A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix): A Review

Yesterday, Netflix finally released their new TV show A Series of Unfortunate Events based on the books by Lemony Snicket. I’ve been waiting for this for months and months and finally, I got to view it! 

(Actually, the stupidest thing happened yesterday, I’ve been anticipating this day for so long and then suddenly on Thursday, the wifi goes out all through Rexburg and was anticipated to be out for at least 48 hours, so there was no way for me to watch the show. Talk about Friday the 13th bad luck, right? But then yesterday the wifi started working on campus, so after I got caught up on [most of] my homework, I started the series.) 

So how did it hold up?

It was really good. It met pretty much all of my expectations. I mean, there were a couple of problems, but that’s to be expected from anything. I was certainly entertained and that’s really all that matters.

First off, I will address the one major problem which was the children (at least Violet and Klaus). The actors were a little flat which made them a little uncompelling to watch. The world all around them is completely ridiculous, “horrifying”, and almost zany, but then we get these rather boring characters that we’re supposed to care about? The mere fact that they’re children is not quite enough to convince you to care. Some parts they do alright, but they don’t hold a candle to everyone else (which is unfortunate seeing how they’re the main characters). The baby who played Sunny was super cute though. I liked all the expressions they got out of her.

Other than that, there weren’t really any problems. I thought it was a lot of fun and highly entertaining. My two favorite aspects were Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf and Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket. 

First, Count Olaf. From the very moment I heard NPH was going to play him, I was thrilled! I love NPH’s work and I could totally see him in the roll. He does such a spot on job. He’s funny,

charismatic, sinister, not too over-the-top, and just all around great. He rocks all the make up and prosthetics. I don’t really want to say if he’s better than Jim Carrey or not because I really liked him in the roll too. But if I had to compare the two, I’d say that Carrey was a lot more charismatic and over-the-top while NPH was a little wittier and “evil”. NPH got a lot of laughs out of me just through his dialogue and deliveries while Carrey relied on his physicality (but that’s typical Jim Carrey, right?). I also loved how this version played up how bad an actor Count Olaf is. 

Second, Lemony Snicket and his narration. I’ve always been told in many writing classes “show, don’t tell” so you’d think that I might be annoyed by the constant presence of a narrator who always interrupts the story to explain things. However, the interruptions here are always useful and seamlessly woven in. They’re always used for “dramatic irony” and other plot devices and not just to explain to the audience, assuming we’re stupid or because the writers are too dumb to show what they want. Maybe once in a while, it might be a little excessive, because after all, it’s not a book, it’s a TV show... but that’s a nitpick. I did really enjoy the narration. And Patrick Warburton’s delivery was perfect! It was different than the usual Patrick Warburton performance. I really liked it.

The other actors were great too. Perfect casting choices! Count Olaf’s theater group, Uncle Monty, Aunt Josephine, Mr. Poe, etc. They’re all fantastic! They all engulf the quirky world and characters that Lemony Snicket created. 

The sets and costumes were superb as well. Count Olaf’s mansion, Uncle Monty’s reptile room, Aunt Josephine’s house, Lucky Smell’s Lumbermill, everywhere. There is a lot of green screen used for “the most expensive Netflix series”, but that is also a nitpick. The effects are quite impressive for a TV series.

The show was very funny, I thought. It has this very quirky, dark, quick-witted humor that’s a little reminiscent of British humor. 

There is an actual mystery in the series since it’s pretty closely following the books which had mystery. The movie did not have that so much since it only adapted the first three books and crammed them all together. If you’ve never read the books, I think you’ll be very intrigued by the series.

All around, it was a great TV series. I can’t wait until the next season! I’d recommend it. 8/10.

TRAILER

My Star Wars Prediction

Alright, so I recently had a Star Wars marathon with all the movies including Episode VII and it got me thinking about all the unanswered questions. I remember when it first came out back in 2015 everyone went wild with questions and theories about so many things. But one of the biggest questions was "Who are Rey's parents!?" As we all know, lineage is very important in the Star Wars universe, so Rey is not going to come from some random family. She is connected somehow. It will be significant!

I want to write down my prediction now so that when it's revealed in the next episode this December, I can gloat, "Ha! I was right!"

I know when it first came out, I was pretty adamant that she was Luke's daughter. However, as I've thought about it over this past year, I've decided that that is very much not so. That would be too obvious a reveal. Daisy Ridley said that she "would love to see the look on people's faces" when they find out, indicating that the revelation will be shocking. Also, JJ Abrams said that her parents do not appear in The Force Awakens, so it couldn't be Luke. Also, that rules out Han and Leia, so my sister's theory that she is Kylo Ren's twin is still completely ridiculous. (Also, they wouldn't do twins again. That's too lame and also too obvious. Plus, why wouldn't Han and Leia recognize her and why wouldn't she recognize them? Because she was old enough to recognize them when she was left on Jakku.)

So who do I think she is?

I think she is a Kenobi; specifically the granddaughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm like 97% sure of this. I have a lot of evidence to back this up and not just "I really think so!"

