Beware The Incredibly Deadly Viper.
The Baudelaire siblings are entrusted to the care of world-renowned herpetologist, Dr. Montgomery "Monty" Montgomery. Though he seems an affable guy who was good friends with their parents, Klaus questions why they had never heard of him prior to meeting him. This issue is quickly pushed aside as Count Olaf arrives while Monty is out, positing himself as "Stephano", Monty's new assistant (replacing Gustav, who was killed in the previous episode). The Baudelaires quickly see through "Stephano"'s disguise.
Also suspicious of Stephano, Monty takes the children and Stephano to the cinema, where they watch Zombies in the Snow. He manages to decode a message in the film's subtitles telling him to take the Baudelaires to Peru on the S.S. Prospero, fights off an ambush by the powder-faced women, and tells Olaf (whom he believes to be a spy from the herpetological society sent to steal his work) to sod off. However, right after tucking the Baudelaires into bed, he notices something is amiss in the Reptile Room and is promptly attacked as he goes to check.
Tropes:
- Arc Words: VFD, spouted by the man at the ticket office, who is part of the VFD.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Monty and then the Baudelaires when trying to act normal around Stephano.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: Lemony Snicket casually mentions that Monty is going to die while discussing tea.
- Call-Back: Much like when Count Olaf meets the orphans for the first time, Dr. Montegomery addresses the orphans with a "hello, hello, hello." Unlike Count Olaf however, his "hellos" are legitimately enthusiastic, considering he is a Nice Guy that actually is their godparent and actually cares about them.
- When Klaus asks Violet what they should do Violet says "That's the wrong question".
- Chekhov's Gun: The screaming iguana clock.
- Cliffhanger: Uncle Monty's death concludes the episode with a sharp Fade to Black transition.
- Complexity Addiction: Subverted. Uncle Monty made the Locked Door to his study purposefully complex looking as to discourage people from trying to open it. In reality, it can actually be opened by pushing only one button and turning a door-knob. When "Stephano" makes himself known, the suspicious Monty purposefully goes the long way to impute the (false) series of codes meant to open the door.
- Cuckoo Clock Gag: This episode features a screeching iguana clock owned by Uncle Monty, which screeches every hour. It causes Stephano (Count Olaf in disguise) to become comically startled in the scene where the clock is first introduced.
- Dramatic Irony: Snicket thoroughly explains what dramatic irony is in this episode. Earlier, he had mentioned that Uncle Monty will soon die, so the audience knows that he will likely not be able to spirit the Baudelaires away to Peru.
- Foregone Conclusion: Snicket informs the audience that Uncle Monty will die around a third into the episode, and the opening titles themselves even say he will die, right at the beginning of the episode.
- Fur and Loathing: Monty - an animal-loving Herpetologist - could not help but notice the alligator skin suitcase "Stephano" is carrying around.
- Hope Spot: For the kids at least, the audience knows that it can't last. Monty genuinely bonds with the Baudelaires and promises them answers in Peru... shortly before he's attacked at the end of the episode.
- Insistent Terminology: Count Olaf (as Stephano) tries explaining his false backstory to Monty, claiming that he was sent by the Scientific Society Seeking to Sooth Stress and Suffering, or S.S.S.S.S.S. for short. When Monty tries pronouncing the acronym (as a hiss), Stephano tries elaborating how to pronounce it, even though he was just hissing too. This goes on for over half a minute.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Olaf, as Stephano, at one point says he prefers long form television to movies, arguing that it's so much more convenient to consume entertainment from the comfort of one's own home. He then smiles at the camera. Later he complains about all the commercials in movies.
- Mythology Gag: Combined with a Take That!. Count Olaf bitterly describes the theater Uncle Monty takes he and the Baudelaires to as a "Godforsaken Nickelodeon". The much reviled film adaptation of the books was in part produced by Nickelodeon Movies.
- Non-Indicative Name: Invoked with the very friendly "Incredibly Deadly Viper"; Uncle Monty purposely named it a misnomer to play a practical joke on his colleagues.
- Noodle Incident: Monty shows a photograph of a piano to the Baudelaires, claiming that he and their parents were locked inside of it. No elaboration as to how that happened or why (though Olaf took the picture, so he probably locked them in there), but Monty does think of that time fondly.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome:
- Monty fighting off the Powder-Faced Women after they'd already put him in a bag.
- The Parents make a dramatic escape from their prison cell, with many exciting moments... as the Mother recounts, while she and her husband walk (or limp, in the Father's case) through a tunnel.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Unlike the books, Monty sees right through Stephano's disguise right away... but doesn't realize he's Count Olaf, thinking he was sent by the Herpetological Society to steal his work.
- Pragmatic Adaptation: Since the books' Sebald codenote would be difficult to catch on film, the coded message in Zombies in the Snow is instead in the subtitles; Monty uses a spyglass to understand the message for him written in them. (This also means he gets the message he missed in the book.)
- Stylistic Suck: Zombies in the Snow, which is black and white, has terrible props, cheesy writing, and hammy overacting by Gustav and Jacquelyn. Given that its purpose seems to be to send coded messages, Gustav may have not cared so much about the film's quality.
