- This Troper just went squee.
- Hmm... Perhaps Ned is a stone-homunculus, and he gives out new lives with a touch, then sucks in any lives that don't have the proper anchor a naturally instilled life would have (i.e., lives he had given) with another touch? This ties in well with my "literally giving and taking back a life" guess below. If Ned's father had preformed human alchemy on his wife's recently-stillborn (or unborn) child, that might explain why he went on the run as soon as Ned's particular power showed up in a form that might put him (Ned's father) under suspicion of human transmutation. Additionally, Ned can be short for Edward (see "Edward Edwards" below)... Named after his great great uncle or great grandfather, perhaps?
This means that Ned's ability is a Heroes-style genetic superpower. The similarity between Adam Monroe's immortality and Digby's immortality seems to underscore this point. Other people, like LeNez, may also have superpowers; but without Monroe's influence, there is no Company to keep track of them.
- There were plans to have Hiro appear (with time powers) in episode 3 of Pushing Daisies.
- Motivated by a desire to secure Ned and Chuck's happiness and thus have Olive to himself, Alfredo Aldarisio will eventually find the alternate-universe Mohinder and develop a way to suppress Ned's ability.
- Chuck's Aunt is the alt!version of Sylar's mum (seen near the end of Volume One), and her alt!mother is due to appear sometime in Volume Four as an old friend of Angela Petrelli.
- While we're mentioning Heroes guest appearances, Charlie Andrews was played by the same actress as Elsita.
- Ned's comment about making love on a bear rug may have Jossed this.
- He technically said "intimate relations". Maybe the bear ruined the mood before they could go all the way.
- That just brings up all kinds of potential squick.
- Yes, and that would be part of what ruined the mood.
- Odds are, that incident was as close as Ned got to losing his virginity. That there was a bearskin rug around in the first place implies that Ned hadn't told his would-be lover about his ability, which in turn means that either the relationship wasn't emotionally serious or that Ned was so inexperienced with romance that he thought explaining the central defining force of his life could wait until after the relationship had progressed to the sexual.
- Wouldn't it be fun if Ned's lover died of a heart attack? What counts as a touch for the purposes of his power?
- It's rather poetic, in a maudlin sort of way.
- How very snow white.
- He technically said "intimate relations". Maybe the bear ruined the mood before they could go all the way.
- What in the world does being related have to do with whom you're attracted to? Their mutual attraction to Ned is easily explained by - well, by looking at him.
- Ned can touch any normal living being with no consequences. His touch only has an effect on lifeforms who are or have been dead. He's only reluctant to touch people because he's learned to be really, really careful about what he touches, and other people make him nervous anyway. He could, if he so chose, have an intimate physical relationship with, say, Olive; he just doesn't want anyone but Chuck.
- It might be fun to see the Pie Hole team go up against a Kira.
- Seconded. Anyone any good at fic writing?
- "The facts were these...JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!"
Now, here's the big question: if you got a Death Note, and got Ned to touch a cadaver just before someone else writes that person's name in the Death Note, what would happen if Ned touches them again? What about five times?
- I don't know about Vivian, but... I've just watched "Corpsicle" again: on the day of Chuck's dad's and Ned's mom's deaths, Ned comes to the door after bedtime. Lily answers it. Ned stands there looking forlorn. Lily immediately deduces that Ned's mother has just died. How would she know?
- I think the implication is supposed to be that Ned told her and we just didn't see that part. Now that I think of it, I can't remember hearing Young Ned speak in any of the flashbacks, even when it's implied he must have said something.
- It's not our world as it is. It's our world as it should be: shinier, prettier, more colorful. It's the way we thought the world would be when we were children—a world where being a professional baker and small-business owner leaves one with oodles of discretionary income and free time.
- The reason he has such free time and money is because of his detective side work. He's getting a cut of the money of every case he works on.
