Many have read the infamous A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The fictional story follows the Baudelaire children Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. They become orphaned when they lose their parents in a fire that burned down their mansion. Soon after they meet Count Olaf who becomes their guardian, but he has plans of his own that don’t involve taking care of the three orphans.
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For those unfamiliar with the story, the series follows the three children in the picture above. Violet is the oldest of the three. She’s known for being the inventive one and you know she’s up to something when she ties her hair back with the ribbon she carries around. The middle child is Klaus. He’s known for being able to retain large amounts of information from all the books he reads. The youngest is Sunny. She may be a baby but her special talent is biting anything she can get her hands on – which does come in handy during the show!
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These three children are put into the care of Count Olaf, played by Neil Patrick Harris, at the beginning of the series. It seems like he just wants to take of three children whojust lost their parents in the fire, but that’s not the case at all. Count Olaf is after their fortune and he’ll do anything to get it. Throughout the series the children are running from place to place, trying to find out the cause of the fire that changed their lives and simultaneously running from Count Olaf.
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The show is narrated by Lemony Snicket (above), a man who researched the unfortunate tale of the Baudelaire children. This is one of the things that makes this series special. The show is directed in a way that makes it seem like you’re being told a story, kind of like the movie Inception. Except, instead of a dream within a dream it’s a story within a story. Snicket interrupts the story repeatedly throughout the episode and at just the right moment. You are constantly being pulled to the edge to only be pulled back, and then pulled in again and the cycle repeats. This gives the feeling of it being a story more real, especially since you see Snicket’s face multiple times throughout an episode.
If you loved the books and the movie that came out in 2004, you will definitely enjoy this show produced by Netflix. Not only does the first season include the fourth book (which isn’t in the movie) it provides a new perspective on the series that was not seen in the movie or books. So grab onto your hats as you join the Baudelaire’s in their quest to discover the reason of their parents’ death.