Tear Jerker / A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017)

As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

---

General

• Patrick Warburton's performance is unlike most comedy roles he's done; while the show is, ostensibly, a dark comedy, his portrayal of Snicket seems genuinely affected by the horrors he's seen in his life, and his efforts to chronicle the life of the Baudelaire children. One example is Lemony's quietly sighing and leaving right before the Baudelaires are told of their parent's deaths- he was once in love with their mother-the Beatrice mentioned in the dedication of every book-and nearly married her before circumstances forced them apart and she married Bertrand (their father) instead, believing Lemony to be dead. He can't bear to see the children of the woman he still loves thrown into such a painfully cruel situation- not to mention that a verse of "Not How This Story Goes" becomes even more tearjerking in hindsight:
  Lemony Snicket: I once loved a girl, and she thought well of me / We thought we'd be happy together / But now I'm alone, as you can well see / And she's cold in her grave forever...
  • During a monologue about the phrase "skeletons in your closet" in The Miserable Mill Part 2, Lemony mentions "a 200-page book" his lover Beatrice wrote for him- a book stating why they could never be married. As he opens the closet of the hotel room, he simply stares at it forlornly and when he's escaping, he puts the book in his suitcase. He never really got over her, and probably never will.
    • What little of the book we see is stained with tears. Poor guy.
• The fact that all evidence so far shows that Beatrice did love Lemony as much as he loved her, even if they couldn't be together in the end. It wasn't that his feelings were unrequited; they just had terrible luck and timing, which might as well be a staple of the show (and arguably the book)'s universe.
• The adaptational changes, especially the additional characters and the revelation of certain pieces of information earlier than in the books, make it almost impossible not to hope for a happier story where the Baudelaires get answers and experience less pain. But ultimately, none of that matters, and they end up just taking another path to the same ending. Olivia may chase them through the entire second season to try and help, but when they finally reunite, she's eaten by lions. Jacqueline and Larry may be able to occasionally pass them information, but they still end up in the same places as the books. The Quagmire parents start the series alive, but still end up dead by The Austere Academy. In an impressive display of skill, the writers have crafted a show that's even more devastating if you've read the books and already know what's coming.
• The way misfortune and pain can shape a person is arguably the Central Theme of the series. Some, like the Baudelaire orphans, remain true to their morals and try to do the right thing, no matter what Hell the world puts them through — but wind up traumatized and nearly broken so many times for their trouble. Others become consumed by their grief, and some (like Lemony Snicket) try and use it to do something good and productive, while others (like Aunt Josephine) simply come undone. And some, like Count Olaf, allow their pain to twist them into something so horrible that there's no coming back. No character is left untouched by grief and suffering, and no one is left unchanged, just like in the real world, and seeing the way all these people cope (or don't cope) is all just so... sad.

The Bad Beginning

• In the first episode, while the Baudelaires are staying at the Poe household, there is a scene where the orphans are sharing a room with Edgar and Albert. One of the two Poe children suddenly pipes up, asking "how they did it." Klaus and Violet sit up, asking for clarification. Then they find out that he was asking how they started the fire. The look on the Baudelaire's faces as they just slump back down into their bed is absolutely heartbreaking.
  • Just how the Poe family treats the children in general is pretty heartbreaking considering they had just lost their parents. The two boys Edgar and Albert constantly put the kids down in many more ways besides the one mentioned above. Mrs. Poe promotes with her sons' behavior and only seems concerned about getting a scope about the Baudelaire's predicament for her job as Chief Editor of The Daily Punctellio without showing any actual care or empathy for the Baudelaires themselves. While Mr. Poe himself isn't exceptionally rude and tries to be polite with the children, he isn't exceptionally sympathetic to them after the deaths of their parents, nor does he seem very concerned with his family's rude behavior towards the children. Worst of all, when the children run away to Paltryville, he only appears to be interested in finding them so he can still receive the promotion to Vice President of Orphans Affairs that he was promised and regain his status as the Number One Banker.
• At the end of the first episode, during the infamous dinner, Olaf strikes Klaus across the face, leading to him being almost in tears.
  Violet: Are you all right?
  Klaus: No. This isn't.
  Violet: Isn't what?
  Klaus: Better than nothing.
• Justice Strauss reading a book called "Adoption Law and You" in the first episode, especially if you've read the books and know that what she's hoping for will never come to pass. At the end of the second, she slowly, sadly puts it back on the shelf.
• The fact that Gustav, a well-loved and respected member of V.F.D., dies from a poison dart and no one knows exactly what happened due to a massive cover-up. Jacquelyn was speaking to him as he died, but obviously did not find out, as she would have told Dr. Montgomery that the note was most likely forged.

