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Episode Recap: "Corpsicle"
Chuck gives Oscar (Paul Reubens) a piece of her hair so he can find out the truth about her smell. Emerson tells Ned he has a daughter but later blames carbon monoxide poisoning as the culprit for his sharing mood (but we know the potato was inserted in the tailpipe after he shared that information). High as a kite from a mood enhancer, Lily tells Olive Chuck’s her daughter. Oh my! All sorts of secrets came out of hiding tonight.
On the run from Ned after he told her he’s responsible for the death of her father, Chuck goes to the only other place she knows she’s welcome: Olive’s. And because it’s the last place he thinks to look, Ned scours the city before knocking on Olive’s door. But now that she and Chuck are friends, Olive’s not about to give her up. I was happy Chuck got to tell someone the real story of how she died and was resurrected by Ned, even if Olive ending up not believing her. I may have mentioned it before but I’ll mention it again: I am so glad these two are friends. Chuck does need someone other than Ned to talk to and Olive is usually there to scratch that itch. But since she can’t be entirely honest with her, Chuck is feeling the need to confide in someone else. It’s a good thing Oscar’s there.
Oscar, whom we met a few weeks ago, is back and drawn more than ever to Chuck’s smell of honey and death. He sought her out on her rooftop and admits to taking some hair from Digby’s butt because, like her, Digby smells of death. Oscar wants a piece of Chuck’s hair, too, but she doesn’t allow him to have it at first. Oscar is more interested in having Chuck tell him her secrets than discovering them in her hair. When Oscar offers Chuck her hair back, she takes it and refrains from telling Oscar her story. I, for one, am glad Chuck kept her secret because telling anyone can really get Ned in trouble. I just hope this isn't the last we see of Oscar. I think his fascination with Chuck’s smell is a little morbid but his presence brings a nice tension to the show.
Speaking of smelling dead, let me get to the case. Three dead insurance agents/adjustors keep Emerson and Ned occupied. Well, mostly Emerson since Ned’s thoughts are on Chuck. The first corpsicle, Victor Narramore (Jeff Marlow), is discovered by a snowplow operator. Victor isn’t sure how he was killed but the last thing he remembers is seeing a baseball bat with the word "kindness" on it flying at his face. The second and third corpsicles, Bill Richter (Michael Merton) and Ken Vandenick, are discovered on the lawn of heart-transplant hopeful Abner Newsome (Colby Paul). He’s been turned down numerous times as a bad insurance risk. He can’t be the murderer because of his bum ticker and his shriveled little legs. But when Emerson and Ned realize Abner told Madeline McClaine from the Wisher Wish Foundation of his desire to see the insurance guys drop dead, she took matters into her own hands. Emerson and Ned make it to Uber-Life Insurance just as Madeline’s about to send the latest insurance guy on the case, Steve Kaiser (Grant Shaud), to his maker. Her bonobo Bobo accidentally puts her car in gear and helps Madeline make another one of Abner’s wishes come true: He gets her heart. Was it just me or was that kid seriously caustic? Maybe all those years of wishing and hoping for his transplant made him sour. At least he was smiling on the operating table. And what kind of name is Abner? I don’t know any person under 70 who has that name. It’s like when Matthew Perry’s character was named Murray on Scrubs. I’m sorry but it’s definitely an old man’s name.
But lets bring it back to this show. Olive takes over pie-baking duties for Chuck and puts the whole bottle of mood enhancer into her pie. When Lily eats the entire thing, she feels its affects, and boy is she happy; so happy she hallucinates. She’s also a lot less guarded than usual. How fast do you think Olive will tell Chuck about the truth about her parentage? We know she can’t keep a secret. And what about Emerson’s bombshell? I’m so happy he’s opening up a bit more because he’s such an interesting character and I absolutely want to know more about him. I’ll even take the tidbits we get when he’s trying to get Ned to stop talking about Chuck. Speaking of which, I think she and Ned are going to be OK. Chuck needed to be mad so she could get over Ned's betrayal but I hope she doesn’t stay mad at him for not bringing her father back, however briefly. For all of us who’ve lost our fathers, I can’t imagine mine only being back for sixty seconds. I also can’t imagine not hating the person who has to take him away again.
