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Pushing Daisies 1.9: "Corpsicle" |
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Wednesday, 12 December 2007 |
By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
While other new shows have struggled this season, particularly in terms of adjustment to the writers’ strike, “Pushing Daisies” seemed to be designed to take advantage of the limited opportunities for storytelling. This series only had nine episodes worth of material ready before the strike, but those episodes tell a relatively complete story (thanks to some revisions to this episode’s script). With renewal already in hand (meaning at least one more season, if the strike kills the rest of this season), it was important to end the season on a strong footing.
Several story arcs come to fruition in this episode. First and foremost, Chuck comes to terms with the fact that Ned’s ability led to the death of her father. In her grief, she is tempted by the possibility of sharing the details of her resurrection with someone else. But she soon comes to the conclusion that disclosure is not the right decision, and while she still feels isolated, she knows that Ned is there for her. In other words, in small measure, love conquers all.
The culmination of the “herbal pie enhancement” plot thread leads to a far more stunning revelation: Aunt Lily is Chuck’s real mother. This puts Olive in an interesting position. Olive continues to believe that Chuck is simply faking her death. She may be tempted by this new information to say something to Chuck, or worse, to say something to the Darling Mermaid Darlings about Chuck and her non-dead status. Whatever the case, it leaves Olive in an interesting position.
It is also revealed that Emerson has a daughter. This brings additional dimension to Emerson’s character (beyond the fascination with knitting and pop-up books), and also adds to the potential for future character and plot development. Emerson brings a constant stream of sarcastic wit to the series, which is a nice foil to the Ned/Chuck sweetness, but this could increase the complexity of Emerson’s portrayal.
The case in this episode was entertaining, particularly the deeply cynical comments throughout the story, but the real action was the character exploration. In short order, the writers have created four characters with enough depth and personality to make us care about their relationships. Hopefully the show will return soon enough to keep those elements fresh and exciting. |
