Off the Cuff Reviews A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 1 (2017)

(Originally posted April 8th, 2018)

After watching and reviewing Season 2 of A Series of Unfortunate Events last week, I figured I might as well complete the set and watch back Season 1 for the purposes of reviewing it. You already know my opinions on the show as a whole, I love it to bits, but how does Season 1 fare now that Season 2 is out? 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 and Presley Smith as Sunny Baudelaire.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 1 (2017)

The world that is presented in the show is so unique to anything else I've ever seen on TV, and it seems to exist in its own world, a world in which typewriters, James Brown and cable cars coexist. It helps that the sets a gorgeous, and are among some of the most stunning set pieces I've ever seen. The Reptile Room is beautiful, Count Olaf's house is depressing, even Lemony Snicket's lodgings, which we only see once or twice, are packed with detail, including easter eggs for us diehard book fans. This show really is the love letter to the books that I always wanted it to be, and it's so gratifying to hear some of Lemony Snicket's dry commentary sometimes repeated word-for-word from the very novels I grew up with.

Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf

I believe, upon hearing of Neil Patrick Harris' casting as Count Olaf, I made a post that went something along the lines of 'YES YES YES YES YES'. Harris is a joy to watch, and any scene he's in is immediately stolen by him. He somehow finds a way to make the role his own, yet also perfectly encapsulate everything that made Count Olaf who he was in the books. One of my gripes with the 2004 movie was that while Jim Carrey did a great job, he sort of overpowered the role a little, and a lot of the humour became just that Jim Carrey style humour. The books already have such a unique sense of humour, that would have been enough. And, it is enough in the show, as the humour is very uniquely A Series of Unfortunate Events. And a lot of that comes down to Patrick Warburton's portrayal of Lemony Snicket. He is the perfect voice to give to that voiceless persona, and every anecdote explaining the story, or some words, or any ridiculous tangent are delivered flawlessly.

Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket

Weissman and Hynes are great in their roles as Violet and Klaus. While I do think they didn't quite find their feet 100% until Season 2, Season 1 has some incredible moments featuring just the kids. Their scene towards the end of the first episode is heart-breakingly well executed, and their chemistry is perfect as well, so it's not so bad overall. Of the 3 kids, the comedic highlight is definitely Sunny. They know exactly when to have her pipe in with her classic one-liners, with Tara Strong providing excellent baby voicework. The supporting cast all shine as well, and they got great picks for all the minor characters in the story, with notable highlights being Aasif Mandavi as Uncle Monty, Chris Gauthier as Phil, Sara Canning as Jacquelyn, Patrick Breen as Larry Your-Waiter and Count Olaf's entire acting troupe. There are also a few surprises in the form of Will Arnett and Cobie Smulders, and I will not spoil how they are integrated into the story as a whole, as it is quite genius.

Presley Smith as Sunny Baudelaire

Compared to Season 2, I do think Season 1 lacks a bit. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's because Books 1-4 are a little more formulaic and less intense than Books 5-9, maybe it's the lack of Esme after seeing her in Season 2, I don't know. It's definitely not because the show needs to take its time to get going, because that couldn't be further from the truth. Right from before we even see any characters, the show knows exactly what it is and what it wants to be, and it's got the kind of charm and confidence that you'd usually expect of a show that's a couple of seasons in and knows it can be more adventurous and unique since it's already found its audience. It might seem a little unfair to compare Season 1 to Season 2, but the way I see it, Season 2 build upon the foundations that Season 1 set up, like any good continuation should. If those foundations aren't stable enough, the whole thing falls apart. In that sense, Season 1 succeeded unquestionably well, and it even held up on a rewatch over a year later, so that's saying something.

Aasif Mandavi as Dr. Montgomery Montgomery

The first season of A Series of Unfortunate Events is simply amazing. It succeeds as a faithful interpretation of the source material, as a TV show in general and as a story in general. If you haven't seen this show at all yet, I highly recommend you do so, and with a 3rd season officially confirmed and currently filming, it seems like we don't have long to wait for the conclusion, and you better believe I'll be first in line to review that. 9/10.