The Ersatz Elevator review
Dear Reader,
we have come to the end of the second season of a Series of Unfortunate Events. In this series, the Baudelaire orphans have met bullies, traitorous guardians, far too many rules, mysteries and paperwork. Their journey has not been enjoyable to watch and yet you are still watching it and you are still reading my reviews. From this I can only assume you are a masochist and you like to hurt yourself by watching this distressing television series. Why, oh why, you want to do this, I do not have the faintest idea.
The Carnivorous Carnival immediately shakes up the status quo. Instead of beginning with Lemony Snicket's pleas for you not to watch this show, we are treated to a flashback of the VFD headquarters in their prime. Set in the Mortmain Mountains, we see Dr Montgomery, Aunt Josephine, Jacquelyn, Larry-the-Waiter and even Lemony and Jacques Snicket, enjoying a costumed ball. And then Lemony reveals the terrible news that "Olaf knows." He runs out and sees that Olaf is about to attack Lemony's love, Beatrice, which is when we cut back to the main narrative.
This was an enjoyable diversion, as it was interesting to see something that hitherto we've only heard about. We've been dripfed information about VFD across these two seasons and while this was enticing, it only works as long as we get a satisfying payload. And this definitely qualified.
Anyway, from this great little flashback, we then jump to Count Olaf who is driving to the Hinterlands to reach the Caligari Carnival. He wants to speak to the psychic, fortune-telling, Madame Lulu, who he hopes can tell him whether one of the Baudelaire parents is still alive. We've already discussed why placing Olaf front and centre has led to him quickly losing his menace. However, there is another reason why he and his henchpeople aren't as villainous as they are in the books.
And that's for the simple reason that they are not treated as villains. In the books, they are scary, because they are presented as such. They are threatening and nefarious. However, within the series, they're portrayed as bumbling buffoons. They're constantly making mistakes and squabbling with one another. While this provides a lot of the show's humour, it does seriously hurt their role as villains. Maybe if they did more to qualify their villainy, rather than buffonery, they'd be scarier.
But unbeknownst to them, they are carrying the Baudelaires who have hidden in the car trunk and are also looking for answers. They arrive at Caligari Carnival - an amusement part which has seen better times. The paint is peeling, the roller-coaster has broken down and the souvenirs are lousy. In charge of the carnival is the fortune-teller Madame Lulu. She entertains Olaf and his henchpeople, while the Baudelaires plan their next move. Suspecting that Lulu is a fraud, they don costumes to look like "freaks," and then apply for work in the freakhouse.
Violet and Klaus share a costume to become the two-headed freak "Beverly and Eliot," while Sunny dresses up like a wolf to look like "Chabo the Wolf Baby." Their costumes trick Lulu, Olaf and the others and the Baudelaires go to meet the other freaks in the carnival: Hugo, Colette and Kevin.
And from here, the satire of the Carnivorous Carnival becomes clear. This episode is very much a parody of freakshows from Victorian times, where people used to laugh at people with deformities. This is pushed to the max with Hugo who is a hunchback, Colette who is a contortionist and Kevin who looks seemingly normal, but is actually ambidextrous - a word which here means, his right and left hand are equally strong. Hugo, Colette and Kevin have become resigned to their labels, constantly thinking of themselves as freaks.
This was a sad point, which I think is strongly poignant today. Some people with physical or mental deformities feel like a freak, when, of course, they have absolutely no reason to feel so. This is pushed even further when the "freaks," are made to perform in a show. Audiences pay to see Hugo struggle to put on a coat and to see Kevin write his name with his left and right hand. The fact that this is entertainment is pure ludicrousness, but, by being so, also highlights the ridiculousness behind freakshows.
Furthermore, this episode also pokes fun at fortune tellers in general. Suspecting that Madame Lulu is a fraud, the Baudelaires break into her tent and quickly have their suspicions confirmed. They find that her 'magic crystal ball' is fake and that she uses dry ice to create a smoky atmosphere effect. But then they find the most damning piece of evidence, the fact that she has a secret cabinet, which is bursting to the brim with documents, manifestos, newspaper articles and books. They deduce that this is where she is getting her information from and realise that Madame Lulu doesn't know if one of their parents is still alive.
And this includes a film tape, which has the flashback we saw earlier. The Baudelaires watch it and think and they discover the true meaning of VFD - Volunteer Fire Department. Eagle-eyed viewers will know that this was actually revealed to us, right in the very first episode. The Baudelaires rifle through the library and discover another film, which actually features Lemony Snicket himself. It was certainly nice to receive some answers after all the questions that have been raised.
But the biggest reveal comes right at the end of the episode, where Madame Lulu reveals herself to the Baudelaires as Olivia Caliban. She was the school librarian at Prufock Preparatory School who left to help the Baudelaires along with Jacques Snicket who was killed by Count Olaf.
In classic ASOUE style, this episode begins with Lemony Snicket deconstructing a popular phrase - in this case -"the Belly of the Beast." By the episode's end, he promises that all three of the Baudelaire orphans will be in the belly of the beast - in some rather ominous foreshadowing.
From here, we pick up where the first episode leaves off. The fortune-teller, madame Lulu reveals herself to the Baudelaires as being Olivia Caliban. She explains that 'Madame Lulu' is just an alias for whatever VFD member is stationed at the Caligari Carnival. The identity of Caliban's predecessor isn't revealed, but I strongly suspect it of being Kit Snicket. Book readers know who I'm talking about.
