Yeah the lack of subtlety was amazing.

Getting shot by a poison dart and whispering "the world is quiet here" while slipping into a reflecting pond covered in lilypads is the ultimate VFD way to die.

I rolled my eyes at the Sunny stuff tbh. Sunny's characterization was always a bit too unbelievable in the books and seeing it actually acted out (and in fact exaggerated) on screen just exacerbates that. *ducks*

Yeah, I can't wait to see where they take the Hook Handed Man's character yet. For sheer entertainment value I think my favorite troupe member so far is still the Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender. The Bald Man with the Long Nose is pretty boring so far and the White Faced Women are probably the most legitimately…

I agree with Zack that the scene with Poe visiting Olaf is pretty unnecessary. I'm fine with believing Mr. Poe is simply incompetent enough to dump the kids off with their geographically closest relative, and I don't think the scene was as funny as it wanted to be. I guess it *does* answer the concerns of people who…

If you're mad the series didn't end by the orphans realizing the importance of natural law and Thomas Aquinas I'm …. not sure what book series you were reading in the first place.

FAKE SPOILER: "Lemony Olaf Baudelaire …. You are named after the two bravest men I ever knew."

Well the two series are pretty distinct and driving toward different climaxes. The climax of Harry Potter obviously has to be defeating Voldemort; it's not at all obvious that defeating Olaf in ASOUE would be the end of the story, or even be possible. But yeah, I'm not a fan of the notorious HP epilogue. I think…

I actually don't think it is. Indeterminacy and ambiguity don't *necessarily* make a plot more sophisticated or interesting. It would definitely be inappropriate thematically for the series to end with all secrets revealed and all criminals unmasked. BUT, the series is all about how the past haunts the present, how…

Regardless of whether or not it's actually their parents, to introduce a potentially huge shift like that in the very first episode disrupts the whole tone and mood of the series. That book plot teasing the possibility that one of the Baudelaire parents had survived was introduced far later in the series, as a way of…

Yeah, if you don't like his style of writing you're probably not going to like the Netflix series. Which is totally fair, I get why it comes across as too tryhard for a lot of people.

It owns that it's canon now that Snicket has a conspiracy theory board complain with pins and threads and mysterious photographs.

I love Will Arnett but I find it difficult to take him seriously as a loving father separated from his kids. Although when you think about it, A Series of Unfortunate Events is indeed the story of a wealthy family that lost it all- (*I am attacked by pitchfork-wielding villagers*)

I actually didn't like it that much when I read the first book, but getting farther into the series I found it to be more consistent and controlled than ASOUE. I also think that ASOUE (Harry Potter has an even more acute version of this problem) struggles to actually become as adult and complex as it's telling you it…

Rereading the books, I honestly think that a lot of the problems with both Carrey's and NPH's performances are inherent in the writing. Olaf's characterization can vary pretty wildly book to book. In The Bad Beginning, probably 80% of his dialogue is direct threats to the Baudelaires, whereas in later books his…

I disagree, I think the humor and tone of the Netflix series is much closer to the series' distinct literary style. The movie tended toward a more generic gothic/Burtonesque vibe imo. I agree the child actors in the original movie were noticeably better, but I don't think their performances (oft' overshadowed by…

I couldn't stand Jim Carrey's acting choices, but otherwise I agree.

Seconding the ATWQ rec. I don't love that series as much bc there's not the nostalgia factor, but they are actually better crafted and executed than ASOUE.

Personally I don't think the series is THAT dour … certainly not as dour as it's telling you it is. So far the Netflix series is definitely more serious than the movie, but if you liked the movie you'll probably like the Netflix series.

More scattered takes: