Setting a punishing pace, cwm! I'll try to respond as I'm able.
Before we start:
Given the way it's put - '
In the next book...' - it certainly doesn't seem to fit; the characters with the same initials don't even appear in the book. (Assuming, at least, that it refers to JS; and everything seems to support that - 'injustice' is a clue both to Justice Strauss and, as it tutns out, to Jerome.) There are two characters with the same initials in TGG, but it's hard to see how that leads to injustice.
With regards to "Many individuals have the same initials, which can lead to much injustice." There's evidence to support the hypothesised existence of an early draft of TGG which was used for marketing purposes but which had several aspects which did not ultimately make it in. Firstly: The coded message I quoted just now. Even in TPP, the many initials doesn't particularly lead to much injustice, or indeed any. It's not even particularly troublesome at the end of TGG. However, I think that it
could have. The J.S. who sent Mr. Poe to the beach can't be accounted for, for example; I don't think Justice Strauss or Jerome Squalor would've done it, since they were working with V.F.D. at the time and would've known the children were being brought to the hotel - and that sending Mr. Poe to get them wouldn't do them any good at all. So I think there's the possibility for an "injustice" plot there, although Justice Strauss would still have been concerned. Secondly: An early "Dear Reader" promotional synopsis for TGG mentioned "a desperate message from a lost friend" and, more interestingly, "hypochondria." The former is probably Quigley's Volunteer Factual Dispatch, which isn't particularly desperate in the published version; I suggest this was somewhat modified. As for "hypochondria," though... it's easy to see how this would fit in. One of the Baudelaires, probably still Sunny, would
believe that they had been poisoned by the Medusoid Mycelium... but in fact it was just hypochondria. I suggest that because this is a) a little unsatisfying, and b) identical to actual poisoning, it was altered in favour of being, as I said, actual poisoning. Now's also a time to mention that I so wish we could get our hands on Handler's notes and drafts. It's a little rude to ask, though.
That is the worst cover yet.
At first I thought you mentioned the real TGG covers, both of which I quite like. It must be said that the fan-made version above is a trifle ugly. But many would fancy that TGG is a bit of an ugly book, ho ho! Disclaimer: TGG is my favourite book.
Mission: Accomplished!
I think the latter, and most likely the fire spread mainly in the course of a day before burning itself out with nowhere left to go. It does, however, beg the question of why investigators aren't rushing out to the hinterlands to examine the evidence, as it is suggested they would if such a vast plume of smoke were seen from the Mortmain Mountains. But then again, bush-fires and such do happen.
This comes across as kinda bitter, cwm? Not been taking sugar with your tea lately?
He's on a V.F.D. submarine. Stuff happens, especially with such an understaffed vehicle.
Don't know if you were going to suggest this was a mistake - I doubt it - but indeed, Widdershins's secrecy is something I intend to examine.
Possibly during TAA's violin concerts?
Hmm, I'm less certain that he had those conclusions already prepared for, for the simple fact that the voyages of some of these characters appear to have been... well, they strike me as having been heavily altered during the writing of TPP, where their locations and activities seem to clash with what they were doing in TGG. But we'll get to that. I dare say he did know he would use it again - hard not to, given
The End's setting (although it doesn't directly appear).
I think some people have suggested that she could be another alternative identity for Madame Lulu, but this seems somewhat uninteresting. Perhaps an alternative
false name by someone using the same disguise? If she is using that disguise, it would always have been apparent that she had a true identity. Madame diLustro was the one giving the dinner party, correct? Not Olivia's style. Whoever she is, she's able to participate in society. Disclaimer: I don't think Handler intended that such a minor non-character really was anyone in particular, but it's interesting to have ideas.
She's not named in the U.A., and indeed this is the first time her name is revealed. It turns out the answer to the mystery was unsatisfying! Relevant?!
I'm certain of it. And when we get to it, the Kind Editor letter in TPP was definitely playing us all for fools.
My own notes on merely the first two chapters:
The British cover gives away rather more than the American one, although without the neat sea creatures – it depicts a fourth swimming figure, although their face is unseen, and we can see not only the submarine but a silhouette through its portal. The suits themselves have also been streamlined for this cover, and look a good deal cooler – the cuffs have been redesigned, for example. Also, the
Queequeg has an eye-like design towards the front of what we see of it. I quite like this cover, in fact.
