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Post by ironic impostor on Jan 14, 2017 14:17:15 GMT -5
Just finished the first season. It's really, really good, or at least I thought so. That's all I've got to say at the moment, but after I get some sleep and can more properly form thoughts that are actually worth something, I'll hop back on and see if anyone else has contributed anything. So if my calculations are right the first season is 390 minutes long and you submitted this post 440 minutes after it was released. You must have been one of the first people [not working on the show / reviewers] to have seen the whole of the first season. A dubious honour but I'm impressed. Haha, thank you. And yes, the honor is a bit dubious, but I couldn't sleep knowing the show was so close, so I decided to just watch it right when it came out (which was 3am where I am) instead of waiting. It was a fun 440 minutes (if your calculations are correct).
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Post by Liam R. Findlay on Jan 14, 2017 15:46:21 GMT -5
I've just watched the first episode for a second time and I think my only initial reservation was that it was more aimed towards a younger audience than I anticipated (a realisation that's clearer upon a second viewing). The Baudelaires' lines are sometimes incredibly sweet and polite, but the biggest factor is that the music is often overly sweet or overly dramatic, without subtlety. I don't think it could be any more blatant in its mood, in some scenes. Sometimes I watch and think how different music could really change how it comes across. This didn't bother me so much after the first episode, because I'd been introduced to the tone, but I do wonder if musical changes could have widened the demographic appeal a bit (or at least provided more sophistication to the drama). To compare, I feel as if the movie was a family film and the series is a children's show that adults might like.
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Post by ryantrimble457 on Jan 14, 2017 16:22:15 GMT -5
Also, someone did mention this but I'll say it again-- asoue.proboards.com/thread/19908/original-scriptThe 2005 script is clearly real. Very cool to see some of what he planned then come to life. Especially the Lavender Lighthouse line, which made it nearly verbatim into the show.
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Post by lorelai on Jan 14, 2017 17:37:50 GMT -5
I've just watched the first episode for a second time and I think my only initial reservation was that it was more aimed towards a younger audience than I anticipated (a realisation that's clearer upon a second viewing). The Baudelaires' lines are sometimes incredibly sweet and polite, but the biggest factor is that the music is often overly sweet or overly dramatic, without subtlety. I don't think it could be any more blatant in its mood, in some scenes. Sometimes I watch and think how different music could really change how it comes across. This didn't bother me so much after the first episode, because I'd been introduced to the tone, but I do wonder if musical changes could have widened the demographic appeal a bit (or at least provided more sophistication to the drama). To compare, I feel as if the movie was a family film and the series is a children's show that adults might like. I had complaints about the music after the first two episodes (which I mentioned in the appropriate thread) but it bugged me less and less as the series went on. I also think part of it might be how you watch it, because I watched the first two on a nnormal tv where everything came out of the same speker, and the rest of it via surround sound, which actually dampened the music.
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Post by Liam R. Findlay on Jan 14, 2017 17:59:28 GMT -5
I had complaints about the music after the first two episodes (which I mentioned in the appropriate thread) but it bugged me less and less as the series went on. I also think part of it might be how you watch it, because I watched the first two on a nnormal tv where everything came out of the same speker, and the rest of it via surround sound, which actually dampened the music. Yeah, I've only re-watched the first episode but don't recall the music being so blatant after the beginning of the series and the tone gets suitably darker as it progresses. I daresay it wasn't the strongest of debut episodes, as much as I appreciated it from a fan's perspective.
