[PDS] Bzzzzzzz!

TV Programme: Pushing Daisies
Season: 2
Episode: 1
Date I watched this episode: 02/09/2009
Time since I last watched this programme: 1 year, 6 months, 13 days.

While I knew I'd inevitably watch the second season of this programme at some point, I have to admit it wasn't exactly a season I was ecstatically looking forward to. Season 2 was the last season of Pushing Daisies, having only provided 13 episodes out of a promised 22, and apparently does not provide a dramatic conclusion to the show. But it's not just that - the show itself is hardly very intelligent; it's bedtime viewing, despite the fact that it's essentially about dead people coming back to life.

That's not to say it's not still original. I think what attracted me to this show in the first place was just how original it was. When it first launched, I thought it was going to be a huge hit, especially with women. But alas I think it's just a bit too weird and people don't "get" it, so it makes the critical error of alienating both intelligent TV aficionados and people who just want to settle down and watch something casual. Admittedly it also seems to have been more popular in the UK than in the USA.

I think what really keeps me hooked, what keeps me coming back for more, is not the writing or the acting but the production. I love the sets, I love the colours, and I love the editing. The show uses bright colours to great effect, a bold move not attempted by many other shows, and I think it's second only to Smallville in its use of colour. This episode certainly didn't let me down in that respect, providing the brilliantly imaginative "Betty's Bees" headquarters set.

Once the episode got started (and the repetition from the previous season wasn't quite as bad as I'd expected) we got into the mystery of the week, which was not great - both predictable and inclusive of some pretty pointless elements such as the hive collapse and the queen bee's role. But that wasn't the main point - it's just a vehicle to drive some real character stories, in this case mainly based around Ned, Chuck and Olive (Emerson is most often by far the weakest character in this show).

Set 10 months after "Corpsicle", Ned and Chuck have seemingly built a home for themselves, and seem very happy. Chuck is pretty independent though to be honest - and wants to take the relationship in a new direction by moving apart. Ned takes this the wrong way, but I'm sure he'll come around to the idea. Actually in general I don't rate Lee Pace's acting too much, but Anna more than makes up for it with her cute romantic gestures.

Olive on the other hand is on the verge of a nervous breakdown over all the secrets she is carrying. She is a quirky character in a very quirky series, and her crazy antics in this episode, like dancing through a field in a Sound Of Music -esque scene, hardly surprised me too much. Her move to a nunnery might be a blessing or a curse for her character development: we'll just have to wait and see I guess. Things have gone a bit pear-shaped with Lily and Vivian, causing them to split up for the first time in ages and hopefully this will lead to some independent storylines for Vivian, who is an under-utilised character in my opinion.

At the end of the day, I will carry on with this season til the end, just for the hell of it. But I can't put my hand on my heart and say I really missed this show, or that I'll be particularly sad it's over.