History YMMV / ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017

** The CruelTwistEnding in [[spoiler:"The Miserable Mill Part 1"]] where we learn "Mother" and "Father" was actually [[spoiler: The Quagmire parents]] has upset some fans who felt they were falsely led on, while some found it brilliant considering one already knows [[spoiler: the Baudelaires parents are dead]]. Some however see the twist as bringing the Baudelaires and [[spoiler: Quagmires]] more closer regarding how well integrated the [[spoiler: VFD]] plot is.

** The CruelTwistEnding in [[spoiler:"The Miserable Mill Part 1"]] where we learn "Mother" and "Father" was actually [[spoiler: The Quagmire parents]] has upset some fans who felt they were falsely lead on, while some found it brilliant considering one already knows [[spoiler: the Baudelaires parents are dead]]. Some however see the twist as bringing the Baudelaires and [[spoiler: Quagmires]] more closer regarding how well integrated the [[spoiler: VFD]] plot is.

** In "The Carnivorous Carnival", did Violet and Klaus [[spoiler:simply plan to push Olaf down when they lured him to the lion pit or in a darker light, [[TakingYouWithMe a murder-suicide]], with one or both siblings grabbing Olaf and dragging him down with them so Sunny (and possibly the other) could escape?]]

** Kitana Turnbull's AffablyEvil Carmelita Spats takes an unbearable character on the page and makes her hilarious.

** "The End" was criticized by some for leaving the fates of many characters vague and bleak. [[spoiler:The adaptation gives a more optimistic conclusion. Quigley is reunited with his siblings, Fernald and Fiona are reunited and have finally found their father, Count Olaf’s henchpeople start their own acting troupe, and the Baudelaires take off on their boat and are implied to have gone on many more adventures with Beatrice the Second.]]

* SoBleakItsBoring: While not ''quite'' as bad as the [[Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents book series it's based on]], many still find the show far too depressing and bleak to really enjoy. Snicket ''did'' try to warn us. Made worse in Season 2 when two DoomedByCanon characters are given far more screen time and development than they had in the books, letting the audience really get attached to them before their inevitable and exceptionally violent demises.

** A common criticism leveled at the book series is that the sheer amount of misery makes it SoBleakItsBoring and some readers plain give up from it. While the show didn't completely escape accusations of this from some, others praised it for being whimsical/outlandish enough not to go too far with it.

** Is Mr. Poe really as dim-witted as he seems, or is he simply unsure of how to act in such bizarre, tragic circumstances, and his attempts to sympathize with the Baudelaires simply come off as condescending? Also, could he have a mental condition? Not being able to recognize Count Olaf, or, rather, ''not'' Count Olaf, ''point blank'' is stretching disbelief. "Face blindness" is a real condition, though Poe doesn't exhibit it with anyone else.

** Aunt Josephine finally [[spoiler:stands up to Count Olaf, she gives him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before correcting his grammar. Was all the previous talk just bluster to emphasise her point and it an ArsonMurderAndJaywalking speech summarising his crimes and failures before moving on to his grammar]]?
*** On that note, [[spoiler:Olaf mentions that he used to make shredded beef tamales for Josephine's husband Ike. As Ike ate beef tamales before his untimely death, did Olaf intend to kill Ike or was it a genuine accident or even a separate instance when Olaf did not make? If so, was it out of revenge of sorts or, seeing that the Vile Village bar mentions Josephine as one of his conquests, to MurderTheHypotenuse]]?
** The theme song "Look Away," sung by Count Olaf's actor, Neil Patrick Harris. On the one hand it might just be a standard case of LemonyNarrator in line with how Snicket begs the viewer not to read his story. On the other hand seeing as it is Harris, he might be singing the song from Count Olaf's POV demanding the audience look away so as not to witness his crimes or simply mocking the audience for their curiosity and the Baudelaires for their tragedies.
** Some people believe the Hook-Handed Man's protectiveness of Sunny comes from the fact that he has a little sister of his own who he's grown estranged from. [[spoiler:Confirmed by the third season.]]

** Olaf's behaviour in "The End"; being particularly idiotic even for him could be a breakdown after everything that's happened (especially since towards the end he starts acting more intelligent again).

** A common criticism leveled at the book series is that the sheer amount of misery makes some readers undergo DarknessInducedAudienceApathy and just plain give up. While the show didn't completely escape accusations of this from some, others praised it for being whimsical/outlandish enough not to go too far with it.

** Aunt Josephine was more or less considered a selfish character in ''The Wide Window'' due to her willingness to [[spoiler:give the kids away to Count Olaf to save herself]]. In the series however, [[spoiler:she stands up to Count Olaf and rips him a new one in a misguided way]], a far cry from her book counterpart.

