Netflix is always giving viewers new shows to binge on, movies to watch, and is the safe-haven for the work-logged college student. But on January 13, 2017, a series of depressing episodes graced our screens—Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, as adapted by Netflix.
As a faithful reader of the books, I was a bit apprehensive to watch the tale of the Baudelaire orphans unfold. But here are my four top reasons it was so worth it.
- Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf
I was initially confused by the choice to cast Neil Patrick Harris as the series’ leading villain. This is the man who dresses his children in elaborate Halloween costumes and live-tweeted his margarita consumption on a family vacation. But after seeing his first few scenes as the Count, I was sold. Not only did he look exactly as he was described in the books, but he actually played evil pretty well.
2. The detail was stunning
I read all the books almost ten years ago. So I was worried I wouldn’t remember major plot points, let alone minor details. But the second the letters VFD flashed on my screen, it came flying back to me. The details of the book were simply amazing. Little things I had forgotten and were seemingly insignificant aspects of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny’s adventures to escape the clutches of Count Olaf were all there. Violet didn’t need to tie her hair back in order to think and Mr. Poe didn’t need to have a ridiculous and persistent cough. But they did.
3. Lemony Snicket’s narration
Completely true to the books, Lemony Snicket is always there to define any word that may (or may not) be unfamiliar to the viewer. He is always reminding us about his dearest, deadest love, Beatrice. But more than that, he is actually there on the Baudelaire’s journey with them, peering through doorways and at the bottom of cliffs in order to give the viewer a better sense of the small and strange world.
4.It’s wonderfully absurd.
There is not much more to say than this: It had me laughing at all the wrong times and gasping in surprise at all the wrong times, too. Just the way it was meant to.
So, if you have a spare several hours, I suggest turning to your Netflix account. It is depressing. You are, as advised by the introductory music, to “look away” because it is, first and foremost, a tale of misery. But it is so, so worth it.
