Pushing Daisies/Recap/S2/E06 Oh Oh Oh... It's Magic

The Past
Young Ned's father entertains his son with magic tricks, but then breaks Ned's heart when he leaves him forever. Years later, Ned's father performs the same disappearing act on Maurice and Ralston, Ned's twin half-brothers, and abandons them during a matinee magic show.

The Present
Ned's Long Lost Siblings are professional Stage Magicians, and drop by the Pie Hole with free tickets to their show. Chuck and Olive are eager to go, but Emerson is indifferent and Ned is downright reluctant.

At the magic show, Ned is approached by the twins' mentor, stage magician The Great Hermann. Hermann's animal assistants have been dying; and, suspecting foul play, he hires the foursome to solve the case.

Two suspects emerge immediately: Hermann's frustrated assistant Alexandra, and warmup act The Geek.

The next night, the stakes are upped considerably when Hermann's signature trick goes wrong, leading to his death.

Tropes
"Emerson You need a bigger human shield or something. You're hanging out all shorts of places I can shoot!"
 * Deadpan Snarker: Ned, unusually enough for him. Being pressured to assume a parental role towards people he still resents seems to have that effect.
 * Extreme Omnivore: The Geek
 * Human Shield: The villain tries to use Olive for this, and is mocked for his choice of hostage by Emerson


 * Idiosyncratic Wipes: with curtains.
 * Long Lost Sibling: The twins.
 * Parental Abandonment: It turns out that Ned's father also abandoned them. Nice guy!
 * Pull a Rabbit Out of My Hat / Saw a Woman In Half : Tricks alluded to but not seen.
 * Stage Magician
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: The Geek