The Unfortunate Blogger

The Austere Academy, part one

At long last, I got the chance to watch this episode. As like the previous ones, there were things I liked, and things I didn't like about it. In general, I think it was a decent episode. I wouldn't put it up there with my absolute favorite...I think episodes 3 and 4 are still my favorite ones. However, it wasn't as bad as the very original episodes, so there's some good that comes from that.

Now that I have my general opinion, allow me to get down to the specifics of what I liked and didn't like.

THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THIS EPISODE:

1) The addition of the broom closet- Though it was mentioned subtly, (so much so I didn't even catch it until now) that the Quagmires no longer live in the orphan shack, they never say where they are sleeping in the book. This episode makes it a little more clear. The broom closet addition was also one of the small spoilers I found and was confused by, but then was cleared up with the correct order of the episodes. I like it. I think it fits with the complexity of Nero's ridiculous rules from the book, such as making kids eat without their hands, eating without their utensils, and so on. Though maybe it was a rule, and Daniel Handler didn't make it clear enough....

2) The librarian- I know the name of the librarian because of the spoilers I got from one of the later episodes, but her name isn't mentioned here, so I'm not bringing it up. I love her! She balances large stacks of books on her head, throws them expertly into each spot on the shelf, she's caring, well-versed, determined, feisty, cute, and a ton of fun to watch on the screen. And she goes through those cards at lightning speed! Like...that is totally my goal in life!

3) Larry- Larry's back! I love Larry! I was nervous knowing that he lost the book, but I love him as a character. He's kind of like the Baudelaires; all of these terrible things keep happening to him no matter how hard he tries. Despite this, he's still pretty clever. He sneaks onto the bus and then when Count Olaf shows up, he manages to sneak outside onto the end of the vehicles without being noticed. Like...dude! That is so cool!! Plus the showdown with Count Olaf was pretty funny.

Larry: <Threatens Count Olaf with the sink sprayer>

Count Olaf: "<Gasp> You wouldn't! This is dry-clean only!"

<Larry says something, but sprayer doesn't work, so he and Olaf put their fists up>

That was hilarious!!!

4) The Pony Book- Mr. Poe has a book that apparently was a goof book Lemony Snicket refers to at some point. (Apparently is was a cover gaff for another book...or something), but they made it an actual book that Mr. Poe loves and it's just such a fun scene.

5) The library only opens for ten minutes a day- Similar to the Broom Closet, I liked this because of the ridiculousness of the rules Nero gives out. It matches, it's funny, and it leads to some pretty good scenes throughout the episode between the librarian and the rest of the school.

6) Carmelita Spats- Whoever did the casting job for this character was spot on, and I mean that in every sense. I see an actual Carmelita Spats. I see a spoiled child doted on by pretty much everybody throughout the episode, except for the librarian and the orphans. I see a selfish, vicious, and nasty girl with unlimited power and no moral conscience what-so-ever. She's actually a lot of fun to watch on screen despite being so nasty. It was the perfect casting!

7) Count Olaf mistakes the Quagmires for the Baudelaires- Initially, I actually didn't like this when I first saw it. I was actually thinking, Are you seriously that stupid?! You recognize Larry whom you only saw once who-knows-how-long back, but you confuse two kids who look nothing like the Baudelaires and who sound, as you said, like Mrs. Quagmire...you confuse them for the Baudelaires?! There's only two of them! And then he recognizes that they're Quagmires. I didn't like it at first. I thought it was a bit stupid. But then...I kind of liked it. Once he realizes they're not the Baudelaires, he's able to connect them to other people from the past. The reason why I liked this addition is because of one tiny little thing...the laps. In the book later on, the children will run laps outside. To foil Count Olaf (if you haven't read the books, then spoilers), the Quagmires pretend to be the Baudelaires and run laps in place of them. I don't know how dark it's going to be when this scene comes up, but this sounds like the perfect set-up for this eventual scene. Though if this doesn't come up, then I'll have to take this back. We'll see how this goes. Plus, Olaf's previous knowledge of the Quagmire parents also helps to explain how the heck he knew about the Quagmire fortune.