I loved Woodard.

This is "A Series of Unfortunate Events" we're talking about. I really don't think we need to be concerned with stupid adults missing obvious features of someone's identity. If Olaf glues an eyebrow on her and draws a tattoo on her ankle he's set..

I think it most likely that Jacqueline is Jacques, it can't be a coincidence that the names are so similar.

The point of your spoiler section is that we get a really terrific scene out of it in part 2 of "The Miserable Mill".

Honestly as good as the white faced women can be (" He's stronger than he looks! Not even two old ladies could take him down!) the hook-handed man's only real competition is the Person of Ambiguous Gender.

I agree that the conspiracy subplot is integrated somewhat hamfistedly early on, but let me tell you, by the time we hit "The Miserable Mill" we've solved that problem and then some.

Sure, but we also learn that the Bombulating Beast has most likely eaten the Quagmires (it's implied in "All the Wrong Questions" that the Great Unknown is the Bombulating Beast).

That "repeating the same template" thing is pretty par for the course for the first four books in the series. The books start to vary a little more by "The Austere Academy", and by the time we hit book the eighth the entire formula has been completely flipped on its head.

I think this episode is where the kids really started to show serious improvement. Their reactions really sold Uncle Monty's death (along with that rather gruesome shot of his corpse, but more the kids), and left to more or less carry the plot this episode they do a fine job. I think they keep getting better as the…

The problem is that kidnapping won't work. Olaf wants the ability to claim the fortune, meaning he needs to be their legal guardian - hence the closest he actually ever comes in the series to getting the fortune is in "The Bad Beginning". Poe is, of course, the best chance of that since he's a blithering moron.

Well, I'm on a phone now, but I'll just say I really don't think any of those things are essential. They're really nitpicks at best.

Well, it wasn't "essential". The episode was quite good. But it was a pulled punch.

You sure? Could have sworn it was Mitzvah.

Monty WAS portrayed pretty positively, though,

The "Wrong Question" catchphrase is actually mentioned quite a lot this series.

Incidentally, judging by the tenor of the comments, I'm surprised by how many people seem to dislike "The Wide Window" episodes. Captain Sham is absolutely hysterical and I liked Alfre Woodard's portrayal of the character more than Meryl Streep's, especially when she blows up at Olaf at the end, right before her death…

I don't agree. I don't think he got the balance right in "The Bad Beginning", but he continually improves as the series goes on (and is especially great in the disguises). For example, the scene where he's chasing the Baudelaires up the stairs as Stephano and threatens to cut off Sunny's toe was really great.

The women with the white face get a great moment in "The Slippery Slope".

The flip side is that it would be hilarious if he didn't figure it out.

Yeah. The thing is, he is SO Poe. I think he's the only recurring character (besides our good friend Lemony Snicket) in these early episodes that really nailed it from the beginning. He's perfect.