Since the life of Pushing Daisies is on the line, I’m glad they came out with a seriously awesome episode to make up for the last two weeks of it being pre-empted. This week we really get to know Ned’s little brothers, and we find out that their dad abandoned them too.
You may remember that the twins are magicians, and it just so happens that Ned gets acid reflux every time he encounters magic. His daddy used to do tricks for him, as he did for the twins – and while their dad’s disappearing act made Ned hate his father, it just made the twins think he was super important. Ned feels that their vastly different childhood has put a divide between them that can’t be crossed, but Olive and Chuck have other plans.
The whole gang goes to see the Twins in their Magic show, and is treated to a show by the great Herrmann (that’s Hair-Mahn not hair-man) who just happens to be the Twin’s surrogate father. Turns out their real dad disappeared by volunteering for a magic act, and never returning. HerrMan feels bad for them, and offers them a shoulder to cry on. Since they are super needy, he ends up being their new dad.
Herrmann asks Emerson to solve a case for him – his assistants keep dying. Yeah, but by assistants he means the animals in his act. They have been poisoned, stabbed, etc – but they all keep dying. Emerson refuses, but Herrmann reminds him that Pet Detectives make more money than the regular kind.
In the funniest exchange of the show, Herrmann warns Ned about taking on the Twins. He compares them to feeding a stray kitten – saying that a plate of pate isn’t a promise.
Whilst investigating the death of the magician’s beloved monkey, HerMann ends up dead in his Cementia act. The race is on to find out who did it. After some serious detective work, they think it was Herrman’s human assistant, because she admittedly hates the animals. The other main suspect is another magician – the Geek. He enjoys consuming not food items and regurgitating them. Yummy. That kitten that’s been prowling around, better watch out!
In a terribly clever side story, we learn that the mysterious Dwight Dixon was a comrade in arms to both Chuck’s and Ned’s fathers. He knows that Lily is Chuck’s mom, and he ends up on a date with Vivian. All very strange. He is searching for a pocket watch that was buried with Chuck – uh oh, you know this isn’t going to end well.
As Emerson is finding out that it wasn’t the female assistant, Olive is grabbed by the Geek (who was presumably dead) and he uses her for a human (albeit small human) shield. He claims to have a gun in his stomach, but it seems that wouldn’t be possible. The whole thing went down like this:
The Great Herrmann escaped from Cementia using magnets to activate the trap doors. The Geek (feeling distraught because Herrmann accepted the Twins as his sons and protégées and did not feel the same way about him) swallowed said magnets and effectively murdered his mentor. He hid the concrete mass below the trap door, but Chuck and Ned found it and questioned Herrmann about his death. Up on stage, Emerson steps up to the Geek and backs him up till Ned signals the Twins to hit the trap door. He falls to his own death, and the mystery is solved.
Ned and Chuck were able to obtain the location of Herrmann’s secret Magic book for the Twins, and they promptly shared it with the last living Assistant – yes, the human one.
Ned was able to overcome his reflux reaction to magic, and performed a trick of his own for his sweetheart, Chuck. Using mini microphones and a speaker, Ned plants Olive in the home of Lily to have Olive roleplay with Lily as her dead daughter Charlotte. Lily confesses to Olive that she is the mother she never knew, and Olive goes on to ask all of the questions that Chuck wants to know about her mom.
As the show ends, we see Mr. Dixon exhuming Chuck’s coffin – find it…EMPTY. Yikes! Will the Pie Maker and his Lady Love be able to keep their secret for much longer?
