I wanted to like Pushing Daisies a lot more than I did, but I’m not giving up on it, either.
I’m committed myself to at least six episodes, though my gut tells me that there’s no way this show lasts that long before ABC pulls the plug. Reports that the network is already demanding the kinds of budget cuts that could end up neutering the show’s distinctive visual style are also not encouraging, as this is the kind of series that is desperately going to need an unusual palette to succeed.
One of the first things that strikes me is that 8:00 p.m. (7:00 for you midwesterners) is a really odd timeslot for a show like this, mired in death and violence, however stylized. In this first episode we witness at least three natual and two violent onscreen deaths, including a man getting a shotgun in the chest from Swoosie Kurtz. We also get several additional murder victims, including suffocated women with bags over their heads and a man whose face has been partially devoured by a dog attack. This is a bit much for the family hour. It’s difficult enough to imagine how this show got on the air in the first place, but trying to make sense of its early evening placement on top of that is enough to make your head spin.
I don’t want to be overly critical, however, as there were many aspects of the show that I enjoyed, and I’m particularly eager to see how it’s going to be structured in future episodes. I’m hoping that there’s more to it than the murder-solving conceit, because it’s just not that interesting to me. From a glance at TV.com’s episode guide for the show, future plotlines look set to explore more backstory and interpersonal dynamics, and that’s an encouraging sign.
What I’m not entirely sold on so far is the overall tone of the series, which is a bit more twee and reserved than I usually prefer. When presented with inherently emotional stories, I prefer an approach of earnest sincerity over irony, and the detached attitude toward death and dying exhibited in the pilot are an acquired taste. To be fair, stylizing to the point of emotional detachment is probably the only way you’re going to get away with a program so steeped in death during the family hour. Plus, it’s an interesting reflection of the main character’s own dilemma. Assuming that his experiences with the resurrected Chuck will eventually teach him how to emotionally engage with the world again, perhaps the long term plan of the show is to gradually deepen the heart of the presentation. That could certainly be interesting.
Lee Pace gives a solid performance. Bryan Fuller fans will remember him as the brother on the much-lamented Wonderfalls. He plays a much different sort of character here, and it’s a credit to the actor that he’s able to make such disparate types come to life to the extent that he does. The first time I heard of Lee Pace was when he was let go from the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts just a few days before he was to open in the lead role in Philadelphia, Here I Come back in 2001. When something like that happens, it doesn’t seem likely that the actor will be able to rebound as well as Pace has, but that’s what has happened, and his solid work on both Wonderfalls and in the Pushing Daisies pilot testifies on his behalf.
Anna Friel also does a nice job as the alive again Chuck. She brings a sweetness and light to the proceedings that remind everyone once again how important it is to be positive and how much better happy people make the world. Spending not a moment of Pushing Daisies in self-pity over her lot in life or her inability to touch Ned, she shines onscreen whilst even managing to maintain an ever so slight edge and sense of adventure that is infectious.
And then, Chi McBride’s opportunist detective Emerson Cod steals the show, providing dry cynicism to contrast the airiness of the rest of the show, keeping the romp from detaching entirely and floating off into its own idiosyncratic ether. He, Pace and Friel make a really interesting team together, and Pushing Daisies has just enough of an edge to it that makes you wonder whether the three of them will be able to keep working together without someone eventually trying to stab somebody else in the back, albeit not literally. Maybe. Or maybe not? Who knows? Probably not, but, again, that’s the kind of unusual chemistry that helps make something really stand out.
So I’m looking forwad to seeing where this might go, but pretty pessimistic about its chances for sucess. If this thing is still on the air by December, I’ll be amazed.
And that’s my take. Now you!
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