(S02E05) Hmm...something was off about this episode of Pushing Daisies for me. Maybe it was the emphasis on Emerson, a character I like, but not my favorite, but this show really only hooked me with Ned's story.

Between the Chinese dumplings and the fruit pies, I was having major munchies. I'm kicking myself for not having ordered steamed dumplings with my Happy Family combination dish earlier this evening. I also loved Ned's line in the opening narration about investing in a pie shop when "...Carbohydrates had fallen completely out of fashion." How true!

Stephen Root's appearance as Dwight Dixon, a friend of Ned's parents, opened a world of possibilities. At one point, I thought he might be the pie-maker's father, but the last scene seems to dispel that notion. What's with the pistol on the front seat?

Chuck and Olive are becoming a terrific dynamic duo. I find myself wanting to see the together more and more. When they donned the red silk Chinese dresses and befanned head gear, I had flashes of Charlie's Angels -- only with two angels, not three. The setting also reminded me of Thoroughly Modern Millie, only Olive didn't break out into any Julie Andrews' songs. How did they miss that opportunity?

Once again, the murder mystery seemed pretty perfunctory, as was the figuring out whodunit. The dim sum dishes covering a poker game was clever, if cumbersome. Did you have to eat the hands you were dealt? If so, were you rolled out the door after a couple of hands and a few dozen dumplings? I know, I know, I shouldn't get hung up on the details.

Ned's meeting with his half-brothers, twins Ralston and Maurice, made the show for me. Previews of next week reveal that Ned's going to get to know the illusionist pair, so perhaps the mystery of where Dad is should be uncovered soon, too.

I'm not sure if creator Bryan Fuller has plans to progress the story this quickly, but if I had his ear, that's what I would recommend. With the ratings being what they've been, and by that I mean they're not very good, I want more character stories from Pushing Daisies and less crimes and cases.