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Don’t look away! A Series of Unfortunate Events returns for its second season with more devastating adventures for the Baudelaire orphans.
If you can recall, nothing ever seems to improve for the unfortunate Baudelaire orphans, and season one left off with what fans hoped was a slight glimmer of hope. At the end of season one, Poe, their money manager/adoption go-to guy, dropped them off at Prufrock Preparatory School because no guardian wanted to take on the responsibility of such a “dangerous” bunch.
The journey to the boarding school was after a string of events that had the orphans trying to run away from the quirky, dangerous Count Olaf who murdered two of the guardians they lived with.
At every corner, turn, and guardian, new mishaps put their lives in jeopardy as Count Olaf tried to maintain guardianship over them. His sole purpose? To get his hands on the enormous fortune their parents had left behind.
Going into season two, there is a lot of ground to cover–and of course, more Count Olaf related drama to avoid. The Baudelaire orphans spent a lot of season one trying to understand who their parents were and how each guardian played a role in their parents’ lives. The spyglass, VFD, along with so many secrets that surfaced in season one came to a head in the season one finale.
In the final moments, we see two kids sitting opposite the Baudelaires, clinging on to a similar spyglass as them. What could be the connection between these two new characters and our unfortunate Baudelaires? Let’s find out!
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The Austere Academy: Part One
Season two kicks off in the gloomy, dark Prufrock Prep School (which we really wanted to be a good place for the orphans to find peace). Sunny has grown up a bit, but the kids are as miserable as ever. They can’t seem to catch a break and are still the target of Count Olaf’s obsession. And just when we thought the guardians couldn’t get any worse, they do.
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The school is run by a man named Nero, who is meant to watch over the kids, but proves to be utterly useless and narcissistic. While Count Olaf doesn’t show up in his latest disguise until the end of the episode, his presence is lurking over the lives of the Baudelaires like a dark cloud.
The mystery of their parents is a big part of the season two premiere as they try to seek out the book that holds all the secrets they desire to know.
And while the kids try to adjust to the Orphan Shack Nero has forced them to live in, they are also left dealing with the obnoxious star student of Prufrock, Carmelita Spats. Not only is Nero indifferent to the pain of the Baudelaires, but he forces all the students to attend his nightly, horrendous violin recitals. Spats goes above and beyond to torment the Baudelaires who she refers to as “cake-sniffers” and alienates for being orphans.
There is light at the end of the dark tunnel when the Baudelaires meet the Quagmires, Isadora, and Duncan, who also lost their parents in a fire along with their younger brother. This brings the bunch together as they realize their paths are one in the same, and their parents were once friends.
And while the A.V. Club may have created a “super, high-tech” device to keep Count Olaf out, the device clearly fails when he shows up with his crew in tow. Not only does he manage to kick off a team of athletes from a school bus, but he shows up adorned in his latest disguise — Coach Genghis, a southern man with an Indian touch. This won’t end, will it?
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The Austere Academy: Part Two
With Count Olaf back in the mix, things are back to square one in the fight against him. Not only has he fooled Nero and the rest of the school into believing he is a coach, but he has managed to fool the device that doesn’t recognize him as Count Olaf. Of course, in typical A Series of Unfortunate Events fashion, no one believes the Baudelaire children when they try to reveal his identity.
Luckily, the Quagmires’ presence gives the orphans some hope in their otherwise gloomy, horrible life.
The second episode introduces a new character in the form of Lemony Snicket’s brother, Jacques Snicket, played by Nathan Fillion. Jacques seems to be an integral part of the organization that the Baudelaires and Quagmires are trying to learn more about throughout the episode.
As Count Olaf takes over the school, he forces the Baudelaires to run laps for hours on end while still forcing them to attend Nero’s relentless violin recitals. In a scheme to take them away from the school, he places them in a competition where they have to pass the exam, in order to finish up their trimester at Prufrock.
