Netflix's A Series Of Unfortunate Events: 7 Ups & 1 Down

(Very Fair) Down...

1. The Revolting Repetition

Of course, adapting the books so directly offers one intrinsic, almost-unavoidable problem.

The early Snicket books all follow the exact same formula, and so too does the TV series: the orphans turn up at the house of a new guardian, with much promise about their safety. After some initial concerns, things start to look up, only for Count Olaf to arrive. The idiotic adults are oblivious, with only the children (and the audience) recognising him, chaos - and murder ensues - Mr Poe arrives on the scene to fudge things up, and then there's brief escape.

It's not until the middle of his series that Snicket really broke away from this, and it feels more pronounced on TV: we're watching it happen, rather than just reading about it, and it's all there to be consumed at once (whereas the books were either spaced out, or you read them so fast you quickly got past that stage).

Thankfully, it does look like it'll take a turn away from it, but the narrative structure remains an issue like it did with the books, and it could be especially jarring for newcomers.

Of course, the rest of it is so much fun that this is easy to overlook, even if it can be a little frustrating. Go with it, and there's a lot to love here. Don't listen to Netflix; make sure you watch A Series Of Unfortunate Events.

Finished binge-watching A Series Of Unfortunate Events? Share your thoughts down in the comments.