When I heard that Netflix was going to add their own version of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" to their platform I was beyond thrilled. The book series was one of my favorites as a kid and having it come to life made me, as well as other fans very excited. I was truly ready to see what Netflix (with the help of the author Lemony Snicket) had in store for the show.
Neil Patrick Harris's performance as Count Olaf was something I was very hyped for. And he definitely delivered. While his character on the TV show was a lot more one dimensional than the Count Olaf in the book series, his wacky and unique performance made up for it. I also enjoyed Harris's singing of the theme song each episode. I think the theme song gave off the perfect vibe for the show as a whole. His fourth wall breaking was also pretty hilarious.
I can definitely say that the show stayed true to the book's plot line, right down to Mr. Poe's cough. Somehow though, it was able to leave out the character development of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. While developing other characters like Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine, the TV show left out the major elements that made the Baudelaire orphans the Baudelaire orphans. Violet, who's characterized in the books as this genius girl who loves to invent, only invents things about two times this season. The rest of the time she basically just holds Sunny. Even the inventions she makes are unrealistic. Like a machine to find a stone at the bottom of the ocean after just throwing it 100 feet away? No way. Klaus's book smarts aren't really addressed as much in the TV series as they are in the book. The Klaus in the TV show seems to only state facts when it's convenient for the plot. You don't really get to see who Klaus really is otherwise. Sunny's biting was unrealistic, but acceptable for me because it was used for comedic effect.
The show really played on the theme that adults are idiots, but made it more blatantly obvious than the book did. Mr. Poe's stupidity was seen as the punchline to every joke. Just as he rescues the kids from Count Olaf aka Captain Sham in "The Wide Window," he turns around for one second and lets both the orphans and Count Olaf get away. In "The Reptile Room" Uncle Monty doesn't realize Stefano was Count Olaf until the end, but even then he doesn't realize Count Olaf's true intentions. I wish this concept wasn't as emphasized in the TV series because even the book version of Mr. Poe would've been able to figure these out.
Overall, I enjoyed the series very much and can't wait for the next season. It has its flaws, but what doesn't? Reliving the deaths of Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine really got to me because I felt like a kid reading the books all over again. Patrick Warburton was an interesting choice for Lemony Snicket, but I think it definitely worked out well and kept the show interesting. The show is marketed more towards kids obviously, but it's a very great show.
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" is on Netflix now! Go watch it!
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