Watchers of this fall’s best new show, Pushing Daisies, may have noticed a number of oblique Mormon references. The most explicit of these thus far has been naming a villain “Wilfred Woodruff,” although said villain turned out to be Asian Southern Gentry. Previous villain names also include “Lemuel.”
Tonight’s episode puts Pushing Daisies into new terrain, however.
The episode, entitled “Bitches,” deals with the murder of a dog breeder who happened to be a polygamist. The victim’s words from beyond the grave: “my wife did it.” The wacked-out world of dog breeding is held in (juxtaposition?) comparison with the wacked-out world of polygamy, and more than one reference to Mormonism is made.
Here’s the promo (sorry to those without Youtube):
I have not been able to determine where these Mormon references are coming from (Bryan Fuller is decidedly not Mormon), but I am sure they’re deliberate. Fortunately they’re also hilarious, and for the most part well-written.
November 14, 2007 at 5:53 pm
I would also note that the victim tonight dies from drinking coffee.
November 14, 2007 at 6:22 pm
When Wilfred Woodruff (knowingly spelled wrong?) showed up I thought it could be a coincidence, but to follow with Lemuel, I knew it had to be deliberate.
I looked around the ‘nacle, but didn’t find anybody else talking about, and looked the writer/producer up on Wikipedia and didn’t see any connection.
I’m sure someone out there can shed some light. I look forward to tonight’s episode.
November 14, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Spencer, the credits are definitely for “Wilfred.” Thought it was a nice touch.
November 14, 2007 at 6:30 pm
There is a show on Fox called “House, M. D.” One of the new characters on House this season is a black Mormon that is harassed by the main character. The black Mormon was outed when the main character noticed that he (the black Mormon) was wearing a Brigham Young University ring.
November 14, 2007 at 6:41 pm
CC, yes, although that is more of a temporary gimmick. Pushing Daisies shows in-references and Mormon cultural markers that I think are more provocative than a straight-up Mormon character.
November 14, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Was that Joel McHale of The Soup?
November 14, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Perhaps one of the story editors (Kath Lingenfelter, Dara Resnik Creasey, and Chad Gomez Creasey) has Mormon ties?
The character on House hasn’t had much to do lately, though he has been the only character with enough guts to give House the punch in the face he deserves.
November 14, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Kevin – yes, it was! Good eye.
November 14, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Look at the first wife’s decour. Celestial Room chic?
November 14, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Last night’s House episode had a mormon reference that I just didn’t get. Anyone catch it? House said “ask the Mormon” in response to a question about marital infidelity. What was that about?
November 14, 2007 at 8:34 pm
One of the wives didn’t take any caffeine. Interesting.
November 14, 2007 at 8:36 pm
MCQ -
it probably goes back to either House’s comments about Jospeh Smith a few episodes back, or (more likely) a reference to that particular Mormon’s status as a single dad who said he “would like to know” where the mother of his kid is.
November 14, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Okay, I come to the Bloggernacle for the highbrow stuff and what do I get? More tv? Do you guys really watch that stuff? ;)
November 14, 2007 at 9:38 pm
In the video clip, when the groom is standing with his bride(s) (one in a wedding gown), the backdrop looks suspiciously like the doorway of the SLC temple where all the newlyweds get their pictures taken. Upon closer examination, I think it is clearly not (how would they ever get permission to shoot that), but on a first look, I think it plainly invokes those pictures. Intentional? Who knows…
November 14, 2007 at 10:29 pm
While you may have found no one else in the Bloggernacle noticing the connection, we’ve (or at least I’ve) brought it up on RFM multiple times now – the last time before tonight being October 25. Of course, since the message board doesn’t keep messages beyond about 10 days, the previous posts are gone now.
Nevertheless, at least a few of us are as intrigued to the reason for these references as you are, Steve, despite no longer being in the faith ourselves. :)
BTW, nice blog here. I like the content a lot.
November 14, 2007 at 11:47 pm
What’s RFM?
November 15, 2007 at 12:22 am
I’ve enjoyed Pushing Daisies since the pilot, and having read Steve’s “more than one reference to Mormonism” statement before tonight’s episode I was all set to witness some sort of explicit reference to the Church beyond the polygamy. That didn’t happen.
