‘Pushing Daisies’ blogging: “Oh Oh Oh... It's Magic” (and yes, it’s cancelled)
(previous: Episode 5: “Dim Sum, Lose Some”)
Do you smell pie? I smell pie. Mmmmm, pie...
[spoilers after the jump!]
I’m so sad today, because today we got the news: Pushing Daisies has been cancelled. It will end after episode 13, on a cliffhanger, according to creator Bryan Fuller at E! Online today. Fuller also says:
[ABC president] Steve McPherson called me, and said “We gave it the best shot we could.”
Bullshit. Before last night’s episode -- which I’ll get to in a moment -- ABC had not aired an episode for three weeks. That’s not “giving it the best shot we could.” That’s not caring if anyone’s watching, and particularly not caring about those who would like to be watching.
I almost feel like there’s no point in continuing to watch -- why should I bother when I know I’m going to be disappointed in the end, and be left without resolution to the multithreaded character arcs the show has been weaving? Why compound the disappointment I’m feeling now?
But of course I’ll watch because there’s so little else worth watching at the moment. And because I get such immense pleasure merely from listening to the language and the clever word play. No other show sounds like this, and maybe only Firefly was similar in how it tickles the ear. With each episode, I have to resist the urge to simply transcribe the whole damn thing and say, “Look? Can you hear how amazing and weird and wonderful this is?” A few of my favorite gems from this episode:
• “Those little bastards my father was cheating on me with.” --Ned, describing his half brothers
• “There’s sequins and drama and the promise of bloodshed.” --Chuck on the appeal of magic shows
• “I’m not made of hugs.” --Hermann
• “If you’ll excuse me, the county bridge-and-tunnel folk have arrived dor the nine-o’clock.” --more Hermann
• “The Great Hermann had a dedicated fanbase of barnacles, corals, and oysters.” --one of the twins
That’s all just so odd and beautiful. The people writing this stuff deserve to be given awards and chocolate and hugs, not the boot. Particularly whoever came up with “Cementia!” That’s genius.
And the ideas these writers invent: Chuck crankcalling her mother. Olive pulling the spike from the geek’s nose. Dwight in the UN peacekeepers, like it’s some sort of modern equivalent of the French Foreign Legion. The dead monkey in the freezer surrounded by ice cream. An actual depiction of Chuck’s conception. The “conversation” between Chuck and her aunt/mother. Simply brilliant, every single one of them. And these are all jammed into one episode. It’s madness to cancel this show. Madness.
Poor Ned! He’s never been so bitter as he is here. Maybe he knew cancellation was coming.
(Watch full episodes at ABC’s official site for the show.)
(next: Episode 7: “Robbing Hood”)
[buy at Amazon (Region 1)] [buy at Amazon (Region 2)]viewed at home on a small screen
rated TVPG-LV
official site | IMDB
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comments
posted by C David Dent (Thu Nov 20 08, 11:28PM)
Gorrammit! I hate how shear joy is constantly being ripped from my eyeballs by TV Executives.
I LOVED THIS SHOW. I loved the candy-colored settings and the wacky characters who all talk like some sort of non-rhyming Dr. Seuss people. I liked the fact that even in the story-book existence there is petty crime and murder in enough quantity that a PI can get work nearly every week (and sometimes multiple times a week) solving them.
Bryan Fuller needs a network to himself where Wonder Falls, Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies can all run together on successive days like children playing in a field of flowers. With dead people buried under them...preferably TV Executives.
posted by JSS8699 (Fri Nov 21 08, 1:01AM)
"Pushing Daisies" is one of the better shows currently airing on ABC. Last night's episode “Oh Oh Oh... It's Magic” was brilliantly written by Katherine Lingenfelter, directed by Adam Kane. Most of all brilliantly acted by all of the amazing cast.
My favorite line was emoted by Chi McBride when he said " A magic show (pats his chest looking for...) where did I put that rats ass I could give... "
Guest star Fred Willard was a riot as The Great Hermann.
With the series finale of "Boston Legal" fast approaching and the cancellation of the series "Pushing Daisies", "Eli Stone" and "Dirty Sexy Money", that leaves me with one ABC show left to watch "Grey's Anatomy".
Looks like the ONLY thing ABC did right this season is picking up "scrubs" for their final 18 episodes.
I hope that Bryan Fuller is able to find another home for this brilliant show to air.
posted by LoonyLollipop (Fri Nov 21 08, 2:38AM)
PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO SAVE PUSHING DAISIES: http://www.petitiononline.com/daisies/petition.html
I will bawl my eyes out if this is cancelled. I, along with my friends and family, will boycott ABC. If ABC cancels Pushing Daisies, they are making a tremendous mistake. The series is pure magic. I swear, this is like finding out Santa Claus isn't real. I will sue ABC for causing me emotional trauma!!
posted by Natatalie (Fri Nov 21 08, 2:40AM)
Also, "best shot we could" ? YOU LIAR!!!!1 YOU NEVER PROMOTED PUSHING DAISIES!!! ABC, YOU SUCK!
Sign the ppeition everyone!
posted by Matt (Fri Nov 21 08, 5:14AM)
Maybe Ned can touch Pushing Daisies and Dancing with the Stars will die instead!
posted by Patrick (Fri Nov 21 08, 11:04AM)
I like Matt's idea.
posted by John (Fri Nov 21 08, 7:55PM)
I just can't believe Pushing Daisies is canceled!!! Now it's gonna be replaced with reality TV. I don't want more reality TV!!! I want to lose myself in another world and Pushing Daisies is the only show that truly immersed me in their world and the only show that I really ever truly loved.
Now that they've canceled it I'm gonna boycott ABC by not watching the next season of Lost. I urge all those who love originality to do the same. FUCK ABC!!! FUCK YOU ALL!!!!!!!
posted by MaryAnn (Sat Nov 22 08, 5:32PM)
Isn't that a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face?
If *Lost* is one of the few original things left on network TV, we should make a special point of watching it, so that ABC understands that originality draws audiences, too.
posted by Mimi (Sun Nov 23 08, 11:50PM)
Bastards! "Pushing Daisies" is so different and colorful and witty and dark and sweet and fun. Bastards!! All those characters I want to know more about, all those questions I want to have answered... Wonder if there's any chance it could get picked up by a cable network?? Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggghhhh. This episode just made me sad, because every time I was amused or delighted, I remembered that it wouldn't last long.