Pushing Daisies is just as great as the hype around it. How it got green-lighted for a channel outside of HBO does not reveal itself at any point through the entirety of its showing. It's clever, charming, interesting, sweet, unusual, and is very much like if you gave more color and googie architecture to the small screen production of some unwritten and less subtly-disturbing Roald Dahl story. The basic premise sets up interesting obstacles and explains the personality quirks of the main character particularly well and practical limitations on the his craaazy power. I really liked it, though I could see it being a little too "sweet and quirky" for some folk because as much as it deals with darker subjects, it comes at them from warm empathic place that believes in adorable girls drinking tea and smiling at shy and kinda pretty boys and having whimsical adventures. Still, if you liked Amelie or storytelling scenes in Big Fish, Willy Wonka, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, or Wonderfalls you're in the right place. There's something about it that reminds me of other things, but nothing I can put my finger on. I'd recommend watching it.

And I love googie architecture. The pies also look delicious. Magically delicious.


A bit of spoilers: The girl he had a crush on when he was a boy is eventually resurrected by him and they have feelings for each other, but can never touch (as much as they both obviously want to). But would it work if the situations were reversed? If, instead of the girl having an attraction which can never be realized, it was the boy who refused to give up an impossible love? If the boy owed her his life, would it be as sweet, or would it just start to resonate with the Wussy Nice Boy Whom Nobody Can Love and/or Self-Restraining Stalker archetype? Would it cease to be sweet? Would it even be as believable? Can we, as the modern Western audience, believe that an otherwise fairly emotionally healthy and mature boy would just pine and pine and not instead find some other female to interact with? Jokes about fear of committment are a hundred times more common in regards to men than women. And, slightly less an issue (depending on how you interpret how she feels about him), is the fact that he inherently has the upper hand (responsible for resurrecting her, can kill her with a touch but otherwise would be unaffected) vaguely sexist? Or is it just vague enough that it lets sort of typical interactions between genders exist in the plot to better resonate with the emotions of the audience? Something there to balance the equation, with her as spunky and him as shy? It'll be interesting to see how the dynamics evolve as the show goes on.