The great words:
Narrator: “Chuck would never see [Ned] again. Not for as long as she lived.”
Vivian: “All this fuss about global warming.”
Lily: “Can’t happen soon enough if you ask me.”
Olive: “…I peeped my peeper out the peep hole…”
Oscar: “Then I guess the dog’s ass shavings will have to do.”
Ned: “You don’t need me to talk to the living.”
Emerson: “Freezer burn. Go ahead.”
Abner: “Actually I was wishing for a better knife so I could pop out its heart and use it as my own.”
The fabulous images:
• A double-barrel shotgun poking it’s way out of Vivian and Lily’s mail slot at Ned
• Olive removing the mistletoe from above Ned’s head as he stands in her doorway asking about Chuck
• Olive’s pajamas matching her wallpaper and her bedspread
• Emerson making a hole in the ice on the second corpsicle so Ned can get some skin-on-skin action
• Emerson removing Ned’s hand from his neck and staring accusingly at his index finger after he’s revived
• The frozen corpsicle breaking apart as the EMTs accidentally drop it on the ground
• Madeline pulling a ginormous gun on Emerson and Ned and Emerson dropping his much smaller gun…quickly
Random fact:
• Olive’s tell is answering questions with questions
I’m sure you’ve already heard that when the writer’s strike is resolved there’s a good chance Molly Shannon’s Dilly Balsam will become a regular. I’d love to see that happen. Any other stunt casting you’d like to see? I thought just for a moment Abner’s mom was Megan Mullally. I love that woman. I’d love to see her on this or any show.
Thoughts? Favorite moments or lines? Please feel free to share below. I think we won’t get another fresh episode until next year so until then feel free to check out our Online Video Guide for more Pushing Daisies.
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Dec 13, 2007 2:09 AM
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Kara -
Thanks for another terrific write-up. You capture everything I loved and laughed at in the show.
Abner reminded me of the caustic Bubble Boy Seinfled episode. Both were cynical and annoying, but good for a laugh.
Grant Shaud (Miles from Murphy Brown) looked incredibly old. I guess that ages me, too.
I loved the hallucinatory effect of the pie on Lilly. And that was quite the bomb she dropped.
So Emerson has a daughter. I hope she comes to the Pie Hole. We need to see more of Emerson's private life and his daughter appears to be the only thing/person in the world that can get break him down into tears.
Is it me, or did Paul Rueben clean up good? He really looked younger than his age. I hope he stays around as a recurring character.
Olive and Chuck as best friends makes me happy. I think they make a good team, especially conspiring to help the aunts.
And we all know Ned and Chuck will be fine. There has to be some tension in a tv romance or it gets boring.
I hope the strike ends soon, or at least the show comes out on DVD soon. I want to re-watch the episodes for all the great lines I missed, and all the great visuals I missed. I totally missed Olive's pjs matching the rest of her place.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.
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Dec 13, 2007 2:49 AM
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This was the best episode yet for a series that has already proven itself to be among the best ever. Fine writing, fine acting (kudos to Chi McBride for his understated portrayal of Emerson's quiet heartbreak when briefly discussing how he knows exactly how Ned feels, and when he mentions his daughter), and as usual, fine art direction. This show is a sumptuous visual feast, one that really puts HDTV to good use (if you watch this show on anything less than HD, you're missing out BIG TIME).
One little quibble...Bobo was no bonobo. Bonobos are apes, otherwise known as pygmy chimpanzees and related to common chimpanzees, not monkeys. As soon as Ned called Bobo a bonobo, I was yelling at the screen that he was wrong.
I can't wait for this show to return. The bombshell at the end was a doozy.
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Dec 13, 2007 3:18 AM
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You missed my favorite line, about Olive unwittingly becoming a "homeopathic drug-mule."
I love that you hear lines on this show that you would never hear anywhere else, but that make perfect sense in the context of the show.
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Dec 13, 2007 7:21 AM
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I absoutly love this show. Emerson cracks me up all the time. It just proves how great of an actor Chi McBride is. I wonder whats the issue between him and his daughter. When Emerson dropped that gun so fast after Madaline brought out big gun, I fell out of my chair.
I also love it that Chuck and Olive are friends.
