stroke of genius. "Pushing Daisies" is the show that should have more seasons it should have out ran "Grey's Anatomy"(Which I hate), this is one of the show for people who would never be caught dead watching a police procedural.
