Pushing Daisies (TV Series) Window Dressed to Kill (2009) User Reviews

It's Richard Benjamin and George Segal!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 29 May 2011]

Boy was I surprised when early in this episode Richard Benjamin and George Segal stepped into the show. As both have only rarely been seen since about 1980, it was very nice to see them again--very familiar faces from my childhood.

Well, it turned out these two men had been accidentally sent to prison many years before--for kidnapping Olive when she was a girl. All they actually did was find a lost kid and bring her home but Olives neglectful parents reported them as kidnappers to hide their own bad parenting...as they never even noticed that their child had run off some time ago! Nice, huh? This week's murder concerns some murdered window dressers. However, as Ned is sick of the complications that arise when he revives the dead, he quits Emerson's business. But Chuck is game and she and Emerson investigate.

As for Ned, apparently Olive has told her two kidnapper friends that she and Ned are in love. And, in an odd twist, Ned agrees to pretend to be her fiancé to help her save face. However, Olive takes advantage of this and begins telling others (such as Chuck's aunts) they are engaged. But when the truth is revealed, Ned's new friend Randy(David Arquette) is thrilled, as he's obviously in love with Olive...but too shy to tell her.

So how does all this end? See the episode yourself to see. Well written and funny, this one is a bit better than average.

Emerson and Chuck solve a case without Ned

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 5 March 2012]

The flashback at the beginning of this episode features an incident from Olive's past; one day, fed up of being ignored by her parents, she decided to run away and hopped into the back seat of a car that was being stolen at the time. When the two thieves returned Olive to her parents they found themselves accused of kidnap and jailed. Back in the present day they escape from prison and head to The Pie Hole to pay a visit to Olive Snook. They aren't seeking revenge though; Olive had written to then during their long stay in prison and they consider her a friend. There are some complications though; Olive had claimed to be in a relationship with Ned and can't bring herself to tell them she had lied. The situation escalates when they have to seek the help of Lily and Vivian and they believe the story about Olive and Ned's engagement! While this is going on Emerson is investigating the death of one of the window dressers from the local department store; the police believe it was an accident but Emerson and Chuck aren't so sure. When they see her latest window display they are certain it was foul play; it looks just like her murder scene. Her murder won't be the last and as is often the case there are plenty of suspects and they can't just ask the victim as Ned is retired from the resurrection business... for the time being.

The series is sadly approaching its conclusion but the episodes remain a lot of fun; guest stars Richard Benjamin and George Segal did a fine job as the two 'kidnappers' and it was nice to see David Arquette return as the taxidermist with a soft spot for Olive, Randy Mann. The story of the kidnappers escape was a lot of fun; it even involved a rampaged rhinoceros! The murder was of the type I've come to expect in 'Pushing Daisies' but the investigation was somewhat different as Emerson had to rely on his old detective skills rather than Ned's abilities. Fans of Olive's singing will be happy to hear Kristin Chenoweth's rendition of Lionel Richie's 'Hello' (is it me you're looking for); she does a great job. The episode does have a romantic conclusion but if you want to know who it involves you will just have to watch it as I'm not going to spoil it!