A Series of Unfortunate Events - Season 1 Review
This review of Season 1 of A Series of Unfortunate Events is spoiler-free!
When I was a kid there were all kinds of books that people were checking out that I just never really got into. Whether it be something like the Spiderwick Chronicles, Harry Potter, or Artemis Fowl, I really just missed a lot of series. The Redwall series has my attention fully throughout my childhood as I read through multiple books, but the one that I did manage to read one book of is what I'm discussing today: A Series of Unfortunate Events. I'm a big believer that in order to enjoy a TV or film adaptation, you shouldn't have to have read the books that they come from. Being that I'm a rather new fan of Unfortunate Events, I hoped the same for this. Does it manage to portray a story that readers can enjoy, while also fit for screens? Let's discuss!
A Series of Unfortunate Events does one thing exceptionally well: its organization. Being that this is a series of 13 books, there is a lot of material to cover. Taking a rather smart approach to the overall series, each book is separated into two parts. This also for essentially a two-hour movie dedicated to each piece in the saga. For me, I loved this idea for one reason, it feels self-contained. Being that you're dealing with the same main characters throughout each set of episodes, you come to understand them but it is possible to skip certain books that perhaps didn't interest you as a child. This also though presents a problem for bingers and many TV fanatics alike. Unfortunate Events isn't a series that can truly be binged, as there is a bit of weariness that comes over the viewer having that there is a sense of reset at the end of every two episodes. Seeing the reestablishing of Count Olaf and the kids' new atmosphere every set of episodes grows tiresome and a bit frustrating. If I were to recommend a way to watch this series, it would be to take it one pair of episodes at a time. You can enjoy one self-contained arc for the characters, take a break, then come back and enjoy another story.
Speaking of the story though, Unfortunate Events really impressed me with its overall arcs. Being that this series really sticks by its books and attempts to adapt each one, there is more opportunity to gather the detail that comes in a book that often is forgotten in TV or film. For those unaware, this story follows the Baudelaire children and their misadventures to escape Count Olaf. Traveling from family member to family member they often find themselves as the only ones who understand the pressing problems in front of them. The changing atmosphere allows for the story to never really get boring and have fresh characters around the main cast. Many have described these first few books as the slowest of the series, so that may explain why it does feel a bit slow. Although I don't feel it's a huge problem, it just feels methodical which is something that I can stand.
The characters of this series though really are critical to a viewer's enjoyment of the show altogether. The truth of the matter is that the main children in Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes), and Sunny (Presley Smith) aren't all that interesting. Their story is all about surviving the dastardly deeds of Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris). Even though Sunny is done completely through baby translation, she is rather fun, and the only truly unique one of the group. The two standout characters for me are Harris' Olaf and Lemony Snicket (Patrick Warburton). Olaf is a hilarious villain who goes to extreme lengths to attempt to steal the fortune of the Baudelaires. Harris engrosses himself in this role and I believe he is a perfect fit for Olaf. There is nobody in Hollywood who could capture this character on the level he does. Lemony Snicket, on the other hand, stands out because he has secret connections to Olaf and the others. This secondary and mysterious story means Snicket factors in more than you think, and it's important to pay attention to all of his scenes and any time he is mentioned. He's not just a narrator, he's a player in the overall story.
Looking back on A Series of Unfortunate Events, I am impressed with what I watched. Being a rather new fan of this franchise, I can't say that the series sticks by the books, but that doesn't matter to me. A good TV series should be defined on its own, regardless of the source material. Even though the main characters are a bit generic, Olaf and Snicket help to boost the series' curiosity and intrigue among its fans. Along with a huge secondary plot that is unrelated to all of the characters, Unfortunate Events is most definitely a series we are fortunate to have. See what I did there? I'll go now...
