Some Fast Thoughts On Season 1 Of "A Series Of Unfortunate Events"

A Series Of Unfortunate Events was a book series that was a large chunk of what I read in the second and third grade.  I never read all the books all the way through, but I did read some of them, and enjoyed them.  I also watched the 2004 film with Jim Carrey and Timothy Spall, among others.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the books or the film, the series concerns the Baudelaire orphans, who have just lost their parents in a fire that also destroyed their entire home as well.  With only the shirts on their backs and an enormous fortune that is not to be dispersed until Violet (eldest child) turns eighteen, the children are sent to live with a wide variety of guardians, the first of which is Count Olaf, a local actor with a troupe.  After almost legally marrying Violet to get the fortune he loses them and then ensues on a chase to get the fortune, during which he murders several people and fools whoever the current guardian of the Baudelaires is with a disguise and faked out act.  Later in the series Olaf and the orphans go on the run together, but that's for another day.

When I first learned that Netflix was making this book series into a television series, I was very excited.  I didn't find the 2004 film to be anything special anymore and was looking for a better re-telling of the books than what the film had done.

So what does the show do good on, and what could use to be improved?  Read on below to find out.

The Good

• A Diverse Cast: This version of the show rocks a diverse cast.  Compared to the 2004 film where nearly everyone was white and British, here we get an African-American Mr. Poe (K. Todd Freeman), an Indian Uncle Monty (Aasif Mandavi), and a British Charles (Rhys Darby), and it really helps the show along in this sense.
• The Presence Of Lemony Snicket: Patrick Warburton was someone I never thought about playing series author Lemony Snicket, but oh my goodness does he do a wonderful job.  From when he first steps on screen in Episode One to the singalong at the end of Episode Eight he has a purpose on screen, and that is to tell the story or provide the same examples of things he provided in the books.  Great job Patrick!
• Books: The series at most points stays true to the books it was inspired from, however it's also not afraid to go out on a limb and try something different at one point or another in an episode.
• Pop Culture References: The show is not afraid to make a reference to recent pop culture, going all the way up to the early 2000's in some cases.  It makes for an interesting watch at times.
• The Season Finale Has A Good End: The season finale drops the watcher off right at the start of Book Five The Austere Academy, with the Baudelaire orphans just about to start at Prufrock Preparatory Academy, and the cast all joining in song.  Season 2 should pick up just perfectly from where we were left at here.
• The Theme Song: The theme song that plays at the start of the episodes is truly a musical masterpiece that will get stuck in your head for a long time to come.

Neil Patrick Harris (L) as one of Count Olaf's disguises, Stephano, and K. Todd Freeman as Mr. Poe

The Bad

• Neil Patrick Harris: Neil Patrick Harris has never been one of my favorite actors, and his turn here as Count Olaf proves no exception.  I once saw someone on the IMDB boards mention that it looks like it's not Count Olaf standing next to the orphans in some scenes, rather just Harris himself, and in most scenes that is rather true.  Jim Carrey and Neil Patrick Harris have both failed to impress as the series titular villain in my mind, and I'm hoping the next time they need someone for this role they'll consider someone else.
• Mr. Poe's Characterization: I feel like this version of the show portrays Mr. Poe as a delusional moron with love for nothing but promotions.  Watching episodes three through six (Reptile Room and Wide Window) it feels as if he just immediately forgets whatever he was just told and proceeds to do something stupid directly afterwards.  I don't remember him being this nutty in the books.
• Poor Pacing: The series at times suffers from poor pacing.  The best example of this is how The Reptile Room comes out on the screen.  Uncle Monty is killed at the end of Part One, and almost all of Part Two is spent on the last few chapters of the book where Mr. Poe and the children try to investigate who killed their Uncle.  I feel like this could have been written a tad bit better to spread out across the two episodes more. 

A Series Of Unfortunate Events is definitely worthy of your next Netflix binge session.  However, I do recommend watching two episodes at a time, not more not less, as with only eight episodes you want to save time to savor the series up don't you? 

While the show does suffer from a few things, it is still definitely worth your viewership.  It is hands down better than the 2004 film adaptation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Best Episodes Of Season 1

The Bad Beginning: Part One (Ep. 1)

The Reptile Room: Part One (Ep. 3)

The Wide Window: Part Two (Ep. 6)

The Miserable Mill: Part Two (Ep. 8)

The Mediocre Episodes Of Season 1

The Bad Beginning: Part Two (Ep. 2)

The Wide Window: Part One (Ep. 5)

The Miserable Mill: Part One (Ep. 7)

The Worst Episode Of Season 1

The Reptile Room: Part Two (Ep. 4)