R.I.P.

I know it’s late, but better late than never.

Funeral Home 2: The Big Secret (well, not the biggest secret)

Seriously, what does Emerson Cod have against Chuck?  Are they splitting the reward money three ways now?  They haven’t mentioned it since the first episode, so I am left to think that the reason Emerson doesn’t want Chuck around is because he’s getting less money now.  I like Emerson, but I don’t like the way he just spilled Ned’s secrets about what happens when he lets someone live for more than a minute.  It wasn’t his place to share that information, and he should have let Ned do it his own way, on his own time.  If Emerson was trying to sabotage Ned and Chuck’s relationship, he’s going to have to do better than that.  At first, Chuck seemed disgusted that someone had to die so that she could live, but we all knew that she couldn’t be upset with Ned for long.  He is after all, her knight in shining armor. 

Tonight’s episode featured a revisit to the funeral home in Coeur d’ Coeurs where Ned brought Chuck back to life.  It turns out the stealing funeral director has a twin brother who has hired Emerson Cod to track down his brother’s killer.  He believes it was a murder due to the thousands of death threats they received after it was discovered that his brother had been stealing from the dead.  Emerson takes the case as a way to ensure that no one else investigates the case and uncovers that Ned was somehow involved in the death of the funeral director.  This case is how Chuck becomes aware of what happens when Ned brings someone back to life and lets them live for more than one minute, and the resultant effects.  Ned tries to justify his actions by saying that the funeral director was a thief anyway, so things worked out well.  The truth is that Ned acted selfishly, and in the moment he decided to let her live for more than one minute, he had no idea who would die as a result.  Worse than that, he didn’t care.  After saying all of that, I guess it is natural for Emerson to still be angry at Ned for being so careless, especially since he was in proximity (bitch!). 

Later in the episode, there’s a real murder mystery to solve.  The funeral director’s brother turns  up dead in Ned’s freezer at the Pie Hole.  While Ned and company go to the funeral to do some investigating, Olive goes to Coeur d’ Coeurs to deliver a pie that is out of the delivery area (out of the goodness of her heart or her devotion to Ned).  The pie that she delivers was made by Chuck for her aunts in an effort to bring happiness back into their lives (with the help of some “happy medicine” from a traveling salesman with a crush on Olive).  Olive delivers the pie not knowing that the strange women who live there are Chuck’s aunts.  While Chuck’s aunts are talking, Olive puts it all together, but does not tell them their niece is still alive.  She appears to be saving this information for a better time.  She will probably use this information in an effort to turn Ned against Chuck, but won’t she be surprised when she realizes that Ned had a major part in Chuck being alive?!  (Side Note: I wonder if gruyère cheese actually tastes good on a fruit pie)

The episode closes with Ned inadvertently finding all the items the funeral director (and his brother–they were in on it together) stole behind a massive red curtain.  I’m not sure  if the funeral director’s brother was actually murdered or if he really did die because he choked on a tongue.  It doesn’t matter though because in the end something far more important happened.  Chuck learned a secret that Ned was keeping from her and was able to get over it.  This secret is a small matter though, when compared to the biggest secret Ned has.  I am hoping that Ned will tell her before she finds out for herself.   

A Dandy Episode

Before I get to last night’s episode of Pushing Daisies, I have to say that I am going to refer to refrigerators as cheeseboxes from now on.  This show is full of little things that if you don’t pay attention, you could miss the humor.  I love that about this show because I am paying attention!  It’s not one of those shows that you can watch while really doing anything else because then it won’t be as silly and fun as it is supposed to be. 

Last night’s episode was about solving the mystery of how the automative safety specialist, Bernard, died.  With the death being reported as a hit and run, Ned, Emerson, and Chuck (a new member of the team despite strong opposition from Emerson) hope to find out from Bernard details about the car that hit him.  Their minute is mostly used by Chuck’s chatter with Bernard, but they do manage to find out that it wasn’t a hit and run.  Bernard said he was killed by a crash test dummy.  Say what?  Back at the Pie Hole, the team strategizes and decides to visit the car company where Bernard worked.  The car company is just about to release the most cutting edge, environmentally friendly car ever–a car that runs on dandelions, the Dandy Lion SX.  During what appears to be a press event, the Chuck finds a secret door that leads into a room of crash test dummies that are hanging from hooks.  It reminded me of the scene in I, Robot, where all the robots were lined up.  The interesting thing about the dummies is that one dummy doesn’t have a face or clothes.  Going slightly off topic, I like the dynamic that Chuck brings to the team.  Before it seemed to be all business for Emerson.  Raise the dead, ask them what happened, then un-raise the dead.  Chuck brings humanity to the situation.  It’s not just about rewards and money, but about doing something good by bringing people to justice and giving people closure–dead or otherwise.  I like that she asks the corpse personal questions and has a conversation with them.  Sure, they don’t have alot of time to ask their questions, but it’s nice that she cares enough to even ask personal questions that have nothing to do with how they died. 

