Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie Review

A promising television series struck down in its youth...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 12, 2009

My apologies, dear readers, but this will be less of a review and more of a lament at the untimely passing of yet another overlooked network television gem, Pushing Daisies. Disrupted by the notorious 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, unjustly ignored by viewers unwilling to step away from their favorite paint-by-numbers police procedurals and nighttime soap operas, and snuffed out in its creative prime, Bryan Fuller's whimsical fairytale was mistreated, misunderstood, and mishandled from day one. It's not often that television viewers are treated with intelligence and respect, much less given the opportunity to sample a truly original series (at least beyond the bounds of HBO, FX, Showtime, and now AMC), but apparently, as a culture, we're too obsessed with the safe and familiar to venture into fresh waters. As has been the case with many of my most beloved short-lived series -- Carnivàle, Arrested Development, and Firefly among them -- I don't blame executives, studios, networks, or their pursuit of the almighty advertising dollar... no, I blame you and me. Even in an age of TiVo, direct downloads, and home video releases, we manage to keep drivel like Celebrity Apprentice and 90210 on the air, and allow genuine surprises like Pushing Daisies to fade into the night.

Physical dissimilarities aside, this is how my wife and I looked after 'Daisies' was canceled...

I suppose it was inevitable that a series about a pie-maker whose touch resurrects the dead would have a difficult time drawing the millions of viewers necessary to keep it on the air, but Pushing Daisies still managed to acquire a sizable fanbase in its two, truncated seasons. Why? For those who did take the time to explore its strange and colorful storybook world, its witty charms became all-too-readily apparent. When a pie-maker and restaurant owner named Ned (Lee Pace, The Fall) agrees to help a private detective, Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), solve a slew of tough cases (by briefly reviving murder victims, of course), he inadvertently stumbles into more trouble than he bargained for. For starters, the particulars of his power cause both men countless headaches. Ned can only revive a person one time (a second touch has lasting consequences), he can only allow the deceased to live for one minute (before the universe seeks balance and kills someone else in the vicinity), and the dead aren't always as knowledge about their demise as one might expect. With the help of his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles (Anna Friel) -- herself having been resurrected from the dead and barred from touching Ned -- the supernatural PIs hit the streets and tackle some... let's just say "bizarre" cases. In its second season, Ned and Emerson have to investigate the deaths of a group of circus clowns, a model, a suicidal nun, an escort, a fried chicken entrepreneur, and a variety of outlandish local celebrities cursed with greedy relatives and shady business partners.

I'm sure my synopsis illustrates the exact reason Pushing Daisies had so much trouble drumming up an audience. It's impossible to describe the series without making it sound like the most inane mishmash of syrupy superficiality and candy-coated nonsense this side of a Saturday morning cartoon. For those who haven't partaken of its crafty storylines, tongue-in-cheek humor, or surreal fairytale trappings, it probably seems ridiculous. Even so, series creator Bryan Fuller and his stable of talented writers have crafted a place of poetic beauty; an intriguing mixing pot of modern cityscapes, heightened architecture, cartoonish eccentrics, madcap romps, and heart-wrenching pathos. In fact, Fuller and company walk such a fine line between caricature and character, that even I'm amazed they manage to pull it off. But pull it off they do. From episode to episode, Pushing Daisies is chock full of shockingly sweet surprises. Laughing out loud and swelling at the tender tune of masterfully plucked heartstrings are both common occurrences, and watching each mystery unfold is akin to running an engaging and compelling gauntlet of intellectual trickery and visual hilarity.

