On Friday, January 13th, 2017, Netflix released a new original series and while my roommates and I waited to be completely iced in by an impending winter storm I devoted myself wholeheartedly to the unfortunate tale of the Baudelaire children.
The book series, penned by Lemony Snicket in the early 2000's, has dismayed and appalled children and adults alike for over a decade.It's gothic, darkly whimsical style is equal parts refreshing and depressing. I read the books when I was younger and was really excited to see the newest adaptation, and I must say, I was not disappointed.
For some context, there are three Baudelaire children, Violet, Claus and Sunny, and they are all three charming, intelligent and completely undeserving of the unfortunate series of events they are subjected to. The story begins with their parents dying in a fire, and thanks to their parent's completely inadequate executor of their will, Mr. Poe, the children are placed under the care of the despicable Count Olaf, their closest (or, rather, nearest) living relative. Count Olaf is only after the Baudelaire's large fortune and will stop at nothing to get it.
The series is incredibly dark for being a children's book, involving a lot of death and peril. In the show, Patrick Warburton stars as Lemony Snicket himself, who also doubles as a Rod Serling-esque narrator for the show. He constantly warns the viewer to "look away" for this story is not one with a happy ending. He's not wrong.
Neil Patrick Harris is the infamous Count Olaf who's outrageous costumes and grandiose, affected speech distracts a little from the purely evil, greedy nature of his character. But he is a quintessential villain, using any means necessary to get at the orphans fortune including such means as attempting to use a legal loophole to marry fourteen year old Violet, murdering the children's other (far more suitable) guardians, and holding the youngest Baudelaire, Sunny, hostage on more than one occasion.
While dark and twisty, I believe the visual aesthetic of this series is best described as a combination of Tim Burton and Wes Anderson, with garish primary colors being offset by a gray-toned wash of the setting, including wry, witty dialogue to match.
What;s most interesting about this series however is why anyone actually likes it. The whole thing, especially what has been released to Netflix so far, is like if the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the entire story. Which is to say, the plot is riddled with injustice, incompetent adults, and defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
I think what makes it so good, and what keeps so many reading and watching is not schadenfreude, but the little bits of hope sprinkled throughout the story as a whole.
The Baudelaires manage often to find a happy home, however briefly, with guardians who share and encourage their love for reading and inventing. When they don't (as they more often don't) the children still have each other. It is their unflappable optimism that I believe draws such a loyal audience, the bright, innocent, shockingly mature Baudelaires are the underdogs we all like to root for. Paired with Snicket's witty, darkly charming writing style, which champions and validates the minds and abilities of children, this series is addicting and weirdly hopeful.
Although a release date for the second season has not yet been released, it is in the works, and I for one, cannot wait.
