The Unfortunate Blogger

The Miserable Mill- Part One

So I'm back, and I'm here to discuss the events of the Miserable Mill. Now that we're out of the territory of the movie, I now have only the original books to compare to this series. But more on that later. What do I think of this episode?

It was actually quite interesting.

I won't say it was the best I've seen, but despite the initial bumps and bruises, it was actually a pretty decent episode. There was some good humor, the characters were nicely cast, (some of them actually felt relatable, surprisingly), and there things that were added that actually made a lot more sense than the book. Yes, I'm being dead serious when I say that. This episode was much clearer and in some ways much better than the original book. But enough on this. ON TO THE LIST!!!!!

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

1) Mr. Sir- I'll admit it, I like the guy who plays Sir. I can see his face. He's actually a very relatable character. And he's not as stingy as he was in the book. Okay, he's very stingy, but there's a reason he's like that.

2) The library had more books- I kind of like that the library was full of more books rather than just three books that were convenience for Violet to use. I also liked that they were all of the same book. It still shows the lack of variety, but with more...fullness, I guess.

3) Phil- Whoever they got to play Phil was perfect! He represented the actual optimism of Phil in the book. And though I'm sure everyone in the mill is brainwashed and hypnotized, they seem to keep their original personalities, so I'm sure he's genuine.

4) Doctor Orwell and Count Olaf were once together- I love how it explains why Doctor Orwell would want to work with Count Olaf. I like their backstory together. Count Olaf trying to charm her and how she tries to color her hair with the purple marker. I relish in their relationship blossoming over the money to the Baudelaire fortune. I...just...LOVE it!

5) The Baudelaire fire incident- Though it was an unnecessary detail, I kind of like how everyone thought the Baudelaire parents started the fire, and only because it tied into Doctor Orwell and why the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill is how it is today. A burnt-up ghost town.

6) The Quagmire introduction- The second I saw the butler and the three kids, I knew instantly that it was the Quagmire triplets. Plus, the episode later confirms it.

7) The parents are actually the Quagmire's parents- This may sound cruel, but I'm glad the parents were the Quagmire's parents and not the Baudelaires. It seemed to make more sense. Plus, I feel like it'll tie in later. Especially considering the angle that the story is already going in.

8) The refrigerator repair guy- When Lemony Snicket talks about the fight he had with the refrigerator repair guy and then pauses and says to himself, "I wonder whatever happened to him...." And then we see him with the Quagmire parents...that was about the funniest thing I've heard so far.

9) You can't see the new foreman- In the book, he wears a surgical mask. Here, he wears a gas mask. a) it's appropriate for a dusty mill. b) I can't even tell who it is, so...nice job, guys!

10) Lemony Snicket's appearance- I'll admit it; though the placement is still strange, they're getting very creative with the Snickey Cuts, as I like to call them. He moves the camera itself, it pans to the future. It moves around to him. He appears out of scene...they're getting better with this.

THINGS I HATED ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

1) Doctor Orwell's "optometry"- When I think of Doctor Orwell's office, I think of a nice cozy place with plain walls, green chairs, and several magazines. The doctor seems fine until the orphans see Count Olaf. (Or Violet does anyway). In the series, Orwell's office is covered with nothing but glasses, after glasses, after glasses, it's dark, cramped, the seats don't look safe, and that chair looks more like a torture device. I don't know. I think it could have been done better.

2) Sunny's shredding graphics- I say this every episode. Must I say it again?

3) Klaus' hypnotism- Unlike the rest of the millers, Klaus' hypnotism is very obvious. In the book, Violet does notice that something about Klaus is off, but it isn't until they wake up in the morning. In the series, she notices it immediately and this is even more confirmed by morning. Also...why was Klaus ordered to steal Sunny? What was the foreman going to do? Ask him to throw her into the wood chipper? Plus...if Klaus' word trigger is 'lucky', then how does Violet manage to control him without saying it? She asks him "would you like to..." and then he says, 'Yes sir'. To me, he has two words: 'lucky' and 'would'. It makes no sense to me and I don't like it. And on the final note, Klaus is re-hypnotized after Count Olaf puts his glasses back on and says ''lucky'. Doesn't he have to be re-hypnotized again, like in the book? There, the kids go back to the optometrist and that's when they see Count Olaf. THIS MAKES NO SENSE!!!!

Well, that's my review. Again, good updates, even though not everything was all great. But that's what I have to say about this episode.