The Miserable Mill: Part One
- Episode aired Jan 13, 2017
- TV-PG
- 44m
The orphans are shipped off to work in a miserable mill with a distant relative who has a complicated name and pays his employees with sandwich tokens.The orphans are shipped off to work in a miserable mill with a distant relative who has a complicated name and pays his employees with sandwich tokens.The orphans are shipped off to work in a miserable mill with a distant relative who has a complicated name and pays his employees with sandwich tokens.
- Violet Baudelaire
- (as Malina Weissman)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMr. Poe says at the beginning of the episode, "It's a catastrophe! It's unprecedented! It's off-book!" In the book, Mr. Poe takes the Baudelaires to the Mill, while in the series they escaped to the Mill themselves. He says this to a fish merchant, who is the author of the books himself, Daniel Handler.
- GoofsAt the end of the previous episode when the children stow away in the truck, the Lucky Smells logo on the tailgate is bright red and vibrant. At the beginning of this episode with the children still in the bed of the truck, the logo is faded and pink.
- Quotes
Count Olaf: Your cruelty is as sweet as this coffee I'm dumping this sugar into. Georgina, I missed this. You, me, an evil scheme, a little death.
Dr. Georgina Orwell: La petite mort.
Count Olaf: You know I love it when you speak Spanish. Let's run away to Europe and find a charming little country to take over.
Dr. Georgina Orwell: What about the children?
Count Olaf: Shouldn't we live together first?
- Crazy creditsIn the opening sequence, the following is typed on the screen: "To Beatrice - My love flew like a butterfly, until death swooped down like a bat."
Really enjoyed the previous three adaptations of the first three books, especially "The Reptile Room". "The Miserable Mill", both parts, does not disappoint, with for me Part 2 being one of the better episodes of the series. Part 1 starts slow but stick with it, regardless of any temptation not to, because once it gets going it's good fun and the tone, atmosphere and style of the previous three adaptations are here too and quite brilliantly handled.
As said, "The Miserable Mill: Part 1" doesn't get off to the most promising of starts. Mr Poe's (as annoying and inept as ever) first scene is just embarrassing in one of the series' worst written beginnings, his first line just makes one cringe inside to the bottom of the depths. It's a bit too exposition-heavy to start with too.
Was a bit mixed on Lemony Snicket's narration, the dark, dry wit is amusing and Patrick Warburton delivers it with deadpan aplomb it was not always necessary. Some of the interjections were on the over-explanatory side.
However, while the previous three adaptations had marginally more memorable production designs, especially the reptile room in "The Reptile Room", "The Miserable Mill: Part 1" still looks terrific. A very nice mix of dark and quirky in a dark fantasy sort of way. The opening credits sequence is wonderful, the visuals are eye catching and put to very clever use. The music balances haunting and light-heartedness very well and complements the atmosphere just fine. The writing is improving all the time, despite some clunky exposition here and there and not getting going straight away. Particularly the writing for Olaf and Dr Orwell.
The latter character in an expanded role that fleshes her more more, which was nice even if some may feel that everything with her is revealed too early. The story is darkly tense and humorously quirky once it gets going. Although Count Olaf, very poorly disguised though this time, steals the show, Dr Orwell, Charles and Mr Sir also make a big impression. The Hook-Handed Man is as ever a scene stealer.
Neil Patrick Harris embodies charisma, fun and menace, even in that far too obvious disguise, and Catherine O'Hara is a bat-out-of-hell Dr Orwell. Don Johnson's Mr Sir is full of mystery and foreboding and Rhys Darby is endearingly eccentric. Am aware that there is a fair bit of negativity for the acting of the Baudelaires throughout the series, for me they grew more confident with each instalment and "The Miserable Mill: Part 1" is no exception. Only K. Todd Freeman doesn't work, the series' interpretation of Mr Poe is widely intensely disliked and that is hardly surprising.
Overall, liked it a lot but the second part is even better. 8/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 27, 2020
Details
- Runtime44 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00 : 1