** The show gives a much more believable, while still misinformed reason for the villagers to believe that the Baudelaires are murderers. In the original book, Olaf gives rather flimsy evidence for the orphans being at the scene of the crime, despite them having solid alibis. In the TV series, however, the orphans use an invention to try and break Jacques, who was mistaken for Count Olaf, out of the jail cell. This gives Olaf a stronger case because not only were the orphans breaking the village’s strict rules about technology, but it also made it look like they were trying to break into the cell to kill “Count Olaf.”

** Kit's [[spoiler: death by poison when she refused the apple cure]] was widely panned as contrived and based on science that had been discredited by the time of the The End's release. In the show, Kit ''does'' take the cure she needs... [[spoiler: but it only delays her symptoms long enough to give birth.]]

** The CruelTwistEnding in [[spoiler:"The Miserable Mill Part 1"]] where we learn "Mother" and "Father" were actually [[spoiler: The Quagmire parents]] has upset some fans who felt they were falsely lead on, while some found it brilliant considering one already knows [[spoiler: the Baudelaires parents are dead]]. Some however see the twist as bringing the Baudelaires and [[spoiler: Quagmires]] more closer regarding how well integrated the [[spoiler: VFD]] plot is.

** The songs. Some find them entertaining, whereas others think they are annoying distractions which are only there because of Neil Patrick Harris.

* CompleteMonster ("The Slippery Slope" [[Recap/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEventsS03E01TheSlipperySlopePart1 two]]-[[Recap/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEventsS03E02TheSlipperySlopePart2 parter]] & "[[Recap/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEventsS03E06ThePenultimatePerilPart2 The Penultimate Peril, Part 2]]"): [[GreaterScopeVillain The Man with A Beard but No Hair and The Woman with Hair but No Beard]] are the [[PyroManiac arson loving]] heads of the dark side of V.F.D. who are the ones who orchestrated the schism from behind the scenes. Years prior to the events of the series, they [[TheCorrupter manipulated an vulnerable Olaf]] into becoming the arson-loving madman he is today so he can accomplish their goals. Years later, they would burn down V.F.D. Headquarters to prevent anyone from learning its secrets and to eliminate an potential survivor of an recent fire. After [[EstablishingCharacterMoment making an introduction]] by attempting to kill Kit Snicket and steal the Sugar Bowl from her, they would proceed to [[KickTheDog murder the Circus Freaks]] just so to see if Olaf would care. After criticizing Olaf for his antics and failures, they would then order him to [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten throw Sunny Baudelaire off of an cliff just to prove his villainy]]. They would then proceed to kidnap an group of Snow Scouts so they can force them to work for them and steal their fortunes, while also killing their parents by burning down their homes in an city-wide fire. They would later appear at Olaf and the Baudelaires' trial as judges where they try to have the Baudelaires declared guilty and have them arrested for the murder of Dewey Denouncement. An pair of cruel, emotionally abusive arsonists whose [[TheDreaded aura of menace frightens even Olaf himself]], The Man with A Beard but No Hair and The Woman with Hair but No Beard played an major role in Count Olaf's descent to villainy.

** How does Netflix promote the TV series? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF0dE5vliVU By preparing an elaborate cake of the Baudelaire Mansion, and then promptly burning it down!]]

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: While not ''quite'' as bad as the [[Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents book series it's based off of]], many still find the show far too depressing and bleak to really enjoy. Snicket ''did'' try to warn us. Made worse in Season 2 when two DoomedByCanon characters are given far more screen time and development than they had in the books, letting the audience really get attached to them before their inevitable and exceptionally violent demises.
* DevelopingDoomedCharacters: A variant. While none of the characters who get extra development are as awful or pointless as the trope is normally used for, most of the DoomedByCanon characters are killed at the same point as they are in the books. The added character development either fools the viewer into thinking the plot might be changed to spare them (which does occur with a few), or it seems to exist only make their deaths more painful.

** Olaf's Theater Troupe get some of the most hilarious lines in the series. With Matty Cardarople's Henchperson of Indeterminate Gender so much so that they were SparedByTheAdaptation in the Heimlich Hospital fire.

** This version of Uncle Monty might be the most popular version of the already popular character given his wittiness, and increased competence against Olaf and his troupe.
** Babs at the Heimlich Hospital has her fans for not being quite as useless as most of the non-VFD adults, and being humorously neurotic.
* EpilepticTrees: Popular theories prior to the completion of the show included:

** A theory popular on Website/{{tumblr}} is known as "Violet Snicket," and postulates that Violet is actually ''Lemony's'' biological daughter, and Beatrice was already pregnant with her when she got together with Betrand.

