I am – Hercules!!

“Pushing Daisies,” the best new show of autumn, is also one of the first new shows to get a full-season order.

ABC on Tuesday expanded the series’ first-season from 13 to 22 episodes.

Tonight’s installment was written by Rina Mimoun, the woman who got me watching “Everwood.” “L-Prime,” a Canadian, saw it last night on CTV:

What’s it called?
“Pigeon”

Who’s responsible?
Rina Mimoun, late of the acclaimed Everwood, handles the script this week, while Adam Kane directs.

What does TV Guide say?
“A plane crashes into an apartment building, leading Ned and Emerson to investigate whether the pilot meant to take the flight down. Meanwhile, Chuck finds herself drawn to the sole survivor, and Olive cares for an injured messenger pigeon.”

TV Guide leaving anything out?
Not this week. I’m also rather enjoying how the A and B plots tend to wind together more often than not. Helps things feel more cohesive, less like a typical hour-long with characters who tend to exist somehow exclusive of each other.

Does the herbalist return to woo Olive?
He does not, Olive spends more time with aunts Lily and Vivian this week.

We back to a mystery of the week?
We are. This time, a crop-duster crashes into an apartment building, and there’s the body from the plane, but also an extraneous body that soon turns up nearby. Police are strangely absent in this universe, but at least we start to see that our coroner friend, the always delightful Sy Richardson, isn’t quite as clueless as he seems.

Hows about that mystery?
‘Salright. The mysterious hunk from the trailers whom Chuck seems to get all flutterpated around takes up a tad too much screen time, and the mystery overall is probably the least compelling thus far. Jayma Mays, recently Hiro’s ladyfriend Charlie on Heroes and Betty’s nemesis, also Charlie, on Ugly Betty, is nice as the better half of the key to the mystery, but again, the mystery did not have me as interested as the Southern Asian fellow and the graverobbers, or even the dandelion-fueled car homicides.

Things still all romantic tensiony?
Of course. Seeing as there by definition can’t be any sort of payoff, and there is a mild love obstacle thrown between Ned and Chuck, things get a little green-eyed.

People were still talking about disliking the singing from a few weeks ago.
They may be displeased briefly, but then their concerns are shared, and aired, by a character onscreen. Let’s just say that as songstresses Chenoweth and Greene are together for increasing amounts of time, something gotta give. They Might Be Giants fans, one of which I do not count myself, should be happy.

What’s good?
Digby’s jaunt into Littlest Hobo territory; Digby and the young piemaker reuniting – that dog can damn near emote, a well chosen canine actor; the rooftop escape; “Thump-thump, thump-thump.”; “It’s swimming in miracles, not disease!”; “Death was involved.”; “Just because there’s vodka in my freezer doesn’t mean I have to drink it. Oh wait, yes it does.”; “DNA … ish.”; “Seriously. In a prison graveyard. That’s where you want to have this discussion?”; “I’dve preferred a bit more eyeball.”; the use of a bejeweler; “Now that’s narcoleptic. Necrophilia’s the other one.” “Yeah.”; “You’re lyin’, but I’m bored.”; “We’re taking two cars next time.”; “I was born into the life of windmillery.”; the mystery, while a bit weak, does feel lovingly inspired by old Walt Disney comics, what with treasures in windmills and all; “Is bunkmates a euphemism for--?” “Not in this case, ma’am.”; “Her name was Elsa, and this was her windmill.” “My name is Elsa, this is my windmill.”; a fake leg that is never explained, which can be whimsically assumed to have been caused by a freak windmill accident; Kristin Chenoweth’s continually delightful physical comedy skills; a rooftop dance.

Not so good?
As mentioned, the mystery of the week was a bit underwhelming, but the principal characters, and the evolving and slightly surreal growing backstory with Lily and Vivian, are keeping things balanced even lacking a thrilling overhanging plot.

Rating for 1.4 (out of five)
**** -- not quite up to the standards of the first three weeks, but still a lot, lot better than pretty much everything else on the telly, particularly on a second viewing, for reviewing purposes.

8 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.

TWILIGHT ZONE: THE COMPLETE SERIES!!


$164.99!!

That works out to $33 Per Season!!
The extras-crammed Definitive Editions!!
Individual seasons cost $69.99 New; $50 used!!
They were going for close to $100/season not too long ago!

(The discount presumably celebrates the release of the “Twilight Zone” movie in HD, so don’t expect it to last ...)