A Series Of Unfortunate Events Season 2: 10 Miserable Fan Theories You Don't Want To See
3. Esmé Burned Down The Quagmire's House
One of the greatest/most horrible parts of the TV show was the addition of the parents' storyline, brilliantly played by Cobie Smulders and Will Arnett. In a surprising twist to the tale, we learn that they're alive, and follow them for brief moments each episode as they attempt to get back to their children. Then, the show pulls the rug from right out under us when it reveals that they weren't the Baudelaire parents, but the Quagmires.
And then, after that reveal, they're destroyed in a fire (what else). We don't see exactly who burned the house down, but we do see an obscured figure with a rather fancy (or garish) looking hat, shooting a laser into the mansion. Again, while the character is unnamed, there's one obvious contender for who this is: Esmé Squalor, who appears in the book series from The Ersatz Elevator.
She's into high fashion, with appearances being everything, but also has very questionable morals, and it seems like this is a great way of seeding her character's arrival ahead of The Ersatz Elevator (which will be part of Season 2).