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Post by lorelai on Jan 14, 2017 18:29:03 GMT -5
I finishd it last night, sometime after ten (my day became more productive/busy than I anticipated), and then had to call a friend back who'd finished eep1 and wanted to give me her first impression: "I think this will make me a Snicket fan.". I loved it!!! All adults were perfect. The kids will get better with more work, but I thought they did extremely well for such a tall order. I loved the plot deviations and really feel this is Handler's chance to rewrite the series, fixing all the mistakes that were made because he didn't know for so long if he'd get to thirteen books. Josephine is more how I've seen her in the light of trying to reconcile the latter books and ATWQ--which they basically just expanded on, since so many of us have wondered how she went from flying a plane to TWW. I'm glad that Jacqueline (sorry if I spelled that wrong) didn't take over the series like I feared, and I love what they did with what Monty did and didn't know. BOY have you been aged by villainy, Olaf--scarily aged. I actually cared about Larry, and it'll be interesting to see if we ever learn wich Snicket brother he and Olaf were refering to. I really like the implication that the underground passages are used by VFD and villains, because why wouldn't that be one more thing to be divided due to the skism. I think we may have some foreshadowing with the fair mentioned in ep1, since the carnivals carivans does suggest it's a traveling carnival that was staying in the hinterlands, rather than having it be a permanent fixture there. The Baudelaires going to Lucky Smells also has the potential to be a fantastic bit of emotional cymitry, but with Sunny walking and saying her first sentence of the series in season two. The book!!! The 200-page book that begins "Dearest darling" and is speckled with tear stains that Lemony is STILL carting around with him years later was painfully perfect, as was all the ATWQ bits mentioned by others. I wanted the "handsome couple" as the audio description calls them when they aren't mother and father, to be the Quagmire parents, but had moments of uncertainty and fear because having them be the Baudelaire parents wouldn't have sat right with me. It's a lovely mini mystery, and now going forward will be very interesting--how much were Duncan and Isadora told before the fire. Also, could you presume Mrs. Quagmire cleed out her kids, names according to their ages, like how Violet Klaus and Sunny are so often ordered by age? I like the idea that there are twoSebald codes, what we get withZombees in the Snow, and the one we get in TUA, which would work brilliantly for live theater or conversations. Speaking of theater, my friend (who will be calling me back with more thoughts) presented the idea that Olaf's pronunciation of theater is acode, so to speak, for villainy; I'll have to rewatch to see if I agree. The songs were perfect, and in reference to the last one, I have a question about the lead up. We see a picture of young Lemony and Olaf in a trophy case at Prufrock, posing after or as paart of some theatrical production. Can you tell visually that they've aged by their respective subsequent experiences?
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Post by ryantrimble457 on Jan 14, 2017 19:04:54 GMT -5
Did anyone else notice that a recurring musical motif is a few bars from "The Second Threepenny Finale" from "Threepenny Opera"? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Keeps_Mankind_Alive%3FNotable line is the final line: "For once you must face the facts/Mankind is kept alive by bestial acts."
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eskaton
Reptile Researcher
Posts: 30
Likes: 46
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Post by eskaton on Jan 14, 2017 19:09:07 GMT -5
I finished the season last night. Some thoughts:
I agree with a lot of the criticisms of the first episode, and I have to say I understand why bär described it as "corny" in another thread. The extended opening sequence at the beach, all the way through to the first meeting between the Baudelaires and Justice Strauss came off as cloying, and the delivery of certain lines seemed wooden and stilted. Fortunately things started picking up for me after the Baudelaires moved in with Olaf, and as the season progressed and the actors (particularly the children) eased into their characters, it got a lot more enjoyable for me. By part two of The Reptile Room I was 100% on board.
I love NPH as Olaf. He brings the right balance of arrogance, menace, and inanity to the role. The theater troupe are great as well and have an enjoyable dynamic. Each member has a distinct personality now, compared to the flat, static characters they are in the books (Fernald excluded). The Person of Indeterminate Gender in particular really benefits from an expanded presence.
For the most part, I think the series diverges from the books in the right ways, especially with regards to the VFD mystery being introduced much earlier. I think it was an obvious and necessary change to keep the audience engaged. The children still bounce from guardian to guardian, but the monotony of this formula is broken up considerably by shifting focus to Jacquelyn, the Quagmires, the significance of the spyglass, and other elements that tie together the underlying mystery of the series.
On a similar note, the revisions to the plot of The Miserable Mill are a huge improvement upon the book and fill in a number of gaps (for instance, now we know why Orwell was colluding with Olaf, and why the Lucky Smells employees were so complacent). I can't imagine Orwell's swordfight with Sunny would have translated to a visual medium well at all, especially considering how iffy the CGI is for Sunny. The new ending with the furnace is more practical.
My only other gripe with the series is the music, which I found really jarring more often than not, to the extent that it completely pulled me out of the show at times. The sequence where Aunt Josephine's house collapses is the most egregious example. What should have been an intense moment is completely undermined by some of the most tonally inappropriate music imaginable. I don't understand the decision behind its placement.
I'll probably comment more about specific episodes in their respective threads, but for now these are my general thoughts about the series. Overall, I liked it a lot, more than I thought I would. Bring on Season 2!
