History Fridge / ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents

* How does Olaf manage to keep fooling the adults with his [[PaperThinDisguise paper-thin disguises]] (aside from [[RuleOfFunny the]] [[AdultsAreUseless obvious]])? In the second book, the Baudelaires recognize him by his voice, his shiny eyes, and his tattoo - all of which people less familiar with Olaf might not know about.

* The Volunteers Fighting Disease organization's belief that having a cheerful attitude is more important than receiving professional medical care seems misguided...until you realize the quality of care provided by the hospital in question is horribly inadequate if not outright dangerous and they may have a point under the circumstances.

* In the fifth book "The Austere Academy" the school's motto is Latin, meaning "Remember You Will Die". It can also be translated as "Remember Your Mortality, " which indicates that you aren't anything more than a human. This means that if you are a troublemaker (or if the teachers see you as one) you can - and will - be broken down, by any gruesome means possible.

* Although all three Baudelaires have regressed at various points, Sunny appears to be the darkest character; she is the one who comes up with the idea of [[spoiler: burning down the hotel]] and also suggests to her siblings that they murder Olaf. This doubles as FridgeBrilliance if you look at her life so far. While Violet and Klaus have at least twelve years of love and happiness to set their moral compasses by--Sunny has a few months, if that, and from then on she's known nothing but cruelty. It's hardly surprising that she's stepped [[MoralEventHorizon closer to the line]] than her siblings.
* Much like the Baudelaires, the Quagmires have been losing guardians to mysterious circumstances at an alarming rate, but they don't seem to have a single clear instigator along the lines of Count Olaf. The implication is that their lives are being manipulated from the shadows by the VFD, and given the rash of children orphaned by fires, it's probably safe to assume they're not the only ones; even if the Baudelaires had managed to stop Count Olaf for good at some point, their lives probably wouldn't have been any less tragic; they would then probably have to deal with his superiors, [[spoiler: The Man With a Beard But No Hair and the Woman with Hair but No Beard, villains who won't hold back from directly killing them off; unlike Olaf, they aren't interested in their inheritance money.]]

* Although all three Baudelaires have regressed at various points, Sunny appears to be the darkest character; she is the one who comes up with the idea of [[spoiler: burning down the hotel]] and also suggests to her siblings that they murder Olaf. This doubles as FridgeBrilliance if you look at her life so far. While Violet and Klaus have at least twelve years of love and happiness to set their moral compasses by--Sunny has a few months, if that, and from then on she's known nothing but cruelty. It's hardly surprising that she's stepped closer to the line than her siblings.

** Wasabi and horseradish are actually very similar plants and both contain Allyl isothiocyanate, the spicy component that kills the fungus. It's even indicated that bitter tea would do the job.

* AdultsAreUseless in this series. Definitely. But that’s because many of them are VFD members, who are so caught up in their own affairs that they are just incapable of giving up their job/duty to take care of three children. As serious as that job is (members of a secret society in the middle of an internal fight), it does render them, ineffectual parents.

** Lemony Snicket is busy narrating. Plus, he’s a rather melancholy character, which could affect the children.

** Snicket's autobiography implies that Handler exists in the story, as someone asks "D" if he's representing "L" at a meeting(he isn't, as "L" is present).

** Snicket's autobiography implies that Handler exists in the story, as "L" can't be present for a meeting and "D" is representing him.

* The Anxious Clown, a restaurant with tacky decor and terrible food, is implied to be a front for the VFD's activities, based on the waiter's use of the code phrase, "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion." If it is, they probably make the food unappealing and the decorations ugly on purpose, so nobody will visit unless they really have to (i.e. they're on official VFD business). Fewer patrons also mean fewer people there who might overhear something they're not supposed to.

* A little way into the series you realize Lemony Snicket is one of the characters of the story, while Daniel Handler is the real person behind the books, sometimes pretending to be the character. So far so good, until Daniel Handler himself appears in the Unauthorized Autobiography (and is subtly referenced elsewhere in the books), and they both appear to have very similar writing styles, somewhat similar appearance and very similar voices (judging by the audio-books). Fridge Brilliance kicked in when I realized that in-universe they're also the same person, but the situation is reversed. In real life Daniel Handler is the real one, using Lemony Snicket as his pen name, while in-universe Lemony Snicket is the real one, using Daniel Handler as an assumed persona (being his own literary representative) to [[RightUnderTheirNoses hide in plain sight]], while on the run from his enemies and the Law. Given how bad people are in this world at seeing through [[PaperThinDisguise Paper Thin Disguises]], it probably works very well, and allows him to live a somewhat normal life.
* The Incredibly Deadly Viper offers the Baudelaires an apple. It's an apple that will cure them of poison but the symbolism of a snake offering an apple is linked to the knowledge that Ishmael is keeping from his colonists. To him they are children and need to be protected from the horrors of the world...but with it, they are protected from the many amazing trivia facts that will protect them from these horrors (not to mention making their lives less boring and worth living)...much like the kind of black humor that this book uses to teach children random facts and give them a story that does not have any trite resolutions or happy endings. Oversymplistic lesson but it's there.

