Series adaptations of literature rarely make me feel that I am watching something better and more important than a book prototype. But sometimes there is an adaptation that appears exactly at the right moment. And it says exactly what it should do. This is about "A Series of Unfortunate Events" from Netflix. A series so perfect for our times that it hurts. In the entry, some spoilers.
In the third season of production, which is the adaptation of the last three part of the Baudelaire sibling stories, we have two overwhelming themes - which in a way shed new light on the whole history of which we have been witnessing for several years and several episodes. The first theme - in my opinion the most interesting and perfectly shown by the series is the lack of a simple division between good and bad people. Production shows in a very perverse way that the world is full of good people who do bad things, absolutely convinced that it is necessary.
The heroes who repeatedly reject all allegations that they behaved inappropriately, confronted with Count Olaf - though a man of rare dishonesty, they must admit to him partially right. Not everything that they did while fleeing their evil fate was good, although everything was done in good faith. Ultimately, it turns out that all the confusion of which the poor orphans have died is largely the result of these bad actions in good faith. This partly plays on the well-known motive of bad people ready for one good deed. What's more, the series is also used when Olaf - a man, after all, does a good thing. However, this moral ambiguity of human actions, and the fact that from the screen we can directly hear that there are actually no people just good as well as just bad, is one of the main motives of the last season. A certain summary of the growing up of children, which have often been in the hands of potentially good people.
Anyway, the series once again comes back to the familiar theme of danger that results from excessive sticking to once written out rules. Without questioning them and thinking about their meaning. In the previous season, the siblings fled through the manipulated crowd who blindly followed the rules. Here they face a court in which, at the beginning, they are ordered to literally tie their eyes - after all, the law is blind. And this court has the opportunity to make a fair judgment. Because it is blind - not seeing anything that lies behind what has been written down. Children lose because they are surrounded by people who can not think for themselves, and who are able to gather impressive documentation of their sufferings, but they do not put up a dam of wickedness, because it would require more than just cataloging facts. It would require their understanding.
The second motif is the matter of cognition and ignorance. The heroes - like their parents and other members of the secret society in which their friends acted - are people raised in the cult of love for books, written words and, above all, knowledge. It is not happiness, but knowledge, curiosity and ingenuity saved the heroes from all kinds of oppression. This ignorance - usually manifested in not recognizing the true nature of things, or desire for rumors, manipulation or hard-written law - has been their greatest enemy for all these seasons. Ultimately, this conflict is reduced to an almost biblical comparison. Here it is an old man with a long beard offering sweet forgetfulness and life without worries, and there is even a snake offering a bitter apple, which, allows living in a world of knowledge and consciousness. The series says unambiguously - ignorance, forgetfulness and unreflective following the leaders is not a good idea. And it can give rise to a lot of evil, even if it can be tempting in itself.
Close to the end of series the metaphors used by the authors seems becoming more and more expressive it seems that the moral message is increasingly coming to the fore. Of course - we are still dealing with adventures of siblings, and with very funny scenes and episodes. It is still one of the most beautifully realised series that you could watch in recent years on Netflix. It is also one of those series that really let the actors shine - especially Neil Patrick Harris had the opportunity to show that he really works in any role. Although what's interesting - the closer to the end, the less dressing up, eventually people are who they are and when all the costumes fall, you can see a man in a completely different light. The series also does not hide the fact that the characters are growing up a bit, so this season there are some infatuations and love, shown in a nice way, which allows you to be a bit detached from the rather gloomy message of the series. At the same time - the production is outstanding in combining genuinely funny threads, breaking the fourth wall, or simply absurd with a moral reflection that can be calmly applied to the reality that surrounds us.
Well, this is probably the most interesting - how the series coped with the rather inconclusive ending of the book's history. The ending of the book seems to hurt a little less than the series. Or maybe it hurts the same. At the same time, adding any happy ending to this series would be contrary to his idea. Ultimately, the author assures us that this is not the kind of story in which a happy end appears. So what was it standing on? Still on inconclusive but slightly added. Further fate of the heroes are still suspended, we do not know what exactly happened to them, the series slightly shifts the border in which we lose them from the eyes of participants of events. At the same time, it actually leaves such a sequence - a little convention of guesses - which adds to what could have happened to those heroes who lived to the end of the series. And here the creators allow themselves quite good endings. Only that I can guess. A bit like he was telling us - we can finish this story well in our heads but only there. But again - the series especially in its last episodes, despite the sense of humor and lightness of the narrative, becomes what he announced from the beginning - a sad reflection on morality, justice and injustice, and that people in the world rarely choose knowledge and definitely prefer to follow voice of gentle guides who, without forcing them, play with their lives.
Here, moreover, there are probably the most deviations from the book's original. Not in the transmission but in adding stories. The creators of the series probably rightly assumed that while the protagonists can follow mystery sugar-bowl for several volumes without ever getting to know the contents, it can cause a bit more disappointment in the series. In my opinion, the changes and additions proposed by them are legitimate - they do not have a drastic effect on the tone of the story, but they do not seem to disappoint the viewer any more. Of course, those who adhere to the principle - faithfully or not at all, should have known for a long time that the series sometimes complements the gaps in the novel. Personally - as a person who values the series for a certain message but at the same time has a lot of fake accusations to it - I am very satisfied with it. The series told a more coherent story and probably even more mature than the novels. At the same time - although everything is happening in a wonderfully exaggerated, somewhat surreal world, it is still a moral message that remains as current and easy to apply to everyday life.
"A Series of Unfortunate Events” is in my opinion one of the best series of recent years. Just because it perfectly combines a beautifully realized adventure story, good acting and wonderful decorations and costumes with a moral and ideological message. What's more, with the message ideally tailored for today - this is a series about how to deal with our world. The first season may be a bit less, but the second and third resonate with what you see in politics, society and the Internet. And it gives an excellent remedy - knowledge, thinking, inquisitiveness. But also the awareness of ambiguity, the ability to interpret what has been read, asking important questions to those who want to tell us how the world looks. The series says that life's unfortunate events can not be avoided but can be prepared for them. One can be sure it is very good series. Because when it’s about filming a youth series does not always succeed. Perhaps the key was the commitment of the creators who really care. It can not be concealed that the number of blinks to the fans of the series, but also to break the fourth wall indicate that there was a lot of passion in this production. Perhaps the time is right for every important story. And recently there was definitely time for sad stories told by Lemony Snicket.
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