Pushing Daisies Review:
"Robbing Hood" (Episode 207) and "Comfort Food" (Episode 208)

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Forgive me for being a little late to the game, but I suppose I'm still in mourning over Pushing Daisies' inevitable but hopelessly disappointing cancellation. With the news creator Bryan Fuller is headed back to NBC's Heroes, the chances of Daisies being brought back to life is slim to none, despite the best efforts from fans. Alas, we can only take solace in the few episodes the series has left. Still, the cancellation really stings because the show seems to be really hitting its stride.

"Robbing Hood" (Episode 207):

The Dwight Dixon (Stephen Root) mystery swiftly became infinitely more interesting. Dixon has been romancing Chuck's Aunt Vivian, in order to get closer to this mysterious pocket watch owned by her late father. In "Robbing Hood," he finally obtained his long sought-after prize, but the shrewd and inherently distrusting Aunt Lily slipped in toward the end of the episode and stole them back. Root has been playing Dixon masterfully, always maintaining that air of mystery but also never overdoing his menacing presence.

More significantly, Dixon finally discovered that Chuck isn't the dead lonely tourist her aunts still believe she is. He uses his information as leverage to blackmail Olive, and the rest of the troupe. Dixon's actions serve as a catalyst for one of the best cliffhangers in the series: Ned and Chuck head to the cemetery with the intentions of digging up Chuck's father's grave in order to learn the true motives behind Dixon's actions. Ned, of course, had been wary of doing this at all because of the potential trauma it could inflict on Chuck. After all, he brought his mother back to life for seven hours before she kissed him goodnight and fell asleep forever. A minute isn't nearly long enough for a lifetime of goodbyes.

But Ned and Chuck seem to be left with no options. Dixon is getting closer and closer to exposing Chuck by the day, and that also means he's getting closer to exposing Ned. It's not the first time Ned's expressed concern over someone learning of his "gift," but it's the first time the point really hit home. Emerson mentions Ned could become something of a circus act, and it's a rather harrowing point: should he be exposed, how would people react? They'd be horrified, right? Jealous, even. He'd become a one-man freak show, simultaneously exploited and tortured for an ability he's spent his entire life grappling with, an ability that was brought happiness but also wrought unspeakable tragedy.

Ned's selflessness over looking after Chuck's well-being, though, brought the pair's romance to a touching culmination: "I love you. You're the real swashbuckling do-gooder," Chuck said in her dad's grave, glassy-eyed. It is in moments like this, which should be schmaltzy and downright bizarre (they are digging up her father's grave, after all), the series really shines. For as bubbly and breezy as the show can be, there are moments of profound emotion. Lee Pace and Anna Friel have such great chemistry and indelible comedic timing that it would be a shame if neither move on to another TV series, or the movie business after Daisies finishes its run. For as brilliant as the writing is, the show simply wouldn't work as well without actors as talented as these.

"Robbing Hood" introduced some pretty loopy characters as part of its central murder mystery case. Wealthy tycoon Gustav Holst (Shelley Berman) was killed by a crashing chandelier, and his strangely obsessive lawyer turned to Emerson to smoke out the killer. Possible suspects included Gustav's hilarious pop-tart trophy wife Elise (Jennifer Elise Cox), a woman who constantly teeters on the edge of drunkenness. When the gang brings Gustav back to life, he still finds time to flirt with Chuck before revealing he was killed by a "bellman." That bellman turned out to be Rob Wright (Danny Comden), a modern-day Robin Hood who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, whose deal with Gustav to expose his meandering wife's true feelings went horribly awry.

The murder mystery even allowed Olive the chance to go undercover and adopt a hysterical pseudo-Eastern European accent. Dolled up in a feathery, pink-boa outfit, Olive makes a trip to the "ring for right" headquarters for a bit of investigating. I'm not sure how helpful she turned out to be, but it was one of Chenoweth's funniest moments this season. Bringing the pig (on a leash, no less) was a nice touch.