* AdultsAreUseless in this series. Definitely. But that’s because many of them are VFD members, who are so caught up in their own affairs that they are just incapable of giving up their job/duty to take care of three children. As serious as that job is (members of a secret society in the middle of an internal fight), it does render them ineffectual parents.

* The Anxious Clown, a restaurant with tacky decor and terrible food, is implied to be a front for the VFD's activities, based on the waiter's use of the code phrase, "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion." If it is, they probably make the food unappealing and the decorations ugly on purpose, so nobody will visit unless they really have to (i.e. they're on official VFD business). Less patrons also means less people there who might overhear something they're not supposed to.

* In ''The Bad Beginning'' 14 year old Violet is being forced to marry the much older Olaf who is her guardian (it's a play so no one will object to her being so young) because he has her sister Sunny and will kill her if she doesn't, all so he can have her fortune. However, this becomes {{Squick}}y when you consider all the lines he throws around about how pretty she is and how "You may not be my wife, but you are still my daughter". He also decides that he'll let her live even after he has the fortune. In the next book he has a knife to her THIGH under the table. This implies that he intends to rape her.
** And don't forget the line, "Violet imagined sleeping beside Count Olaf, and waking up each morning to look at this terrible man." Handler must have known what that would imply to his older readers. Then there's this line "Now if you'll excuse us, me and my bride will be off to have our wedding night..." This indicates that rather than just the money he's possibly interested in Violet [[ParentalIncest in that way]] as well. This coming from a psychopathic criminal who looks like an old man, and who was most likely behind the fire that burned down her house and killed her parents, just makes the implications even creepier.
** In order for a marriage to be fully legal (therefore entitling Olaf to the fortune) it HAS to be consummated...
** When the hook-handed man has Violet cornered in the tower during the rescue attempt for Sunny: "Yes, boss. Yes, boss, of course I understand she's ''yours'', boss." The emphasis is the author's. It sure seems like Olaf has to order the hook man not to rape her because he plans to do it first.

** Speaking of ''The Hostile Hospital,'' at the end of the book, Olaf and his troupe are talking about how they only need one of the orphans alive to claim the fortune, and wonder which one it will end up being. Olaf says that he hopes it's Violet, because ''she's the prettiest.'' GAH.

* In the fifth book "The Austere Academy" the school's motto is Latin that literally translates out to "Remember You Will Die". It can also be translated as "Remember Your Mortality", which also indicates that you aren't anything more than a human. Which means that if you are a troublemaker (or if the teachers see you as one) you can - and will - be broken down, by any gruesome means possible.

** Same for [[spoiler:the hotel fire]] in ''The Penultimate Peril.'' [[spoiler:While the children do warn everyone to escape, the narrator himself says the he doesn't know who survived and who didn't. Also, everyone was afraid to [[ItMakesSenseInContext take off their blindfolds]], so even if anyone did try to escape, they'd be stumbling around blind. While the entire building is burning down.]]

* Much like the Baudelaires, the Quagmires have been losing guardians to mysterious circumstances at an alarming rate, but they don't seem to have a single clear instigator along the lines of Count Olaf. The implication is that their lives are being manipulated from the shadows by the VFD, and given the rash of children orphaned by fires, it's probably safe to assume they're not the only ones; even if the Baudelaires had managed to stop Count Olaf for good at some point, their lives probably wouldn't have been any less tragic; they would then probably have to deal with his superiors, [[spoiler: The Man With a Beard But No Hair and the Woman with Hair but No Beard, villain's who won't hold back in directly killing them off, because unlike Olaf, they aren't interested in their inheritance money.]]

* Adults are Useless in this series. Definitely. But that’s because many of them are VFD members, who are so caught up in their own affairs that they are just incapable of giving up their job/duty to take care of three children. As serious as that job is (members of a secret society in the middle of an internal fight), it does render them ineffectual parents.

* Let's consider what would have happened had Mr Poe accepted Justice Strauss' offer of adopting the kids all the way back in ''The Bad Beginning''. Knowing what happens in ''The Reptile Room'', and the fact that she works for [[spoiler:The Man with a Beard but No Hair And the Woman with Hair but No Beard, High Court justices who are also ''working with Olaf'', it's possible that it would have ended up in Olaf's favor: not only would she be murdered, but with them visiting.... it's clear Mr Poe did the right thing objecting and taking them to uncle Monty!]]

* Let's consider what would of happened had Mr Poe accepted Justice Strauss offer of adopting the kids all the way back in ''The Bad Beginning''. Knowing what happens in ''The Reptile Room'' And the fact that she works for [[spoiler:The Man with a Beard but No Hair And the Woman with Hair but No Beard, High Court justices who are also OLAF SUPERIORS, its possible that it would have ended up in olaf's favor: Not only would she be murdered, but with them visiting.... it clear Mr poe did the right thing objecting and taking them to uncle Monty!]]

* The Anxious Clown, a restaurant with tacky decor and terrible food, is implied to be a front for the VFD's activities. If it is, they probably make the food unappealing and the decorations ugly on purpose, so nobody will visit unless they really have to (i.e. they're on official VFD business). Less patrons also means less people there who might overhear something they're not supposed to.

