Pie-lette

You'll never bake a pie the same way again. Pushing Daisies pilot was as refreshing as the first days of spring. Visually fantastic and full of creative ideas it should remind you of Tim Burton's films and all these twisted productions that break the established rules. The male protagonist ability reminded me of Six Feet Under and of course Carnivàle as he can bring people back to life. But every alchemical gift comes with after effects and Pie-lette covered these issues. From the boy to the man we witnessed Ned growing up and learning how to use its unique ability. He should quickly grow on you as the actors, playing the young and adult Neds, did a good job at portraying a quite authentic and friendly character.

But of course a man's story would be boring without its princess, Chuck. Their relationship is a fairy tale with its lot of happy and sad moments. Life can be cruel and they experienced it when they were still children. In some way it prevented them from becoming normal adults but instead of letting their trauma gets the best of them, they instead chose to just live and not let their fear destroy them. In some way Ned and Chuck's story reminded me of Lolita because when you're in love at ten years old, right before becoming a teenager, and that you're brutally separated then it's harder to grow up. You tend to live in the past, trying to catch up everyday and forgetting to live in the present. So the episode had that naive vibe that only made the characters even more likable. Thirty something years old adults trapped in children bodies ? Maybe and Ned's curse made their relationship even more dramatic. There was even something Shakespearian about it. So if you're a romantic you should definitely fall in love with them and be touched by their exciting adventure. If your heart is a paper rock then Pushing Daisies should soften its structure and progressively turn it into a… pie ?

Strawberry pie. Apple pie. Kiwi pie ! You name it as that world is full of vivid colors and filmed with surprising camera angles. In fact some scenes are so well directed and designed that they almost look like animated paintings. From the decorative patterns in the restaurant to the digital visual effects Pie-lette felt like a surrealistic journey in a land where the time has stopped and only life matters. Of course the acting could be better and I'm not sure the cast was well done but overall nothing should prevent you from diving into such a fruity pool. Last but not least even if the format is obviously episodic, because of the on-going investigations, Chuck & Ned love story is intriguing and charming enough to convince anyone to follow them anywhere.

There are very few, if any, romantic things about death, unless of course you're in a Tim Burton movie (The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride come to mind). Any mention of the brilliant visionary filmmaker isn't coincidental at all, given ABC's comedy/drama Pushing Daisies looks and feels a lot like his best pictures: it's romantic, it's darkly funny and it tells the quirky story of an outsider.

The outsider is Ned (Lee Pace), a pie-maker with the most unique gift: he can revive dead people with one simple touch. However, as the deadpan, Burtonian narrator (Jim Dale) informs us, there are two caveats regarding his gift: firstly, if the revived person or animal stays alive for more than a minute, someone nearby will have to die as compensation (some "cosmic balance" nonsense); plus, and this is even worse, if he touches the resurrected ones a second time, they will die forever (which is what happened to his mother). Because of this, he lives alone with his dog Digby, whom he can't touch, and stays away from social contacts, investing all his energies in pie-making.

Well, not really: ever since a P.I. named Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) found out about his abilities, the two make money by bringing back murder victims for a minute and finding out who killed them. The morbid partnership is threatened, though, when Ned's childhood love Charlotte "Chuck" Charles (Anna Friel) is killed and he decides to keep her around. Meanwhile, Ned's employee Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth) tries to find out how to win the lonely pie-maker's heart.

The main attraction of the pilot, apart from the admittedly twisted premise, is its visual side: in the hands of Barry Sonnenfeld, who had his fair share of black comedy experience with The Addams Family, Pie-lette is a poem in pictures, with dashing colors, deliberately exaggerated lighting and outlandish, out-of-time locations (again, pure Burton). It's a welcome return to form after the hit-and-miss Men in Black II, and the Emmy he won for directing the episode is abundant proof the producers' faith in him was well placed. Paired with Bryan Fuller's wonderful script (originally planned as a spin-off of the ill-fated Showtime series Dead Like Me), his artistic eye is vital in setting Pushing Daisies apart from, say, Desperate Housewives (since we're talking about dark comedies, the comparison is justified).

