Pushing Daisies/Recap/S1/E02 Dummy

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  • S1
    • E01 Pie-lette
    • E02 Dummy
    • E03 The Fun in Funeral
    • E04 Pigeon
    • E05 Girth
    • E06 Bitches
    • E07 The Smell of Success
    • E08 Bitter Sweets
    • E09 Corpsicle
  • S2
    • E01 Bzzzzzzzzz!
    • E02 Circus Circus
    • E03 Bad Habits
    • E04 Frescorts
    • E05 Dim Sum, Lose Sum
    • E06 Oh Oh Oh... It's Magic
    • E07 Robbing Hood
    • E08 Comfort Food
    • E09 The Legend of Merle McQuoddy
    • E10 The Norwegians
    • E11 Window Dressed to Kill
    • E12 Water and Power
    • E13 Kerplunk
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The Past

Ned is dropped off at boarding school, four weeks after his mother's death. Teased by the other boys, Ned concocts a revenge plan: he volunteers to help out in science class and secretly resurrects the frogs, causing mayhem. Though he quickly regrets his actions, he lies to the teachers about being responsible--having learned to lie from his father, who lied when he said he'd be back for Ned.

The Present

Chuck has many questions about being back from the dead, not all of which Ned is willing to answer. To Emerson's dismay, Chuck tags along on their latest case: automotive engineer Bernard Slaybeck, dead in a hit-and-run. Or so they think until Ned wakes up Bernard, who claims that he was killed by a dummy. Intrigued, the detectives investigate Bernard's employer, the Dandy Lion car company, where they meet his grieving girlfriend, Janine, and poke around the Dandy Lion factory.

Janine points them to a large pit full of discarded crash test dummies, but they barely have time to investigate before someone dressed as a dummy knocks them unconscious and, back at the factory, imprisons them inside body bags inside a Dandy Lion prototype.

Tropes

• The Alleged Car: The plot hinges around a safety flaw in the Dandy Lion design, and not the obvious one either.
• Big Eater: Janine. However, Chuck believes (and is proved right) that she's actually a laxative-assisted bulimic.
• Boarding School of Unloved Children
• Corrupt Corporate Executive
• Don't Come a-Knockin': in a shot referencing Titanic.
• Free the Frogs
• Hypocritical Humor: The CEO of a company pushing eco-friendly cars having a Hummer for his personal vehicle comes across as this.
• Indirect Kiss: The plastic of their body bags keeps Ned and Chuck from touching.
• I Want My Flying Car
• Just Between You and Me: Subverted; the villain isn't aware that Ned, Chuck, and Emerson can't hear his Motive Rant.
• Malevolent Masked Man: The murderer does his work wearing a crash test dummy's mask.
• Omniglot: Chuck's Japanese.
• That Reminds Me of a Song: Olive sings "Hopelessly Devoted To You" (from Grease)