- It's more like Orpheus and Eurydice; except Ned, unlike Orpheus, didn't slip up and thus gets to keep his formerly dead girlfriend around.
- Or rather, he gets to keep her if he doesn't slip up — instead of not being allowed to look at his dead girlfriend, he isn't allowed to touch her. It fits!
- Orpheus could have looked at Eurydice if he had waited. He just wasn't supposed to look back at her while they ascending out of Hades.
- Or rather, he gets to keep her if he doesn't slip up — instead of not being allowed to look at his dead girlfriend, he isn't allowed to touch her. It fits!
- Perhaps both Ned and his dad will be Edward Edwards - Charlotte Charles is just a feminised form of her father's name after all - thus neatly explaining the Ned nickname; he doesn't want to hear his dad's name, even if it is his own. May also serve as a shout out to Indiana Jones; someone named Charles, after their emotionally distant father, takes on a nickname to anger his dad. Though Ned couldn't go the 'name of my dog' route, what with his unusually long-lived dog ... except in "Bitches", where he switches his and Digby's names around in just such a manner ...
- In "The Legend of Merle Mc Quoddy' Olive buys raincoats. Hers is covered in olives, Emerson's with fish and Ned's with pies. My guess is that his last name is Baker, which could easily give Ned's dad BB as initials.
- All those permanently brought back are immune to the proximity rule. (See Ned's "No re-gifting" comment in "The Fun In Funeral".)
- Boring alternative: Ned was extra careful and set the timer to go off at 55 seconds. Which...actually makes sense, as he uses the timer as a reminder.
- The minute is not that hard set. We've seen that sometimes it takes a few seconds for the exchange death to occur. After a minute, the universe goes looking for the nearest acceptable trade, and within that time is a grace period. One minute is probably the shortest possible time, and so the standard.
- Third season... <sob>.
- This was Jossed by those bigwigs at ABC who chose to cancel the show after the second season.
- We see Ned's dad tousling Ned's hair in some of the flashbacks.
- But how far back? Ned's touch doesn't affect anyone who's never died.
- We see him touching Ned when Ned is dropped off at boarding school, and Ned states repeatedly that that was the last time he saw his father (bar the glimpse he had in "Girth", and the incident at the end of "The Norwegians", where Ned isn't aware of his father's identity).
- But how far back? Ned's touch doesn't affect anyone who's never died.
When Young Ned was doing his experiments with the fireflies, it wasn't another firefly that died; it was a spider that was not part of the experiment.
When Chuck was alived-again, one of the funeral home directors died. He was robbing from coffins.
When Charles Charles was alived-again, it was Dwight Dixon who died.
- As appealing as this is from the standpoint of Ned's conscience, it implies that the squirrel who died in exchange for Digby's life was an evil squirrel.
- Dude, squirrels are evil.
- Or at least have no souls.
- Dude, squirrels are evil.
- My theory? The equivalence of live. It only makes sense if theall-mighty power thing only picks its victims at random, though, i.e., the squirrel in Digby's case. Maybe it was and evil squirrel? Maybe it stole some other squirrels nuts? Human life is worth Human life. Animal life is worth Animal life. Insect life is worth Insect life, though I might just be trying to tie together two fandoms...
- The "animal-for-an-animal" is canon. Dunno about evil, but that much is outright stated in "Pidge". Now, maybe if an evil squirrel dies to replace another evil squirrel, and a good squirrel for a good squirrel...
- This could still be true, It's not that the squirrel is completely 'evil', but something had to die , it was the most-'evil' equivalent life in the area.
- That's a fascinating theory, and the idea of the watches having some sort of power might explain why Dwight was after them, although his stunned reaction to the resurrection of Charles Charles suggests that he had no idea that that was possible.
- Or possibly Dwight had no idea Ned or Chuck had that power.
