One of my favorite shows of all time is Pushing Daisies. The short-lived show from Bryan Fuller was a victim of the writers’ strike back in the late 2000s, and thus, many do not know of the beautiful love story of Ned the Piemaker and Chuck. Starring Lee Pace and Anna Friel, the beauty of Pushing Daisies wasn’t about how much these two characters kissed or hugged or touched, because … well, they physically couldn’t.
So, as this lovely Twitter user pointed out, Pushing Daisies may have given us the best way of showing those we love our feelings while trying to keep away from each other to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Pushing Daisies as the foundational text for love in the age of corona pic.twitter.com/mv77nKSAhe
— Andrea Villena (@atvillena) March 12, 2020
Ned the Piemaker has a gift, one that has followed him throughout his life and haunted him: He can bring people back to life with just a touch. First, his mom died and he brought her back accidentally, which caused the father of his neighbor and sweetheart, Charlotte “Chuck” Charles, to die, because when Ned brings someone to life again, he has one minute to send them back to the afterlife permanently with a second touch, before someone else dies in their place. When he brought Digby, his dog, back to life, another animal died because Ned wasn’t sure what to do.
When Ned, as an adult, went to investigate Chuck’s death, he brought her to life and couldn’t bring himself to send her back to the other side—meaning they could never touch each other. They were protecting Chuck because, well …s he’d die if they touched, but with rules about not touching our faces and social distancing, maybe it would be a great time for all of us to live out this unsung TV gem.
Granted, the cuteness of Pushing Daisies came from their creativity, but we can at least look to it to see how to share our love for one another without, you know, spreading the virus even further.
It also makes me want to watch the show during a quarantine—just go back to watching this beautiful show that was over too soon.
So take the Ned the Piemaker and Chuck on Pushing Daisies challenge. Kiss through plastic, wear beekeeping suits—you get the idea. And, you know, if Bryan Fuller wants to bring this show back so it can get all the (non-touching) love it deserves, we wouldn’t complain!
(image: ABC)
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