Pushing Daisies' second season is pretty much an extension of the first, with the two seasons adding together to a standard 22-episode season. As a result, Season 2 isn't a massive improvement over the first, but it does a lot to refine the show's storytelling.
Season 2 of Pushing Daisies continues many of the plot threads left off by the first season, along with adding a few more. Arguably the main focus is on the reveal that Lily was Chuck's mom all along, and more and more people end up finding out throughout the season culminating in Chuck finally revealing herself to her mom in the finale. There are some other really compelling storylines though, like the mysterious Dwight Dixon, Emerson looking for his lost daughter, and Ned meeting his twin half-brothers. Multiple episodes are devoted to these storylines at a time, and I think this arc-based structure worked really well for the season. None of the storylines gain focus for more than three episodes at a time, so nothing ever feels drawn out. The only subplot I didn't quite love was the one about Olive being sent to the nunnery, but even that gets resolved fairly early on in the season.
Similarly to last season, the quality of most of Season 2's episodes is really strong. As a matter of fact, I don't think there are any downright bad episodes in the whole series, let alone just this season. The same high production values, likable characters, and sharp writing have also been left intact from the first season. While my criticism about predictable cases of the week still stands, the season does do a better job of adding some variety by including episodes that focus on characters aside from Ned and Chuck. Emerson and Olive, in particular, get at least two episodes focused on them, all of which are really enjoyable. Since Pushing Daisies was cancelled during this season, I do have to point out that the ending isn't perfect. Plenty of story threads like Ned's father, Charles being on the run, and Olive not knowing about Ned's power are left unresolved. Others are hurridly resolved in a fairly rushed montage at the end of the final episode. While I can't blame the writers for this, I can't lie and say this season wasn't pretty unsatisfying.
While all of the episodes are at least good, there are some big high points:
Bzzzzzzzzz!: This was already a fun premiere with a lot of strong dramatic beats (Olive's outburst, Ned's father appearing, Chuck moving out), some of the show's coolest set design (the honeycomb offices), and hysterical Sound Of Music reference thanks to Kristin Chenoweth. However, as someone who's terrified of bees, I will always remember this as one of the scariest episodes of TV I've ever seen.
Comfort Food: Easily the high point of Pushing Daisies, this episode is both a massive shift to the status quo and a genuinely fun episodic story. Story-wise, Dwight Dixon dies, Chuck's dad is alive, and the episode ends with Ned finding out. For the rest of the episode, Ned and Olive participating in a bake-off is a ton of fun and adds some levity to the episode.
The Norwegians: While many of its big twists don't quite get paid off by the end of the season, this was definitely one of the craziest episodes of the series, revealing that Ned's father helped him out, and might know more than he seems. This episode also had one of the better cases of the week, with the Norwegian investigators being a ton of fun to watch.
Kerplunk: Outside of that fairly rushed final montage, I did like Kerplunk as a stopping point for the series, as it does end Lily and Vivian's story on a really strong note. By the end of the episode, all of their secrets are finally out, and that final scene where Chuck reveals she's alive was fantastic.
Overall, the second season of Pushing Daisies improves on the story structure and has higher high points, while maintaining the things that the first season did great too. If only the show didn't cancelled, not only so we could have more of it, but also so that we wouldn't get so many loose ends.
4/5 Stars
Favorite Episode: Comfort Food
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