This review contains MODERATE SPOILERS for ?Norwegians,? the tenth episode from the second season of ABC?s ?Pushing Daisies.?

In contrast to the first season, this year promised to ?go further? on all the elements that made Year One a joy unrivaled by any other television production; an arc was introduced, stories became more ambitious and above all, more random.

Unfortunately the show has struggled to condense all of this into a single hour and so the result has been many threads left dangling overrun into the following week.

This approach does have its advantages for building a continual arc, however all of those elements are quickly set aside in the opening teaser for a new, wackier story to be told and any impact they could have had is totally forgotten.

Take for instance the runaway -- and newly reawakened -- dead Dad; his disappearing act at the end of ?The Legend of Merle McQuoddy? heralded a massive shift in the tone of the series. Gone is the light-hearted and fun loving nature, and in its place is a dark and harsh reality of resurrecting the dead. To some it may be long overdue, but in all honesty ?Pushing Daisies? isn?t that show.

Although ?Norwegians? is by no means another ?Merle McQuoddy,? it does suffer from the same problems as some of the other episodes. Namely, the complex and convoluted family dynamic that is slowly engulfing the series (now spilling out of the Charles family tree and into that of the Pie Maker?s).

Ignoring the family situation for a moment, the stand-alone story of the week certainly hits close to home, with the shows very own Itty-Bitty (Kristin Chenoweth) turning against the P.I. squad. It?s ambitious, weird and involved some fascinating interactions between Olive and The Pie Maker (Lee Pace).

What Worked

The two sisters finally voicing their feelings of suspicion and distrust for one another was great (not to mention at least eight episodes overdue) and allows for a wonderful exchange between Aunts Lily and Vivian ... not to mention the fact that Olive is practically the third member of their little secluded family.

It was also a blessing to have the mummified Charles Charles out of the picture as his mere presence reduced the show to Saturday morning cartoon material.

What Didn?t Work

Surprisingly, Orlando Jones? role was something of a letdown. Normally the man has a very focused comedic part to play (he was the sole voice of laughter in ?Evolution?) but in ?Norwegians? he is barely noticeable. And even when he is, the Norwegian accent prevents any solid laughs.

Chenoweth?s performance also carries less than the usual quantities of heartful exuberance, however most of that stemmed from the near-normal journey her character embarked on as she tries to identify the secret between Chuck (Anna Friel) and Ned.

As the only member of the P.I. squad that is not in on the secret of Ned?s superpowers, she has become a fantastic and ever so funny rogue element to each episode and it is imperative that she remains oblivious to the talking dead. Olive is at her best when jumping to conclusions and working her own magic on trying to crack the case wide open.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Pushing Daisies" stars Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride and Kristin Chenoweth. ?Norwegians " was written by Scott Nimerfo and was directed by Tricia Brock. "Pushing Daisies" airs on ABC Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Alan Stanley Blair is the assistant news editor for Airlock Alpha. He is currently studying for a diploma in Freelance Journalism and can be reached at ablair@airlockalpha.com.

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