If they fail, they will be forced to leave and be homeschooled, which all is part of Count Olaf’s plan. In order to study throughout the night, the Baudelaires and Quagmires dress up Isadora and Duncan as Violet and Klaus and make a flour baby to take the place of Sunny as they run laps around the track.
Meanwhile, Violet and Klaus begin a night of pointlessly studying mundane facts about Nero and the other teachers.
Count Olaf soon realizes that he has been tricked and sets out to take down the orphans once and for all. However, Violet and Klaus pass the exam with flying colors — and finally, manage to convince everyone who Coach Genghis really is. Count Olaf makes his escape, as usual, but manages to grab Isadora and Duncan along with them.
As they whizz away from the school, Isadora and Duncan try to tell Violet and Klaus that everything is connected because they finally found and read some of The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations. VFD…VFD. What could it all mean? Read on to find out!
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The Ersatz Elevator: Part One
After Duncan and Isadora are kidnapped by Count Olaf and co., the Baudelaires are determined to find out where they have been taken. They bid Prufrock farewell after the Coach Genghis debacle, and Poe takes them to the next guardian he was able to locate.
Instead of a gloomy shack or rat-infested single bedroom, this time their guardian is the sixth richest financial advisor in the city. That’s right, the Baudelaires are getting a massive upgrade. Not to mention, there is a citywide manhunt for Count Olaf.
As the orphans arrive in their new home, they realize they will be living on the top-floor penthouse with too many rooms to count. Their new guardians are Esme (Lucy Punch) and Jerome Squalor (Tony Hale). Esme exudes confidence, glamour, narcissism, and is only interested in things that are in “in.”
Seeing as how adopting orphans is so “in” right now, she has decided to do just that. Jerome seems to differ from his wife and seems like someone the orphans can befriend.
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As the Baudelaires try to settle and make sense of their lavish new home, the librarian from Prufrock, Olivia (Sara Rue), is concerned for their safety and pays Mr. Poe a visit. She catches the eye of Mr. Poe’s secretary, Jacquelyn (Sara Canning) who gives Jacques a call to inform him that they may have found another ally. As Olivia’s path crosses with Jacques’, the two team up to try and save the orphans from the wrath of Count Olaf.
Back at the penthouse, Count Olaf manages to make his way up to the penthouse under the disguise of a foreign man named Gunther, who is extremely close to Esme. Immediately, the three recognize him for who he is but, of course, no one listens. Esme, Jerome, the orphans, and “Gunther” head out to have a meal at the Herring Houdini, which of course, is “in.”
They are intentionally treated to a length multi-course meal while Jacques and Olivia stake out the penthouse building. A two-time restaurant change and Gunther’s singing performance later, the Baudelaires sneak away to the penthouse because they are convinced the Quagmires are hidden there.
And despite so many people trying to locate the Quagmires’, it is the dear orphans that find them locked away in the elevator shaft. Here they learn what the initials VFD stand for and that the spyglass they possess has many unique functions.
Cue, part two of the elevator chronicles.
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The Ersatz Elevator: Part Two
After discovering the functions within the spyglass, Violet uses it has a heat source to carry them up in a bootleg hot air balloon. There are some difficulties in the trek to the top, which they are making in order to rescue the Quagmires.
When the spyglass gets too hot, Violet comes up with a solution on-the-spot to ensure that they don’t come crashing down in the shaft. All the while, Olaf doesn’t seem too concerned in locating where the children have gone.
Finally making it out of the shaft, the orphans come across Esme. They quickly learn that she is on Count Olaf’s side and knows about his true identity–and is his girlfriend and former acting student. She pushes them down the shaft as they fall into a net at the bottom.
The plan at play here is Count Olaf is going to auction off an item and put the Quagmires inside. In an attempt to save their friends, the Baudelaires try to win the auction, with the help of Mr. Poe, who is in charge of their parent’s fortune. Unbeknownst to them, Count Olaf has hidden Isadora and Duncan elsewhere and has finally come out on top.
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The Quagmires are hidden in another statue, leaving the Baudelaires with yet another mission to find them. And while Jerome offers to remain their guardian, he refuses to help them find their friends, so they part ways.
