Olaf isn't responsible for the deaths of the Baudelaire's parents
In the books, Olaf implies that he had nothing to do with it, but it's never really confirmed if he's telling the truth. In the series, it will be revealed that he's innocent, and someone else, like other evil VFD agents (c'mon, Olaf can't be the only one around), was responsible. Though like in the books, he still seizes the opportunity to take the Baudelaire fortune for himself. Monty did recognize Count Olaf
It is implied by the piano photo that Monty and Count Olaf have encountered each other before ( Monty told the Baudelaires that he and their parents were locked in the piano, and in a later scene Count Olaf confirms this and admits that he took the photo.). Monty also is much more explicitly involved with VFD than he was in the books, shown using the code mentioned in the Unauthorized Biography and getting a message from VFD. A spy from the Herpetologists Agency would have no reason to threaten the Baudelaires, or even try to kill him. He likely lied to keep Count Olaf from doing drastic measures. If Monty had explicitly called out Count Olaf, he would have been killed right then and there and the children would have to watch. It was merely preventing the inevitable, but the lie not only would have given Monty a chance to get the kids away from Count Olaf had he lived, but it ended up getting him killed in the right place, with Poe's arrival keeping Count Olaf from just taking them, and giving them all they needed to prove Stephano was Count Olaf and killed Monty. Season One will end with Shirley turning around, echoing Dr. Orwell's sly statement that it's easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar.
Yes, I realize that this one's been debunked. I had that idea when I heard they were going as far as THE MISERABLE MILL, but didn't think they'd get through the whole book. This'un probly belongs in a forum instead of WMG, but I wanted to share it here first because it provides contrast between ways that this adaptation could've been done—and it's an adaptation MADE of bold changes.- Jossed: Season one ends with the That's Not How The Story Goes song.
The Baudelaires will sing the "plot summary" segment of the opening theme song for S 2 E 10.
While Count Olaf has sung during Episodes 1, 3, 5, and 7, the voices of his disguise characters, Yessica Haircut,Stephano, Captain Sham, and Shirley, can be heard singing during Episodes 4, 6, and 8 respectively. Having the Baudelaires, who disguise themselves in THE CARNIVOROUS CARNIVAL, sing in their disguised voices would make sense.- Alternatively, the "plot summaries" in the theme songs will be performed by the henchman that have their last appearance in their respective books. The Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender will sing in S2E8, The Bald Man will sing in S2E10, The Powder-Faced Women will sing in S3E2, The Hook-Handed Man will sing in S3E4, and The Carnival Freaks will sing in S3E6.
- Debunked, unfortunately.
- Jossed; Olaf sings it in his disguise as the Ring Announcer.
- Alternatively, the "plot summaries" in the theme songs will be performed by the henchman that have their last appearance in their respective books. The Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender will sing in S2E8, The Bald Man will sing in S2E10, The Powder-Faced Women will sing in S3E2, The Hook-Handed Man will sing in S3E4, and The Carnival Freaks will sing in S3E6.
Gustav is alive.
While it's implied the notice of resignation was forged to cover up Gustav's death, it could also be that the note was not forged. Gustav pulled out the dart before he could receive a deadly amount of poison, and continued faking his death to keep whoever tried to kill him from trying again. This could explain why Jacquelyn, who works with him very often on V.F.D. business and obviously knew something was wrong, isn't too upset when we see her later at Monty's house.- Jossed: Gustav is dead as of the series finale.
- Also, if the poison didn't kill him, it at least stunned him enough to drown him in the pond.
As a Mythology Gag...
The Baudelaires will eventually wear clothes similar to their outfits in the book illustrations. The opening theme song for The Reptile Room is guest sung by The Incredibly Deadly Viper.
Makes sense given that it sounds very snake like and different from the previous plot summary segment.- Jossed: It's Stephano, Count Olaf's disguise in that story.
The doorman in The Ersatz Elevator will be the Bald Man.
- Assuming the powder-faced woman will be in their disguises from the fifth book (as it's necessary to the plot of that one), the Bald Man will be the main disguise-wearing henchman, basically since it's been switched around so far (as the Hook-Handed Man took over the Bald Man's part in The Miserable Mill) and it will be his turn. The "doorman" is also important to the sixth book.
- Jossed. Nobody is the doorman. In addition, none of the henchmen fill in the role of the lunch ladies. The henchmen take the roles of cheerleaders/backers in The Austere Academy and owners of a restaurant in The Ersatz Elevator.
Sunny's "Busheney" remark in The Slippery Slope will be changed to "Trumppence" to reflect on the release era of the series.
Alternatively, the line will just be removed in general.- Jossed.
