1. Ned. I think Ned is a highly underused name and I have been fond of it since I was a child. Is this Ned short for Edward? Whatever the name on his birth certificate, Ned is a wonderful moniker.
2. Randomly bursting into song. Though it has not been as prominent this season (yet), I love when characters start singing out of the blue. Kristin Chenoweth has such a gorgeous voice, it'd be a shame not to use it. In life, I often find myself singing, under my breath or right out loud, and I see no reason why characters in a show shouldn't do the same.
3. Bright saturated colors and gorgeous cinematography. This show is, after all, a fairy tale of sorts. I love the magical quality that the look of the show brings to the table. And in HD, it is just fabulous.
4. Witty dialog and banter that doesn't seem contrived. If I were to list all of my favorite one-liners and random off the cuff comebacks in this show, this would be a much longer entry. Chi McBride gets some of the best zingers, but he does not hold the monopoly on them. Thank you, brilliant writers.
5. The childhood sequences with narration. Last night's sequence of Olive as a child asking for a horse, being denied by her parents, being completely incapable of "accepting negative statements," trying to dig to Arabia, finding a triceratops fossil instead, having a visitor from Arabia come to see it, and having him bring her a horse like she wanted? Genius. Nothing short of genius.
6. Gosh darned likeability. Ned is flawed. Chuck is flawed. Everyone is flawed. That doesn't stop me from wanting to give them all big hugs and a plate full of cookies. Or maybe a nice warm pie. The characters are so darned appealing.
7. Cute without being cheesy. It's "awww" without the "ewww." When Chuck and Ned played the "we just met" game outside of their respective doors last week, I just couldn't stop smiling. This goes back to the likeability issue. Pushed just a little too far, it could be really over the top, but they know exactly how to play it.
8. The "Aunts." They are grumpy. They are kooky. They are more than a little convoluted (especially with the reveal that Lily is Chuck's mother and Vivian was engaged to her father). I want more of them.
9. The Charming Dead-come-back-to-life people. How is it that this part is not creepy? It is so cleverly done, that's how. Seeing some of the way that people are disfigured in their death makes me give a round of applause to the make up artists on this show. What was going on with the nun's face last night? Cobblestone marks? Couldn't tell, but I like to guess. Is that macabre?
10. The "We Can't Touch" love story. Even though it creeped Emmerson out to hear about the "contraptions" that Ned and Chuck use to get around the fact that they are in love, but one touch from him would send her to the grave (again), I am entranced at how they work this story line in. Bee keeper's suits, plastic wrap, proxy kissing statues, and proxy high-fives via Emmerson, I love it all. I am a hopeful romantic at heart, so I wonder if there is some way for them to work around it in a more satisfying way... we'll see.
So, Powers That Be, keep this fantastic unique show around. I don't want to watch 19 different CSIs and Law and Orders. I don't even want 4 different shows like
Pushing Daisies. Some things are just original and should be embraced as such.
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