The series is exactly like the books but with added backstories, Easter eggs, and a film noir look. My favorite character is Lemony Snicket and his deadpan, droll, dreary, sarcastic narrative style that is the hallmark of the books is front-and-center in the show (often delivered by him; sometimes his book lines are given to other characters in the show). The lines in the show are often verbatim and other times they are updated to be more progressive (ex. challenging gender norms) for this day-and-age. It is peppered with bizarre show tunes that are similar to the ones you hear in the audio books.
The show does a great job of showing the disconnect between the well-meaning children and aloof adults (both those who like kids and those who do not) who only think about themselves. The adults rant about their unfulfilled fantasies and obsess over grammar rules, oblivious to woes or suspicious behavior of others. Yet they are not one-dimensional. The Poe household is invitingly 1950s (the T.V. era where families were flawlessly perfect) to contrast the Baudelaire family literally being in ruin. The Poes, however, are not in such great shape either, since Mr. Poe is ill from working so much. Justice Strauss, a judge with a personal library of legal texts, cannot piece together what is going on right in front of her. She is too distracted by her lack of pride in her work. Even Mr. Snicket, who is researching the Baudelaires, sometimes shifts the conversation to lament his star-crossed love life. The adults, selfish as they may be, all have something important to say. The kids, innocent as they may be, all have something important to say.
The show does a great job of showing the disconnect between the well-meaning children and aloof adults (both those who like kids and those who do not) who only think about themselves. The adults rant about their unfulfilled fantasies and obsess over grammar rules, oblivious to woes or suspicious behavior of others. Yet they are not one-dimensional. The Poe household is invitingly 1950s (the T.V. era where families were flawlessly perfect) to contrast the Baudelaire family literally being in ruin. The Poes, however, are not in such great shape either, since Mr. Poe is ill from working so much. Justice Strauss, a judge with a personal library of legal texts, cannot piece together what is going on right in front of her. She is too distracted by her lack of pride in her work. Even Mr. Snicket, who is researching the Baudelaires, sometimes shifts the conversation to lament his star-crossed love life. The adults, selfish as they may be, all have something important to say. The kids, innocent as they may be, all have something important to say.