It was great to see Grant Shaud from Murphy Brown again.
I agree with you Kara about how caustic that kid Abner. But I guess after rejection after rejection for a heart transplant that would make anyone crabby. And he did remind me of the Bubble Boy from Seinfeld. One of my favorite lines of tonights show was from Abner "I asked for a lap dance not a tap dance."
Olive: “…I peeped my peeper out the peep hole…”Try saying that 5x fast.
Oh I thought it would of been cool for when Lily was hullcinating, that part could of been in 3D. The crab or whatever that thing was crawling onto Olive's shoulder made me jump alittle.
I am definetly getting this show when it comes out on DVD.
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Dec 13, 2007 7:22 AM
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Don't forget "Word Vomit," or the act of blurting something out. That had me laughing out loud!
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Dec 13, 2007 8:24 AM
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I thought that Abner's mom was Megan Mullally at first glance also!
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Dec 13, 2007 8:27 AM
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My wife is not quite as big a fan of the show as I am, and last night as we watched it, she said, "this show is creepy." And, as far as this episode was concerned, she's sort of right.
Paul Reubens as Oscar is definitely creepy, even menacing, and it's quite jarring to watch his scenes. I know he's a good performer, but I haven't made up my mind whether or not I consider his character good for the show.
That kid Abner also reminded me of the "bubble boy" on Seinfeld (a show that I grew to hate the longer it was on the air).
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this about "Pushing Daisies" before, but have you noticed how the cars on the show all seem to be decades-old models? I noticed it in the episode with the candy store across the street from the pie shop. The cars parked on the street were from the 1940s! Last night, there was a scene with one of the insurance men walking to his car in the parking garage. His car was from the early 60s, or thereabouts (and so was his wardrobe). I was beginning to wonder if this show really takes place in the present day at all--but the computer on the desk of the insurance company executive reassured me...sort of.
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Dec 13, 2007 8:29 AM
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I'm so glad Chi McBride is back on TV. I just love him!
Emerson cracked me up when he was complaining about Xmas sweaters. I can't remember the exact line but I think he said something like "...ugly like a squirrel's ass."
"Word vomit" is a great phrase. This show has some great writers.
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Dec 13, 2007 8:44 AM
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The mother was played by Julia Campbell. She has steady string of guest spots on TV for years. I remember her show "Blue Skies" and a run she had as the girlfriend on "Herman's Head" back in the 90s.
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Dec 13, 2007 8:50 AM
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The scene that made me laugh out loud was when Ned and Emerson went to the morge for the second corpiscle. Ned touch the corpisle but he didn't come to life. Then Emerson pulls out a knitting needle from his jacket and chips away some ice so Ned can touch the corpsicle. I believe that's the second time Emerson's knitting needles have "helped" with a case.
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Dec 13, 2007 9:35 AM
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I love Emerson and Ned more every time I see them. Chi McBride is wonderful.
I have to say I was kind of digging Ned and Chuck being on the outs - not because I don't like Chuck, I love her, but because it was just so well done. I like me a good tragic romance.
I still hate just about everything about Kristen Chenoweth and Olive. Can't stand her.
I loved seeing the flashback in this one, about the deaths of the parents, and about Lilly. The bombshell at the end was a great twist.
I would love it if Molly Shannon became a regular! She is so underrated, and I hope that she gets to be as funny as some of the other characters. She and Chi would make a great team!
Speaking of SNL, I feel I should point out that PD didnt coin the term "word vomit." It was a running gag (pun intended) in Tina Fey's fantastic 'Mean Girls' from 2004.
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Dec 13, 2007 10:10 AM
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Thank you FrenchCelt. I'm so glad I wasn't the only one yelling at the screen that Bobo was not a bonobo. It was driving me crazy. Bonobos are also known as black faced chimps and are more closly related genetically to humans than chimpanzees are.
Just have to add that I absolutely love this show!
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Dec 13, 2007 10:16 AM
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Has anyone else seen the Golden Globe nominations? Three nods - Lee Pace, Anna Friel, and Comedy Series. YAY!
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Dec 13, 2007 10:26 AM
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Congrats to Pushing Daisies!
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Dec 13, 2007 10:31 AM
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