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Talk Back: "Pushing Daisies" Season Premiere

I don't know about you but I was just buzzing with delight at having ABC's Pushing Daisies back on the air.

While you can read my advance review of the first three episodes of Pushing Daisies' second season, now that you've all gotten to see the buzzworthy season opener, I thought we could chat a little bit more about this delicious series.

I absolutely loved last night's episode ("Bzzzzzzzzz"), which saw Chuck going undercover at a honey-based cosmetics company following the death of the company's latest spokesmodel Kentucky Fizz (Autumn Reeser) and dealing with fallout from the Season One finale in which she asked Ned to resurrect her late father (who died as a result of Young Ned bringing his mother back to life). And how heartbroken was the Pie Maker when Chuck said that she wanted to move out of their apartment (how adorable were their little bell-adorned slippers) and into Olive's vacant one? You could literally see Lee Pace's heart breaking though I was very happy that he put his own feelings aside to create a new home for Chuck, complete with all of her books, childhood furniture, and even her special pillow. (Loved how Vivian thought it would be filled with all sorts of microbial nasties.)

As for Olive, I am loving that Lily was able to place her in a convent somewhere in some very Alp-like mountains which enabled series creator Bryan Fuller to indulge in a very apt Sound of Music homage... though with the other nuns shushing little Olive Snook. And Fuller was able to work with his former Wonderfalls co-star Diana Scarwid, who turns up here as the haughty Mother Superior, who has a particular disinterest in Olive or her luggage. (Loved how Olive thought that a porter was coming for her things, rather than the, er, poor.)

All this and delightful guest star turns from Missi Pyle and French Stewart as warring heads of the honey company? And a bee man who spits a plastic-encased queen bee at his victims? Classic Daisies madcapery.

One of my favorite lines of the evening: "Chuck, I knew this was dangerous. Just because you're alive again doesn’t mean you can’t be dead again. There’s a reason I don’t let Digby play in traffic!" (Though I have to say that the line tied with Ned's off-hand mention of Dead Like Me's Happy Time Temp Agency.(

While I could talk about all things Daisies-related for a whole day, I am curious to see what did you think of last night's season opener. Did you fall in love all over again with Chuck, Ned, Emerson, and Olive? Did you think that Chuck's assumed identity of Kitty Pimms was perhaps the very best fake name ever? Did you think that the way poor Kentucky Fizz died may have been the most gruesome yet? And how awesome was Olive's earth-shattering scream at The Pie Hole?

Talk back here.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I fell head over heels in love with the show again. Oh how I have missed the world of Pushing Daisies!

Highlights:

*Lily's eyepatch that matched her habit.
*Ned shirtless
*Chuck's "silky intimates"
*Olive's meltdown
*The aunts get out of the house and the ensuing awkwardness at The Pie Hole
*Lil' Gum Shoe
*Lily's revelation about Chuck's dad
*The fact that we got an entire episode about bees!
Anonymous said…
Melissa beat me to it but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed last night. It was a great way to start a new beginning for PD. Lily's eyepatch matching her habit was awesome and anything that has Ned naked is fine with me. I hope we get to see Emerson look for his daughter and Lil Gum Shoe was a great way to reintroduce this story for this season. I can't wait for next week. If you want to give us more spoilers for the next few eps I am ready, willing and able to listen to them!
I was so happy to see Diana Scarwid playing Mother Superior. I adored her in Wonderfalls. And Missi Pyle is a favorite of mine too.

So happy this show is back. It's like a breath of fresh air!
Asta said…
Did you think that the way poor Kentucky Fizz died may have been the most gruesome yet?

Actually, yes!

And how awesome was Olive's earth-shattering scream at The Pie Hole?

Very Awesome! I very much identified with Olive in that moment. ;)

The moment that had me laughing loudest was Emerson listening in on Ned and Chuck's conversation and, talking to the recorder, stating, "He's stalking you." Because, really, he was.

I also love the potential love/hate relationship developing between Olive and Lily.

It's a shame about the ratings, but what series hasn't taken a nosedive this season? A SAG strike now might kill the networks.
Anonymous said…
Daisies is back, and I couldn't be happier! It took me a little longer to get swept up into the episode as it usually does in any of the first season's episodes, although that's probably due to the necessary recaps to catch new viewers up on what they've missed. But once the ball got rolling it was the old PD again!

I'm rather surprised at the direction the show is taking this year. The mystery-of-the-week seemed to play a much smaller part in the show than usual, with much more time focused on the main characters' many plotlines. I really like this decision, because, as much as I like the quirky crimes, the cast of this show is fabulous! And for the first time, every single character (except maybe Emerson) had their own storyline in a single episode! The show has really picked up its pace!

I can't wait for next week, and I really hope that the ratings go back up, because this is a show that deserves a long run!
Anonymous said…
Absolutely delightful!

After a week or so of disappointing season premieres, I was so happy to watch a good one!

I loved it.

Lil' gum Shoe - awesome.
The CineManiac said…
Sadly I still haven't seen the last 2 episodes of last season as my DVR messed up. But I've got them on iTunes and just need to watch them.
Anonymous said…
I thought it was a Cubs World Series winner, the low numbers being that the return caught most people (not in the Pie Hole bus big cities) by surprise, plus it hadn't a full season to develop, but it will be DVD honey-bee gold. Sadly, the cutesy charm is only good for a few seasons or so anyways, it will get tired fast. It's too smarty to get Monkish and WTR-level churn 8 seasons. They need to market the heck outta this fast, it could catch an Earl middle-way hook and last 3 or so. It's got a cult-level following, with more getting hooked, so they better not "mainstreaming 3rd season Veronica Mars kill it", long arc's ahoy.
How much do I love Pushing Daisies, in particular the season 2 premiere? Let me count the ways:

-Shirtless Lee Pace (he could be shirtless in every episode, and that would be fine with me. Hint, hint).

-Olive not only expecting that the nunnery would have a storage area for her belongings (She took her couch with her?), but also that the nunnery employed a porter who would tote her things to said storage area.

-Olive's highly justified exasperation when Lily revealed yet another (unwanted) secret to her.

-Lil' Gumshoe, and a crazy-shirted Emerson creating/reading it.

-The coroner, who was extremely deadpan as usual. But he wasn't wearing one of his trademark kooky sweaters, which is a shame.

-Chuck bringing her bees back to life by pouring them onto Ned's bare upper body.

-Olive's tangible frustration and near-breaking when she exclaimed that secrets would come pouring out of her like "truth buckshot".

And so many more! I heart this show so much. I didn't know that the ratings were low; I really hope that changes. I try to spread the gospel of PD wherever I can...

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