~Chapter One~
The whole water cycle business was a bit of a risk, really – as, it seems, was much in TGG. Snicket’s use of the water cycle achieves exactly what it sets out to achieve – it bores the reader somewhat. However, that’s not a good thing. It works, but it should be entertaining.
“…the phenomenon of what happens to Sunny Baudelaire over the course of these pages is the most dreadful phenomenon I can think of” – Snicket’s always fairly happy to give away the plot, but it builds the tension better than unfolding a piece of paper.
“They knew that V.F.D. was a secret organization, but they couldn’t seem to find out much about what the organization did” – I’m not sure this is true. They discovered and deduced a great deal in the last two books.
“They knew that Count Olaf was very eager to get his filthy hands on a certain sugar bowl” – this, to my mind, makes it sound like this has been a pressing concern for more than the final couple of chapters of the previous book. But that’s just a very minor note.
“The Stricken Stream probably leads out of the Mortmain Mountains into the hinterlands” – “probably”? Map-reading in TCC already demonstrated this to be the case.
“Olaf said he’d be right behind us.” And, as you pointed out when he said that, he wouldn’t be able to as the tyres on his car have been punctured. Of course, as we’ll later see, this seems to have been somewhat ignored.
I shouldn’t worry about the “sinister shoe emporium” – for one thing, it’s just another Lemony anecdote, and for another thing I think he’s exaggerating anyway. It’s sinister because it’s unpleasant. He doesn’t want to be there.
As Klaus points out, the fire that spread through the Hinterlands is a consequence of the fire set at Caligari Carnival, although one wonders what exactly set on fire. The Hinterlands always sounded like a fairly bare place.
“…I have since discovered that Klaus was wrong, and that the scraps of paper blowing past the Baudelaires were from another publication that would have been of enormous help had they stopped to collect the pieces.” We never find out what this is, although it would always have been difficult to find out. Suggestions have included V.F.D.’s I.A.Q. from the U.A. (so many initials!), or perhaps it might have been something from Olivia’s archival library.
Since only one tributary has been mentioned leading off the Stricken Stream, surely it stands to reason that it’s the same one that carried off Quigley? Although evidently it’s either not, or Quigley had already escaped the freezing waters. (I’m not sure rivers should split off into tributaries, though? Tributaries join rivers, not leave them.)
I agree with cwm’s interpretation of the periscope insignia. I fancy it as a sort of sculpture attached to the front of a regular periscope – or perhaps just painted on the lens?
Widdershins’s voice here seems a lot more serious than, well, immediately after. Perhaps he has a sense of occasion… or perhaps, since first chapters are quite often released early online (as this one was), Handler was deliberately playing games.
~Chapter Two~
Widdershins’s cries parody standard safety advice – and also lead up to an allusion to Handler’s novel
Watch Your Mouth.
Re: Portrait of a man with a beard: When the HC cover for TGG was first released, it was generally assumed that this figure was Jules Verne (of
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea fame, among others – I’ll also be raising him with reference to
The End).
Also, Captain Widdershins’s spoken style, like Olaf’s in this book, is extremely brash and comical, and I dare say they both annoyed people for much the same reasons. Hm, now that I think about it, there’s probably a parallel being drawn between them there.
Widdershins suggests that babies have been put in diving helmets before, but this isn’t surprising – I doubt Fiona’s was the only family working at sea in such a fashion, and she was certainly a baby aboard the
Queequeg.
“I remember when Count Olaf turned to me and said, in that horrible voice of his—” It’s been suggested that this was on the same occasion as Olaf threw thumbtacks in Fiona’s cradle. It would seem to hark back to an age before the schism, when Olaf was unpleasant but still mixed with volunteers.
“A renowned inventor like yourself and you haven’t the faintest sense of submarine history?” Any knowledge of submarine history Violet has probably excludes V.F.D. submarines; perhaps Widdershins expected the Baudelaire parents to have told their children more? Well, he clearly expected Josephine to tell them more. We hear later that the
Queequeg seems to have been at Lake Lachrymose while the Baudelaires were – or around the same time, I’ll get to that bit later – but alas, they’d have mentioned it if they’d rescued Josephine. I think speculation about TGG after the first chapter was released often posited her as one crew-member.
Also worth noting is that the Submarine Q doesn’t actually have a Crew of Two. It has three at the time we visit. Judging from the later allusions to past crew-members, evidently children don’t count.
