But now I’ve cleared my desk of 2008’s detritus, it’s time to get those Daisies properly in a row, and I’ve had time to pen my view of episode 9, The Legend of Merle McQuoddy. The writers decided studiously that they’d divide the cast into two teams, and run each on an independent plot thread, which worked exceptionally well. Chuck and Ned deal with Charles Charles, while for the most part it’s Emerson and Olive that detect the killer of Nora McQuoddy, harpooned while she cleaned the prism of the lighthouse where she lived in Papen County. That’s a complicated reference, but amusing to those old and geek enough to get it. In the Disney film Pete’s Dragon, Helen Reddy played a lighthouse keeper from Passamaquaddy. Also in that film, the Dragon was called ‘Elliot’, Nora’s son in this show, and the villain was played by Jim Dale, narrator of Pushing Daisies. Also at one point, is a rendition of‘ Candle on the Water, the song sung by Helen Reddy in the movie. Salutes to odd musical movies over, the death of poor Nora is surrounded by strange circumstances, since her husband Merle had been lost at sea for ten years only recently to return. They eventually follow the clues to find Merle, but the actual killer is the wonderful Mary Kay Place as Annabelle Vandersloop, who comes over as an even more deranged combination of Bette Midler and Martha Stewart. She belongs to a strange society of widows who make dioramas to celebrate their deceased spouses, and it turns out she was spurned by Augustus Papen of the PCHS, who also had a relationship with Nora. But these goings on pail into insignificance with what Ned and Chuck have to deal with in their portion of pie, namely the independently minded and previously deceased Charles Charles. Ned is terrified that people will find out that long dead people are walking about, and that he’s responsible for that. But Chuck is just delighted to have her father back, even if he’s not exactly going along with the limited lifestyle these events have presented for him. In the end, Chuck must make a choice between her father and her life with Ned in the Pie Hole, and she chooses the latter. In the final scene they find Charles Charles has left the apartment, destination unknown! This is a really strong episode where the pieces of Bryan Fuller’s beautifully crafted jigsaw are starting to fall into place. With just four more shows to go, the swansong of this production is going out on a high note. Soon I’ll be back with my review of The Norwegians, which is by far the funniest episode of the series so far. Check out Mark’s review of the previous episode here.
