pushing daisies: The secret's out

In last night's episode of Pushing Daises, "Bitter Sweets," Ned blurts out his biggest secret to Chuck, after finally deciding never to tell her.

First, we got two crimes to solve this episode. First, the gang proves a man was killed not by the hands of his own girlfriend, but by those of the girlfriend doll of his delusional friend. The solved this crime so quickly it left me wondering what the rest of the episode would focus on.

But never fear, we had another crime coming our way. The brother and sister owners of the new candy shop across the street from The Pie Hole decide to play dirty, scheming ways to put our friends out of business in order to claim their prime retail location. Chuck and Olive, frustrated by Ned's laid back attitude, decide to fight back. But when Ned discovers the brother dead in a vat of taffy while cleaning up their mess, attention shift: they need to the pie maker's innocence.

With Ned locked up, Emerson can't rely on his wake the dead approach to crime solving, and the team must work to outsmart sister Dilly (perhaps a subtle nod to Dylan's Candy Bar?), who they suspect is the killer. But once she clears her name, she agrees to let them find the real killer: a rogue food safety inspector who wants to bribe them for the surprise inspection that shut down The Pie Hole.

In prison, Ned's cellmate in none other than the delusional doll lover from the night's first crime. Listening him talk about his love for his "girlfriend," Ned realizes there is more than one meaning to truth, and decides he's better off keeping his truth from Chuck.

But that night, as he and Chuck lie in their beds across the room, Ned is filled with love and closeness for his own girlfriend. Without thinking, he blurts out the truth: "I killed your father."

This issue has been dancing over us the entire season, so it will be nice to see it resolved in future episodes. Plus, it should add some more depth to Ned and Chuck's relationship. With touching out of the picture, their relationship relies on a deep, emotional connection, and they'll have to work hard to get through this.