Carmelita Spats will be somewhat different from her iteration in the novels
Rather than being completely hostile to the Baudelaire children, she'll form a doomed friendship with Violet (Carmelita admiring how pretty and smart Violet is with Violet coming to respect Carmelita's ferocity and candor) to mirror how Count Olaf and Lemony Snicket were good friends at Prufrock Preparatory School only to become bitter enemies later down the line.- Jossed, interesting though it might have been.
Both The Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender, and The Bald Man, will be Spared By Adaptation
They are expanded more in the TV series than in the books, so it would make since to let them live.- Confirmed for both of them, unless they die some other way.
- Confirmed: All of Olaf's hench men/women survive as of the series finale. Fernald goes on to search for his stepfather with his sister aboard their submarine while the rest go on to pursue a theatre career.
The series will get Darker and Edgier in Season 2.
Of course, the books and series are dark from conception, but since the books arguably go that route around Book 5-7, it would be understandable if this happens as well. The children learn the story goes deeper, more people die, and Book 9 notably ends with a cliffhanger unlike Book 4. Less humor and more dark storylines will probably follow.- Confirmed.
Season 2 will follow the Quagmires more closely.
A problem with the books is that they introduce the Quagmires and then just forget about them a few books later. As we saw their parents were up to in Season 1, it would make since to see their more of their journey (and possibly Quigley's as well as this series is seeming to include more Adaptation Expansion.- Jossed.
Prufrock Prep used to be a V.F.D. training academy.
It's foreshadowed by Mr. Quagmire's mentioning of a school that teaches eavesdropping. The school's true purpose has all but been lost since coming under the control of wicked and incompetent educators like Nero, Bass and Remora.- Kind of confirmed. In "The End", Ishmael revealed that when he was the principal of Prufrock Prep he started the secret organization to teach students to fight figurative fires.
The Baudelaires will cross paths with Lemony Snicket.
Although Snicket is faking his death at the time of the orphans' adventures, and will not begin researching them until years later, he is still involved in the secret agency they are trying to find answers about. Either they indirectly influence each other or Snicket will be in disguise.- Partially confirmed in The Carnivorous Carnival - Part 2: while they don't see him in person, nor learn his name, they see him in a filmstrip and notice he looks like Jacques.
- The episode for Book 12 would be the most logical episode, as it is heavily implied the taxi cab driver is Lemony Snicket.
- Confirmed thanks to the official Season 3 trailer and confirmed in the series finale where Kit's grownup daughter meets Lemony.
Jaquelyn is actually Kit Snicket
The age is about right, and it makes sense from a storytelling perspective if the audience actually gets to know Kit a bit earlier than in the book.- Jossed.
The acting troupe will have some sort of redemption towards the end of the series
- God, I hope.
- It's possible they'll go the way of the Hook-handed man between Books 11 and 12.
- Confirmed by "The Slippery Slope".
- It's possible they'll go the way of the Hook-handed man between Books 11 and 12.
One of the Quagmires' previous guardians were Larry's parents.
In "The Austere Academy," Isadora references a previous guardian, and says that "she lost her wife." Later, Larry comments that he was raised by his mothers. Coincidence? Maybe. But maybe not.- As a bonus, Isadora says that the guardian in question had a copy of "The Incomplete History of Secret Societies" before locking it away, hinting that the guardian was part of VFD, just like Larry. VFD business seems to be a family thing, so maybe Larry got in through his moms.
The previous Madame Lulu is Kit Snicket.
She is the only major female character of the right age to yet be introduced and she was last seen driving a taxi just like Kit in book 12. We also only saw the woman's upper body and she could very well be pregnant thus setting up the end of the series.- Confirmed by "The Slippery Slope".
The Man with a Beard But No Hair made an early cameo.
In "The Carnivorous Carnival", part 1, during the VFD Party Flashback, Uncle Monty is seen speaking to a fellow volunteer in a red, military like tuxedo. The man is bald with a gray beard, and his voice is relatively light and soft. In the books the Man with a Beard But no Hair is said to have a high sounding voice, while the Woman with Hair But No Beard has a rather deep voice. It's possible this was just a coincidence, and this man was simply another volunteer, but fans of the books would certainly notice this man.- Jossed. According to credits that man is a younger version of the ticket seller from the third episode, while the actual Man with A Beard But No Hair is a separate character and implied to have never been a VFD member, or at least have been outside of the organization prior to that night at the ball, before Olaf fully turned against his old friends.
We will find out who survived the Hotel Denouement; and who didn't.