And then Caliban explains to the Baudelaires what she's doing in the carnival in some unnecessary exposition. While it is obviously important that the Baudelaires know the full story, we as readers have already seen it unfold, and thus we didn't need to hear it again. Anyway, Olivia and the Baudelaires begin planning their escape tot he VFD headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains, but they are interrupted by Count Olaf.
In classic ASOUE style, this episode begins with Lemony Snicket deconstructing a popular phrase - in this case -"the Belly of the Beast." By the episode's end, he promises that all three of the Baudelaire orphans will be in the belly of the beast - in some rather ominous foreshadowing.
From here, we pick up where the first episode leaves off. The fortune-teller, madame Lulu reveals herself to the Baudelaires as being Olivia Caliban. She explains that 'Madame Lulu' is just an alias for whatever VFD member is stationed at the Caligari Carnival. The identity of Caliban's predecessor isn't revealed, but I strongly suspect it of being Kit Snicket. Book readers know who I'm talking about.
And then Caliban explains to the Baudelaires what she's doing in the carnival in some unnecessary exposition. While it is obviously important that the Baudelaires know the full story, we as readers have already seen it unfold, and thus we didn't need to hear it again. Anyway, Olivia and the Baudelaires begin planning their escape tot he VFD headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains, but they are interrupted by Count Olaf.
Olaf announces that he has found some starving lions int eh Hinterlands and in the next freak show, he will feed one of the supposed freaks to the lions. The Baudelaires return tot he caravan where they join Hugo, Colette and Kevin. They are then visited by Esme Squalor who is wearing a "I love Freaks" dress in a transparent attempt to prove that she sympathises with the so-called freaks. This was a nice comment on how some people will act in the insincerest of ways to get what they want. Esme is a manipulator and her manipulation works on Hugo, Colette and Kevin. Having internalised their "freak status," they are deeply flattered by Esme's dress.
Angered by Madame Lulu's flirtations with Count Olaf, Esme demands that whichever "freak" is chosen to be thrown to the lions, should push Madame Lulu in instead. In return, they will be admitted into Olaf's acting troupe. Having been constantly beaten down, Hugo, Colette and Kevin are desperate to be accepted into a community and thus jump at the opportunity. This was a nice comment on self-fulfilling prophecies. Despite having nothing wrong with them, they've been so demeaned by society, they've come to accept and believe in their labels.
While they are receiving this news, they're eating some Tom Ka Gai - a Thai soup cooked up by Sunny Baudelaire. Her cooking talents are well-known in the books and it's nice they're being included within the TV series. it's some good character development.
The day of the show arrives and as promised, Count Olaf has brought a the pack of starving lions roaming the Hinterlands, back to the carnival. it attracts a large crowd including the familiar faces of Mr Ramona and Miss Bass - the Baudelaires' teachers at Prufock Prepatory School.
And it is Beverly and Eliot - Violet and Klaus' freakish, two-headed alter ego who is chosen to jump to the lions. Abhorrent to the pure idea of Esme's plan, they try to lure Olaf into a trap by asking him to throw them to the lions. He chickens out and chaos ensues, as everybody rushes to throw Violet and Klaus to the lions.
Madame Lulu pushes them to safety and they escape with Sunny, before Olaf throws her to the lions. The crowd, once delighted at the thought of violence are disgusted by Lulu's gruesome death. This in itself is an interesting comment on our relationship with fear and violence. some of us love watching horror films for the thrill of being scared. However, when the violence becomes too real, the thrill quickly dissipates.
Another reason why Lulu's death was effective was because it helped to raise the stakes. Just when it looks like the Baudelaires have found another friend and ally, they are cruelly taken away from them. it is another obstacle placed between them and their goals.
After Madame Lulu's demise, the Baudelaires return to her tent in the hopes of finding the answers to the questions surrounding their lives. They find a map to the VFD HQ in the Mortmain Mountains. before they can investigate further, Count Olaf intrudes and announces his plans to burn down the carnival, beginning with Madame Lulu's tent. He steals the map and plans to go to the VFD HQ. he invites the disguised Baudelaires to go with him. Knowing their only alternative is to wander the Hinterlands, they reluctantly accept. Olaf then takes Sunny with him to ride in the car and instructs Violet and Klaus to burn down the tent, along with Madame Lulu's vast library of information. With the new additions of Colette, Hugo and Kevin, there isn't room for Violet and Klaus, who will have to ride along behind in a trailer tied to the car.
And as Count Olaf begins driving along the Mortmain Mountain trail, he reveals that he's known who the Baudelaires were all along. He knows he only needs one. Baudelaire - in this case, Sunny - to get the fortune, so he orders Hugo, Colette and Kevin to cut the trailer loose. The episode and the season ends with the trailer hurtling downhill and all three Baudelaires firmly within the belly of the beast.
VFD and Cultural References
1. Caligari is a reference to the 1920 German horror film: the Cabinet of Dr Caligari.
2. The final film sees Lemony Snicket talking about Stain'd-upon-the-Sea, which is the setting for the prequel series of ASOUE: 'All the Wrong Questions.'
3. The title of this series is said a few times within the episode...could this series get any more meta?
4. Vicious Feline Display
5. Various Fakery Disguises
6.Verified Film Distribution
7. Volunteer Feline Detectives
8. Volunteer Fire Department - the real meaning of VFD.
9. Valley of Four Drafts
9. Valley of Four Drafts
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