Pushing Daisies – The Complete First Season (Warner Blu-ray)
Picture:
A- Sound: B+ Extras: B- Episodes: B+
Pushing Daisies inevitably seems to be one of
those series that is too creative and brilliant to last. Its creativity and uniqueness may be its
downfall, not capturing enough of a standard “Joe public” audience Pushing Daisies may not have a long
life on television, but for now it exists as one of the most exceptionally
artistic series on television today. The
inspiring series has all the makings of a future classic with its dark sense of
humor, mysterious edge, and startlingly charismatic cast. The only thing that Pushing Daisies is missing is a solid audience.
The
series centers on Ned (Lee Pace) who discovered as a young boy that he had some
very unique powers; for Ned can bring anything back from the dead with the
touch of his finger. Whereas the concept
(though surprising) may seem simple enough up front, there are a set of strict
and stringent rules that Ned must follow, so as to not disrupt the fragile
balance of life. When Ned brings a being
back to life he has one minute…60 seconds to touch that same being again or
something else will die in its place; being random, but a vicinity issue at the
same time. Ned went through life living
by the rules, avoiding the use of his powers at all costs, but in recent years
Ned found his powers to be somewhat morally justifiable and profitable at the
same time. Ned, after an unlikely
meeting, joined forces with a private detective named Emerson (Chi McBride) who
together close cases of unsolved murders by briefly waking the dead and then
collecting the reward.
When this
system seemed to be working all too well, Ned learns that the only girl he ever
kissed, Chuck (played by Anna Friel) was murdered on a cruise ship. Ned feeling a sense of obligation to his long
lost love and Emerson seeing a chance to earn some cash, the sleuthy duo sets
out to solve Chuck’s murder; the only problem is that once Ned wakes Chuck, he
just can’t let her go. The series
develops into an oddly imaginative blend of dark comedy, mystery, suspense,
romance, and everything else with each passing episode bringing more to the
table. Each episode generally centers on
an individuals’ murder as the gang digs into a series of clues and serves up
their own brand of unique mystery solving skills. Like layers of a cake, or better yet, the
filling in a pie, Pushing Daisies has
multiple levels of intricate development that collectively create one of the
most original television series this reviewer has ever seen.
The
technical features on Pushing Daisies:
The Complete First Season blossom into a tale of lively picture, sound, and
extras. The picture is presented in
1080p High Definition with a 1.85 X 1 Widescreen image that has some of the
most vibrant colors and crispest images that this reviewer has ever experienced
on Blu-ray. The show intentionally uses
exaggerated images and colors to emphasize the fantastically imaginative nature
of the series and its story arches. Each
frame is like a work of art, each prop, costume, or device is strategically
placed to add an inherent appeal to the series that adds a dimension of
artistic integrity that many series push to the wayside. The picture quality of Pushing Daisies goes beyond just the amazing Blu-ray image quality
and dives into the area of television art.
The sound quality is not quite as great as the image in its Dolby TrueHD
5.1 Surround Sound, but it projects nicely with a crisp, clear sound that uses
the speakers nicely as the feature has a fair bit of peripheral and ambient
noises; though mostly a dialogue driven series.
The
extras are far from expansive only offering fans a featurette entitled Pie
Time- Time for Pie: Delicious Interactive Featurette in which cast and creative
team members dish forkfuls of series secrets.
The extra features are divided into pie slices on the menu in which the
viewer can chose any one of the 18 behind the scenes looks in which each of the
2 minute (approximately) features gives the viewer a look at the series from a
variety of angles. The cast and crew
give inside looks at design, casting, interviews, and even a few mini
commentaries. Overall, though collectively
only being about 40 minutes of extra features, they are well worth while and
offer many features and facts that can be watched again.
It is
amazing that the First Season of Pushing Daisies ended on such an
interesting and surprising cliffhanger, in turn giving fans some hope that the
fantastically imaginative series would return to tickle our creative taste buds
once again. The series is a blend of
everything that good television is made of; having an extremely talented cast
to portray the inventive storylines that are filled with mystery, dark comedy,
drama, romance, and everything in between.
The amazing visuals of the series dance across the screen like an
original ballet that springs forth with imagination and life; the Blu-ray
presentation only heightening the experience.
Pushing Daisies is a series
that anyone can enjoy. Young or old…Pushing Daisies brings even the most
boring evening back to life.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