So first off, Daisy Ridley (Rey) has said that she thought her heritage was obvious after watching The Force Awakens "I thought a lot was already answered". So let's look at the evidence...

I know it's against the Jedi Code to fall in love and get married and have kids, yada yada, but that didn't stop Anakin, did it? Also, the Jedi were (basically) eradicated by the time Obi-Wan went into exile so the Code was no longer a big deal. I mean, if we can theorize that Luke had a daughter, why can't we theorize that Obi-Wan had kids? So I think that he fell in love at some point and had a kid who then had Rey.

Now, there have been some rumors that Obi-Wan will be in Episode VIII. My guess would most likely be as as a Force Ghost. He did speak to Rey in her vision when she touched the lightsaber at Maz Kanata's palace (more on that in a minute).

Also, why would they abandon Kenobi when it is such a household name? I mean, sure they named Han and Leia's kid Ben, but I mean Kenobi. (I, however, think that maybe naming him Ben is a sort of foreshadowing of Obi-Wan's relevance in the future films instead of just a shout out.)

I've seen it stated as a joke, that Rey couldn't be a Skywalker because Skywalkers are whinny and emotionally unstable (Anakin, Luke, and Kylo Ren), while Kenobis are calm, collected, and level-headed. However, it is actually true. Rey IS calm, collected, and level-headed, never getting overcome with emotion, throwing tantrums, or whinning about things. While she does still get upset, she still keeps herself together and thinks about what should be done. Remind you of anyone?

Both Obi-Wan and Rey have English accents. If Rey were a Skywalker or a Solo, she would have an American accent. She was old enough when she was abandoned to have assimilated her parents' accent. Accents are significant to the creators since John Boyega (Finn) also has an English accent, but was made to use an American one. So obviously her accent was intentional.

One of Rey's first significant uses of the Force is a Jedi Mind Trick when she has the Storm Trooper free her from her bonds and leave the cell. She has very little difficulty especially for her first try. And which other Jedi's signature move is the Jedi Mind Trick? That's right, Obi-Wan Kenobi. While other Jedis sometimes struggled a little bit with this trick, Obi-Wan had a clean record as far as we know. And here is Rey nailing it almost right away.

People often compare Rey to Luke because of her solitude on a desert planet. However, we forget that Luke was not entirely alone on his planet. He had friends and family. Obi-Wan was the one in solitude on the desert planet. Luke even calls him "a strange old hermit." Rey too was completely alone without friends or family. Parallels!

Speaking of parallels... in A New Hope, Obi-Wan gives Luke Anakin's lightsaber and expects to train him, while in The Force Awakens, Rey hands Luke the same lightsaber in a similar fashion and it is implied that Luke will train her. Wouldn't it just be so poetic if she were a Kenobi? Luke instructing the descendant of his former teacher? Also, wouldn't that just reestablish the long-lasting bond throughout most of the films of Kenobis and Skywalkers working together?

I mentioned earlier that Obi-Wan spoke to Rey during her vision when she touched the lightsaber. This is significant because it has been shown that family members can communicate with each other through the Force (ex: when Luke speaks to Darth Vader and Leia in Cloud City). I know Obi-Wan is dead and a Force Ghost with other abilities, but why would Obi-Wan want to speak to Rey if he wasn't an ancestor? Just because she's strong in the Force? Because she has a connection to Luke? Meh...

I've heard the argument that Luke/Anakin's lightsaber calling to Rey over Kylo Ren during their duel is an indication of her lineage, however, I have an explanation for that. In short, lightsabers are made from ‎Kaiburr crystals which are Force sensitive, I guess is a way of putting it. Each Jedi has a lightsaber specific for them that they craft themselves. Other Jedis can use them, but Jedis are most compatible with their own lightsabers (sort of like "the wand chooses the wizard"). The crystals work best for the Light side of the Force which is why the Dark Side always has red sabers; they have to corrupt the crystals so that they will work for them which turns them red. Anyways, Luke/Anakin's saber went to Rey instead of Kylo because she was using the Light side of the Force. Even though Kylo was more skilled and had some of the Skywalker lineage, the Kaiburr crystal called to Rey.

Alright, lastly, this is not "evidence", but it's something that might be interesting to see and would make sense if Rey is a Kenobi... I kind of feel like Rey and Kylo Ren are going to fall in love. The pure blinding hatred that Rey feels toward him right now is going to turn completely around eventually as they see how much they have in common with the Force and such. The trilogy needs a romantic plot since there is none at this point. Some people think it will be between Rey and Finn, but I'm sensing more of a friendship between the two of them like Luke and Leia (even before they found out they were siblings); there was maybe some attraction, but they stuck to friendship. I'm kind of leaning towards Rey and Kylo as the romantic couple because it's a little more engaging and dramatic.

So there you have it. That's pretty much all I can think of regarding Rey being a Kenobi. I'm pretty much convinced one of her parents was Obi-Wan's kid.