Starting this tonight. I, for one, absolutely loved the movie with Jim Carrey. I think it was a great movie and a really good adaptation of the first three books.
I’m curious if this show is any good. Anyone else going to watch? It’s a Netflix show, by the way. It dropped today.
I’ve watched the first two so far. Not crazy about Neil Patrick Harris’ Count Olaf but there rest of it has the right feel for the books for me.
4 eps in - enjoying it a lot.
MiM
My wife and I watched the first episode last night. Neither of us was very impressed, though I did like NPH’s performance and that of the children. I may give it one more episode, or I may just move on. Haven’t decided yet.
In retrospect, I wasn’t that crazy about the movie either. Maybe I just don’t like the story.
I’ve watched 4 episodes and am enjoying it. But NPH would really have to stink up his performance to make me dislike anything he does.
I watched the first two episodes and I’m liking it pretty well so far.
I liked the movie but thought I’d like to see each book get a little more attention than they were able to do when they covered the first three books all in one movie. At two episodes per book, one book alone is getting more time than the entire running time of the three book movie- so, that’s promising.
Not sure if I like Patrick Warburton yet. In the first episode, I was quite impressed that he wasn’t really doing the over the top Patrick Warburton thing which I love from him when it’s appropriate to the role. Then, in the second episode, he starts escalating a bit into his signature over the top Patrick Warburton thing- which I would not like in this role. Regardless of his performance, I think he may already be getting more screen time than I like. I would never suggest adapting these books without narration (the prose is just too important a part of making these stories what they are) but I worry that his physical presence is going to become intrusive.
I feel like some of the dialog has a new brand of humor compared to the books and movie. I’m not sure I like it but it may just take some getting used to. Seems like the scripts have mostly been written by some guy name Daniel Handler, quite an unfortunate name. If Lemony Snicket was involved at all in this series he must have chosen to use a pseudonym, a word which here means an invented name which allows an author to distance himself from a work that is too dreadfully tragic and sad for one to ever be able to bear being associated with it.
ALERT OF A SPOILER BUT NOT ACTUALLY A SPOILER ALERT SINCE I’M NOT ACTUALLY MENTIONING THE SPOILER:
Some new dialog that I enjoyed:
“We have three different kinds of buttercream for you to sample. This one’s vanilla. This one has a hint of nutmeg. And this one is a little bit lemony…”
“I told you NEVER to use that word!”
“But the baby said there’d be chocolate pudding!”
“And when you’re married, I will be your henchperson-in-law!”
I truly enjoyed it. I loved the books for the most part and felt that this series definitely stayed true to the mechanics and general story line (especially with the constant vocab lesson).
Binged the whole series this weekend and thought the Art Nouveau meets Wes Anderson vibe was a perfect thematic fit.
I’ve read the books and would like to know what the thing was they put in the first episode that relates to the final episode. I’ll ask in spoiler tags, I guess.
Was it that he mentioned losing his sugar bowl?
My wife and I turned it on yesterday and watched the first couple episodes, because we were kid-sitting and thought the 8-y.o. granddaughter would enjoy it. We liked it, she was not at all interested, other than constantly asking why they remade a movie she’d already seen. I guess we’ll just continue to watch it without the kids around.
Kid’s got a tough life ahead of her if she’s already asking that at age eight.
My wife suggested it so we started it. She couldn’t handle Patrick Warburton talking to the camera so we turned it off in like 10 minutes. She said it was like nails on a chalkboard. I didn’t mind it, but it didn’t seem like a story that I was going to be into. I vaguely remember the movie and I wasn’t really into it.
I don’t think it’s that, because REDACTED is mentioned in many of the later books, not just the last, so someone who read through book 12 would’ve probably noticed it in the books (or wouldn’t have noticed it in the show).
Here’s my guess at what bienville was referring to in Episode 1:
The parents are alive :eek:
I will now FOLLOWUP SPOIL that with info from a later episode, either 7 or 8:
They’re not actually the Baudelaire parents 
I finished the season, and think it was a really good adaptation overall. Some interesting casting choices in terms of addressing changing attitudes toward sexual and racial diversity since the books were written. I like that the occasional flashes of dark/“age-inappropriate” subject matter* are addressed head-on and matter-of-factly (Warburton does a great job as Snicket switching between fake-serious and things-just-got-really-serious).
I was an enthusiast of the series in my bookseller days because it carried on the Roald Dahl/Philip Pullman tradition of respecting the maturity of young readers (and satirizing the pomposity and hypocrisy of adults). It’s been interesting reading responses to the TV show from people who read the books as youngsters - they found a great deal of meaning and comfort in the series.
*Examples:
(Foiled) rape of a 14-year-old, physical child abuse, child neglect, grief at the death of a parent/relative
Nope.
YES!!! :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack:
Aaargh! I’m only up to episode 6, I’ll have to wait until tomorrow (Gargh! No, can’t watch tomorrow), the day after tomorrow to see whatever your spoiler is!
(It was tricky cutting up this quote of your post without seeing it)
I loved Alfre Woodard. I’ve always admired her as an actress but I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do comedy before- certainly never anything this quirky (full disclosure: she works a whole lot and though I’ve seen much of her work there’s plenty that I haven’t seen). Aasif Mandvi was good. From his interview on the Daily Show about it, it’s clear he had a great time doing it. He didn’t exactly nail it, though. Alfre Woodard was an absolute delight.
Incidentally, it’s the first of the Wide Window episodes when I think the Henchpersons finally really shine in their collective supporting role.
I tried reading the books but after binging the first 5 or so books, got really, really bored with the formula (I’d have been better off breaking between books, I think). That said, I loved the Netflix version and really liked the casting.
I’d also pay Patrick Wharburton $1,000,000 internet dollars to star in a new version of “Get Smart!”
Loved the books. Enjoyed the movie, but was left wanting more. Last night, I both read the first few chapters to my kids and then watched the first episode. I was pleasantly amazed at how close they’ve hewn to the books so far. Going straight from reading to watching, it was very clear, with whole passages used word-for-word. (As it should be! Kudos to this Handler guy, whoever he is. He really seems to know his Snicket.)
I thought I’d be put off by Warburton, just because enough is enough already with his shtick, but I was surprised at how well it worked here. Sadly, all I see when NPH is on the screen is NPH. He’s doing an excellent job, but he’s just too well known to me to disappear in the role. (Jim Carrey had the same problem, of course, but somehow it seemed to work better with him.) The kids seem well-cast (Violet looks shockingly like the Violet from the film, too!) and the look of everything is just perfect. I can’t wait to watch more…
I think it’s doing OK - it’s hard for this series not to be overshadowed by the Jim Carrey movie, Which was so boisterous and energetic - in a fun way (although I know it was a hotchpotch of different story elements from several of the books).
I thought this too, but is it just that both actresses are a good match to illustrations from the books?
Two episodes in and I’m a fan. I was initially worried the deadpan, Wes Anderson-y style was going to grate on me but so far so good. I think the narration is perfect. Hopefully they can keep it up the whole way through.
The only thing I take issue with is Violet being shorter than Klaus. Just a small nitpick in some pretty great castings
Did not enjoy the Bad Beginning very much, but I think the Reptile Room is a lot better. I feel like it is working a lot better.
I really, really want them to continue to make all 13 books into TV episodes. Could be great, actually.
Has anyone read All The Wrong Questions, Lemony Snicket’s next series of books. Only four of them, but I’m curious what people thought.