A Series Of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

3. The Terrific Tone

A Series Of Unfortunate Events Season 2
A Series Of Unfortunate Events Season 2

When it comes to tone and genre, A Series of Unfortunate Events is like a law unto itself (a term which here means to behave in a manner that is not conventional. So when we say "When it comes to tone and genre, A Series of Unfortunate Events is like a law unto itself" what we mean is it does exactly what it wants to without adhering to the conventions of other genres or being predictable).

It's a jet black tragicomedy, a dark, gothic melodrama, a family drama, a mystery series, and completely oddball in nature too, quite unlike anything else. Into that mix you can add a number of genre homages: The Ersatz Elevator is a biting social satire, The Vile Village takes cues from Westerns, The Horrible Hospital plays out like a horror. It is, by turns, hilarious, sad, weird, dark, suspenseful, and even musical, displaying each within every episode and handling them all deftly.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.