Meanwhile, Olive is feeling jealous and lonely because Ned is spending all of his time with the mysterious new girl, Chuck.  She wonders if Ned ever touches her or if he is just as cold with Chuck.  My only complaint about last night’s episode and the show in general is Olive.  In terms of last night, I really didn’t care for her breaking into a rendition of “Hopelessly Devoted.”  I also don’t think she brings anything to the show.   I find her character to be pointless and boring.  Anyway, while Olive is singing about her loneliness, Chuck, Emerson, and Ned break into the car factory after hours where they meet Janine who turns out to be Bernard’s girlfriend (kind of).  She describes how they met and grew closer and then how suddenly Bernard became distant.  He would go out for mysterious drives at night.  In exchange for some of Ned’s wonderful pie, she agrees to lead the gang to the place Bernard was going, but on the way her car blows up.  At this point I thought she would be dead, but she is actually alive and well enough to talk.  She tells them about the big hole full of bodies.  It turns out that Mark Chase, the CEO of Dandy Lion cars, knew that the Dandy Lion SX was not a safe car.  If the car goes over 70MPH with the headlights on, the radio starts to short circuit, and the car will blow up.  Bernard figures this out, and in order to keep him from saying anything Mark Chase, kills him dressed up as a crash test dummy.  Mark Chase kidnaps Ned, Emerson, and Chuck and is about to kill them the same way he killed Bernard (by making it look like a hit and run accident), but Emerson manages to break out of the body bags they are being held in with one of his knitting needles.  Apparently, Emerson likes to knit his own clothing–vest, gun holsters, etc.  They drive off in the car, not knowing that if they go over 70 MPH with the headlights on, they’ll blow up.  Luckily, Olive is out walking Digby in the middle of the street, and Ned has to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting her.  I guess Olive did have a point last night.  She unknowingly saved everyone’s lives!  Mark Chase (who ironically drives a Hummer) is arrested by the authorities. 

I’m not sure how long Ned and Chuck can go on not touching each other.  They have such obvious chemistry.  It’s so painful watching them long to be with one another under such unfortunate circumstances.  It was bittersweet seeing the little things Ned did to his car so that Chuck could right shotgun.  Yes, Chuck can now ride shotgun without accidentally touching Ned, but is that how they’re going to have to live?  How long can they live a life together in which they can’t touch?  How long before each turns to another for comfort? 

shut your pie hole

actually, don’t shut your pie hole, ned.  you must keep the pie hole in business for eternity.  pushing daisies is the breath of fresh air we’ve been waiting for after a slew of lackluster series premieres (i.e. gossip girl, chuck, private practice).  i noticed that a lot of shows these days are procedural cop shows (thanks dr. kelso) or some other type of investigative show (all of the godforsaken CSI’s, Cold Case, the maddeningly popular Law & Order shows).  I just named about 7 separate tv shows that all have the same formula.  grisly murders and crimes get investigated and solved in one neat episode.  perhaps there might be a multiple episode story arc, but that’s as much as they’ll deviate from the plan.  also, none of the shows explore the main characters in any real detail.  their personal lives remain a mystery that is never solved.  i like when shows mix elements of mystery, case-solving, and character development.  veronica mars is/was the perfect example of a show that blended all of these things to create a show that viewers could really get into.  i am getting off topic now though–this is supposed to be about pushing daisies.  i’ll save my veronica mars cancellation diatribe for another time.  back to character development and why pushing daisies is far superior to existing case-solving shows–ned, the pie maker (played by the charming lee pace from the equally charming wonderfalls) and his partner emerson cod (chi mcbride) have a neat little crime solving partnership.  they solve murders using ned’s ability to bring the dead back with his touch and then collect the reward money.  i don’t know why ned really needs emerson cod, but i don’t really care.  emerson cod provides some dialogue that seems a bit out of place (“i was in proximity, bitch!”) for a show narrated by Jim Dale about a lonely pie maker and the quirky town of Coeur d’ Coeurs, but that’s what makes him funny.  plus, he’s ned’s only real friend in all of this.  his next door neighbor, olive (kristin chenowith) doesn’t really count.  i’ll wait to see more of the show before i pass judgment on her.  well, i’ll just say that her character is annoyingly persistent and desperate.

things get dicey when ned saves the girl next door–literally.  charlotte “chuck” charles (anna friel) is murdered on a cruise ship (strangled by a paper bag with a smiley face to be exact) and thrown overboard because she was transporting some monkey figurines somewhere (i must have missed it, but it doesn’t matter).  it turns out that chuck is ned’s neighbor, and they loved each other as kids.  well, he loved her anyway, but i think the feeling was at least half mutual.  ned brings chuck back to life to ask her who murdered her, but she was attacked from behind and thus does not know who the murderer is.  this is the point where ned is supposed to touch the victim again to return them to their state of death.  if the victim remains alive for more than a minute, someone in close proximity will die as a result.  we all know that ned doesn’t touch chuck again, and so now she’s alive for good.  as a consequence, the funeral director dies.  it’s ok though–he was stealing the personal effects of the dead, so he deserved it!  chuck reminds me of amelie except not at all creepy (i think i am the only person who found amelie to be creepy).  she’s offbeat and has aunts who are, at the very least, offbeat. 

i look forward to seeing the relationship develop between ned and chuck and ned and his adorable dog!  relationships and developed characters are the things that true good shows are made of.  Those formulaic shows about crime solving are a waste of time.  if i wanted to see crime, i’d turn on the news.