In the tenth episode of the second season of Pushing Daisies, the team panics when a group of Norwegian private investigators begins asking questions about Dwight Dixon’s disappearance. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Pushing Daisies.
OH MY GOD, THIS IS TOO MUCH. THIS IS GOING TO SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL SOON, I JUST KNOW IT.
- What a thrilling, suspenseful, and clever episode, y’all. HOW IS THIS SHOW SO GOOD?
- Seriously, it’s clear that this show is going to go out on all cylinders, and I’m afraid of how bad things are going to get before then. Because let’s be real here: The team got real close to everything falling apart.
- And that’s actually inherent in the very fabric of the arrangement Ned has with the people in his life. “The Norwegians” openly acknowledges how risky it is that Ned has told anyone about his secret or used his power at all. As much fun as I think it would be if Olive knew the truth about Ned, this episode is evidence that for every person involved in Ned’s secret, there are that many more variables that could blow the whole thing open.
- Plus, “The Norwegians” finally addresses just how frustrating this entire experience has been for Olive, who is constantly stuck between being a part of the trio’s secrets and being forced out because they can’t tell her what’s going on. It’s not fair for Olive, who has sacrificed so much to help out her friends, and I don’t blame her for feeling left out, you know? That’s brilliantly paralleled with Vivian’s own journey to find out what happened to Dwight Dixon, which is also a parallel to Chuck and Ned’s issues with being abandoned.
- UGH, THIS EPISODE IS SO LAYERED, AND I LOVE IT.
- Anyway, I think the cold open is an important scene that demonstrates how complicated Ned’s life has always been because of his gift. Because he refuses to let the vast majority of people he knows in on his secret, he’s forced to deal with horrifically awkward situations that often leave him looking bad. The example of the hunter who accidentally shot himself is relevant to what Ned goes through in “The Norwegians,” except this time, Lily and Emerson are part of that equation. They all become wrapped up in this investigation in their own way, and because they’re hiding something, it makes things a billion times more difficult to deal with.
- And it’s important that this episode examines why these people choose to keep secrets and how that affects the people they’re keeping secrets from. To Lily, her secrets would devastate Vivian, and so she believes that she must protect her sister from the harm that would come from learning the truth. That’s two-fold, of course, since Lily not only slept with her sister’s fiance and had Chuck, but she knows that Dwight is a horrible man who duped Vivian just to get a pocket watch. If she tells Vivian that truth, she’ll be heartbroken for an entirely different reason.
- Which is why is so fascinating to watch the gradual role reversal of Vivian here! When Olive goes off on a rant and decides she’s fed up with how Chuck, Emerson, and Ned treat her, Vivian realizes that she’s on the exact same journey. She’s aware that Lily has been lying to her for some unspoken reason, and it eats at her self-worth. Why can’t Lily just be honest with her? As Vivian seeks out the truth and eventually gets it, we find that it’s Lily who ends up being comforted by Vivian after they learn that Charlotte’s body was not in its coffin.
- Oh god, MY HEART. They think Chuck’s body was stolen by Dwight, and they have no idea SHE IS ALIVE. It’s too much. Too much.
- Let’s talk about Olive Snook, who had a very justifiable reason to be furious with her friends who constantly exclude her from their circle of trust, but chose to be loyal to them anyway by going undercover so she could help destroy any evidence against them. ~*T r u e F r i e n d s h i p*~
- For real, I adore Olive, and she’s probably my favorite character on the show, which is hard to determine anyway because all six of the main characters (Ned, Olive, Chuck, Emerson, Lily, and Vivian) are so damn likable. And I do understand why Ned isn’t telling her about his secret, despite how much I crave it sometimes. It seems like it would be the easiest solution, but once I start thinking about the logistics of it, it becomes a bit of a nightmare. Still, that whole sequence in the MOTHER RV where Olive plays 20 Questions is RIDICULOUS. Oh my god, would Ned have admitted the truth if she guessed it?
- Also WHAT DID NED MEAN ABOUT FEELING THE SAME ABOUT OLIVE AS HE DID ABOUT CHUCK???
- I also spent about zero time thinking about how Olive and Ned were able to get out of that RV in time. I just went with it because it’s a show about a man bringing people back to life with a touch. Sometimes, you have to pick your battles.
- For example, I thought the depiction of Norwegians was both odd and adorable? Like, it was rad that Orlando Jones was in this episode because there are Norwegians of color that exist, so that was a great touch! But then there was that line about the Vikings that Vivian says that makes no sense whatsoever? What the hell? I dunno, I wasn’t totally bothered by it, but I’m also not Norwegian, so I don’t have any strong emotions about it either way. I should go ask Kasper about this.
- But let’s talk about Ned and Chuck. They both take turns trying to blame themselves for what’s happened. Even Emerson spends some time believing that he should take the fall for what happened with Dwight. The truth is far more complex than that, which is the point. Plus, Charles was the one who chose to leave, and that’s his fault. Chuck can’t blame herself, just like Ned can’t blame himself for his own father leaving (!!!!! IN A SECOND, I SWEAR !!!!) or Vivian can’t blame herself for what Dwight did. If they can blame themselves, perhaps they can gain some control over this situation by assigning personal responsibility. However, it’s not as easy as that. Again, Ned’s secret makes things so difficult!
- Which is why he decides that it’s time for him to stop. To Ned, his magical power has brought him true happiness in Chuck, and there’s no need for him to make matters worse anymore. He chooses to give up using his gifts. I had noticed that he was touching the strawberries for that pie with his bare hands, and I wondered how that was possible. I assumed it was a mistake, but then Chuck realizes that he’s using fresh fruit. I’ll be interested to see how Emerson deals with this choice. I mean, it’s not like Emerson is a bad investigator. No, he’s rather good, but his lucrative business is based on Ned’s cooperation.
- I also don’t think that this will make Ned’s life any easier, either. Not using his power doesn’t make it go away, you know?
- Of course, I’m basing this on the fact that IT WAS NED’S FATHER WHO SAVED HIS LIFE AND OLIVE’S LIFE AND ORGANIZED THE FAKE SCENE IN DWIGHT’S HOTEL ROOM AND HE’S IN THE PIE HOLE AND HOW MUCH DOES HE FUCKING KNOW???Â
- OH MY GOD. Do you realize what this means?
- Chuck’s father really did abandon her. He’s not hovering at all.
- She’s going to be devastated.
- WHY IS NED’S FATHER HELPING NED?
- I AM SO LOST
- H E L P
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