Over the past few years Netflix as been praised for their original series’. They have completely changed the TV game by releasing some of the best and most widely recognised dramas such as House of Cards and Stranger Things. Their library of TV shows and films is overflowing and Netflix themselves are the brains behind some of the most successful ones.
One of the biggest TV success stories of 2018 is the second season of Netflix’s reboot of the children’s novels ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’. The year long wait between the first and second series seemed like nothing at all as we are immediately thrown back into the dark and twisted tale of the Baudelaire children as they continue their fight against the evil Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris).
Season 2 manages to strike the perfect balance between comedy and misery and the storyline which is based off book five to nine of the series remains as quirky and keeps the same aesthetic as season 1 managed to.
Neil Patrick Harris shines throughout season 2 as his abstract character Count Olaf manages to play numerous different roles in the Baudelaire children’s absurd tale. Harris expertly nails them all, adding a sense of flair and style a and often providing some comedic relief when storylines become exceptionally grim.
The children in ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ once again play fantastic performances. Klaus, Violet and Sunny Baudelaire played by Louis Hynes, Malina Weissman and Presley Smith experience even more bizarre situations as they try and protect their fortune from the clutching Count Olaf. In Season 2, Sunny is no longer a baby but now a toddler and the kids ironically address this in the first lines in episode one. Violet says “It feels like we’ve been sitting on this bench for months. We’ve been waiting so long Sunny is starting to look less like a baby and more like a toddler”. This is just another example of the twisted yet hilarious bangs of irony throughout.
The best thing about season 2 of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ is that it remains so bizarre and unrealistic that it is addictive and leaves the viewer wanting more. The theatre style costumes and almost doll house like sets take the viewers into a world far away from our own where somehow watching three orphaned children suffer again and again and be stalked by an old man who wants to kidnap them is funny. Each time the kids experience a brief sense of hope that almost inevitably ends tragically you’re left kicking yourself and often questioning who you are rooting for. Season 2 also saw some more guest appearances. British actress Lucy Punch joins Olaf and his team and transforms herself from a city socialite to an evil villain whose actions are even more questionable than Olafs. Harris’ and Punch’s performances are so powerful that they could easily be one of Netflix’s most loveable and hateable duo (Next to Frank and Claire Underwood of course).
Patrick Warbruton also returns as Lemony Snickett in season 2 as he narrates the children’s experiences with their next set of tragic guardians – the city trendsetter socialites, a crazy violin playing underqualified principal and a secluded village of bird loving simpletons. Despite the trials and tribulations, the children face, viewers still may have an unwarranted sense of hope for the kids as season 2 saw the introduction of Lemony’s brother Jacques Snickett (played by ‘Castle’ star Nathan Fillion) who sets out to protect the children from Count Olaf. However, in true ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ style, protecting the Baudelaire children isn’t as easy as everyone thinks.
If you’re looking for a bingeworthy series whose story should be dark but manages to be quite humorous ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ is the one for you. It was renewed for a third series in March 2017 which will adapt the remaining books so we can be looking forward to Lemony Snickett finishing off the tragic tale of the Baudelaire children sometime next year.