I am in LOVE

[osprey_archer]

I’ve just seen the first six episodes of Pushing Daisies, you see, and I’m pining alternatively for the last three episodes of season one or the beginning of season two. My only real complaint is the obvious CGI, which breaks the mood; otherwise the show is a delight.

I love the saturated colors and the costumes and the crazy plots and the characters, who grow layers with each episode, even the minor ones like Chuck’s aunts. Chuck’s aunts are everything the show does right: they’re surreal and strange but recognizably human, and they exist as people in their own right.

I was pleasantly surprised by the extent to Pushing Daisies is an ensemble show. Ned and Chuck’s love story may be the main plotline, but the minor characters never sacrifice their integrity as characters in order to prop up main storyline.

My favorite character is Olive—I wouldn’t want her to succeed in wooing Ned away from Chuck, but I think she’s a more interesting character than Chuck. Chuck suffers slightly from love interest syndrome—she doesn’t have the rough edges that make a character interesting, although her guilt over letting her aunts think she’s dead is a good beginning. And I do like that her relationship with Olive doesn’t entirely revolve around Ned.

As for Chuck’s romance with Ned: it’s sweet, but I’m not sure why Chuck stays around at the beginning. She hasn’t seen Ned since she was eight, after all, and while there are practical reasons for her to hang around (she doesn’t have a social security number anymore, for instance) the show just seems to take it for granted that of course she won’t leave.

She also has awesome costumes, though. The clothes in Pushing Daisies clearly exist in an alternate and infinitely most interesting fashion universe.

I’ll probably write something more thinky once I’ve seen all the episodes—possibly a comparison with Wonderfalls, among other things.



***

Much against my better judgment, a meme:

Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair - just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with the picture.

Comments

[exuberantself.livejournal.com]

I only saw one episode of Pushing Daisies (for work reasons, not ones of interest), but it was awesome. And Kristin Chenoweth is pretty adorable on her on.

I did the picture thing because I can't resist a meme, but I have to comment on yours: from here, you kind of have a Ianto nose. That may have been because at first I thought half the picture was a complete shadow--it turned out my monitor was slanted wonky.

[visualthinker11.livejournal.com]

i would love to read a comparison with wonderfalls. and i'm glad you like the show! (and it'll be neat to talk about season two together as its happening, i think.)

...also, fyi, none of my pushing daisies drabbles are spoilery. if you ever needed to read pushing daisies drabbles. : P

[silksieve.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you like Pushing Daisies! It's probably my second favorite show after House. XD

I do adore Chuck, however. I think she's feisty, and I want to steal all her clothes, especially those gorgeous bell skirts. I think she couldn't leave Ned at first because everyone else in the world knew she was dead. And then it sort of took XD.

Anyway, yay, and the second season is starting in a couple of weeks!!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I'm counting days until the next season. :)

I tend to be wary of feisty as a personality trait, because heroines are so often feisty without either suffering the consequences or having other personality traits (authors should be ashamed of the wrongs they do their heroines). That said, Chuck has already grown personality traits beyond feistiness, and she has three more episodes to grow on me.

You know your Pushing Daisies icon, the one you used for this comment? When I was watching the where it comes from, and Chuck turned her head just like the picture, I had this massive wave of deja vu to your icon.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I have a Ianto nose? *pinches nose* But what does that mean?

Kristin Chenoweth is amazing, and Olive is a great part - both for her and in general - even if she doesn't get the boy. But Olive can get another boy, perhaps.

Also, it pleases me beyond telling that Olive has musical interludes. There are few shows that wouldn't be improved by the actors occasionally bursting into song. I can just imagine Jack sprinting around the Hub singing "It's Raining Men"--

Okay, I can't quite imagine that. But just the idea amuses me.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I have read your Pushing Daisies drabbles. I may start snapping "Son of a nectarine!" whenever I stub my toes from now on. :p

[silksieve.livejournal.com]

Exactly! I don't think Chuck's feistiness is all her character is or that it's overpowering (which is very important), but I do appreciate it :). I also like her curiosity and whimsy. And being not-stupid. XD And she likes Ned! Who, even though I also like him, makes for a pretty weird boyfriend XD.

Yay for icon deja vu! XDD

[exuberantself.livejournal.com]

I don't what having a Ianto nose means, exactly. :-/ It just struck me that way.

Random musical interludes and shows they could work in? "It's Raining Men" always leads to a funny story from work: Byron finishes singing it and concludes with, "Thank God, it's raining men!" and Goo comes running out of the kitchen yelling, "You can't talk like around me! I was raised in the [goshdarn] church!" (Don't feel right cursing in someone else's journal, even in context...) Even Jack's version couldn't be that amusing.

Personally, I was raised on musicals and so I naturally think that breaking into song is a perfectly reasonable way of expressing oneself.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I will just assume that having a Ianto nose means that someday, Jack will fly into my life and sweep me into adventure. Because the thought that I'm hiding in my basement a cybernetic girlfriend who is planning to destroy the world and I don't even know she exists is just too creepy to think about.

Also, I think your restaurant is staffed by escaped circus performers. (Good circus performers, not Torchwoodian ones.) Seriously. It would explain SO MUCH.