The Reptile Room

• Uncle Monty's death, and the shot of the reptile room dark and empty. He was kind, charming, and deeply protective of the Baudelaires, and Lemony's closing narration serves as both an eulogy and a painful reminder of how happy they would have been with him.
  There are times when the entire world seems wrong. The way a reptile room without any reptiles seems wrong. The way a bookshelf without any books seems wrong. Or a loved one’s house… without the loved one. The Baudelaires weren’t given much time with their Uncle Monty, which seemed wrong. Still, for the first time in a long time, they’d found a place where the world seemed right, if only for a short time.

The Wide Window

• Aunt Josephine describing how it feels to lose someone you love. She's still deeply in mourning for her husband Ike — and is the only adult in the series besides Lemony himself that can even come close to understanding how the Baudelaires feel.
  Aunt Josephine: It's a curious thing, the death of a loved one. It's like climbing the stairs to your room in the dark, thinking that there's one more step than there is. And your foot falls through the air, and there is a sickly feeling of dark surprise.
• Klaus' Heroic BSoD due to Count Olaf re-appearing yet again. The reality of their situation has sunk in, that no matter where they go, Count Olaf will find them and go after them in some new disguise, and none of the adults around them will ever believe them when they try to tell them who he really is.

The Miserable Mill

• The complete and utter twist in 'The Miserable Mill Part 1' where we finally get to see "Father" and "Mother" reunite with the Baudelaires... only for the twist to reveal the "Mother" and "Father" were actually just the Quagmire parents. It's... heartbreaking to say the least, and when we actually cut to the real doors at Lucky Smells Mill opening, Lemony moves the camera towards himself and tells the viewers that if they wish for a happy ending to stop watching, as the real reveal? It's Count Olaf (in his usual disguises) and Dr. Orwell putting on Klaus's glasses and using the word "Lucky" to hypnotize him again.
  • And the extra despair: The Quagmire parents don't even get a happy ending and perish in a fire that burns down their house shortly after reuniting with their children.
• "Not How This Story Goes", the song that closes the first season. Everyone just looks utterly miserable, wishing that they could be in a happier story where "justice and peace win the day", but they know it can't change:
  Chorus: But there's no happy endings, not here and not now / This tale is all sorrows and woes / You might dream that justice and peace win the day / But that's not how this story goes...
  • Even Count Olaf seems melancholy, reflecting that "some people laugh, I suppose" while gazing mournfully into a mirror. It's a vulnerable side to the character we haven't seen until now.
  • It gets worse: You think there might be some silver lining when Violet, Klaus, and Sunny sit on the same bench as the Quagmire siblings at their new Academy. The sets of siblings can share what little they know about their parents with each other and sympathize with each other about the loss of their respective parents. Then you realize that, while there were three Quagmire siblings shown in the scenes before the fire burnt down the Quagmire home, there are only two of them on the bench at Prufrock Academy. (Although the third one did survive, he doesn't show up until the third season and is presumed dead until then.)
  • Klaus and Violet's expressions during the song are quite troubling. Many viewers have pointed out that they look shellshocked.
  • Violet in particular delivers on this during her solo line; the actress' utterly defeated expression is made so much worse by the way her voice breaks like she's about to cry, driving home how she's arguably the Baudelaire who's the most traumatized by their ordeals.
    Violet: You might dream that justice and peace win the day / But that's not how this story goes...
• The Wham Shot at the end of Season 1 of Lemony Snicket and Olaf grinning and clearly being good friends in an old VFD photo. After Snicket has been ranting about how despicable Olaf is for the whole season, suddenly you start wondering just what happened to destroy this friendship.

The Austere Academy

• In Austere Academy Snicket gives his narration besides Jacques in his taxi, which ends with Snicket lamenting that he would give anything to see him again. Lemony then joins in with his brother's whistling as the moment closes out. The scene is quiet and subdued, but knowing what happens to Jacques and that Lemony may very well blame himself for this whole story makes it very impactful.
  • Pay attention to the melody Jacques is whistling during Lemony's monologue. It's Not How The Story Goes. Jacques' tune begins at the "But there's no happy endings, not here and not now," line, just as Lemony foreshadows his fate.

