First we had bees. (My favorite insect, if I had to choose.) Then we had clowns (did I tell you I used to have a job as a clown?). Then church (also had a job there). Then there was the escort service (did NOT have a job there). Next was a Chinese restaurant (definitely my favorite take out). And this week it’s magic (it’s the job I WISH I had!). You’d think they were writing this season of Pushing Daisies just for me! What? This isn’t my personal blog? Oh, you came here to find out about last night’s episode? Not about moi?
Well, I can’t help it if I want to have dinner at The Pie Hole. (Yes, dinner.) I can’t help that I wish Chuck, Olive and I were the Three Amigos. I can’t even help wishing Emerson would throw one of his snarky comments at me. So, I’m just sad that the buzz in TV land is that it might be canceled! Are you believing this?! The most creative, colorful (albeit, dark) show on TV, canceled?! Say isn’t so! *sigh*
Let’s step away from that dreary subject and get into last night’s episode. It was magic! Literally!
We begin with Young Ned. And for the first time we see a parallel experience with Ned’s “new” half brothers, Ralston & Maurice. (*snicker* I can’t get over their names.)
Young Ned is enthralled by his father’s magic tricks. One day his biggest “magic trick” ruins Ned’s life. His father disappears forever! Then we see Ned’s dad doing the same trick for the twins. (Sick joker.) They are with their father at a magic show of The Great Herrmann. Their dad volunteers to be in the final disappearing act–and he never comes back. The twins adopt The Great Herrmann as their “new magic dad” and never realize how horrible their father had been to them.
Now, back to the future…and the murder…
Ralston & Maurice are at the Pie Hole inviting our favorite Pie people to a magic show. Ned is completely against it. Chuck and Olive think the twins are “magically delicious”. While Emerson is just using them to practice his investigative skills.
While at the magic show, the twins “new magic dad” fails to escape his famous “Cementia” trick. (He’s chained in a box that has cement poured into it.) They are devastated and Ned is determined to find the murderer for his new half brothers. They begin by interviewing The Great Herrmann’s only human assistant, Alexandria. She points them to one of Herrmann’s fellow entertainers, The Geek. He is a sword swallower, bottle chewer and animal regurgitator. (Did you even know they existed?) Both of them seem guilty, but nothing solid can be proved.
Speaking of solid, the Pie Trio head to the morgue to speak to the The Great Herrmann. But after our happy morgue attendant uses a chainsaw to open the cement block that is The Great Herrmann’s murder weapon, we find only a scarf and an envelope that says, “Now you see me, now you don’t. xxoo.” They assume The Great Herrmann is only hiding…no body, no murder. Until Ned remembers his father’s cups and ball trick and realizes this block of cement had been switched with another block of cement–a block of cement containing The Great Herrmann.
Now our Pie Trio plus Olive and the twins hit up the theater to find this missing block of cement. And armed with metal detectors (I missed the reason for these…) Ned and Chuck discover the block in the floorboards while Emerson and Olive discover The Geek dead in an upstairs room—with a spike shoved up his nose. EW.
Ned and Chuck break away the cement to interview The Great Herrmann. Magic man to magic man, Herrmann tells Ned his secret–magnets in his shoes that open up a secret compartment to escape before the cement is poured in.
And then Chuck realizes who the killer is–The Geek. He swallowed the magnets so The Great Herrmann would die. And why? Well, as our yummy narrator says, the facts are these: The Geek, Gunther Pinker looked to The Great Herrmann as a father figure. He wanted to do a Father Son act. And when Herrmann chose the twins over him, he was livid. If he couldn’t have the Great Herrmann, then no one could.
And the spike in his nose? Dead in an upstairs room? A ruse to distract our Emerson. While the Pie Trio is discovering the cement block, The Geek grabs Olive and with spike to her head, confronts our Pie friends. Ned saves the day by proclaiming his love for his dad even when his father disappeared. This catches The Geek off guard and he falls in the same trap door he used to kill his wannabe-dad.
The lesson learned:
Ned really loves his dad. Ralston and Maurice discover the truth of their dad’s betrayal. Assistant Alexandria becomes The Great Alexandria. (cute, huh?)
And let’s not forget our secondary plot…
Dwight Dixon is back! And this time he’s visiting Lily & Vivian. And he knows. He KNOWS Lily is Chuck’s mother. He talks to the sisters about serving in the Peace Corps (or something…) with Charles Charles and asks to have Charles’ pocket watch. Lily and Vivian pretend to know nothing about it. And while Vivian is getting Dwight’s coat, he reprimands Lily and her secrets.
Meanwhile, Vivian has one of her own. She initiates a date with Dwight at The Pie Hole. She tells him Charles’ pocket watch was buried with Chuck.
And our episode ends with Dwight digging up Chuck’s grave to find an empty coffin!
(see, this is why this show cannot be canceled! WHY does Dwight want the watch? What is he going to do now? Will Lily ever tell Vivian? Will Chuck be reunited with her mom and aunt? Will Ned find his dad and get over his issues? Will Emerson find his daughter? Will Alfredo Aldarisio and woo Olive? Will Oscar Vibenius show up again? And what about Digby?)
But wait! There’s a third plot we haven’t even talked about…
Chuck has been crank calling Lily to see if she will admit to being a mother. She won’t. So, Ned (our loving yet completely cynical hero) sets up a magic show of his own. Olive, armed with an in-ear speaker hears Chuck asking the questions she’s always wanted to ask her mother. Lily thinks they are just role-playing and Chuck gets to hear it all. Lily, Chuck and Ned have tears in their eyes. And Ned and Chuck stroke each other’s hands through the plexiglass barrier in their car. *happy sigh*
Best lines of the night:
Emerson to Chuck and Olive, “Where is that rat’s a$$ I could give?”
The Great Herrmann to Olive, “I’m not made of hugs.”
The Great Herrmann to Emerson, “Please, call me ‘Great’.”
Ned to Alexandria the Assistant, “Which means you are the killah, killah.”
Emerson to Maurice & Ralston, “What’choo gonna do? Use your wonder twin powers?”
Emerson to Chuck, “So what?”
Chuck to Emerson, “So buttons!”
In conclusion:
I mean, really. You know I liked it. I can’t help but love this show. Plus I love magic. I loved the curtains closing between each scene. I loved Chucks’ feathery cape. I love the absolute perfect characterization of each person. I love Ralston and Maurice’s eyebrows!
That’s why this show CANNOT be canceled. It just can’t. Please TIVO it next week. Make your family watch it during Thanksgiving. Make pies in honor of Ned. Rent a billboard that saves “Save the Pie Hole!”
(I’ll be at ohamanda.com this week thinking of more ways to save Ned and our Pie friends.)
I think our favorite line was Emerson to Ned, something along the lines of, “What did you just say in your head? ‘Cause it sure ain’t what came outta your mouth!” My g/f giggles, pointed at me, and declared that she really needs to remember that line…she’ll certainly get occasion to use it!
They were using the metal detectors to find the chains that Herrmann was chained up with when he got into the box.
And I agree, the show is wonderful. I sure hope it doesn’t go away because that would make me very, very sad.
But if it does die, do you think Ned could revive it with one touch?
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