A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 3 REVIEW

Season two of A Series of Unfortunate Events ended with a big cliffhanger – literally, leaving off on the Baudelaires hurtling down a mountain towards the edge of a cliff. One of the most entertaining aspects of the books was Lemony Snicket’s narration, where he explains the many different meanings of words. This is usually illustrated through a dramatic or comedic event occurring in the story. The TV show replicates this style perfectly with an excellent performance from Patrick Warburton as Snicket, delivering these sections of dialogue in an extremely dry and melancholy manner.

The Slippery Slope kicks off immediately after the closure of season two, as we see Violent and Klaus Baudelaire scrambling like mad for a solution to their current dilemma. As with the books, a large majority of the appeal of the TV show comes from the way the Baudelaire siblings use their particular set of skills and knowledge to circumvent their problems. The Slippery Slope continues in that fashion, only this time it’s the landscape and environment around them that poses the biggest threat. It stays extremely faithful to the original source material with the inclusion of classic sections of the book, such as the snow hornets and the frozen waterfall.

The two-part episode format continues to work well for the TV show. The later books are a bit longer but it doesn’t feel as if they have skipped over any content or rushed through the events. Some of the sequences are a bit more concise and faster-paced but there will always be a bit of that when adapting from book to screen. Compared to the 2003 Jim Carrey adaption, this version is distinctly slow in comparison. But to be fair, Netflix are tackling all thirteen books; no minor undertaking.

As with previous seasons, there is the ongoing narrative of the V.F.D, the secret organization who are inextricably connected to the lives of the three Baudelaire children. In the last four books, their presence and importance become more significant. Naturally, the TV show follows this pattern, but viewers will be a little more clued up than readers – the TV show having fleshed out the relationship between the V.F.D organization and the family in the previous two seasons. This method works better for the medium of television and it also allows them to finish off the season with only one closing episode.

This is a great family programme. The scenarios, characters and majority of dialogue will appeal to children, as it has all the elements of a kid’s adventure story. It is mostly easy to follow with larger than life characters and preposterous but entertaining situations. Meanwhile, for older viewers, there is bountiful use of dry wit, dark humour, and plenty of subtext and double meaning. The repertoire of actors and actresses is undoubtedly one of the show’s strongest features. Neil Patrick Harris and Lucy Punch give phenomenal performances, capturing the essence and personalities of Count Olaf and Esme Squalor to a tee. The supporting cast are brilliant and one of the best scenes of the show is in the Penultimate Peril. where we see all the various characters from the season return for the trial of Count Olaf.

As with the previous two seasons the cast is extremely diverse and inclusive. Race, age and gender are certainly not an issue when it comes to the casting of the show. What is also nice about this is that they haven’t solely done this to make a point. It is a multicultural cast but also a carefully hand-picked cast. All the actors and actresses are perfectly cast for the characters they are playing. Carmelita Spats (Kitana Turnbull) becomes unbearable by the time we reach Grim Grotto, but that is exactly the point. She was a horribly irritating character in the book and they have stayed faithful in their adaption of her.

As with previous seasons, each book’s conversion into their two-part episodes showcases their own signature style and look. The Mortmain Mountains in Slippery Slope is an inhospitable place covered in snow and ice, where the children are subjected to harsh weather and a punishing landscape. You really get that sense of a gruelling, unforgivable environment. The horrid characters they encounter further add to their bleak and dismal situation. The Gorgonian Grotto in Grim Grotto is a dank, dingy, and dismal place and everything seems to be presented through a murky filter. The Hotel Denouement in The Penultimate Peril has a classic 1930s bourgeoisie grandeur to it with the old fashioned concierge outfits the Baudelaires wear and the classic elevator with its sliding metal gate. The End has one of the most striking styles of the lot of them with the eye shaped island, dyed sheep and strange robes worn by the islanders. What this provides is a nice level of variety and eclectic mix of styles.

Some chapters work better than others – Grim Grotto and The End are by far the most interesting. The other two are still enjoyable but are a bit weak in some areas. However, the same can be said of the books. Some are better than the others as they propel the story forwards whereas others seem to lose a bit of momentum and pace. The same can be applied when discussing the impact of the imagery that Lemony Snicket uses. Because the books have no budget or production restraints, Snicket can create an effective image in the reader’s head. In the TV show, this sometimes doesn’t work due to the reliance on CGI. It might be passable with extremely good special effects, but some of the CGI in the show isn’t great. Alternatively, particular sections work better through TV such as the bit in The Penultimate Peril where everyone is stumbling around blindfolded, which is hilarious.

The humour in this show is terrific through a combination of tremendous wordplay lifted from the author himself, a great script and hilarious performances from the cast of actors and actresses. There is more visual humour thrown in for the purpose of TV and that not only adds more to the story but also distinguishes the show and the creative team behind it. The pacing of the ongoing narrative of the V.F.D is very good and the big shock twist of the story is delivered well, due to a careful unfolding of the sugar bowl scandal throughout the season. The way the show links the narrator Lemony Snicket into the main storyline is a stroke of genius, and although there are a few changes from the book, it stays mostly true to the original source material. If anything, the changes embellish an already strong story.

The occasional reliance on CGI does weaken the show a little and although the decision to enhance Sunny with CG makes sense, it does look weird. Luckily it just gets away with it, as the whole style of the story both in book form and on television is slightly odd and quirky anyway. The plot does become a little convoluted and ridiculous towards the end and there were a few bits in the closing episode which simply didn’t make any sense. But this can be forgiven, as Lemony Snicket purposely wrote it to be self mocking and satirical in the first place, thus cleverly highlighting the tropes and cliches that are present in both children and adult fiction.

Season three of A Series of Unfortunate Events brings a truly inspired tale to a close. The creative team behind the show deserve a pat on the back for a job well done. They have taken a much-loved set of children’s books and faithfully brought them to life on screen. Creative decisions such as splitting each book into two episodes, specific casting of actors and actresses and the visual style of each chapter, demonstrates their ability as a production team. Slight alternations, additions and re-jigging of the story were necessary for it to work as a TV show and I think many fans of the books will be pleased with the end result. The story is that combination of intriguing and amusing, benefiting from impressive performances, a strong script and a lovely visual aesthetic. This is a TV show which will appeal to both children and adults alike and a great evening’s viewing for the whole family.