ASERIESOF
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
★★★★★
FROMNOW/DIRECTORSBARRY SONNENFELD,
MARK PALANSKY, BOWELCH/CASTNEIL PATRICK
HARRIS,PATRICK WARBURTON,MALINA WEISSMAN,
LOUISHYNES, PRESLEYSMITHGoodfortuneforNetflix
A SERIES OFFUnfortunate Eventsisjust
that. In it, threepeople are driven from one
outlandishlymiserable circumstance to another,
pursued byagroupof malicious brutes after
their money. There is deceit, arson, murder,
enforced labour and terrible,terrible luck. Did
we mention it’s for kids?
As a series of addictive books, written by
Daniel Handler under the nom deplume Lemony
Snicket between 1999 and 2006, the tale deftly
mixed comedyand horror, frequentlywarning
the reader off and encouragingthem topick
another,cheerier form of entertainment. A 2004
moviecrammed theirst three storiesinto one
feature-length carnival of catastrophes, but
a sequel never materialised, leaving the future of
the Baudelaire orphans uncertain. Now, 13 years
on,Netlix has stepped upto have ago at it. And
the results are splendiferous, a word which here
means they pretty much nailed it.
Instead of whizzing through each book as the
ilm did, the show dedicates two whole episodes
—runtimes of which last anywhere between
40 minutes andanhour—to eachnovel.This
allows a lot more time for us toget to know the
three beleaguered Baudelaire children: Violet
(Weissman), Klaus (Hynes) and baby Sunny
(Smith). As in the books theyeach have a singular
trait (invents; reads; bites), and are both charming
and so precocious they’re able to quoteHaruki
Murakami and Samuel Beckett at the dropof a
hat. In this topsy-turvyuniverse, children are the
onlyones equipped to face the dark realities of
the world. Everyadult theyencounter alongthe
way is either sordid, a simpleton or both.
Which brings us to Count Olaf. One of the
greatest literaryne’er-do-wells of thepast two
decades, the man described at one point as “a
villainous actor and active villain” (his minions
double as a theatrical troupe)is gloriously,
fathomlessly despicable. As played by Jim Carrey
in the movie, he was a highly strung ham who
practically hummed with malevolence. Here, Neil
Patrick Harris’ performance is more subdued,
less bug-eyed, than Carrey’s; instead, the
consummate awards host accentuates the
character’s theatricality. With spiky tufts of
eyebrow hair, agoatygoatee and apointy
prosthetic nose,plus apanoplyof hilariously
unconvincingdisguises, Harris has a ball as the
Lon Chaneywannabe. Olafgets a bigmusical
number(aside from the infectiouslycatchy,
ever-mutatingtheme song, which Harris also
sings)and bounteous time to indulge in his
favouritepastime: evil monologuing.
Therein lies the main strength of the show.
Handler’s books revelled in wordplay, with a
delightfulprecision to the language. Bygiving
each vignette space to breathe, the Netlix show,
which has Handler on board as a writer,allows
for the kind of wittyasides the movie had to rush
past. “Youleft me to drown,” one character
angrilytells the Count. “Water under the bridge,”
he replies,placatingly. “That’s whereyou left
me!” comes the retort. With a strongpro-literacy
message — theplot of one instalment even hinges
ongrammatical inaccuracies — it’s a celebration
of smarts that never comes off aspreachy. Most
entertaininglyeloquent of all is Patrick Warburton
as LemonySnicket himself, a lugubrious and
dapper narrator who wanders through scenes like
a ghost. His delivery ever desert-dry, he comes
close to stealing the whole shebang.
Visually, the show is also a treat.Men In Black
director BarrySonnenfeld originallyplanned to
direct the feature ilm; in the end he stepped aside
for Brad Silberling and produced instead. Now he’s
inallygot his chance, directingfour of these eight
episodes. It’s a return to form, making up for awful
cat caperMr Fuzzypants— well, almost. With
outlandish locations includingLake Lachrymose(a
body of water so large it has its own weather
system) and Lucky Smells Lumbermill (a
timber-based Gulagwith signs such as, “Safety
goggles are unnecessary if they slow you down”),
the sets are sometimes Tim Burton-y, sometimes
Wes Anderson-y, but always fantastic.
It’s notperfect. Episodes can feel a little
baggyand, bythe story’s nature, it doesget
repetitive — binge-watchingthe Baudelaires is
likemainlining Wile E. Coyote cartoons. But it’s
hard to quibble with an adaptation done with
suchgusto. Bythe end,you’ll likelybe willing the
next series ofUnfortunate Eventssto arrive.
NICKDESEMLYEN