Wake the dead, solve a murder mystery, and silence the undead – all within sixty seconds. Not quite a typical day for you or me. But in the surreal world of Coeur d’Coeurs, this is all too normal for Pushing Daisies’ lead Ned (Lee Pace). As a young man living off his thriving business of pie-making, Ned incorporates his unusual talent of bring back the dead for however short a time in efforts to apprehend murderers. A few quirky characters accompany this modern day hero: Emerson Cod (Chi McBride), a materialistic and pragmatic private investigator; Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth), Ned’s neighbor and not-so-secret admirer; and Charlotte “Chuck” Charles (Anna Friel), once Ned’s childhood sweetheart and now girlfriend/partner after being brought back to life indefinitely. Pushing Daisies is an eccentric, oddly charming show; it is no surprise that with every whimsical idea incorporated that something more existent surfaces: homosexuality.
Homosexuality emerges subtlety with the coroner’s character (Sy Richardson). Episode after episode, Ned and Emerson encounter the coroner at the morgue to view (wink-wink) the deceased victim. Viewers are not aware of his homosexuality for the most part; viewers do not know much about him at all really, except for the facts that he loves to moisturize and has taken a liking to Emerson. In “The Fun in Funeral,” he allows Ned, Chuck, and Emerson to “take a gander” at his smooth hands. It seems inconspicuous but with stolen glances and the chance to moisturize Emerson’s hands, the coroner becomes slightly suspicious for a lack of a better word. Nothing plays a factor in his homosexuality – attire, stereotypes, setting - besides maybe location and his relationship with the private investigator (one-sided). For whatever kind of hints that exist, nothing is portrayed in a negative fashion. Pushing Daisies respects its characters and does quarantine them by needlessly focusing on their sexual preferences when there are far more aspects to dive into. The coroner brings a level of practicality to the show but it goes no further. It does not morph into a cliché or a petty character, and anyone - a creator or viewer or anyone in between - can appreciate that.
Regretfully due to the series’ unwarranted cancellation, all character development will come to a halt. According to Bryan Fuller – the show’s creator and an open homosexual himself, “we were going to slowly expand his character and kind of reveal that he has a little crush on Emerson.” Despite the bad news the cancellation brings to all viewers, it is admirable enough to know that Pushing Daisies presented homosexuality respectably.
I loved this post. I really liked how you talked about how a show doesn't need an episode dedicated to the gay community to make the show "gay-friendly". Pushing Daisies seems like a really interesting show, one that I would like to watch. I really liked how you included the names of the actors so the people reading this post could then look up information about the show and characters. And, sick writing. As always!
I enjoyed reading your post . It gave insight to what is normally done by most TV shows, when there is a gay character and everything about his or her plot line is about being gay. I do think though the hand lotion is a little stereotypical - that is the only way people figure out he is gay. Your post was also written very well, like all your other work!!