NETFLIX SEASON 3: PRODUCTION THREAD

[Esmé's meme is meh]

Since season 1 I assumed Larry would replace Bruce for the rest of the series, but I like the idea or Mrs. Bass and Mr. Remora being in charge of the Snow Scouts

[Hermes]

Larry replacing Bruce would turn the Snow Scouts into an explicitly VFD thing, which I think would confuse the plot rather.

Is it possible that they had an actor in mind for Bruce but he wasn't available for season 1, and that's why the character was written out?

[mortinson51]

In Season 1 Gerardo Barcala was originally announced as Bruce. He is now listed as uncredited so I wonder if they cut out the scene for passing and since he was cut they decided to write him out of season 3.

[gothicarchiesfan]

Probably not, as you can still see that actor in the Reptile Room Part 2 and he's definitely not playing Bruce, or at least not the Bruce of the books. He's just one of the people hauling away Monty's reptiles after the Baudelaires exit the maze. 

[mortinson51]

Good find gothicarchiesfan.Maybe the writers thought Bruce was an unneeded extra face. Whatever the case is it will be interesting who they use instead of Bruce.

[Strangely]

I've always suspected that scene was edited down, it sort of looks like he was saying something to the Baudelaire's when they walk up and then the scene cuts to Jacequelyn's story. I wouldn't be surprised if he was indeed Bruce and his role simply got cut.

Honestly, Bruce's use in the books has always been a bit of a weak point. There's nothing wrong with him as a character, but he has very little relevance to the story. He's a throw away character who only reappears to retcon the VFD plot into the earlier books. His reappearance just kind of falls into the needless contrivance pile when it comes to storytelling and his lack of role after TSS only reaffirms this. I mean DH does this several times with other characters, like Phil, Mr. Remora, and Mrs. Bass, but I can at least justify those characters returning because they're more interesting or likeable, whereas Bruce really isn't.

[gothicarchiesfan]

Honestly, having Mr. Remora and Ms. Bass pop up in the Carnivorous Carnival as the heads of the Snow Scouts seems to be the best way of keeping them fresh in the audience's mind. At least when and if they have the subplot of Mrs. Bass stealing the Baudelaire Fortune (which Daniel Handler hinted might be more prominent in seasons 2 and 3) it won't feel quite so out of left field. 

:Edit: If Ms. Bass, Mr. Remora, and Carmelita do appear in the finale then they might bring up the impending trip to the Mortmain Mountains in one of the Austere Academy episodes. It would make for a nice way to bookend the season.

[Dante]

The whole point of Bruce's reappearance in TSS was connected to how minor and obscure a character he was; it was essentially a joke. I'm not sure it would play so well on television, though, and the following books basically forget about him and the Snow Scouts, so it's worth reconsidering the plot point, I think. Though I remain unclear where Mrs. Bass's bank robbery would fit into the sequence of events if she's also going on the Snow Scout expedition. It seems unlikely (and spoils the joke) for her already to be a fugitive lugging her sacks of cash even up the mountain, only to inevitably lose them when captured at the end; and yet when afterwards would she get the opportunity? On reflection, I think it's more likely that we're just getting a cutaway at the end of TCC to the actual event of the bank robbery, possibly with Remora and Nero in tow, which also gives Mr. Poe something to do - as they've said they're including him more in Season 2 than they originally planned. I'm not sure who that leaves in charge of the Snow Scouts; conceivably, nobody. A volunteer like Larry is untenable as that then gives no reason for the Baudelaires and Quigley to have to sneak off.

[Hermes]

I don't see anything problematic about Bruce's reappearance, because it's part of the 'everyone comes back' theme in the later books. He and Carmelita start it off in TSS, they are followed by Phil in TGG, and then by lots of people in TPP. I don't see that it retcons the VFD theme particularly; there's no clear evidence that Bruce is connected with VFD in either TER or TSS. (It's not an implausible theory that the Snow Scouts began as a VFD ancillary organisation, but it's not explicit, and if it's true the connection has clearly been broken by now.)

Bruce does appear again , though very briefly, in TPP, and the Snow Scouts reappear in TGG. It's true that we never hear what happened to them after that, though I've always supposed Fernald and Fiona liberated them when they took over the Queequeg.

[takatoguil]

Feb 7, 2018 3:46:09 GMT -5 Dante said:

Though I remain unclear where Mrs. Bass's bank robbery would fit into the sequence of events if she's also going on the Snow Scout expedition. It seems unlikely (and spoils the joke) for her already to be a fugitive lugging her sacks of cash even up the mountain, only to inevitably lose them when captured at the end; and yet when afterwards would she get the opportunity?

She hears about Count Olaf's wicked scheme when the Snow Scouts are captured, thinks to herself "That's a great idea!", sleds downhill on Mr. Remora to the known-to-be-surprisingly-close-because-it's-not-like-Count-Olaf-had-a-submersible-in-his-trunk Submarine Emporium, steals one and hightails it to the city. The next day while the Baudelaires are escaping Count Olaf's clutches for nearly the dozenth time, she robs the bank and tries to hide out at Nero's, but he's going to the Hotel Denouement so she accompanies him. The next day, she meets a very short concierge.

[countadrian]

Maybe only Mr. Rémora goes to the expedition while Mrs. Bass steals the bank. It would replace the only male entity in charge of the snow scouts.

[Dante]

To be honest, I would much rather imagine Mr. Remora and Nero tagging along with Bass to the bank and accidentally assisting in the robbery. Nero begins an impromptu violin recital which distracts the guards; Mr. Remora carelessly drops a banana peel in Mr. Poe's path...

[Strangely]

Or perhaps the robbery occurs before TSS and Mrs. Bass chaperoning the trip is merely a cover for her to leave the city without suspicion.

Or maybe, they just rob a bank after losing a group of school children on a field trip, as their careers are over. Really, there's a lot of good possibilities as to how they might fit in the robbery.

[mizbizsav]

Oh my gosh, they're filming stuff for The Penultimate Peril already? Be still my heart.

Also... if this is for TPP... that means the two white-faced women don't leave Count Olaf in TSS... don't know how I feel about that. I liked how everyone started to abandon Olaf towards the end (either that or they died)... it showcased Olaf's desperation and inevitable loneliness.

[Mr. Dent]

Oh no. As much as I love the henchpeople, I really am not down for them sticking around...