The design of the plaque suggests that the fact that the Captain has a personal philosophy is more important than the philosophy itself, which I think accords with Widdershins’s personality; he’s the sort to make a big deal out of something like this, bigger than it really is.
“A giant octopus could be chasing you…” And later, one does. After a fashion.
“Having a personal philosophy is like having a pet marmoset, because it may be very attractive when you acquire it, but there may be situations when it will not come in handy at all.” As we later learn, Lemony has been involved with marmosets before – more on that at the time.
“We’ve been attacked by villains and leeches, by sharks and realtors, by pirates and angry salmon!” Numerous allusions to past books here. Attacks by villains, torpedoes and sharks could happen at any time undersea, one supposes; leeches would call back to Lake Lachrymose, and I dare say the leeches would’ve taken an interest in the
Queequeg; the mention of realtors suggests, as does an offhand comment in TPP, that Josephine’s fear of realtors was not so irrational as had been supposed; angry salmon are probably those of the Stricken Stream, upset at their illness and turning on their former masters (more on V.F.D. and salmon later); girlfriends could be those of the villains, realtors or pirates; and the pirates are probably an allusion most particularly to the female Finnish pirates, who according to the BBRE – published, alongside TSS, directly before TGG – were set to appear. Which suggests perhaps that they didn’t have the best relationship with V.F.D. – or we were just meant to keep them in mind.
Widdershins mentions “the belly of the beast,” which ties him thematically to TCC, and indeed we learn that Olivia was a friend of his.
Fiona is “a bit older than Violet” – sixteen, perhaps? I wonder why Handler chose to make her a little older. Probably so that she doesn’t fit in quite so easily with the Baudelaires as their allies of their own age, the Quagmires. Fiona does strike me as being a little more mature than the Baudelaires.
Early foreshadowing of a Klaus-Fiona romantic entanglement; they immediately get on, better than Violet and Sunny.
“When Josephine’s house fell into the lake, my stepfather and I managed to save some of her library before it became too soaked.” Which suggests they were definitely at the lake at the time, and must have been on the scene immediately – I suppose they must just not have known enough about the situation to actually directly interfere in TWW’s plot, though. I guess if TWW were ever rewritten, they might.
“A certain taxi driver managed to smuggle these to me” – they’ve been mentioned more and more commonly, haven’t they? Wasn’t one mentioned in TSS – I remember someone noting it?
“damp casseroles” are, I think, the food served in TMM, so even a mere page or so ahead we get a clue as to who the present Second in the Crew of Two is – a figure associated with Book the Fourth.
Phil’s inclusion in this book is interesting. cwm suggests that it’s because he couldn’t be shoehorned into TPP, and there’s some truth in that, but he’s not the only old character who never returns. Also of note is that this is not only the last book in which Phil appears, but the last in which he is even
mentioned; even in the later books, when Widdershins and the adventures of his stepchildren are mentioned, we never hear about Phil again. Did he just get left out, forgotten – or did something sinister happen to him?
“The original second in the crew of two was Fiona’s mother, but she died in a manatee accident quite a few years ago.” “I’m not so sure it was an accident…” When this is referred to at the end of the book, it’s in not quite the same terms; this reference suggests that Fiona’s mother died, but that it wasn’t an accident; the reference at the end of the book suggests she didn’t die at all. I suppose if the latter were the case, Fiona’s mother would be a candidate for the “swimming woman” who we’ll see later (and who I believe returns in TPP).
“Then we had Jacques! …Aye, and then what’s-his-name, Jacques’s brother, and then a dreadful woman who turned out to be a spy, and finally we have Phil!” A few notes here. Jacques as Second potentially ties in to an allusion in his “O brother” letter in the U.A., in which he says that he is presently beneath the sea. I used to think that the narrative avoided saying Lemony’s name because the Baudelaires would recognise it, and indeed TVV suggests this is the case, but in
The End it’s new to them. No candidates for the dreadful woman who turned out to be a spy, although I’ve written a fanfic about TGG’s backstory which invents an identity for her.
So when did Phil join the Crew of Two – and more importantly,
how? He doesn’t strike me as being a volunteer, and it’s unlikely that V.F.D. advertises exactly. Some wacky hijink, perhaps – ran into Widdershins or Fiona when they were on land stocking up on supplies, got into a conversation… They might have heard of him when reading up on the Baudelaires’ travails.
