Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix Series)

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we?

Season 1:

Season 2:

Season 3:

For this review, I’m gonna do something different. I won’t be giving a beat-by-beat plot summary of each season — mostly because the structure is intentionally repetitive. That’s not always a bad thing, but it can be exhausting. Instead, I’m going to highlight key elements, performances, character arcs, absurdities, and then we’ll dive deep into the finale.

Also here’s the opening theme for this show.

Overview

The Netflix series adapts all 13 books from Lemony Snicket’s twisted children’s series. The core plot:

• Violet Baudelaire (Malina Weissman)
• Klaus Baudelaire (Louis Hynes)
• Sunny Baudelaire (Presley Smith — with voice by Tara Strong)

…are orphaned when their home mysteriously burns down. They’re placed in the care of Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), a flamboyant actor and master of terrible disguises who wants to steal their inheritance. Each time the Baudelaires are sent to a new guardian, Olaf shows up in disguise, people are somehow fooled, tragedy ensues, rinse and repeat.

The Baudelaires

• Violet (Malina Weissman) is the brilliant inventor, full of resourcefulness. She closely resembles Emily Browning from the film — to the point it’s uncanny.
• Klaus (Louis Hynes) is the bookworm and logical problem-solver.
• Sunny (Presley Smith/Tara Strong) is the biting baby who sometimes speaks in full-on riddles or makes pasta. She’s way more cartoonish in the show than the film.

Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris)

Neil Patrick Harris takes Olaf to goofy, campy extremes. Some of his disguises are so absurd they feel like parodies:

• Captain Sham (a one-legged sailor)
• Coach Genghis (a gym teacher with a turban)
• Detective Dupin (a cop with blue sunglasses)
• Yessica Haircut (yes, that’s a name Mr. Poe apparently believed was real)

Harris chews the scenery and sings… a lot. He’s not bad, but his Olaf feels more like a Saturday Night Live character than a genuinely threatening villain. It’s a far cry from Jim Carrey’s darker, more menacing interpretation in the 2004 film.

The Goon Squad

• Hook-Handed Man (Usman Ally) — eventually gets a weird redemption arc in Season 3 involving a long-lost sister.
• Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender — always whispering ominous advice.
• Matty Cardarople (the stoner energy guy from the Sandy Cheeks movie) plays the dumb henchman — and yes, he has major stoner energy here too.

Mr. Poe (K. Todd Freeman)

Absolutely infuriating. In this version, Poe is so oblivious he borders on parody. He constantly dismisses the kids, never believes a word they say, and is more worried about his job title than three traumatized orphans. His wife is equally awful — obsessed with social image and publicity. It’s a brutal satire of how adults often fail children.

Supporting Cast

• The Quagmire Triplets — fellow orphans who briefly get kidnapped, showing just how large and sinister the world is.
• Vice Principal Nero (Roger Bart) — introduced in Season 2, he’s an obnoxious violin-playing narcissist who runs a school like a dictatorship.
• Count Olaf’s exes — there are so many. Esmé Squalor (Lucy Punch) is a fashion-obsessed lunatic who joins him mid-show and becomes a major character.
• Kit Snicket (Allison Williams) — introduced late in the series, a former flame of Olaf and member of V.F.D. who’s pregnant and determined to protect the Baudelaires.

V.F.D. and the Eyeball Tattoo Cult

The central mystery revolves around the V.F.D. — a secret society that Olaf, the Baudelaire parents, Kit, Lemony Snicket, and others were once a part of. There’s a massive rift in the group, leading to betrayals and fires. Eventually, you meet:

• Olaf’s parents, who were essentially pyro-obsessed maniacs.
• Jacquelyn and Larry, agents of V.F.D. trying to help the orphans.
• Judge Strauss, the kindly neighbor who actually tried to look out for the kids.

Lemony Snicket (Patrick Warburton)

While Jude Law’s mysterious narration in the film added intrigue, Warburton’s literal on-screen pauses kill momentum. He often pops up to over-explain or narrate exposition we could have inferred ourselves. By Season 3, it becomes grating.

Season Ratings (Before Spoilers)

• Season 1: 9/10
• Season 2: 8/10
• Season 3: 5/10

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⚠️ Spoiler Warning Below ⚠️

Season Endings

• Season 1 ends with a musical number that feels completely out of place for a show that thrives on dark wit. It almost feels like a joke — Olaf, the orphans, and even background characters break into song. Tonally, it’s just weird.
• Season 2 ends on a cliffhanger with the orphans going undercover and Olaf seemingly losing grip of his own crew. But it sets up the final season’s rapid descent into chaos.
• Season 3 goes off the rails. Olaf gets more unhinged. He reunites with Esmé and his sugar-bowl-obsessed ex, then accidentally shoots a child. He randomly grows a conscience in the finale, saves Kit (a dying pregnant woman), and dies from a virus on a mysterious cult island. Before dying, he tells the orphans, “Never have kids.” Like… what a legacy.

Olaf’s Last Act — Not a Redemption

He saves Kit as a final gesture… but it’s not a redemption. It’s a shrug. It doesn’t erase anything he’s done, and it’s hard to believe he even cares. It just feels like the writers wanted to give him one last dramatic gesture.

Oh, and that random girl at the end?

The mysterious child who shows up in the final scene is heavily implied to be Beatrice Baudelaire II — Kit’s daughter, who was born on the island and raised briefly by the Baudelaire kids after Kit’s death. She finds Lemony Snicket and talks to him in what’s meant to be a poetic full-circle ending. It mostly just adds confusion.

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Final Thoughts

The Netflix series has moments of brilliance, especially in its production design, costume work, and attention to book accuracy. But as it goes on, its own absurd logic, overuse of musical numbers, and refusal to let the Baudelaires ever catch a break start to wear down the charm. The acting is solid, especially from Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes, and Harris is clearly having fun — even if his Olaf feels more like a variety show host than a legit villain.

If you loved the books, the show will hit more than it misses. If you’re new to this world, it might leave you asking, “…what did I just watch?”

Still, it’s worth the trip. Just don’t expect answers.

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Final Verdict:

• Season 1: 9/10
• Season 2: 8/10
• Season 3: 5/10