Earlier in the episode, the Baudelaires discover the elevator shaft has a tunnel that leads to their old home. Could the connection between the Squalors’ and Baudelaire’s home have something to do with the fire? Maybe, just maybe.
With no guardian for their care, Mr. Poe decides to take them to a village called VFD. Could this be the VFD they have been looking for? And will they find Duncan and Isadora here? We sure hope so!
And for those may have missed it, Jacques Snicket has the same tattoo of an eye on his ankle. What exactly is at play here? Let’s continue reading to find out!
Netflix
The Vile Village: Part One
Once again the Baudelaires are sitting in Mr. Poe’s car as he takes them to their newest guardian. While previous guardians have been a single person, a couple, or even an entire boarding school, this episode mixes thing up a bit and hands them over to an entire village called VFD — Village of Fowl Devotees.
Unfortunately, it is not exactly the VFD the orphans were seeking out, but this episode does shed some light on the connection between Count Olaf and Jacques Snicket.
Quite a bit more miserable than Prufrock Prep, the children quickly realize VFD isn’t exactly rainbows and sunshine. They are handed over to the care of Hector, a nervous, sickly handyman that lives a mile away from the village. They are also tasked with doing the chores for the entire village. Seriously, can these kids catch a break already?
The village is run on the idea that no one is allowed to do anything that results in discomfort. When the orphans first arrive, a group of elders, known as the Council of Elders, refuse to let Violet and Klaus speak. But not everything is as horrible as it may seem as they strike up a friendship with Hector, who has plans to escape the village one day with his self-sustaining electric hot air balloon.
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Later in the episode, an encounter between Jacques and Count Olaf helps viewers understand that Count Olaf didn’t always live the life of a villain. In fact, he and Jacques used to be friends. And the tattoo on Jacques’ ankle is not that of an eye but spells out the letters VFD. There is a mention of something happening the night of the opera, where it seems Count Olaf went over to the dark side. What happened that night remains to be seen.
Despite being caught, Count Olaf manages to escape and in turn frames Jacques for being Count Olaf, while he pretends to be a detective. Esme is playing the guise of the chief of police and aids him in the “capture”. The Council of Elders decides to punish “Count Olaf” by agreeing to burn him at the stake.
Jacques tells the children about the tattoo and tells them it is not of an eye, but rather spells out VFD, and tells them their families are long-time friends. Sadly, this is the last time Jacques and the Baudelaires speak because he dies at the hands of Count Olaf. While trying to rescue him, the Baudelaires hear the news that “Count Olaf” is dead.
Jacques is dead and the future of the Baudelaire children looks as grim as ever. What will become of them now that the world thinks Count Olaf is dead? Read on to find out!
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The Vile Village: Part Two
Jacques is dead. Count Olaf lives. And the Baudelaire orphans are still dead-set on finding the Quagmires. However, things have taken a dire turn because they are being framed and accused of killing Jacques. Oddly enough, Sunny is being targeted due to her sharp teeth. With Esme still playing the role of chief of police and Count Olaf playing detective Dupin, they lock up the orphans in the “deluxe cell”.
Thanks to Violet’s quick thinking, the kids break out of their cell by breaking it down, while Count Olaf is completely distracted by Mr. Poe’s wife taking his pictures for the newspaper. They manage to deduce (thanks to the crows delivering Isadora’s hand-written couplets) that the Quagmires are being kept inside of the statue in the fountain. How the kids didn’t suffocate to death is beyond us, but let’s roll with it.
Once the Quagmires are rescued, the kids try to reach Hector so they can fly off with him in his self-sustaining hot air balloon. However, they are too late because Hector has already begun to take flight. All the while, the entire town is out for the Baudelaires’ blood and want to burn them, yes, burn them as a punishment for killing Jacques–which of course they didn’t.