That's not to say Pushing Daisies is without flaws -- some gags fall flat, two or three recurring supporting characters aren't as delightful as the writing room seems to think, a handful of Fuller's guest stars are a bit annoying for my tastes, and the plasticized CG will initially bother viewers who aren't familiar with the series' bubblegum art direction -- but its bewitching atmosphere, infectious tone, sharp dialogue, and lyrical narration make its failings easy to ignore (or, at the very least, digest). It's just a shame that anyone discovering the series at this point will ultimately be disappointed with its underdeveloped endgame and the knowledge that Fuller won't have the opportunity to produce future episodes. As it stands, if you're willing to sacrifice a satisfying denouement in exchange for thirteen enjoyable, well-conceived episodes of storybook bliss, give Pushing Daisies a chance. But if you can't bear to sink any love into a canceled series, avoid the heartbreak and spend your time elsewhere.

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Stand in the middle of your home theater, shake up a can of orange soda, and pop the tab. Or... simply toss in Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season and marvel at the playful disposition of Warner's sun-drenched 1080p/VC-1 transfer. Director of photography Michael Weaver has spent the last two years transforming Bryan Fuller's quirky series into an impressionist's daydream, and the technical presentation handles his every painterly stroke with ease. Soothing splashes of golden-delicious yellows mingle with luminous greens, searing reds, and brilliant blues to produce an undeniably striking summerscape. Moreover, contrast remains strong, blacks are fittingly inky, and skintones, while intentionally oversaturated, are warm and healthy. Fine detail wavers on occasion -- intermittent softness tends to creep into most episodes, and foreground clarity takes a hit anytime the sun goes down -- but ultimately satisfies with well-defined edges and refined textures. It helps that the image is so clean. Yes, a faint veneer of pleasant grain is present at all times but, aside from some rather noticeable edge enhancement, the picture doesn't suffer from any significant digital anomalies. All things considered, Pushing Daisies looks great and should easily please fans stricken with grief over the series' premature cancellation.

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unfortunately, Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season hobbles onto the scene with a dated and diluted Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix (640 kbps), a somewhat unexpected development considering Warner has consistently included lossless audio tracks on all of their major releases this year. Ah well, I suppose a canceled television series just didn't fit the criteria. At least the Dolby Digital track still provides a decent experience: dialogue is clean and neatly prioritized (although its tonal clarity isn't nearly as bright and cheery as the on-screen imagery), low-end elements exhibit solid weight and presence, and dynamics are fairly punchy when called upon. Likewise, rear channel activity is weak in the knees -- pushing the majority of the soundfield into the front speakers -- but it isn't a debilitating distraction since the narration-heavy series doesn't revel in enveloping sequences anyway. Taken as a whole, the results are commendable but underwhelming. Fans will cry foul, newcomers will shrug their shoulders, and audiophiles will find themselves wondering why Warner didn't go with a lossless track.

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season arrives on Blu-ray with the same underwhelming, underdeveloped supplemental package that appears on its DVD counterpart. With little more than a half an hour of standard definition content on tap, and no cast or crew commentaries to speak of, this one is a complete disappointment.

• The Master Pie Maker (SD, 13 minutes): An all-too-straight-forward EPK that gives the cast a quick opportunity to heap praise onto creator Bryan Fuller's shoulders, discuss their quirky characters, and comment on the heightened style of the series. There are far too many clips from the show to warrant much excitement, but it's a fairly decent (albeit entirely shallow) opener.
• From Oven to Table (SD, 5 minutes): In similarly superficial fashion, this secondary featurette looks at the series' special effects, specifically a challenging sequence involving a corpse that resembles a giant fried egg.
• Secret Sweet Ingredients (SD, 8 minutes): A brief look at the show's evolving score, as well as the manner in which Fuller and composer James Dooley used music to enhance the tone and mood of various episodes.
• Add a Little Magic (SD, 4 minutes): Another effects short, this time focusing on a CG rhino and its incorporation into key scenes.

Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As much as I would love to recommend Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season to fans and newcomers alike, an attractive high definition video transfer simply isn't enough to overcome everything working against this release: the show has been canceled, the Blu-ray edition doesn't offer a lossless audio track, and its half-hour supplemental package is woefully inadequate. So while series regulars will find enough value in this release to justify its pricetag, everyone else should stick with a rental.