The Legend of Merle McQuoddy (Pushing Daisies 2.9)

Yoo-hoo! Pushing Daisies fans! Did you love last night’s episode? It was the first one I didn’t take notes on! I was so enthralled I couldn’t stop long enough to write anything down. (Or maybe I was just tired.) However, each week I watch makes me more sad knowing it’s coming to a close…DID YOU HEAR THAT ABC?! I ALREADY MISS PUSHING DAISIES!!!

OK, now, back to our show…I guess splitting up our four main characters really worked last week, because they did it again this week. Olive and Emerson were on the case while Ned and Chuck worked on something…uhm, personal.

Let’s start with the murder…I’ll try to do it quickly so we can get to the real story: Charles Charles (say it with me: “What is wrong with that man?!”). But I’m jumping ahead. Now where was I? Oh yes, the murder…

The victim: Nora McQuoddy. She took over the care of the lighthouse after her husband, Merle was shipwrecked on an island for ten years. He returns aboard a gay cruise ship (wearing an “I love my 2 gay moms!” shirt) and excited to renew the relationships with his wife and son, Elliot. Nora is found harpooned to the lighthouse…uhm, light. And her husband becomes suspect #1.

Elliot, the ever loving and trusting son, approaches Emerson Cod and persuades him to take the case. After Ned and Emerson interview Nora (completely melted and looking freakishly like a fried egg) they discover two more persons of interest:

Augustus “Gus” Papen, director of the Papen Historical Society, who we soon discover had a relationship of the loving kind with our victim Nora.

Annabelle Vandersloop, Nora’s bff and fellow member of The Notable Widows of Papen County. She and Nora made dioramas of their notable husband’s notable deaths. Which leaves Annabelle always covered in glitter, cotton balls and paper mache paste. (Which of course, comes into play later…)

Olive and Emerson donned their name-picture rain coats (Olive’s with olives and Emerson’s with cods…ha!) and not only discover Gus’ desire to turn the light house into a spa, they discover Annabelle’s spurned love—of Gus. And her blazing hot jealousy of Nora’s relationship with him.

After spying some extra glitter and paper mache paste, Emerson and Olive figure out that it’s Annabelle who murdered Nora. And just then, Annabelle shows up ready to murder everyone in the lighthouse. But Olive stops her (no, not with a song. Too bad.) by identifying with her unrequited love of Ned.

Our PI story ends with Emerson offering Olive a cigar and a job should being the third part of the Pie love triangle move her to harpooning Chuck.

Oh! And I forgot to tell you about Emerson opening up to Olive about his former wife! He hates the rain because it reminds him of her. After the murder is solved, he says to Olive, “Itty Bitty, you helped me love a rainy day again.” He’s just a burnt marshmallow—crusty on the outside, but sweet on the inside!

NOW. The real story: Ned and Chuck AND Charles Charles.

We pick up exactly where we left off last week—Ned discovers Charles Charles is still alive, due to Chuck’s quick (and reckless) trickery of Ned. Chuck is so worried Ned is going to hate her. But as they talk (on the roof, of course), he tells her he understands why she did it—it’s the same feeling he had when he elected to keep her alive.

They decide to work Chalres Charles into their new life above the Pie Hole…so they can keep their little secret. Well, big secret, really.

However, Charles is a little bitter. Well, really bitter, actually. He doesn’t want to play by Ned’s rules (you know, the jingle-y slippers and the “coming/going” directions). He wants to take Chuck far away from Ned so they don’t have to live as freaks and in fear of death. He wants to go on the adventures he’d always dreamed of.

After an honest to goodness FIGHT with Ned in the kitchen (GO NED! It reminded me of his fight with the Southern Chinese gentleman in season 1.), Charles’ admission of hating pie, breaking all of Ned’s rules and demanding Ned stay away from Chuck; Ned is completely OVER Charles.

Chuck, on the other hand, is loving having her dad around. She feels like the teenager who’s dad is giving her first boyfriend a hard time. But soon Charles is demanding she choose between him and Ned.

She chooses…THE PIE MAN. Of course. Why would you choose a zombie, even if it is your dad? Seriously, his grey-ness was grossing me out last night. *shudder*

But when Ned and Chuck go upstairs to discuss their new life with Charles, there is a note that says, “I CHOSE TOO.” And Charles rides off into the proverbial sunset with Ned and Chuck running behind.

THE END.

Best Lines of the Night.

Emerson and Olive when they see Elliot hanging from the lighthouse, “OH HELL NO.”

Olive to Elliot, “There, there.”
Chuck to Elliot, “Not here, here.”

In Conclusion.
*sigh* I can’t believe this show is being canceled. I read somewhere that the season finale was planned as a cliffhanger but it maybe re-written to tie up a few strings. Well, in my opinon there are just TOO MANY STRINGS! One of which is good lord, Charles Charles. That man is a freak of nature (literally). I cannot believe how mean he was to Ned. Poor Ned.

And Lily & Vivian. Are they just going to be the recluses forever? Always blind to their daughter/niece, Chuck’s life?!

And Olive. Oh, Olive. Where’s the spin-off show for Olive?!

And Emerson. How could his wife and daughter not want him back?!

OK, OK, enough wahh-waahing from me. What’d I miss? What’d you love? Thoughts on the final episodes? Will they show them to us? Will we have to wait for it to come out on DVD…or the comics?

(I’ll be at ohamanda.com hoping for more pie. Feel free to join me!)