Creative Writing: A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Review

This weekend I binge-watched the entirety of season 2 of Netfllix's "A Series of Unfortunate Events". I didn't even realise it was released around a month ago, but I happily decided it was worth the time this weekend to watch as I was such a huge fan of the books growing up.

Which, as a side note here, Lemony Snicket was the only author I ever wrote a fan letter to as a child (yes, not even JK Rowling got a devoted letter from me).  I remember I got into the book right after the 10th book was released, and I eagerly awaited the last three books.  I remember going to the official website every week waiting for clues about the final books, solving online puzzles, and ordering the extra material (such as "The Unauthorized Autobiography" and "The Beatrice Letters").  So when I say I was a fan, I was a Very Fanatic Devotee of the series (if I knew about fandoms when I was ten, I would've solidly put myself in the Snicket fandom).

And part of the reason I wasn't tracking the series as devotedly as I did before the premiere of the first season was because I thought the first season was a solid "B".  There was nothing inherently unforgiving in the series, (and why would there be, as the actual author of the series is on the writing team for the Netflix show), but I still thought there were some technical, story, and aesthetic things that I would've done differently.  This article does a good job at more or less summing up my feelings regarding the 2004 movie versus the 2017 series adaptation.  (Although I freely admit a bias to loving the film adaptation, much to the controversy of many dedicated Snicket fans).

But I am happy to report that the second season improved upon the first  season above and beyond what I would've hoped.  The two things that really made this series stand out are:

1) The "B" Plotlines

As a Very Fanatic Devotee of the series, anything involving VFD and the non-Baudelaire orphan main plot line was of Very Focused Discernment.  I loved learning more about the Snicket siblings, Count Olaf, and the Baudelaire parents, as well as, of course, the secret organization itself.  And this series is a goldmine for all of that delicious content that always made up the "just out of reach" framework for the fantastical world of the Baudelaires.  The series knew that it's B plot lines involving the other adults and secondary characters in the secret organization were where it could flesh out and strengthen the intrigue and mystery of the story, and that's exactly what it did.

This allowed viewers to have something "surprising" in store as well as referencing all the "little things" that hardcore fans of the show would be eager to dissect.  Not to mention that aside from making the plot more exciting, it advanced the themes of the original series extremely well regarding the idea of "growing up".  The idea that even the other characters don't know everything, and the secrets surrounding their connections, The Schism, and their certainly questionable morality was pushed more clearly in the best way possible.  I particularly loved the opening sequence for the penultimate episode of the series - to get a glimpse into the masked ball that's alluded to so many times in the series was a real treat.

2) The inherent bias I have towards "middle books"/storyline

As long as this series was well made, it all but guaranteed that this would be a standout.  Case in point, my favourite book of "Lord of the Rings" is the "Two Towers", my favourite book of the "Chronicles of Prydain" is "Taran Wanderer", so on and so forth.  I love anything that sets up the pay-off for the final installment of pretty much anything.  And this series is the set-up for what will assuredly be a great finale season 3.

This season does a fantastic job at transitioning the series from it's archetypal storyline (Mr. Poe drops off the Baudelaires with an unfit guardian, Count Olaf disguises himself to try and kidnap the children, someone is murdered, and the Baudelaires are off again to another guardian) to the blurry storyline when the Baudelaires decide to have more agency in plot lines which break from the mold (when they decide to runaway after being placed in the Vile Village of Book 7). 

This parallels the larger themework that Snicket advances, in which children go from a black and white view of the world where good is always good and evil is always evil to an understanding of "grey areas".  The Baudelaires end up choosing to do "wicked" deeds (like stealing, lying, etc.) in order to survive a cruel world, and Count Olaf shows glimmers of nobility throughout his wickedness.  In short, the complications of plot, characters, and motivations allow the story to teach children about growing up.

And this series makes that all too apparent as the Baudeliares continually ask themselves and the audience (literally) how to hold true to their moral convictions in a sea of uncertainty, mystery, hypocrisy, and cruelty (much like life).

Not to mention that the acting seems to have improved by the entire cast (Harris' Olaf is really coming into his own), and the CGI, while still questionable, is markedly better than the first series once you get used to the more Wes Anderson/"Pushing Daises" aesthetic.

I absolutely recommend going into this season with more hope than the first, and I'm excited to see where the conclusion will lead us.  (Even if I still do miss the neo-gothic-steampunk design of the film).