I want to make something very clear: Pushing Daisies is not the greatest television show of all time. It is certainly not perfect, containing a few flaws that are somewhat concerning even. However, the reason for the critical and internet buzz surrounding the series is simple: out of this year’s crop of new shows, Pushing Daisies is the only one that approaches a level of imagination and potential worth talking about.
The story of Ned is simple: he can bring things back to life with his touch. Unfortunately, if he touches them again, they die for good. And, if they stay alive for more than one minute, someone else has to die in their place. He uses this ability to solve crimes, but one day finds a more pressing reason: resurrecting his long lost love. The scenario that follows is charming, engaging, and by far the best pilot of the year (Cultural Learnings’ Review).
I know that there might even be a level of critical backlash against the show for how much time critics spend talking about it, so in deciding the reasons to watch the series I am going to ignore the standard critical lauds in favour of some of the show’s simpler and more relative aspects. These are the six reasons why, tonight at 8pm on ABC, you should seat your butts in front of your television and be transported into the land of Pushing Daisies.
6. Digby/Orbit the Dog
I’m a sucker for a golden retriever under normal circumstances, but Digby (Stunningly portrayed by Orbit the Dog) is another breed altogether. Resurrected by Ned when he first discovered his powers to bring people back to life, he is only ever petted with a hand on a stick and by those around him. Rescued from tragedy, has he not reemerged into a torturous life? This complex character is by far a highlight of the pilot.
5. Mmmm…Pie…
There’s a reason that the show’s premiere features the overly cute title of “Pie-lette”; it’s because of the near food pornography present within the series. If you have a taste for pastry, the show is sure to delight your senses with its three-plum and rhubarb delights. They might be Ned’s obsession, but pies are visual and sensual delights: we need Smell-o-vision. And I don’t even LIKE pie.
4. Emerson/Ned: Buddy Comedy at its Finest
The young pie maker removed from the real world and the cynical private eye who wants to take advantage of him: Ned and Emerson are a team worth watching, and a team with a great deal of potential. Much like Bryan Fuller’s Dead Like Me, the relationship between these twisted crime-solvers is a great presentation of human interaction.
Over the weekend, online pirates were pleased to see that the flood was beginning: torrent sites across the internet began posting leaked screener copies of the 2007 pilots from FOX’s much-discussed Terminator spinoff Sarah Connor Chronicles (Pictured) to ABC’s buzz-worthy drama Pushing Daisies. I can only speculate, but I imagine that some people at the networks might be upset to see this. However, part of me really hopes that there is a certain number of employees who realize that these pilots leaking onto the internet is not the end of the world. In fact, it might be the best thing that happened to these shows. And the networks should have been putting them online themselves.
Cultural Learnings 