Cast-wise, it's like 95% of America's TV productions: absolutely perfect. Placing two unknowns in the leading roles (as a matter of fact, Friel isn't even American) makes it easier to root for them, and as far as on-screen chemistry goes, few things can beat the platonic combination of Pace's quirky likability and Friel's earthy charm. For the laughs, on the other hand, look no further than McBride (best known for more serious parts in Boston Public and House M.D.) and Chenoweth (who did a marvelous job on The West Wing), especially when they're together.

So, terrific writing, beautiful visuals, lots of irony and a cast to die for (pun intended). What's not to love?

Barry Sonnenfeld was the right director to helm the opening of Pushing Daisies, an original mystery/comedy yarn about a pie-maker named Ned (Lee Pace) who can bring a person back to life with a touch, but there's a catch, more than one, in scheme of things. It's also about a childhood friendship that went awry, and the mending of it years later as he redeems himself (albeit, sadly, without the "emotional Heimlich maneuvers" let alone a kiss between the two, the girl 'Chuck' played by Anna Friel). It's just the perfect kind of light and frothy texture, with visually vibrant exteriors and sets and production design (the opening field reminds one of the field that Van Gogh painted once, to get all artsy). But at the same time it has a kind of stinging wit to it at times, where the actors know how silly this all is, but play it straight. It's not laugh-a-minute ala the Office or cynical like House, but it's got a ring to it that's just there. The "Umph" people talk about with certain projects is here right off the bat.

Aside from the chemistry the stars have (i.e. in the scene talking about the euphemism for hugs), as well as funny supporting work (Chi McBride, who's always good for a 'what the hell' look without straining himself, and Kristin Chenowith who's adorably odd), it's strangely fable-like even as it has its feet set firmly in the ground of the 21st century. And at the same time there's a structure set up to it: there will be crimes solved each week, as the dead (hopefully in one minute's time) will give their input on a certain huge decision in their lives, the end of such. It plays freely with the unexpected while set in a near storybook narrative (Jim Dale's narrator veers into this being like some bedtime story spiked with existential mania). Now, it won't be for everyone; it almost veers into being showy with its dialog, with the wit put on and on and the incidents so bizarre in their comedy (i.e. 'there's a truck on fire, run gravediggers, come on out of that coffin honey'). It's concept, to be sure, needs a big suspension of disbelief.

Yet Pushing Daisies is one thing most network TV shows aren't: fresh in irony, strong in character, and extremely, unexpectedly funny. It also helps that, for a TV show, it's got terrific direction and visual POP to it. Can't wait for more episodes!

Ned, the handsome quirky man, and chuck, the adorable charming girl with a smile that forecasts sunshine, have such onscreen chemistry already seen in this pilot that I bought right into it. The build up for the first kiss is painful because you feel it at one point but when you write an incredible plot the two star crossed lovers can never touch escher other.

Since this show came out in 2007, its likely you've heard all about it! You most likely heard about the criminal cancellation that ABC committed in terminating this show created by Bryan fuller that at time feel like Tim burton is directing too.

One touch give you life, a second death. That's Neds life not the synopsis of the 40 year old virgin. It's a brilliant concept and its captured and executed brilliantly in this pilot that you immediately fall in love with this world filled with colors put of this world and a sense of warmness like the pies that Ned makes.

I've finally made my way to pushing daises in 2018 and it's incredible and I can already see myself loving it and the characters, especially the relationship between Emerson and Ned and chuck and ned. This is casted superbly! At the time two unknowns were even better. Lee pace fits the bill for a man that's goodlooking and quirky.

I'm probably the only person who hasnt seen this show but if you're debating, the hype surrounding how good it was is totally real! Just give it one episode and you'll be convinced.