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Netflix Neatly Wraps up ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ in Season 3: A Review

Netflix Neatly Wraps up A Series of Unfortunate Events in Season 3: A Review

I have been a fan of A Series of Unfortunate Events since The Bad Beginning was released in 1999, so it was very exciting to finally see a fully realized visual form of Lemony Snicket’s famous series. Netflix delivered 25 episodes that truly captured the essence of the books, adding bits and pieces along the way that gave more insight into the journey of the Baudelaire orphans. The third and final season encompassed the last four books in the series: The Slippery Slope, The Grim Grotto, The Penultimate Peril, and The End. In a surprising move, The End was told in a single episode instead of the usual two, but I felt like that actually worked in the show’s favor. Overall, Netflix was able to perfectly wrap up the story of the Baudelaires.

Netflix Neatly Wraps up 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' in Season 3: A Review
A Series of Unfortunate Events/Netflix

The third season picks up directly where its predecessor left off, which throws you right into the action. After that, the pacing slowed down a bit, but then it really ramped up as we get into Penultimate Peril, which pulled out all the stops in terms of setting, characters, and story. I felt like those two episodes were the strongest in the third season, maybe the entire show. The feeling of hopelessness is certainly felt throughout those episodes, perfectly capturing the state of the Baudelaires at that moment.

These four books are ones that I haven’t read as many times as the others, with The End only having been read twice, so I can’t confidently talk about how close the episodes were to the books. I do know that they follow the events pretty accurately. As the episodes played out, I definitely started to remember what I had read years ago, and all of the choices Netflix made in the adaptation made sense. We even got more than we bargained for as mysterious that weren’t fully answered in the books were finally brought to light. Whether fans liked the answers given is mixed, but it was nice that Netflix was able to explore some of these plots.

Netflix Neatly Wraps up 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' in Season 3: A Review
A Series of Unfortunate Events/Netflix

A Series of Unfortunate Events got darker in the eighth book, The Hostile Hospital, and definitely got even more dark and grim as they continued. That is to say, the final season brings a whole lot of emotions, most notably from Sunny, who we have watched grow up over the past three years. Get ready to bring out the tissues in Slippery Slope. The acting for the entire series was top notch, and there are certainly a lot of tear-jerking moments in the final seven episodes. Most of the emotions I was feeling were because it was all so bittersweet.

I’m so glad that we finally saw a conclusion to A Series of Unfortunate Events, but now I’m sad that it’s over.