The Ersatz Elevator

• The ending of Ersatz Elevator, with Jerome finding himself being unable to help the Baudelaires with Olaf. You can tell he really cares about the Baudelaires and wants to keep them safe, but isn't brave enough to help them with Olaf. Everyone involved looks absolutely crushed when they part ways.
• It's a small moment amidst a lot of action, but Violet being near tears in her grief and shock after being thrown down the elevator shaft. There's something awful about her voice as she sums up the situation, and you feel as though the string of terrible guardians, constantly being put into danger, and not feeling safe for an instant is finally starting to catch up with her.

The Vile Village

• The ending of "The Vile Village Part 1": Jacques is brutally beaten to death, after making a valiant effort to remind Olaf We Used to Be Friends and bring him back to his old heroic self. He also goes to his grave still thinking his brother is dead. Lemony then gives an especially emotional narration about how sad a day this was for his family.
• In the Vile Village Part 2 things are looking hopeless for the Baudelaires. Jacques is dead, they’re framed for his murderer, they can’t find the Quagmires, they’re in jail… and Klaus realizes it’s his birthday.

  • The opening where Lemony discusses the death of his brother, arguably a painful reminder of not just the fact he lost Beatrice, but a sibling as well...

  • Even worse when Klaus realizes that last part. One of the rare times he legitimately sounds like he's going to break down into tears. It's heartbreaking to watch.
• The scene where Mr. Poe reveals the imprisoned and soon to be executed Baudelaries that he will not do anything to legally help the Baudelaires and has only come to wish them goodbye. The expressions on their faces clearly indicate that Mr. Poe has let them down too greatly this time.
  • The end of Part 2 when Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are forced to let the Quagmires go in order to save them because that’s what friends do. Even more so for fans of the book series as in the books, it isn’t the last time they ever see the Quagmires.

The Hostile Hospital

• We actually find out a bit more about the infamous Sugar Bowl, and it's absolutely devastating. It was stolen from Esmé, who blamed Beatrice for it and led to the events that caused the Baudelaire fire. But it was actually Lemony himself who stole it, suddenly putting his entire role as the narrator into a whole new perspective as it now seems like a desperate attempt to atone by forcing himself to follow all the misfortunes he inadvertently put these kids through.
  • Made even worse by Esmé's words; she believes Jacques did it. Was he killed for his brother's crime?
• Hal, the nearsighted archivist who the Baudelaires are forced to trick out of his key ring and then has his beloved library destroyed. He's the rare person who you truly can't blame at all for refusing to believe them.
  Poe: I love hospitals.
  Hal: I used to.
  • Worse: the last lines - besides Lemony's narration - of the two-parter are Hal trudging away from the hospital as it burns down, after having his entire life's work destroyed, so crushed that he is only able to mutter "... gone... all gone..." over and over again as Lemony laments his misfortune.

The Carnivorous Carnival

• The opening flashback in the "Carnivorous Carnival Part 1". For the most part, it’s arguably the most joyous scene in the show. Everyone’s dancing, having a few drinks, generally having a good time. Until we start coming across characters such as Gustav, Monty, Josephine, and Jacques. All of whom have been murdered by this point in the story. Worst still, this scene gives us a peek at the fierce and formidable woman Josephine was before Ike died.
  • Lemony talking to Jacques about his fears and when Larry finally gets his attention to his root-beer with the note "Olaf knows", Lemony drops his drink and immediately looks for Beatrice. When he finally spots her on a balcony with Olaf creeping up behind her, all Lemony can do is yell, fearing for the life of his beloved.
    • Just the pain of the scene: Showing Lemony who for once is shown to be at LEAST somewhat happy but concerned about Beatrice to him freaking out in horror as Count Olaf approaches her and all he can do is scream to her.
      Lemony: BEATRICE! COUNT OLAF IS-
• Madame Lulu, who is Olivia, telling Olaf of all his evil deeds, and when she gets to Jacques' death, she tells Olaf that he had killed an innocent and well-meaning man.
  • The worst part? It's implied that Olaf feels guilt: Look at the times when Jacques' is mentioned and how he killed him. Olaf just shows... regret, probably something we've never seen from him.
• Olivia reuniting with the orphans. While she was so happy to hear that the Quagmires were safe and the Baudelaires were doing fine when she talks about Jacques, she quietly tells them that she knows he isn't coming back.
• When Olaf and Esmé order Olivia to push the Baudelaires into the lion pit, she slowly approaches them with a quiet smile that just oozes with fear, worry, and hopelessness. This makes her eventual demise all the more heartbreaking.
  Violet: What do we do?
  Olivia: I don't know...
• Olivia/The Librarian’s death. She just got Violet and Klaus safely on the other side of the lion pit, encourages them to run, and assures them that she’ll be right behind them. But, of course, Olaf cuts the ropes keeping the plank stable and she falls in. The Baudelaires hear her screams and they're able to figure out what happened. While wandering the remains of the carnival Snicket expresses his regret at having never met her himself. But he knew his brother loved her.
  • Lemony takes a moment to place a rock by the pit where she was devoured, the closest thing she has to a final resting place.
• A somewhat more minor example considering the context, but after Olivia fell into the lion pit, the entire audience (including Olaf's troupe) feel disgusted and remorseful. Even worse were the two small children in the audience.
  Little Girl: I wanna go home...
  Little Boy: Me too.
• Count Olaf forcing Klaus and Violet to burn The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations, complete with the two struggling to not cry while Count Olaf watches with complete indifference. The worst part is later on it's pointed out he knew it was them, so he did all of that just as a Kick the Dog moment.
  • Just the fact the season ends with Klaus and Violet separated from Sunny and the Freaks having performed a Face–Heel Turn on them to separate them from the car makes it more depressing.

