Last night, I continued my binge watching with the concluding episodes of the first season of the Netflix adaption of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The two-part conclusion covers material from the fourth book, The Miserable Mill. Along with the The Wide Window, this was my favorite adaptation of the first season. It got everything right. Balancing the mood between utterly hopeless despair and joy found in the children's resourcefulness is the biggest challenge of this story, something that isn't always accomplished even in the books. Those two episodes manage that challenge wonderfully.
Having once again escaped Mr. Poe's incompetence and the clutches of Count Olaf by running away to the Lucky Smells lumber mill at the end of the last episode, the Bauldelaire orphans are content to work at the ghastly mill if it means they can live there, safe from Olaf. Of course, the eye shaped building that overlooks the mill should assure them that they are never safe from the dastardly plans of the Count.
The wealth of secrets revealed in this episode make it an extremely satisfying way to end the season. We also see the siblings beginning to move past their tragic circumstances and develop into very capable foes to the menace facing them, which we now know is far greater than simply Count Olaf and his evil theater troupe.
Don Johnson's guest appearance is spectacular, as is Rhys Darby. The casting for this program has been so amazing, always picking the perfect person to capture the absurdness that comes with the character. It's not a coincidence that Samuel Beckett is mentioned in this episode as the absurd abounds.
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