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Realizing that Jacques is dead, Jacquelyn and Larry head to VFD to try and rescue the orphans. To try and catch up with Hector, the kids speed off in a fire truck. However, the Quagmires are the only ones to make it up the ladder and onto the flying mobile home before the town shows up in anger alongside Count Olaf and Esme.
Once again the friends are separated, but the Baudelaires find comfort in knowing the Quagmires are safe at last. Before they flew away with Hector, Isadora and Duncan try to hand over all the information they have regarding VFD and their parents to the Baudelaires. Thanks to Esme, however, a lot of it is destroyed, leaving behind some scraps for the orphans to try and make sense of.
As Violet, Klaus, and Sunny head off into the sunset, it begs the question. Where exactly are they headed to? And is the relentless cycle of staying with new guardians finally over? Read on to find out!
Netflix
The Hostile Hospital: Part One
A Series of Unfortunate Events takes an interesting turn in the second half of the season as the Baudelaires and villains head to Heimlich Hospital. The hospital is half finished and contains a unique assortment of outlandish characters. The Baudelaires come to learn about the hospital while on the lam from Olaf.
They have been accused of killing him, even though the body was that of Jacques Snicket. After a run-in with Olaf at a convenience store, the orphans board a van labeled VFD and learn the extremely happy-go-lucky crew inside call themselves, “Volunteers Fighting Disease”. They spread cheer by singing to patients, which they believe cures any illness.
Of course, right on their trail is Count Olaf and his troupe that end up at the hospital as well. The receptionist, Babs (Kerri Kenney) bombards any visitors/volunteers with loads of paperwork to fill out. However, the Baudelaires are interested in finding the hall of records, that contains information about anything and everything. It is here they hope to learn more about the actual VFD and their parents.
However, Hal (David Alan Grier), refuses to let them read the files and only allows them to put them away. And while Violet, Klaus, and Sunny try to concoct a plan to get into the hall, Olaf takes on the disguise of Dr. Medical School. The episode takes a darker approach because Olaf and his troupe channel their evil, murderous side like never before.
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In order to get access to the records, the orphans are told they need to fill out paperwork. Left with no option but to betray their new friend, they replace and steal Hal’s keys to gain access to the hall. They find a film strip that has Jacques Snicket in it talking about a possible survivor of the fire.
Thanks to Esme showing up, the orphans are unable to finish the reel and are left uncertain if he was referring to their parents. While Klaus and Sunny manage to escape from Esme’s wrath, she captures Violet. With the orphans separated, how will they find their way back to one another? Read on to find out!
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The Hostile Hospital: Part Two
With Violet kidnapped by Esme, Klaus and Sunny had to channel their inner Count Olaf and take on the disguise of a foreign doctor for the second half of the hospital story. The “Volunteers Fighting Disease” troupe makes an obnoxious comeback as they parade the halls of Heimlich “spreading cheer”.
To try and locate Violet, Klaus dresses up as a doctor and tries to get his hands on the patient list VFD is in possession of. While doing so, he runs into Count Olaf. While they both obviously recognize one another, Sunny cleverly steals the patient list from Olaf as they make their getaway.
Based on notes from the Quagmires’, Klaus and Sunny decipher the patient names using anagrams to find Violet. However, they learn that Violet is being taken into surgery to do a “cranioectomy” — aka removing a person’s head. In a twisted turn of events, the surgery is assigned to Klaus er Dr. Faustus, who must essentially remove his sister’s head. Clever, Count Olaf.
Klaus tries to keep one step ahead of Count Olaf by delaying the surgery in any way he can imagine. Realizing the hospital prides itself on paperwork, he states that they never filled any out for the surgery. In the audience, Mr. Poe is seen sitting alongside Hal, who is less than pleased about the Baudelaires after they stole his keys and the hall of records lay in a mess.
The kids manage to escape as soon as Violet wakes up from her sleepy anesthetic slumber. Sunny hands her a tie made out of a hospital bracelet, so she can come up with a plan for them to leave the hospital. However, behind them, Heimlich Hospital comes down to a burning crisp and they are left with only one option–get into Olaf’s trunk and hide out. This is getting interesting, isn’t it? Let’s keep reading!