** Poor Justice Strauss who has always wanted to be an actress and have a family. First Count Olaf tricks her into being in his "play" for his plan to succeed, and then she's denied the chance to adopt the Baudelaire children.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy:
** Like the [[Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents book series it's based off of]], many consider the show to be very well-written but still far too depressing and bleak to really enjoy. Snicket ''did'' try to warn us.
** Made worse in Season 2 when two DoomedByCanon characters are given far more screen time and development than they had in the books, letting the audience really get attached to them before their inevitable and exceptionally violent demises.

* CompleteMonster: [[GreaterScopeVillain The Man with A Beard but No Hair and The Woman with Hair but No Beard]], from season 3's [[Recap/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEventsS03E01TheSlipperySlopePart1 first]] two [[Recap/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEventsS03E02TheSlipperySlopePart2 episodes]] and the [[Recap/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEventsS03E06ThePenultimatePerilPart2 penultimate episode]], are the [[PyroManiac arson loving]] heads of the dark side of V.F.D. who are the ones who orchestrated the schism from behind the scenes. Years prior to the events of the series, they [[TheCorrupter manipulated an vulnerable Olaf]] into becoming the arson-loving madman he is today so he can accomplish their goals. Years later, they would burn down V.F.D. Headquarters to prevent anyone from learning its secrets and to eliminate an potential survivor of an recent fire. After [[EstablishingCharacterMoment making an introduction]] by attempting to kill Kit Snicket and steal the Sugar Bowl from her, they would proceed to [[KickTheDog murder the Circus Freaks]] just so to see if Olaf would care. After criticizing Olaf for his antics and failures, they would then order him to [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten throw Sunny Baudelaire off of an cliff just to prove his villainy]]. They would then proceed to kidnap an group of Snow Scouts so they can force them to work for them and steal their fortunes, while also killing their parents by burning down their homes in an city-wide fire. They would later appear at Olaf and the Baudelaires' trial as judges where they try to have the Baudelaires declared guilty and have them arrested for the murder of Dewey Denouncement. An pair of cruel, emotionally abusive arsonists whose [[TheDreaded aura of menace frightens even Olaf himself]], The Man with A Beard but No Hair and The Woman with Hair but No Beard played an major role in Count Olaf's descent to villainy.

** In "The Penultimate Peril", was [[spoiler:Justice Strauss begging the Baudelaires to stay with her just her being TooDumbToLive, or did she want them to stay with her?]] Seeing that [[spoiler:she made it back down safely, the Baudelaires could have very well died in their parachuting escape attempt, were running away with the abusive and murderously insane Count Olaf and the children nearly ended up indoctrinated into a cult and dying, she does have a point.]]
** In "The Hostile Hospital", did Olaf intend to force [[spoiler:Klaus to kill his sister, or was he (successfully) planning on intimidating him into surrendering?]]
** In "The Carnivorous Carnival", did Violet and Klaus [[spoiler:simply plan to push Olaf down when they lured him to the lion pit or in a darker light, [[TakingYouWithMe a murder-suicide]], with one or both siblings grabbing Olaf and dragging him down with them so Sunny could escape?]]

*** That is if he didn't cross it when he [[spoiler:ordered Sunny even after Violet married him.]]

** Larry Your-Waiter, a genuinely helpful and dedicated VFD agent, spends most of the series being captured by Count Olaf's troupe and subjected to various indignities, while always arriving just too late to make a difference. The fact that his final appearance includes [[spoiler:his apparent death]]. puts the icing on the cake.

** Did Esmé and Carmelita bypass [[spoiler:poisoning the court with the Medusoid Mycelium
out of stupidity? Out of justified worry that the Medusoid Mycelium will affect everybody? Out of [[EvenEvilHasStandards moral standards]] or legal worries against mass murder? Or just to screw over Olaf's plan?]]

* HarsherInHindsight: The show directly acknowledges a case from the books, in which Josephine's fear of real estate agents was said to be irrational because nothing bad had ever come out of the industry. In the meantime, we'd gotten the 2007 housing bubble collapse, so in the show Snicket still says the line, but then gets a look on his face that says "Why did I just say that?"

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Considering that Olaf's henchpeople got significantly more characterization on the whole, [[spoiler:that the carnival freaks very unceremoniously suffered DeathByAdaptation not even a full episode after joining his troupe is especially disappointing. On top of them having stuck around in the books, the very next episode, Slippery Slope part 2, would see the entire rest of his troupe leaving. Certainly there could've been a place for them as the usual cast shrank while the season went on.]]

** After their marriage is sort of certified, Olaf reaches out to Violet for a kiss, though he quickly abandons that effort when she winces and turns away. Was Olaf really attracted to Violet in that fashion, or was he just trying to {{Squick}} her out for fun? If he was (''bleurgh''), did he refrain from kissing her due to [[EvenEvilHasStandards minimal standards]] of consent or knowing better than to assault her in front of an audience?

* HardTruthAesop:
** There are no truly noble people in the world, only morally grey people with good intentions.
** Sometimes you have to do something awful to prevent something worse.