Friday, February 1, 2008




PUSHING DAISIES
Season 1 Episode 7
“Smell of Success”
Written by Scott Nimerfro
Directed by Lawrence Trilling
(WARNING: SPOILERS)

So, first off, let me assure you, this episode is by no means an awful one, it’s just that, given its shortcomings, and given that it immediately follows the brilliant “Bitches,” “Smell of Success“ comes off as perhaps one of the weaker installments of Pushing Daisies.
The most significant shortcoming, I suppose, is the whodunit portion.
Involving olfactory expert Napoleon LeNez (It’s All Relative’s Christopher Sieber) and his just-about-to-be-released scratch-‘n-sniff self-help book, Smell of Success, this one is pretty standard stuff that should prove to be no mystery at all for anyone who’s a procedural hound.

It’s a good thing though that the writing still displays those moments of humour and emotion that make Daisies such a constant delight. (Discovering not just about Emerson’s love of Knit Wit, but also about his love of pop-up books, are definite highlights of the episode. And while the absurdity of the whole scratch-‘n-sniff and pop-up literary movements is certainly a hoot, the C.H.U.D. reference is a hoot and a half.)
Then of course, there’s also the introduction of Oscar Vibenius (Pee Wee Herman himself, Paul Reubens), former best friend and current olfactory rival of LeNez, who seems to be meant to be a recurring character from here on out, as he quickly develops a fixation on Chuck, who smells quite unlike anything he’s ever smelled before…

And in the subplot, the Darling Mermaid Darlings finally get back into the water…

Parting shot: Lawrence Trilling, who directed this episode, has produced and directed for shows like Felicity, Invasion, and Alias.

(Images courtesy of pushing-daisies.com.)

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