A Series of Unfortunate Events - Review - Season 3

Sadly the tragic tale of the Baudelaire orphans is coming to a close. Season 3 is the final season of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Klaus, Sunny, and Violet are in more dire straits than ever before.

Their story begins exactly where season 2 left off, in the aftermath of the fall of the Carnivorous Carnival, Klaus and Violet are left barreling down Mount Fraught in the caravan with poor little Sunny in the clutches of evil Count Olaf. Luckily they're able to save themselves when Violet creates a drop chute but it doesn't make their circumstances much better considering they're still stranded in a dangerous mountaintop.

Pictured: Louis Hynes & Malina Weissman
Photo Credit: Netflix/Eric Milner

Only a mysterious ally becomes their saving grace as they uncover the surviving triplet of the Quagmire fire. Quigley Quagmire is able to lead the Baudelaires to the mysterious VFD headquarters they've been tracking. If you recall from last season, the Baudelaiers have learned there is a fire survivor, which turned out to be Quigley, but they also believe one of their parents is still alive and working with the organization at present. But it's too late for them to find much at the headquarters as someone has already seen to it that the place be burned down in its entirety.

But through the combined brain power of Quigley, Violet, and Klaus, and Sunny's intuition to use the Verdant Signaling Device Olaf gives he (mistaking it for a dangerous cigarette) that they're able t track Sunny who has been placed in a tiny baby jail cave at the top peak of Mount Fraught. Except, like Mata Hari, Sunny wants to remain behind and spy on villains who have taken he captive. She's not a baby anymoe and has become quite brave, Violet taught her well.

Pictured: Neil Patrick Harris, Beth Grant
Photo Credit: Netflix / Eike Schroter

For once, Olaf is not the most evil man afoot either as two of his mentors make a reappearance. They're known as the Man without Hair and the Woman without a Beard and it is their agenda that is the most sinister. They plan to kidnap the troupe of Snow Scouts that Quigley had infiltrated and then start fires in each of their homes to leave all of them orphans and steal their family fortunes. We also learn they were the ones responsible fo burning down the VFD headquarters.

By enlisting the help of their pet eagles, the evil duo are able to put their hideous plan into action as they successfully kidnap the Snow Scouts, sans Carmelita Spat, who has no qualms with betraying her group to become a part of Olaf and Esme's unorthodox family. He'll need the extra assistance as his group of henchmen finally decide they've had enough ill treatment and leave him behind. Only Hooky remains, but his allegiance to Olaf is wavering as he grows a fondness for Sunny.

When Violet, Sunny, Klaus, and Quigley are all reunited, it looks like Olaf may succeed in taking all of them captive again but Sunny is as smart as her sister and helps them escape down the slippery slope on a sled, one that pours them out over the icy tundra holding the Queequeg submarine. During their breakneck escape though, they lose Quigley who gets scooped up by a tree branch. The three of them promise to meet up later at the Last Safe Space where all VFD members are intending to meet on the upcoming Thursday.

Aboard the Queequeg the orphans meet Fiona who captains the ship because her stepfather disappeared and never returned after trying to capture a manatee. Unknown to the orphans, Fiona is actually the sister of the hook man henchman, who is actually named Fernal. Violet and Fiona butt heads about their current mission as Fiona wants to focus on finding the mythical sugar bowl and Violet wants to chart a course for the VFD meeting destination. Neither is able to come to fruition right away though as Olaf, Esme, Carmelita and Fernal catch up to them in a submarine with the appearance of an octopus.

Pictured: Lucy Punch & Kitana Turnbell
Photo Credit: Netflix / Eike Schroter

Yet again, Klaus, Violet, and Sunny find themselves captives of Count Olaf and even worse this time is they're sent on a dangerous underwater mission to retrieve the sugar bowl (which Esme also wants) and instead Sunny comes into contact with an extremely poisonous mushroom, the Medusoid Mycelium. Fiona is actually a well-read mycologist but they have no way of getting to her until Fernal, having a soft spot for Sunny, helps the orphans to escape.

The only antidote for Medusoid Mycelium is horseradish or a substitute, wasabi, which Sunny points out and the orphans are able to rescue her. They also save the mushroom by shutting it inside the diver helmet Sunny was wearing and offering it to Fiona to study. But it ends up in Count Olaf's hands when he ends up boarding the Queequeg and taking everyone captive. Or so it would appear. Fiona does aide in letting the Baudelaires escape whilst also imparting on them an important lesson about the nature of human morality. People aren't so easily definable as noble or evil, they often offer far more shades of grey than the simplistic balance of scales would imply.

