As enticing as the sidewalk may seem, PLEASE resist all urges to jump off any building to fall towards it upon watching this show.
Violet, Klaus and Sunny arrive at 667 Dark Avenue, and into the arms of Esmé and Jerome Squalour. The trio need to work quickly to convince their new guardians to help find Duncan and Isadora, especially with Olaf on the loose.
Tropes:
- Adults Are Useless: Jerome Squalor is a definite improvement over anyone at Prufrock Prepatory, but he's also spineless. Larry Your-Waiter and Jacqueline try to help the kids, but are unable to shove their way through the fleeing restaurant crowd.
- Bad Job, Worse Uniform: Working at the Café Salmonella requires dressing up in a restrictive salmon costume.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Esmé Squalor initially seems no more than a slightly bossy woman far too obsessed with what's "in" and is just as oblivious to Count Olaf's disguises as the Baudelaires' previous guardians. Then she turns out to be working with Count Olaf and shoves the kids down the elevator shaft.
- Chekhov's Gun: The second elevator, right next to the Squalor apartment.
- Combat Stilettos: Olivia climbs up the side of 667 Dark Place wearing high-heel boots.
- Continuity Nod: The trees on Dark Avenue are removed by workers at Lucky Smells Lumber Mill, which hasn't yet shut down despite Sir's going missing.
- Fauxreigner: Olaf's disguise.
- Haute Cuisine Is Weird: Everything Esmé eats, but Café Salmonella is the most traditional example (seriously, salmon ice cream).
- Hope Spot: Just as Violet says that with the police manhunt, Count Olaf can't get to them, they find Count Olaf in the Squalors' apartment.
- Inherently Funny Words: Much mileage is taken from the use of the word salmon, until it loses all meaning.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Café Salmonella. Subverted, however, since the chances of catching horrific stomach parasites are low, though the chances of eating disgusting food is extremely high.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Count Olaf disguised as "Gunther" is clearly not inspired by Karl Lagerfeld.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Count Olaf dresses in yet another one of these, but by now he's stopped trying to fool the Baudelaire orphans. He outright confirms his identity to them as soon as he reveals himself, before adopting his foreign persona once the Squalors show up.
- Road Trip Across the Street: The Absurdly-Long Limousine takes the Squalors shorter distances than its own length.
- Serious Business: What is "in" and what's not. Also, Secretary Day, since Jacquelyn convinces Mr. Poe to take her to a nice lunch because of it, and Count Olaf is only talked into singing because of it.
- Worst News Judgement Ever: The Daily Punctilio, unsurprisingly. It dedicates a front page simply to declaring what is "in" and what is "out".