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Post by Shelly on Jan 14, 2017 20:48:42 GMT -5
So it was Esmé who burned the Quagmire mansion! If it was in the books I had totally forgotten and it was so exciting to see it happening in front of my eyes! I love Esme's character so much - and I love that she is so easily identifiable from just one ridiculous hat and set of gloves. Oh, Esme. I leapt to the same conclusion - I don;t think it was ever confirmed, but you could just see Esme doing something like this. It felt like a nice Easter Egg for us fans, considering book-Esme's flamboyant fashion and greed. I've just finished it now myself and I have been overall impressed. Considering it's the most expensive Netflix series to date, I've been very happy with the overall quality of both content and set/costume. It feels like everyone behind the scenes really cares about doing a good job with the story while still keeping things believable. While retconning VFD in feels a little strange, it makes for a smoother story for the later books/seasons. If it's true about the two seasons being filmed back to back relatively soon, it makes sense - we don't want the children aging too much between seasons and it was (mind you, only one of multiple) reasons they couldn't do any movie sequels as Emily Browning and Liam Aiken grew up in the dither of indecision. Book things I'm looking forward to seeing in future seasons: look away if you haven't read the books... More of Esme's costumes The orphan shack at Prufrock Prep and more Quagmire interactions Jerome and our beloved 667 Dark Avenue! I feel like they'll be some sly mention of us somewhere for TEE And much later... Phil's return in TGG The Baudelaires being flaneurs in TPP ('twas my favourite book along with TRR/TEE)
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Post by Linda Rhaldeen on Jan 14, 2017 22:05:30 GMT -5
For those new to 667, bear's favorite hobby is hating on things other people like so this is pretty much par for the course for him. You eventually learn to just tune it out.
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Post by Reba on Jan 14, 2017 22:51:27 GMT -5
yes, i'm on 667 because i hate lemony snicket.
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Post by gliquey on Jan 15, 2017 3:49:41 GMT -5
I loved the plot deviations and really feel this is Handler's chance to rewrite the series, fixing all the mistakes that were made because he didn't know for so long if he'd get to thirteen books. Josephine is more how I've seen her in the light of trying to reconcile the latter books and ATWQ--which they basically just expanded on, since so many of us have wondered how she went from flying a plane to TWW. I agree completely. Josephine being formerly 'fierce and formidable' was definitely a change made with later books / ATWQ in mind, and it also made sense. I would have liked her to have gotten a little more backstory, but it was still a positive change. And I loved that Josephine tried to stand up to Olaf by correcting his grammar. That's a really good point. I didn't even think about that - I just assumed it was Lemony (not least because he's the only Snicket child that has appeared by that point), but it could well have been Jacques. Haha yes, I think several of us have now commented that even though we sort of knew it was the Quagmire parents, we had moments of uncertainty - I know I did. I'm predicting that Isadora/Duncan's knowledge of V.F.D. will now come from their parents rather than newspapers - for all the 'V.F.D.' acronyms we had this season, the children still haven't even heard of V.F.D. - but I wonder whether they'll also move forward the Baudelaires hearing the initials from the end of TAA to the start, and exactly how much the Quagmire parents told their children is still unknown.
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Post by lastsafeplace on Jan 15, 2017 11:57:59 GMT -5
One of the biggest things that bugged me (I still loved the show overall) was the subplot with Jacqueline. It took away from the aloneness of the Baudelaires, and makes it slightly stranger that the children don't try to seek any help from her, since they already seem to know that she's part of some secret organization. Also, I assumed that when it was confirmed that the VFD subplot would start earlier in the show it would be happening at the same time as the main story, but the Baudelaires wouldn't necessarily know about it or be involved. In my opinion, that also takes away from the desperate situation of the Baudelaires, since they start to get the feeling that all of these things are happening for a greater reason.
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Post by Tryina Denouement on Jan 15, 2017 13:27:53 GMT -5
So it was Esmé who burned the Quagmire mansion! If it was in the books I had totally forgotten and it was so exciting to see it happening in front of my eyes! Oh god! Esme's in this? I'm so pumped!
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Post by Linda Rhaldeen on Jan 15, 2017 13:42:10 GMT -5
Her hat or silhouette or something is? I unfortunately missed that part; I'm hoping to spot her when I do my rewatch
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