With Violet now in command of the Queequeg, she charts a course for a shore nearest the VFD meeting place, the Hotel Denouement (which was discovered by a telegraph). They wind up back on Briny Beach, the place where it all begins, and they meet up with Poe and Kit Snicket. Once again arriving at a crossroads as they must choose which adult to trust and in this instant, the orphans decide to break the cycle and journey with Kit.

Pictured: Louis Hynes, Malina Weissman, Allison Williams - Photo Credit: Netflix / Eike Schroter

Throughout the season, we've watched Kit's own struggles parallel with the orphans as she was also on Mount Fraught, attempting to escape the dreaded Woman with Hair and No Beard and the Man without Hair and a Beard with the sugar bowl. But Kit lost it during her treacherous escape plan. We learn about Kit's relationship to Lemony, the Baudelaire parents (Beatrice and Bertrand), and Count Olaf himself.

Prior to the conclusion of Kit's story, she is able to deliver the Baudelaire orphans to Hotel Denouement, the supposed meeting place of the VFD members and the Last Safe Place. As so often is the case with the Baudelaires, they meet someone who will be of genuine help, Dewey Denouement, the mysterious triplet of the evil Frank and Ernest, (all played by Max Greenfield), and he shows them the secret library under the reflective pool. He meets his demise at the end of a harpoon gun during an accidental misfiring when Olaf and the orphans drop the gun.

Pictured: Neil Patrick Harris, Joan Cusak, Lucy Punch
Credit: Eike Schroter/Netflix

This unfortunate incident comes into play when we learn the mysterious J.S., who is behind orchestrating this entire meeting filled with familiar faces from all three seasons of the show, is none other than Justice Strauss. She intends to put Olaf behind bars by putting him on trial in the hotel lobby but Olaf hoodwinks the trial and also ticks the orphans to being on the stand.

Yet another schism occurs between the VFD members when half of them choose to believe the orphans are evil and the other half believe Olaf is. The chaos created gives Olaf his chance to escape with the orphans once more as the Hotel is burned to the ground as a diversion and to keep Olaf from releasing the deadly Medusoid Mycelium.

But the mushrooms do wrought death and carnage, just not at the hotel. They play a focal point at the orphans next destination, a strange deserted island lead by a bearded man named Ishmael. Once released, the Baudelaires are able to find a cure for the fungi on the island after Kit arrives ashore. She finally tells them what is in the legendary sugar bowl.

Sugar. But special sugar that immunizes the consumer against the effects of Medusoid Mycelium. Despite having no sugar on the island, the Baudelaires deduce there parents would have come up with a back-up plan, one of the apples and save themselves. But they're too late to save either Olaf or Kit, who both fall victim to the fungi. Olaf dies on the island beside Kit and Kit is able to give birth to her daughter, but leaves her an orphan as she dies soon after.

The orphans name her after their mother, Beatrice, and together they heal and grow on the island before eventually moving on to their next great adventure.

In the future, we see a final scene with an older Beatrice meeting Lemony Snicket himself and telling him the story of the orphans and their journey from the island, including a toil with Female Finnish pirates.

Pictured: Patrick Warburton - Credit: Eric Milner/Netflix

FINAL VERDICT

Season 3 of A Series of Unfortunate Events it the best season yet. It's well-paced, always exciting and as colorful a world as ever with even more intriguing characters being introduced to flesh out the tale of the Baudelaires. Plus every character gets more depth, even the villains, making the line between "good and evil" blur ever further, which is a main theme of the series.

Plus, the show is able to finally give us some definite answers that long-time fans will be satisfied with after missing out from the books.

ODDS & ENDS

- I need a spin-off series with Lucy Punch as Esme Squalor.

- Both Patrick Warburton, Allison Williams, and Morena Baccarin will so excellent as Beatrice, Lemony, and Kit. The child actors as well, were all phenomenal. I think this show did such an excellent job with both casting and production design. It was such a treat to watch this as someone who grew up with these books I'll miss it but I'm beyond happy with the final product.

Season 3 of A Series of Unfortunate Events is now available to stream on Netflix.