- It also raises the tantalising possibility that Ned was the one to (accidentally) kill Chuck in the first place; she owned her father's watch up until she died ... which just around when Emerson strong-armed Ned into revivifying people on a weekly basis. It might even be the guy Emerson first saw Ned bring back and re-dead, given how chaotic that one was. Which would mean that Ned accidentally killed Chuck's dad, and Chuck herself.
- But Chuck wasn't killed by just mysteriously dropping dead, like all the other victims of the random proximity thing—she was strangled by the Shiny Shoes Killer.
- That's a fascinating theory, and the idea of the watches having some sort of power might explain why Dwight was after them, although his stunned reaction to the resurrection of Charles Charles suggests that he had no idea that that was possible.
Aside from both being sleuths, they're almost complete opposites. Shawn solves crimes using observation but pretends to be using superhuman powers. Ned solves crimes using superhuman powers but pretends to be using observation. Shawn employs a black man as his crime-solving assistant, Ned is the crime-solving assistant to a black man. Shawn is a ladies' man, Ned has his one true love and doesn't seem capable of attraction to anyone else. Shawn is always hyperactive and outspoken, making a big impression on everyone he meets, while Ned is shy and unassuming. Shawn is incredibly, even annoyingly, cocky, while Ned is quietly self-confident in his domain and quietly self-conscious out of it. Shawn is reckless, Ned is always hyper-cautious. Shawn's dad was always very demanding of him, while Ned's abandoned him. Shawn is laid-back, Ned is usually ill at ease. Shawn is cunning, Ned hasn't got a devious bone in his body. Shawn is great at deception, Ned is a terrible liar. Any more?
Digby was so much more intelligent than the average dog after being re-lifed, and most characters brought back tend to act like the Theme Park Version of themselves or even get a complete personality change, as though they went from being the same them to a completely new them who simply had the exact same set of memories. This would raise the question of if Ned would give himself his own backup life, since he appears to be immune to the one-minute proximity rule — if he would turn into a corpse, bring himself back and lose his power, or bring himself back and take another person's life.
- Perhaps Ned will become an unwilling tool of the Black Lanterns.
- Please, continue.
- people will take all kinds of crazy risks for love.
- Can we add Nanny McPhee to this, as well?
- An kid's imaginary universe: All the girls love him? Check. Gets to solve mysteries with a real detective? Check. His girlfriend is eternally pretty, but can't get too close for that icky grown-up stuff? Check. His dog lives forever? Check. Owns his own business where he makes only desserts? Check. Has an inordinate amount of free time for adventure, given that he owns his own business? Check. He can defy death? Double check.
- If anything, everything from the moment Ned's mother died was an escape. His power, her coming back again? Think Norman Bates in Psycho. Ned's dad came home to find Ned treating his mother's corpse like it was alive and packed him off to an insane asylum, causing Ned to imagine everything from his mother dying again, his first kiss, and the boarding school. He is probably on day-release rehablitation at a pie shop. He may have broken out, killing everyone whose murders he 'solves' in the imaginary universe. He may even have killed Charlotte, having imagined their relationship.
- Or, alternately, everything in Ned's grey world up until Emerson discovered Ned's secret was real - everything afterwards has been Ned imagining a happy world for himself, under the hallucinogenic effect of morphine, while the government doctors (after the ice cream and balloons) in the small white room are cutting little bits out of him until there's nothing left to cut (Emerson having turned Ned in to the CIA for a fat payoff as soon as possible).
- Cortexiphan brought out his talent for bringing people Back from the Dead as a child. He almost exclusively wears black/white/grey (the exceptions are all undercover-type situations), and tries his very hardest to be inconspicuous. His greatest fear is becoming an experiment if found out— but what if there's a grain of a memory in there? The supernaturally delicious pies may or may not be related.
- This troper believes there may be a trope concerning the idea that magic wears off when the caster dies, like in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Either way, this would make sense. It would also return some form of nature to Ned's left-alive people, rather than have them remain permanently immortal/unaging.