All this Adaptational Expansion is becoming really helpful at filling in plot holes. Lots of people weren't satisfied with how some of the incompetent, but well-meaning and decent adults, could've died or made it out without knowing.- Semi-jossed: The show does not reveal the fate of anyone who was left in the burning Hotel Denouement apart from Justice Strauss, and leaves it unresolved. That said, the fact that Strauss managed to get out despite having come down from the very top of the burning building gives a glimmer of hope that at least some of even the most confused guests might have survived.
The Beaudelaires will give Mr.Poe a sort of punishment for being absolutely useless
Maybe they'll take all their money out of the bank once Violet comes of age, or buy the bank and have Poe fired or even give Poe a speech of how awful he is.- Semi-jossed: The Baudelaire's finally manage to give a full explanation of what happened to them to Mr. Poe and everyone else who failed to properly protect them. However, ultimately, the show does not reveal the fate of anyone in the burning Hotel Denouement apart from Justice Strauss, including Mr. Poe.
The whole series is a re-enactment.
Seeing how Lemony is an onscreen narrator, he could easily identical actors to re-enact the events he had researched.- Jossed: The series is a most accurate retelling despite the show's surprising happy ending of the Baudelaires going on to raise Kit's daughter after her mother dies and the show ending with a timeskip of an adult Beatrice II Baudelaire meeting up with Lemony.
Jacques (and possibly Lemony) had a My Sister Is Off-Limits mentality with Kit.
In the Vile Village Part 1 Olaf moans that Jacques never approved of his love life. While this could simply be because Jacques worried that the women Olaf dated were a bad influence on him (or he was a bad influence on them), the last book heavily implies Olaf had a romantic history with Kit.- Jossed: Jacques is only passingly mentioned after his death in the show (aside from needed plot relevance) and the series finale shows Lemony doesn't seem to have particularly strong opinions over Kit's love life apart from the idea that she's with someone who's a good person and makes her happy.
Daniel Handler makes a cameo at the final scene of the end
If you look at the person who is behind Beatrice Baudelaire the 2nd at a diner (or Beatrice Snicket)then it is possible that the man is likely the author of the series Daniel Handler as his appearance looks similar to his portrayal of Lemony Snicket from the books.
The poison darts are not supposed to be deadly.
They are only meant to incapacitate the target. Sadly Olaf's father was an elderly man and couldn't take it that well. Also, he fell pretty bad on those stairs. Dr Orwell had a Villainous Crush on one or both of the Baudelaire parents
Carmelita becomes a full blown villainess when she grows up
After managing to survive the Hotel Denoument fire, Carmelita grows mad with a desire for vengeance against the Baudeleries and the VFD. Ironically, she takes the same methodology as Count Olaf and becomes a (poorly recieved) actress who will kill anyone she can in order to achieve her schemes.- She might even become Beatrice Baudelaire II's Arch-Enemy.
The Baudelaires (or at least Violet and/or Klaus) pulled a Face–Heel Turn as an adult
They are still possibly wanted criminals, assuming not enough or the wrong people survived the Hotel Denouement fire, so it's possible that the Baudelaires are locked out of their fortune. They exhibit a great deal of cunning and intelligence throughout the series and are surprisingly decent at disguising themselves. And though the circumstances they were in justified their crimes, they have still committed a multitude of crimes: jailbreaking, theft, arson, etc. Klaus also developed a cynical attitude, lamenting “Every noble person has failed us. Why should we protect the sugar bowl?” (not that you could blame him)Either to retrieve their fortune or uncover more information about VFD, Violet, Klaus or the both of them and/or Sunny will become the same kind of ruthless con artists that ruined their lives, possibly even getting used to murder.
Count Olaf, Barney Stinson, Doctor Horrible, Johnny Morrow, The Music Meister, and The Celestial Toymaker are all the same person.
He's not sure which one he really is anymore. He doesn't know how old he is or what species he's from, if his super powers are real, if they come from his inventions or if he's just that good a magician. It's possible all these characters are from Barney's playbook, or roles Count Olaf assumed as part of his schemes, maybe Johnny Morrow duplicated himself so many times they started taking on identities of their own or they could all be different games The Toymaker's playing with people, different civilian identities of Doctor Horrible, maybe it's all just an excuse to perform a bunch of elaborate musical numbers. It's equally likely none of them are real and the true identity of the person playing all these roles has been lost to time. He might have an actual doctorate but if so he got it years ago and hasn't really used it in a while, or maybe he's just a magician with severe schizophrenia, he could be a boy who was horrifically muted by a nuclear bomb creating new realities for himself with his telepathic powers but most likely of all he's a washed-up child actor, inventing tons of different characters while trying to meet women.