The Slippery Slope

• Violet and Klaus' reaction to thinking that Sunny was killed. Both of them are clearly on the verge of tears, and Klaus even starts trying to physically attack the Hook-Handed Man.
• The death of the freaks. They may have turned on Olivia and the Baudelaires, but they just wanted to be accepted, and the Man with a Beard but No Hair and the Woman with Hair but No Beard murder them for literally no good reason and the troupe barely even notice. Kit is the only one who mourns them, even though they ignored her warning about dangerous people on the mountain.
• Quigley recounting how he survived the fire: He couldn't sleep, so he and Mother Quagmire were in the kitchen when Esmé burned their house down. Mother got him to the escape tunnel, then went back to try and save Duncan and Isadora.
• Count Olaf's henchman abandoning him when he demands they throw Sunny off the cliff. The powder-faced women realize the fire that killed their sister wasn't an accident, the person of indeterminate gender realizes that this is the point of no return and leaves with the others.

The Grim Grotto

• Poor Hook-handed Man struggles in this episode to remain loyal to Count Olaf while being mocked by the bratty Carmelita and Esmé, along with Count Olaf treating him like dirt because he didn't kill Sunny in the previous episode.
• Seeing and hearing Sunny suffer from the Medusoid Mycelium. Especially Fernald's reaction to seeing her in that state, given the relationship he has with her. Her painful coughing and especially Violet and Klaus's panic when they can't find horseradish to help her does not help.
  • Midway through their frantic search, they find a birthday cake Sunny and Phil made for Violet. Violet had forgotten all about it with everything going on, but Sunny didn't.
• Klaus being heartbroken at Fiona's betrayal, even if she does help them escape. This is made apparent when she wishes to stay with Fernald as well.
• Fernald's backstory. He was a scientist for Gregor, Ike's brother, but was disgusted at the sheer idea that they were experimenting with the Medusoid Mycelium and decided to set fire to the lab. Made worse when it's revealed this decision is what lead to him losing his hands. It's something Fernald isn't proud of, but he feels he had to do so, saying that sometimes one needs to fight fire with fire.