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The Carnivorous Carnival: Part One
The episode begins with a flashback to a party at the original VFD headquarters — with glimpses of Uncle Monty and company. While the purpose of VFD is still unclear, it is a pleasant throwback to all the characters that have been lost along the way. A cryptic moment between Lemony and Jacques reveals that Olaf knows something, yes, even Olaf was once a part of the VFD.
Tucked away in the back of Count Olaf’s trunk, the Baudelaires headed off to the next chapter of their unfortunate adventures–the creepy Caligari Carnival. Present there is a woman known as Madame Lulu along with a group of “freaks”, who are thrust to the side when Olaf takes over as the carnival’s ringleader.
Three members are added to the carnival, shockingly unbeknownst to Olaf, in the form of Violet and Klaus (who are pretending to be a two-headed person), and Sunny who is playing half baby, half wolf. They plan to hide in plain sight so as to keep an eye out on Count Olaf and get to the bottom of the VFD mystery surrounding their parents.
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The kids soon learn that Madame Lulu is someone they know, well at least the person taking Lulu’s place temporarily–the librarian from Prufrock Prep, Olivia! She was last seen with Jacques during the “Ersatz Elevator” episodes and explains where she had been all this time. The Baudelaires find more hidden secrets pertaining to VFD and their parents and learn the headquarters are located in the mountain range nearby.
They watch clips from the party at the headquarters as well as clips from Lemony’s childhood. The revelations continue when they stumble across a wardrobe with disguises filled to the brim, just like Count Olaf’s. And the best revelation comes when they learn what their parents’ VFD truly stands for — Volunteer Fire Department.
Things aren’t looking too optimistic but with Olivia back in the picture, can we hope that the Baudelaires will get some version of a happy ending this season? Read the season two finale recap to find out!
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The Carnivorous Carnival: Part Two
And just like that, we are at the season two finale of A Series of Unfortunate Events. As expected, nothing worked in the poor Baudelaire orphans’ favor. And if you thought any episode before this was sad for them, you are in for a sad, sad awakening.
To up the ante at the carnival and attract more of a crowd, Olaf decides to pick one of the “freaks” to become a meal for the starving lions he has brought in. Esme, still bothered by Madame Lulu’s presence, tries to convince the group to push Lulu into the pit instead, promising them a job in Olaf’s troop.
Meanwhile, the Baudelaires are planning to escape with Olivia in a rollercoaster car. They want to head to the VFD headquarters to see if one of their parents is truly alive. Unfortunately, Olivia doesn’t make it to the end of the episode, because it is she who becomes the lion’s feast. In an effort to protect Violet and Klaus, who are actually picked to be thrown into the pit, she pushes them away and ends up sacrificing herself.
This leaves the orphans to fend for themselves once again–a narrative that is at the core of A Series of Unfortunate Events. We learn that the divide in the original VFD was due to half the members wanting to put out fires, while the other half (cough, Olaf, cough) wanted to start them. Fires have been at the epicenter of the series since the start, and Olaf decides the troop will leave the carnival behind and burn it down–including all the information about their parents in Lulu’s wagon.
The season ends on a cliffhanger — literally. Olaf places Violet and Klaus in a wagon attached to his car, while Sunny is sitting next to him. He reveals that he has known the Baudelaire children were in disguise this entire time, and has the troop cut the rope attaching the wagon to the car. Violet and Klaus are seen inside the wagon as it heads towards the cliff–waiting to plunge to their death, while Sunny is now under Olaf’s custody. Sigh.
And if you were waiting all season to see Allison Williams, A Series of Unfortunate Events gives us a tiny glimpse at her in the final moments as she arrives at the burned down carnival.
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Who exactly is she? Could she be the Baudelaires’ mother? And why did she take the sugar bowl from the hospital, and better yet why is it is so important? We have no idea where the story is headed (unless, of course, you’ve read the books), but we hope that there is a happier ending for the orphans in the final season. One can hope, right?