Pushing DaisiesThe Norwegians - The Relationships
Original Air Date: 17 Dec 2008
PMB - TwoCents Reviewer
pmb@thetwocentscorp.com
Think back, way back, to the beginning of Pushing Daisies. After Ned “undeaded” Chuck, she asks how he can bring someone back from the dead and then “redead” them a minute later. “That’s just how I roll,” he told her.
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Think back, way back, to the beginning of Pushing Daisies. After Ned “undeaded” Chuck, she asks how he can bring someone back from the dead and then “redead” them a minute later. “That’s just how I roll,” he told her.
ReplyDeleteAhh, how things have changed. The theme of this episode had to do with responsibility. In the flashback, we see young Ned bring back to life a dead hunter, only to be accused of murder and put in prison (a story that isn’t resolved in this episode).
In the present, Ned and Chuck are grappling with the fact that Chuck’s dad has escaped and the possible horrible ramifications of that action. For the first time, Ned really takes responsibility for the mess that his special ability has caused.
And Emerson is learning to take responsibility for another matter — the death of Dwight Dixon. Vivienne wants to hire him to find Dwight, but Emerson refuses. So Vivienne hires a rival PI firm that then points the finger at Emerson. And Emerson, who had nothing to do with the actual crime, confesses to Ned and Chuck that he is just as responsible because he helped cover it up.
Then there’s Olive. Chuck tries to get the Mod Squad to also face up to their responsibility to Olive, pointing out how have asked the waitresses for help so many times, but they still won’t let her know their secrets. It’ no wonder that Olive sets out to prove her worth by going undercover with the rival detectives and then helps Ned destroy their rivals’ mobile laboratory. The later adventure leads to a very interesting relationship moment between the Piemaker and his diminutive waitress.
They are hanging onto a tree on the side of mountain when Ned tells Olive he’s sorry for getting her into this. She admits that, “I’m sorry you never saw me the way you see Chuck.” Then he says the last thing anyone would expect: “I wouldn’t say ‘never.’” What????? Where did that come from? Ned had already taken some responsibility for handling her romantic feelings for him poorly (back in the nunnery). Is it possible that he does have some romantic feelings for her after all?? But Chuck is his soul mate. I want answers now, not in January when the final two episodes air!!
Another interesting theme in this episode is that of war. Young Ned is playing war with a friend when he finds the dead hunter. There’s much talk throughout the episode about taking sides, battle strategies and other war-like things. Could it be that as we near the season’s end that characters are taking sides and warring each other?
Nowhere is this seen as much as with Lily and Vivienne. Vivienne straight out accuses Lily of not wanting Vivienne to be her to be happy. Ouch!! That’s cannon shot if I ever heard one. Will Lily now face up to the responsibility to heal their fractured relationship?
In the end, Ned again faces up to his responsibility when it appears that Charles Charles has returned to help them out of the big mess they’ve made with the rival PIs and Dwight Dixon. Ned confesses that it’s his father abandonment issues that clouded his judgment about Chuck’s dad. Only, we soon learn that the father than abandoned Ned has finally faced up to his responsibility by being the person who really helped them out of their jam!
Still Ned decides it’s time to stop using his ability. It’s “a gift I can’t control. No matter how careful,” he says to Chuck. “Whenever I use this... (cocks his finger) ...there are consequences. And some of those consequences are good, but some are not. They’re dangerous and they threaten the people I’m trying most to protect. So, it’s time to re-holster this and never use it again. I have you, the best consequence of all, and it’s time to quit while I’m ahead.” It’s lines like that last one that explain why so many female viewers are madly in love with Ned.
What do you think? Is Olive a real threat to Ned and Chuck’s romance? Is that a good thing? And will Ned ever use his ability again?
I heard an interesting theory recently (this is not my idea, so I can’t take credit for it — damn!). Ned is the only character without a last name. If we follow the sequence of the initials on the watches, there’s CC (Charles Charles) and DD (Dwight Dixon), the next double letter would be E. A variation of Ned is Ed, which would be a way to name a son after a father without being exactly the same. So is Ned’s dad Ed Edwards, making the Piemaker’s full name Ned Edwards? What do you think?