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Spot the (unfortunate) difference


THERE’S no stopping us from binge-watching Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

For the new twists in the show had readers scrawling back to the books’ pages, wondering if their memory had failed them or they have accidentally missed a few of the books’ chapters.

Calm down, bookworms. While the overall story remains true to the books, the first eight episodes of Unfortunate Events—which cover the first four books—all have (minor) twists that make this children’s series more interesting on screen than it is on the page.

Using the books by Daniel Handler (the author’s real name!) as the primary guide, I looked into the details that have been altered or added in the tragedy of Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Here are some of the differences I found:

   THE BAD BEGINNING   



—The short scene showing a pair of kidnapped parents made us think that Beatrice and Bertrand Baudelaire may not have perished in a terrible fire.

—The “flashback” revealed how the orphans ended up with literally their closest living relative, Count Olaf. Disguised as “Yessica Haircut,” Olaf poses as a consultant whose advice Mr. Poe follows.



—Justice Strauss reading the book “Adoption Law & You” is a heartwarming scene, making us wish the orphans really came to live with her. Among the books in the library is the “Incomplete History Of Secret Organizations” which also reveals very early the idea of VFD (Volunteer Fire Department).

—Klaus also has a big scene in “The Marvelous Marriage.” It explains in marvelous detail how the play was actually a scheme to steal the Baudelaire fortune. In the book, Justice Strauss is able to instantly figure it out herself.

—Jacqueline, Mr. Poe’s secretary (and a new character), and Gustav, Uncle Monty’s assistant, seem to be working as secret spies whose mission is to make sure the 
Baudelaire children are safe.
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‘Unfortunate Events’ leaps from page to screen


REVERSE psychology never fails, and this is proven matter-of-factly by Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

The constant requests for its audience to “look away”—or stream a different series altogether—as they narrate the miserable lives of the Baudelaire orphans simply fall on deaf ears, and the new release’s eight episodes are consumed on a whim.

One would have to survive the drastically dragging theatrics of most of the characters in the adaptation of the first book, “The Bad Beginning,” before one gets hooked to the series. The acting at the start presented itself more apt for a live theatrical performance than one on streamed media.


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Bringing the unfortunate events of our childhood back to life



IF THERE was anything I’ve done as sinister as Count Olaf’s schemes, it was hiding sequels of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” in the most unvisited parts of the library, burying the most borrowed books behind atlases, encyclopedias and other research references.
This was back in 2004, when library cards were still a thing and being on the frequent borrower’s list meant you were a cool kid. Foreign titles by Lemony Snicket and J.K. Rowling were also hard to come by because they were always sold out in bookstores.
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