Look away, look away. Unless you love great storytelling, complex characters, and just a delightfully miserable (good) time.
We’re just a few days away from the return of Netflix’s awful (wonderful), gruesome (delightful), and unwatchable (bingeworthy) series A Series of Unfortunate Events. And if it’s any indication, the second season is going to be even better than the first!
In the second season of Netflix’s hit series (which will span the course of 13 books in 3 seasons), we’ll follow Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire to The Austere Academy, The Ersatz Elevator, The Vile Village, The Hostile Hospital, and The Carnivorous Carnival. And we’re sure there are plenty of people that should look away (but really shouldn’t because there’s just so much greatness to be had in this adaptation.
From the Quagmires to Count Olaf shenanigans to more misery and misfortune, here are five things we’re looking forward to in A Series of Unfortunate Events season 2!
1. More Misery and Misfortune
Misery and misfortune have been so entertaining. It’s no wonder why A Series of Unfortunate Events has enchanted us with its tales of misery and misfortune following the Baudelaires as they fight to survive, fight for each other, and fight for themselves. This story would be boring (and short) if the Baudelaires weren’t forced to confront the many challenges and acts of treachery at the hands of Count Olaf. We’re beyond excited to see the next obstacles that await the Baudelaires in these next five adventures. Even though we know — always — that misery and misfortune await.
2. The Quagmires
One of the heartaches that came with the original film adaptation only lasting one film and three books was never getting to meet the Quagmire triplets. We never got to see the Baudelaires and Quagmires bonding over their shared circumstances in The Austere Academy and set the stage for later books. But Netflix is giving us that and more as we’ll get to meet Duncan and Isadora Quagmire fairly early on in the first episode of season 2. We’re looking forward to seeing the Baudelaires and Quagmires bonding, leaning on each other, and the inevitable heartbreak that always seems to wrap up an episode of misery and misfortune. We never really get to see the Baudelaires have friends. Until the Quagmires. And as book fans know, this friendship runs deeper than just being friends. There’s a lot that these sets of siblings have in common.
3. Uncovering the Mystery of the VFD
The first season of A Series of Unfortunate Events only touched the mystery that is the VFD, as the Baudelaires first caught a whiff of a greater mystery that involved their parents and others around them. While the Netflix series has added some stuff to the mystery, its essence is still there waiting to be discovered. These next five books — this second season — will be incredibly important for the Baudelaires in learning more about what their parents were involved in before they died. And from what we’ve seen in trailers so far, we’ll see the Quagmires help the Baudelaires in uncovering the mystery of the VFD.
4. Baudelaire Siblings Growth
While there’s no doubt that all of the things Violet, Klaus, and Sunny come into contact with (instigated by Count Olaf) are indeed “unfortunate” events, they provide for moments of growth for them as a family and as individuals. In the first season, we got to meet the Baudelaires as their lives were thrown into turmoil with the loss of their parents and the introduction of one man, Count Olaf, who was determined to steal their fortune and just ruin. Their. Lives. The Baudelaires learned a lot in those first four adventures (if you could call them that.) Now as they set off on their next adventure — alone, with no Mr. Poe to put them in careless situations — Violet, Klaus, and Sunny will continue to experience the hardships that will shape the people they’re meant to be. If there’s something good to come out of the misery and misfortune, it’s that they’re becoming stronger for it.
5. Getting to See These Books on Screen for the First Time
The fact that we’re getting to see these books — The Austere Academy, The Ersatz Elevator, The Vile Village, The Hostile Hospital, and The Carnivorous Carnival — on screen for the first time is extremely exciting. While we certainly felt more favorable towards Netflix’s adaptation of The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window over the movie adaptation, this is the first time where we’ll be getting to see an entire season of new material. Not to mention, as a viewer, these are some of my favorite books in Lemony Snicket’s series. Just the chance to get to see them come to life feels like a blessing. And knowing that this is a television series that has managed to do these books justice makes me feel even more encouraged.
A Series of Unfortunate Events season 2 is available to stream this Friday on Netflix.