The Penultimate Peril

• Crosses over into heartwarming, but Lemony and Kit's reunion in the taxi. It's then made clear that two siblings haven't seen each other in years and all this time Kit has thought her younger brother was dead. Considering that she just recently also lost Jacques and thought she was the only sibling left, that makes Lemony's reappearance in her life all the more powerful. Meanwhile Lemony laments over how much he's missed after he went into hiding, realizing that many of his old comrades including his older brother has died and his sister is about to have a child, clearly feeling regret for his absence.
• The part where Olaf is threatening to shoot the Baudelaires with the harpoon gun, and they start walking towards him. His voice falters, and when they ask him again not to do this, he says hopelessly, "It's all I know how to do."
• Larry Your-Waiter's death. Trying to help the Baudelaires one last time, he's subdued and dunked in a vat of boiling curry.
  • What makes this worse is that unlike the other slain members of the VFD, his death was arguably more humiliating than it was brutal.
• Dewey Denouement's death. Just as the Baudelaires successfully talk down Count Olaf into giving them the harpoon gun, they accidentally drop it and trigger it. Dewey's shot square in the chest and his only final word is the name of the woman he loves.
  Dewey: Kit...
• We finally see what caused the schism and Olaf's descent to villainy. Made even worse by the fact that everyone, villains and heroes alike, were all getting along. Then, Lemony and Beatrice steal the Sugar Bowl which leads to them getting into a fight with Esmé, causing Beatrice to accidentally hit Olaf's father with a poison dart.
  • The flashback intro in Part 2 is especially painful: Seeing Esmé, Kit, Lemony, and Olaf of all people all getting along and making fun banter is especially jarring considering what happened.
  • Olaf witnessing his own father's death. Made worse is in the earlier intro flashback, he lamented his father being "embarrassing" and him eye rolling at his father praising him. Then he dies and he blames Lemony for his death.
  • His father's last words were literally "Olaf...".
• When Justice Strauss is forced to ask how the Baudelaires how they plead after learning about all the treachery they have committed during their escapades. We can definetely see it saddens her to do so, but it's also clear that she's disappointed in the choices the children have made.
  • While Babs and Jerome being panicky doormats who can’t decide which way to run to escape the fire is Played for Laughs, their potential demise is still sad given how they have constantly been nice to the Baudelaire siblings and (unlike everyone else) believe them about the fire right away. The pained looks on the Baudelaire siblings faces as the elevator doors close make it even worse.
• When The Baudelaires decide to leave Justice Strauss behind and escape with Count Olaf. Strauss is clearly pleading with the children to come with her, but because of the High Court corruption, they have no choice... and she refuses to come along on principle.
• The closing montage in which Lemony laments that he never found the Baudelaires despite all his years of research. This is made worse by the montage of scraps showing photographs and articles related to the previous events, including people who died along the way and the places that were destroyed or abandoned.
  • And much before that montage? Lemony deciding to go on the run and take the blame for killing Olaf's father despite Beatrice being the one who did it, and all he can do is proclaim how much he loves her and will forever love her.
  • The montage, by the way, is set to a reprise of "That's Not How The Story Goes". It just hammers in the painful fact that so many of these familiar faces and places that we saw through the story, many of which we grew to love, are now gone.
  • Want more sadness? Its shown that reason Lemony keeps saying throughout the show that there is no happy ending is because this is the point after which he doesn't know what happened to them. All the leads pointing to where the Baudelaire's went dried up after the Hotel burned down, and the case has been cold for years, which is why he believes their story ended tragically. Come the timeskip in the final episode, you can assume that he went without knowing what happened to them for nearly a decade.

The End

• Friday telling her mom "I don't want to die."
• When the orphans ask for his help, Olaf bluntly says "no," until Violet tells him that Kit is dying, and unless he helps them, her baby will, too.
  Olaf: [with genuine heartbreak] ... Kit might die?
• Olaf's death is played tragically, as he succumbs to his injury after bringing Kit to safety, allowing him to die after having done one good deed. Despite how wicked of a man he was throughout the series, it's made fairly obvious that he also suffered in a number of ways growing up. Not even the Baudelaire orphans, who have every reason to despise Olaf and be glad he's gone, take any pleasure in his passing. Violet and Klaus are noticeably in tears when they realize that he's dead. In a way, it makes sense - despite all the pain he caused them, he was one of the only constants they had in their life since their parents died, and his passing marks an End of an Era for them.
  • It's even made more sad by the fact that he did it because he wanted to do one last good deed for the woman he loved.
  • Kit confronts Olaf about how she won't forgive him for all the things he's done just because he helped her, but when he asks to see her eyes she complies right away. She won't forgive him, and he won't apologize, but despite that they still care for each other in some capacity.
  • Olaf's last moments are spent laying beside Kit, tenderly stroking her face, and reciting poetry along with her, including one he comments that he remembers because of one of her brothers. It's a stark, final reminder that once upon a time, Olaf and Kit really did love each other, and that Olaf had genuinely been considered a friend of the Snicket family.
• Kit's death soon afterward is even worse, considering she just gave birth to her daughter and is lamenting over the fact that her child will grow up an orphan. It's not helped when Violet begs Kit to not leave them, as she chokes out her last breaths...
• Although they ultimately survive, it is heartbreaking to see the Baudelaires succumbing to the deadly fungus, truly believing they are going to die. Each of them start showing different symptoms as they search for a cure to save themselves and Kit. Right when they find the cure, they collapse on the floor together. As Violet says, "We can't die in this room where our parents gave us the answers without even knowing it!"
  • There's also the moment that Klaus realizes he doesn't know what "tuberous canopy" means, which is the key to saving them, and he desperately apologize to his sisters: "We've found the answer but I don't know the words." Thankfully Sunny does.

---