Pushing Daisies/Recap/S2 E1 Bzzzzzzzzz

The Past

A brief recap of the main events of Season 1. Encouraged by her aunts, Chuck takes up bee-keeping after the death of her father.

The Present

It's been over six months since the events of "Corpsicle", and Chuck is beginning to feel restless, the same dissatisfaction with her life that, a year before, prompted her to take that ill-fated cruise.

When Olive snaps under the pressure of being everyone's Secret Keeper, Aunt Lily suggests an extended stay at the remote convent where she herself stayed, thirty years previously, when secretly pregnant with Chuck. Olive agrees, and Chuck decides to move into Olive's vacant apartment. Ned, who was perfectly happy with their home life, is deeply hurt, but tries to hide it.

Meanwhile, Emerson is hired by Dusty Fitz to find out who killed his wife, Kentucky, found stung to death by the bees she cared for. As Kentucky worked at Betty's Bees, a honey and honey-products firm, Emerson enlists bee-expert Chuck to go undercover at Betty's Bees. There she meets the eponymous Betty, who's been demoted to a figurehead after Betty's Bees was bought out, and is resentful of its new owner and new bee-girl Chuck.

Tropes

• Bee-Bee Gun
• Caught with Your Pants Down
• Conspicuous CG: The bees and the exterior of the Honey House.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive
• Hey, It's That Guy!: 3rd Rock from the Sun's French Stewart
• Homage: To the opening scene of The Sound of Music after Olive leaves for the convent.
• Keeping Secrets Sucks: Olive has a near-nervous breakdown over it.
• Men Don't Cry: Emerson aggressively reinforces this paradigm after Chuck encourages Dusty to cry for Kentucky.
• Narrowed It Down to the Guy I Recognize
• Nuns Are Funny
• Shout-Out: reference to the Happy Time Temp Agency, from creator Bryan Fuller's previous series, Dead Like Me.
• Tradesnark: By the Narrator, of all people.
• The Worm That Walks: Chuck brings up the possibility of a bee-based one as the culprit.