The second season of Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events was released today, and I spent the day watching all 10 episodes. It pleases me to no end to be able to tell you that not only is the second season another faithful interpretation of the source material, but amplifies everything from the first season into an extremely entertaining and emotional package. Starring Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket, Malina Weissman as Violet Baudelaire, Louis Hynes as Klaus Baudelaire, K. Todd Freeman as Arthur Poe, Lucy Punch as Esme Squalor, Dylan Kingwell as Duncan Quagmire, Avi Lake as Isadora Quagmire and Presley Smith as Sunny Baudelaire.
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| A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 2 (2018) |
Growing up, the A Series of Unfortunate Events novels were among my constant reading material. Whenever a new book was released, I had to have it immediately. Interestingly, I was introduced to the series through the 2004 movie starring Jim Carrey, which though I do enjoy, made certain decisions that, as a huge fan of the books, stop me from enjoying it completely. Last year, when the first season of the show was released, I was an instant fan. The casting was perfect, the tone was perfect, and the format was perfect. Each book was split into two 40+ minute episodes, allowing for the series to go far more in-depth than the movie, and even the books in some areas. Season 2 continues this pattern, adapting books 5-9 into 10 complete episodes, with a final season confirmed for next year which is believed to be adapting the final 4 books in the series. After the way Season 2 ended, I'll be eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the story, but for now let's talk about Season 2.
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| Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf |
Although it picks up directly where the previous season left off, the scope of this season seems much bigger than the last, though part of that can be attributed to the books becoming less formulaic as they went on. There are more main characters now, and a wider variety of locations on display, some of which are gorgeous to look at, particularly the town of V.F.D. Dylan Kingwell and Avi Lake are great picks for the Quagmire triplets, and have excellent chemistry with each other and the Baudelaires. We don't get to see them as much as I would have liked, but again, the story didn't really allow for it. The gold medal for best newcomer, however, goes to Lucy Punch as Esme Squalor. Esme was such a fascinating character in the books, and Punch takes what could have easily come across as such a one-dimensional bore and turns her into a complex and intriguing individual, and a match for Count Olaf. She plays off Harris extraordinarily well, and there's a lot of variety in her performance that just drew me in. The new recurring cast is a particular highlight as well, with specific standouts being Robbie Amell and Nathan Fillion, who I did not expect to be popping up at all.
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| Lucy Punch as Esme Squalor |
The returning cast is once again fantastic, and Neil Patrick Harris reprises his show-stealing role of Count Olaf once again. But, honestly, I was really impressed by Weissman and Hynes, even moreso than last season. There are some scenes, and a lot of them, that really hit you in the feels like a freight train, and much of it comes down to the performances of these two. I'm not sure what's changed about them since last season, maybe they've gotten more acquainted with the roles or their chemistry's better, but whatever it is, it really works. Speaking of the feels, everything has been ramped up from the last season: the emotion, the comedy, the scares, even the intrigue, and the show doesn't waste any second of screen-time. At times when it feels like there's too much coming at you to take it all in, they slow it down, or cut to a joke, or let the emotion come through. It's a perfect balance of story-telling, jokes and heart, and it's just so fun to sit through that I never wanted it to end.
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| Avi Lake as Isadora Quagmire, Louis Hynes as Klaus Baudelaire, Presley Smith as Sunny Baudelaire, Malina Weissman as Violet Baudelaire and Dylan Kingwell as Duncan Quagmire |
For the book purists like myself out there, I should let you know that the series doesn't follow the books 100%. They make certain adjustments for the medium, or they've introduced some new characters not seen in the books to make things suspenseful for those of us who know the novels inside and out. All the changes they made make complete sense, and it kept me from entirely predicting where it was going. Season 2 is also much darker than Season 1, and I know that some people were disappointed that the first season wasn't as dark as it could have been. Well, they're at that point now, although it's not so dark as to not make the fun nature of the story shine through. Again, it's a perfect balance, and when there's the odd joke that doesn't land or disrupts the flow, it doesn't take them long to find their feet again.
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| Nathan Fillion as Jacques Snicket and Sara Rue as Olivia Caliban |
A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 is the perfect continuation of the Baudelaire's story and an all-around entertaining watch. I know I can't wait for Season 3, especially so that I can watch the whole story from start to finish just like I used to read the entire story from start to finish. Even if you haven't read the books, this is still a fantastic watch, and I couldn't recommend it any harder if I wanted to. 9.5/10
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