TV Review

A Review of A Series of Unfortunate Events

            It’s no secret that I am a fan of “sad” TV. When my brother is in a mood, he likes to watch short comedy movies or shows just so he can not pay attention and have the occasional laugh. I do the opposite twice. When I’m happy, I watch sad stuff. When I’m sad, I watch sad(der) stuff. I don’t know why that is, maybe I like to feel my emotions when I’m sad or maybe I like to look at sad people and think “, Thank God I’m not like them!” Whatever the case may be, I LOVE sad TV.

            Flashback to the 2003 movie A Series of Unfortunate Events starring Jim Carrey. I remember I was around 7(ish?) and we had just got a new DVD player. My Dad didn’t know how to work it and the screen would skip around whenever we watched a DVD. We always just powered through and watched it. One movie I distinctly remember is A Series of Unfortunate Events. I was going through my Jim Carrey phase, watching such classics as Liar Liar and Ace Ventura. The film, I hardly remember, but the character of Count Olaf is one that stuck with me. It was the darkest character I had seen Carrey play and it stuck with me. Count Olaf is, of course, the main villain and, to me, seems more goofy than scary, but, the point is, I never saw Jim Carrey actively try and kill people in a movie. Never mind three orphaned children. I was too young to understand the movie, but it did give me interest in the books. I never read them, however, because they would always say on the back or in the first few paragraphs that, “If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other books.” I was a kid at the time, too scared to venture into the unknown, but, now at age 20, when I heard of the Netflix Series of Unfortunate Events, I was ready to get my feet wet and discover what the stories had in store.

THE CAST

            I don’t know the names of the kids in the show and I’m probably too lazy to look it up, but they are all terrific. The boy that plays Klaus is especially good, he can play pissed and sad and smart and ready to fight back all in one look. The girl that play Violet is a tad less interesting, but I think it is because she is more of a doer than a thinker, making her a good foil for Klaus. Their sister, Sunny, is cute (I guess) but I never really payed attention to her unless she was biting something

            The two true stars of the show are Patrick Warburton and Neil Patrick Harris. Truly bringing their A game. Neil Patrick Harris is having so much fun playing Count Olaf that it literally radiates off the screen. He plays the character slightly better than Jim Carrey, I think, mainly because he seems less threatening, so when he actually does do something truly vile, it packs more of a punch. He also is just an utter failure with everything, making him just the slightest bit relatable. My favorite part of the show, though, is Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket. Talk about haunting, and witty, and just sad all around. I was scared at first of the idea of Joe from Family Guy playing a person as damaged and bad ass as Snicket, but Warburton knocks it out of the park, planet, gosh darn universe. His delivery and sorrow actually made me audibly “Aww” any time he talked about his long dead love, Beatrice.

THE MUSIC

            The music is whimsy without being Tim Burtony. I seem to remember the movie having a Tim Burton feel, which kind of turned me off, but the music in the show pulls back from that while also being just as fun and interesting. The theme song, which (slightly) changes every 2 episodes, pokes good fun with the original warnings that scared me from reading the books as the child, constantly bellowing “Look away! Look away!”

THE SET DESIGN/CINEMATOGRAPHY

            This show is the most interesting looking show that Netflix has ever produced, and, believe me, that is no small task by a damn sight. House of Cards, Daredevil, Luke Cage, hell, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt all have unbelievable looks to them, but this show takes the entire bakery. The sets are, again, whimsy without being Tim Burtony. I don’t hate Tim Burton, but his movie all have the same, depressed, look to them that, if done wrong, would look terrible. It’s too easy to try and paint with Tim Burton’s brush, especially with a show like this, but the sets are eye catching and fun to behold

            The cinematography is amazing. It’s like candy for your eyes. While some plot points of the show seem semi wash and repeat, the look never seems to repeat itself. Whether you’re in Count Olaf’s gross home, or the Reptile Room, or the Miserable Mill, you feel like it’s a whole new place that you have to discover along with the three orphans.

STORY, SIDE CAST, AND CONCLUSIONS

            This show is a must watch for the main cast alone, but the “side” characters are just as fun. The person who plays the banker, Mr. Poe, is delightfully ignorant of obvious things. And their Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine are played, to perfection, by Aasif Mandvi and Alfre Woodard.

            My only, very minuscule gripe, is that some episodes seem recycled from past episodes, but only in some spots and plot points. Otherwise, it is fresher than Sunday morning orange juice. This show is a must watch, especially if you have a free weekend. 

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/Tup-5yOcJuM