Pushing Daisies Episode 2.05 Dim Sum Lose Some

As a child, young Ned learned that gambling often can mean more than taking a simple risk. Of course, as an adult he risked both his fortune and his heart by creating a pie shop and bringing his first love -- Charlotte Charles -- back to life. Happily, both scenarios turned out for the best.

Just as Ned is feeling secure, a stranger enters The Pie Hole and remarks that Ned's baking reminds him of Ned's mother's pies and that Ned's nervous talking reminded the man of Ned's long-lost father. The Pie Maker is thoroughly freaked out. Charles and Olive, however, are intrigued.

Across town, Emerson Cod was enjoying a lovely dim sum meal when he discovers a note inside his fortune cookie asking for his help. He goes downstairs to the restaurant and finds Simone Hunden -- former wife of Harry Hunden and possible future love interest of one Mr. Cod. He also meets Lai Di, the former wife of Bao the bun steamer. Emerson learns that Bao was killed in a tragic steamer accident... that Lai Di believes is not an accident at all.

At the morgue, the Mod Squad talks to Bao and learns that he thought (prior to the explosion) that his life was in danger. Unfortunately, with a pipe sticking straight through his head, he had very few other words.

Emerson returns to the restaurant to speak to Bao's daughter Mei, who insists her father's death was, in fact, an accident. He also meets Robbie, the chubby restaurant manager and Mei's fiancé. Emerson asks about Bao's gambling habits and gets the stink eye from both.

An old man enters The Pie Hole and explains to Chuck and Ned that the dim sum restaurant has been a hotbed of gambling since prohibition. The gang goes to the restaurant and sees Simone involved in a heated dinner of dim sum. As they observe more closely, they realize the group is playing with their food... or, more accurately, they're playing poker with their food and gambling using edamame as chips.

Emerson later questions Simone about the dim sum poker game and gets the scoop on the various hoodlums involved --- including the notorious gangster Shrimp Boy. They banter a bit and Emerson finds love in the most disciplined of ways.

While Emerson gets his groove back, Chuck and Olive find the address of Ned's father's home and pay the man a visit... only to discover his Ned's dad has skipped out again and Ned's two half-brothers now live there. The twins, both of whom are fond of magic, share Ned's distinctive eyebrows. Chuck and Olive are elated at their discovery.

Emerson and Ned check out the waiters at the dim sum restaurant and nearly get killed by a bun steamer. A nearby bus boy, sadly, was not as lucky as our detectives and died after being impaled by a copper pipe. Ned revives him and learns that the bus boy was actually an undercover insurance agent that was sent to investigate Bao's suspicious claim... which was taken out only one day before his death.

Mei sends another fortune cookie message to Emerson, and they meet across the street. She explains that her father bet her hand in marriage and lost. Because of Bao's addiction to poker, she was now betrothed to Shrimp Boy's cousin, Robbie. She also believed her father's death was suspicious and thus summoned Mr. Cod to investigate.

At The Pie Hole, Olive and Chuck fess up to meeting Ned's half-brothers. Ned is less than pleased and explains that he has no interest in reconnecting to his past... even if it was a past he never connected with in the first place.

In an attempt to smoke out Shrimp Boy, whom they believe to be behind Bao's murder, Chuck and Olive pose as dim sum waitresses. They spike the tea with a diuretic, sending two of Shrimp Boy's thugs to the bathroom. Emerson and Ned pose as gamblers hoping to get in on the tasty poker game. While playing they learn that to Shrimp Boy, a man is only as good as his word. They also learn that Bao played another round of poker in an attempt to win his daughter's freedom back from Robbie, Shrimp Boy's cousin. They quickly deduct that Robbie killed Bao for the insurance money after he once again beat out the man at dim sum poker. Coincidentally, Emerson wins the next round with four shrimp buns and the gang is held hostage by the thugs.

Simone and Bubblegum, her prize-winning pooch, arrive and Bubblegum sniffs out an extra set of buns in Robbie's pants... which proves that Robbie had been cheating at poker since he and Shrimp Boy were, well, boys.

Emerson later confronts his lady friend and they both decide to take a gamble... on love.

Meanwhile, Chuck and the Pie Maker approach Ned's half-brothers' home. He confronts his twin brothers and is greeted warmly, which surprises Chuck not even a little bit.

And to no one's knowledge, this heartfelt scene is being watched by the very strange stranger from The Pie Hole. Apparently he followed Chuck and Ned to Ned's brothers' house and is waiting... with a gun.