Pushing DaisiesFrescorts
The Relationships
Original Air Date: Oct 22, 2008
PMB - TwoCents Reviewer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
Randy Newman said it best: “You’ve got a friend in me.” And this week, the characters of Pushing Daisies learned that they may have to shift their ideas about friendship.
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Pushing Daisies
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The Relationships
Original Air Date: Oct 22, 2008
PMB - TwoCents Reviewer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
Randy Newman said it best: “You’ve got a friend in me.” And this week, the characters of Pushing Daisies learned that they may have to shift their ideas about friendship.
As an audience, we also had to shift our view to believe that there are companies out there that provide a “rent a friend” service. As Emerson said “What’s wrong with pickin’ someone the old-fashioned way? Walking up and sayin’, “Hi, I’m Blah-dee-blah. You like bloo-dee-blooin’? Me, too. Let’s be friends.”
But Emerson is the first to question his friendship when his money-loving, detective mother, Calista Cod, comes for an unannounced visit. He grew up solving cases with her, but even though they consider each other their best friend, he’s never told her about the existence of his daughter (and her grandchild).
When Calista takes a case that leaves Emerson missing her, he decides that they weren’t really friends at all. But it turned out that Calista didn’t have another case, she was spying on Emerson. When she discovers his pop up book, “Lil Gumshoe,” she thinks it’s all about her bad parenting. When she confronts him, he tells her the truth. That starts them on a different path — no longer best friends, but mother and son. I love that she even gave him notes on how to fix his book.
Chuck and Olive moved their relationship from frenemies to roommates. At first, all looked cheery, until they were stuffed in a locker together and the truth came out. Lots of it. And very little of it pretty. The biggest truth was that Olive still had feelings for Ned and wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding it, so Chuck felt guilty over expressing her devotion to the Piemaker.
Their locker meltdown almost led to Chuck moving back in with Ned. Which was exactly what Ned wanted. In fact, he pined and whined throughout the episode that Chuck was spending so much time with Olive that he never got to be with her.
But Ned did a little shifting in this episode when he met a Frescort client named Randy Mann (David Arquette hit this role out of the ballpark!) and saw some similarities between them. But in the end, it was Randy who summed up what Ned needed to understand: Being alone isn’t a bad thing.
So when Chuck announces her intension to move back in, Ned instead encourages her to work on her relationship with Olive. Now that’s character growth! And does he get rewarded for it — Chuck visits later with a blanket and nothing else on. Makes you wonder if they’ve found a way to get around the “no touch” thing (come on, with this much sexual tension built into the show, tell me you haven’t thought about it!). Seems appropriate, as they are making strides in maturity.
Of course, the friendship theme threaded throughout the mystery, which involved two frescorts who fall in forbidden love and both end up dead. And Frescorts founder Buddy (appropriate name for the owner of a pay-for-pal company) is so needy for friends, there’s nothing he won’t do — including murder.
Now that the four main characters have learned their lessons about friends, they turn around and help the Frescort clients by throwing a mixer.
I love how the characters are so much deeper this season. Every episode they seem to be facing their issues and growing from the experience. What do you think? Are they growing together or apart? Did you have a heart attack when Randy opened the door and it looked as if he’d stuffed and mounted Digby – with an ukelele? And wasn’t Calista Cod a hoot? You can see where Emerson’s attitude issues come from.
And please, if you’re enjoying this season, tell a few thousand of your friends so the ratings will go up. Don’t let this colorful and entertaining friend slip away.