If anything, the foreknowledge caused me to “see” things in during the hour (and before returning to read others’ comments here) that I’m just not convinced were actually meant to mean anything in particular. Those “temple doors” clearly turned out to be the front of a courthouse or city hall (steps and columns), the first wife’s “Celestial Room” decor clearly fit her haughty fashion sense and demeanor, and the “fact” that the fourth wife didn’t partake of caffeine a) was necessary for the storyline to work and b) accompanied the repeated point that the husband and the other wives drank coffee, and lots of it; the drink of choice could’ve just as easily been orange juice, after all.
Yes, yes, I didn’t need any premeditation to pick up on the names “Wilfred Woodruff” (not “Wilford”) and “Lemuel” in earlier episodes. It may turn out that some writer or story editor or, heck, craft services person on the show is LDS and really is intentionally leavening episodes with references only we would pick up on. However, at this point I see no more reason to see any particular method to the madness here than did the British intelligence agents who panicked about a certain newspaper crossword that appeared before D-Day.
November 15, 2007 at 6:32 am
Do we watch that stuff?
Of course we watch it. Television is to our day what Charles Dickens’ serialized stories were to his day. The Dick van Dyke Show will stand for generations!!! Who can doubt the genius of a show that has the wife get her toe stuck in a bath tub faucet thereby ruining a romantic weekend.
November 15, 2007 at 7:07 am
MikeinWeHo:
It’s the ironically named Recovery from Mormonism board.
November 15, 2007 at 7:40 am
Yeechang Lee–
It’s OK if you are not along for the ride, but I have seen a lot of fancy fancy houses and none were decorated with white curtains on the walls and a round white upholstered sofa. If that is common how fashioning in your neighborhood, well, I hope Pottery Barn moves in soo.
November 15, 2007 at 9:08 am
Lemuel is a biblical name, and was especially common in the South in the 19th century. I knew a man named Lemuel who was a convert to the church, so I’m not sure that the use of the name Lemuel is a mormon thing. Would mormons really want to name their kid Lemuel? You might be right about the mormon ties, but Lemuel doesn’t seem to be strong evidence.
November 15, 2007 at 10:47 am
PD is indeed like much of Mormon culture: insipid and crap.
November 15, 2007 at 11:11 am
Ronan is jealous because all his TV shows is EastEnders and reruns of Doctor Who.
November 15, 2007 at 11:18 am
Steve,
How can you not love a show where the actor in the title role has now changed, what, 5 times, and still maintained the same cheesy sets and effects? Tom Baker was always the best Doctor Who, IMO.
November 15, 2007 at 11:18 am
Weak, Evans, very weak.
November 15, 2007 at 11:21 am
Agreed re: Tom Baker.
Ronan, I apologise. That was weak.
November 15, 2007 at 11:36 am
The irony, Steve, is that Ms. Friel is a former British soap-er.
November 15, 2007 at 11:36 am
I’ve also noticed the Mormon references; funny to see it discussed here.
November 15, 2007 at 11:40 am
Ronan, I understand that she was one of the lip-lockers involved in Britain’s first on-screen lesbian kiss. As such I welcome this English Allyson Hannigan to our television screens.
(actually Google informs me that America’s first on-screen lesbian kiss was on All My Children, but I’m sticking with my Buffy reference)
November 15, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Plus Allyson Hannigan is awesome.
November 15, 2007 at 3:37 pm
This thread went south in a hurry.
November 16, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I’m delighted to see that the bloggernacle noticed the Mormon references in Pushing Daisies. After the Wilfred Woodruff mention made me take notice, the episode on Wednesday made wonder who is the Mormon in the Writer’s Room.
Re: Doctor Who
David Tennant is worthy and Ronan wins for being able to see the Children in Need special tonight.
November 16, 2007 at 12:58 pm
My PBS station shows two episodes of Eastenders on Friday night. We are a little behind – Will little Mo beat the attempted murder rap?!?!?
December 2, 2007 at 3:03 am
The taffie episode has mormon references. The tub of taffy looks very similar to a temple baptismal font in the old school temples. There is also a big taffy company in Utah/SLC.