Pushing Daisies (TV Series, 2007)

One of a brand new (first season) TV series that i watch recently was Pushing Daisies. The main plot revolved around a man, Ned, who often addressed as the Pie Maker by the serie's narrator (the serie uses narrator extensively). He had a gift which i'd say an absurd gift ever since he was nine years old. The gift is whenever he touches a dead living being, any dead living being, the dead living being would be revived.

Now, stop reading for a sec and try to guess the direction of the series.

When i read the first sentence of the main plot description, i had guessed the direction of the film was going to be a dark, gothic, philosophical, and horrific one. I had been wrong.

The Pie Maker's gift had its own rules. The series didn't explain about how the boy got the gift nor does it suggest the issue to be revealed or to be questioned later. The narrator had been shrugged off (or distracted us, the audiences) the ideas of whence the gift had come from... and instead focuses on the boy, who had chooses to accept the gift and never questioned the origin.

The rules of the gift is, if the revived living being touched by the Pie Maker continues to live for a full minute, then another random living being around the proximity would be dead. Any living being. Random. And the second rule of the gift, if the revived living being touched (or being touched by) the Pie Maker again, the living being would be dead permanently. Second touch. Re-dead. Permanent.

Fast forward almost twenty years later, the boy had grown into a renowned Pie Maker. As a side job, he partnered with a private investigator, a cynic, burly man, with a penchant for knitting. The P.I make use of the Pie Maker gift to revive a died crime-victim, obtaining the truth behind the nature of the death, and collect the reward. Until one day, when the Pie Maker had to revive his childhood neighbor, his first and last love, his first kiss, and had decided to keep her alive.

The Pie Maker and the dead girl were naturally in love. Their relationship was an awkward one that hough they shared the same bed, living together, and had a visible affections toward one another, their inability to touch, hug, and kiss were saddening and amusing.

However, the series didn't take the issue seriously (that's why it had been named Dramedy - Drama Comedy). They approach the matter with comical characters, sharp and distinct colors (think Dr.Seuss' The Cat in the Hat film, think Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and mocking absurdity (a car fueled with Dandelion roots? Come on, get real) that even though the series had often always dealt with death, it had no slightiest hint of dread or horrid. It was a light entertainment, not too exciting, but its weird and absurdness had been enough to make me smile a bit.

And of course, the series featured a LOT of cleavage, which is an added bonus, i'd say.