* Although all three Baudelaires have regressed at various points, Sunny appears to be the darkest character; she is the one who comes up with the idea of [[spoiler: burning down the hotel]] and also suggests to her siblings that they murder Olaf. This doubles as FridgeBrilliance if you look at her life so far. While Violet and Klaus have at least twelve years of love and happiness to set their moral compasses by--Sunny has a few months, if that, and from then on she's known nothing but cruelty. It's hardly surprising that she's stepped closer to the line than her siblings.

* Although all three Baudelaires have regressed at various points, Sunny appears to be the darkest character; she is the one who comes up with the idea of [[spoiler: burning down the hotel]] and also suggests to her siblings that they murder Olaf. This doubles as FridgeBrilliance if you look at her life so far. While Violet and Klaus have at least twelve years of love and happiness to set their moral compasses by--Sunny has a few months, if that, and from then on she's known nothing but cruelty. It's hardly surprising that she's stepped closer to the line than her siblings.
* Even though you know that a lot of very unpleasant things happen in the lives of the Baudelaires, the author narrates those events with a good touch of humor -- that it tends to lessen the impact of the feeling of true hopelessness and distress that the Baudelaires must consistently endure.

** To add Squick factor into character development, is it possible that Olaf and Kit were childhood sweethearts when they broke it off? Thus, he's living out his fantasy of being with Kit through Violet...I can't tell if that makes it more or less creepy...

!!The Books

* Even though you know that a lot of very unpleasant things happen in the lives of the Baudelaires, the author narrates those events with a good touch of humor -- that it tends to lessen the impact of the feeling of true hopelessness and distress that the Baudelaires must consistently endure.

!!The Movies
[[AC:FridgeHorror]]
* Count Olaf tries to marry Violet. Violet is a teenage girl and he's really old. [[{{Squick}} And what do you do when you are married?]]
** In the movie, it's all about the money. In the ''book'', however, it's much more explicitly suggested. Also, Olaf was ''related'', albeit distantly, to the Baudelaires, which is why they were sent to live with him. Think about that for a second; he has no problem with sleeping with his own, fourteen year old... let's just say cousin, for the sake of brevity. (Ironically, it's not illegal today for third cousins to marry; according to scientific research it provides more children and has less of a chance of dormant and recessive diseases from showing up. Olaf is either the grandson of their fourth cousin... or the great-grandson of their third cousin. According to Modern Day science, this would actually be ''better'' for the reasons stated above. That being said, he might also have faked being their relative to get the money.)
* Count Olaf is very [[LargeHam grandiose in his actions]] to the point where any kid in the theater would fall in love with him. This was probably the intention of the director and of Jim Carrey, adding comedy in the movie and allowing kids to be more shocked by his [[SerialKiller homicidal tendencies.]] However, to older audiences, this ability to attract younger kids while complimented with his later obvious psychological issues makes him appear [[AdultFear far scarier.]]
** Carrey as Olaf starts the film as melodramatic and over-the-top, convincing people familiar with Carrey's comedy that this will be another one of his clownish, incompetent characters. This troper remembers that about halfway through the movie, when [[spoiler: Olaf violently backhands Klaus]], an audible gasp of ''shock'' went through the theater.
* There's a deleted scene where Olaf and his troupe play spin-the-bootle and the white-faced women get picked. In the book, they are SISTERS.
* In this world, it's perfectly legal for a legal guardian to marry his "daughter."
[[AC:FridgeLogic]]
* Why ''shouldn't'' the [[AdultsAreUseless clueless adults]] be fooled by Count Olaf's disguises in the film? They aren't nearly as paper-thin as they are in the books, where he basically just throws a dodgy fake mustache or a turban on and is apparently good to go - in the film, he clearly had to have gone through some effort to make the disguises at least halfway-believable, so it also raises the question of how the Baudelaires can even see through them to begin with.

** Carrey as Olaf starts the film as melodramatic and over-the-top, convincing people familiar with Carrey's comedy that this will be another one of his clownish, incompetent characters. This troper remembers that about halfway through the movie, when [[spoilers: Olaf violently backhands Klaus]], an audible gasp of ''shock'' went through the theater.

* Why ''shouldn't'' the [[AdultsAreUseless clueless adults]] be fooled by Count Olaf's disguises in the film? They aren't nearly as paper-thin as they are in the books, where he basically just throws a dodgy fake mustache or a turban on and is apparently good to go - in the film, he clearly had to have gone through some effort to make the disguises at least halfway-believable, so it also raises the question of how the Baudelaires can even see through them to begin with.

!!!The TV Series
[[AC:FridgeBrilliance]]
* There's been some flack drawn from fans for the RaceLift characters like Mr. Poe, Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine are getting for the series. However, in the books, Uncle Monty is said to be the children's ""late father's cousin's wife's brother" and Josephine is said to be their "second cousin's sister-in-law", making both of them related by marriage, not blood. Therefore it makes sense that neither Monty nor Josephine would look anything like the Baudelaires.