Pushing Daisies: Robbing Hood

Dwight Dixon is getting dangerously close to the truth about Chuck, tempting Vivian into giving up more details than she should about her niece's tragic death. Meanwhile, the gang investigates a murder that involves do-gooders doing more wrong than good. (Is that a lesson for Ned?)

Wow, the ending of this episode has me feeling anxious. Dwight knows the truth about Chuck being alive (though not "alive again" — I'm guessing he just thinks she faked her own death, but more on that in a second), and with his motives still unclear, Ned finally gives in and offers to wake up Chuck's dad so they can find out what Dwight's after. But as the two of them stand in that graveyard, shoveling dirt, Chuck appears to realize for the very first time what a bad idea this could be. After all, she'll only have a minute for all her questions, and after that, she'll have to watch him die again. Ned says if he'd known what his powers could do, he'd never have woken up his mother; will Chuck just regret this? And will Ned's presence be enough to make it OK? He's done things he knows are wrong out of loyalty before (reanimating his classmate's python and rabbit) — but this episode's mystery shows that doing wrong to make things right isn't always the best call.

Besides, what if Chuck's dad can't tell them anything about Dwight? That man is creepier every day — and the hotel room with all the semi-automatic weapons just takes the cake. Plus, he's already got Vivian's heart, and he knows someone is after him now because of the missing pocket watch. And it's not like he doesn't know where to find Chuck. I'm starting to think Ned's suggestion of skipping town might actually be the best idea.

Meanwhile, the case was good for a bunch of gags, especially Olive dressed as a Zsa Zsa-style princess with Pigby on a leash, sashaying into the Ring for Rights office to set up the aunts for a robbery. Also: setting up the aunts? They really must have been pretty convinced that the robbers weren't actually going to be large, angry men, because I'm pretty sure Ned, Emerson, Lily, Vivian, and Olive couldn't look fearsome if they tried. I loved Chuck's tin-can eavesdropping machine hooked up to the victrola in the living room and the fact that the aunts have turned Chuck's old room into a cheese locker; it also figures that it's Chuck's good heart that lets Rob Wright (heh) get away the first time. There were also a bunch of lovely little moments, including:

Ned's a stress-baker! Perfect, then, that Olive's a stress eater.

Olive: "Counterintelligence via pie delivery — like gossiping with a purpose! My speciality."

Ned doesn't know what a key party is! "It's a kind of raffle." "Of the porno variety." And then, later, "Ohh — I was still really wrong about what I thought that was."

Love Gustav for some reason calling Ned, Emerson, and Chuck "Roger, Elmer, and Sassafras."

The entire idea of Ned in a room full of taxidermied things? Hilarious.

Lily: "An imposition is ordering clams at a kosher deli!"