Pushing Daisies tends to be held up in the same leagues as shows like Firefly that were cancelled way too early. Now that I've seen its truncated first season, I can agree. This show should've gone on way longer.
Pushing Daisies's premise is pretty well-known at this point. A piemaker named Ned can bring people back from the dead, but only for a minute or else someone else dies. He brings back his childhood sweetheart Chuck for more than a minute, but he can't touch her or else she'll die again. With her and his business partner Emerson, they team up solve crimes by using Ned's power to interrogate people. It's a really clever high concept premise that does a good job of exploring how people (particularly a couple) connect, and it's incredibly heartwarming to watch Ned and Chuck find ways to show affection without physically touching. Pushing Daisies is mostly a procedural, though with a lot of subplots involving secrets that the characters keep from each other (Ned killed Chuck's father, Chuck's aunts don't know she's alive, Ned's coworker Olive doesn't know of his powers). If you've seen my Anohana review, you'd know I normally don't like these sorts of secret-heavy storylines, but lying and the toll of keeping secrets is a major theme of Pushing Daisies, so I think it mostly works here. As for the episodic stories, I think they're pretty solid, especially for a first season (even shows like Psych and Person Of Interest have a shaky start). However, the reveal of the murderer tends to be pretty predictable a lot of the time.
Right from the first scene, the tone that Pushing Daisies goes for is incredibly distinct. It's a quirky vibe not quite unlike Amelie, Paddington, and many of Tim Burton's films. The set design is colorful and cartoonish, Olive frequently breaks out into song and dance, the camerawork is exaggerated, and each episode is narrated not unlike a fairy tale. This much concentrated whimsy could feel incredibly forced, but Pushing Daisies pulls it off with impressive sincerity and confidence, not to mention just how movie-quality so much of the series feels. It helps that as weird as Pushing Daisies is, the characters are still incredibly fleshed out and interesting. I genuinely like a lot of these characters (especially the more grounded Emerson, who does a good job of balancing out the tone), and the sharp writing and witty dialogue makes seeing them interact a treat. The series gives me some serious "Spaced" vibes, which is absolutely a good thing. My only real issue with the show's presentation is the music, which plays the same dramatic theme every time something heartwarming or romantic happens, and it got old so fast.
Even with only nine episodes, this season definitely had its highlights:
Pie-Lette: The best pilot episodes can feel more like a movie than any other episode of TV, as they pretty much have to introduce the premise, bring together the cast, and send them on their first adventure. Pie-Lette ranks up with Lost and Justified as one of the strongest pilots I've seen, showing off a ridiculous amount of confidence in the tone, dialogue, and visuals right from the very beginning. It accomplishes so much in such a short time while telling a complete story that makes you want to see more from the cast. Production-wise and structure-wise, it feels like a movie, which is why it left me so excited to be able to get the chance to see what happens next.
Bitter Sweets: This packed episode did a great job of heightening the stakes for what ended up being the season finale. I especially love the fun pie shop war with the Balsams, but there's also Ned being in prison, Olive realizing she might like Alfredo, and biggest of all, Ned finally telling Chuck he killed her father. The finale wasn't quite as good as this episode, though I did like the reveal about Lily being Chuck's mom.
Overall, as short as it is, I've really enjoyed Pushing Daisies's first season. The whimsical presentation drew me in, but the sharp writing and likable characters kept me engaged. The show still has plenty of room to grow in its storytelling, though, and it pains me that I only have thirteen episodes of it left.
4/5 Stars
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