Happy Snicket Sunday!
The Slippery Slope! My first Snicket book! It's time for Sunny Baudelaire syndrome, my beloved Quigley Quagmire, Verse Fluctuation Declaration, Verdant Flammable Devices, Snow Gnats, Snow Scouts, and men and women with auras of menace and various hairstyles and facial ornamentations. Oh, and headquarters! Can you tell this is one of my favorites? So many good things and bits of worldbuilding to dig into today.
Hello @snicketsundays / @drowninginredink,
I know I've been somewhat late these last few posts — sorry about this slippery slope I've been on!
Like handshakes, house pets and raw carrots many things are less preferable when slippery; the least preferable slippery thing, of course, is a slope.
I love that opening simile. House pets as well 😂.
...what was I going to s— AAH! MOMMY! DADDY!
The introduction of The Man With a Beard but No Hair and The Woman with Hair but No Beard is easily (one of, if not) the single greatest introduction of character(s) into any series. I think this is because it comes at a point when we, the readers/viewers, who are following (forced to follow, one could argue) the narrative from the Baudelaires' perspective, have already established that Olaf is this vile fiend who is willing to go to lengths of murder and arson...
...just to illegally earn (admittedly, a LOT more) money. All the acts we see him perform, both off-stage and on, are sometimes legal parts of a grand illegal scheme.
To then find someone who SCARES the murderer arsonist who's just been described... yeah, when Lemony said they have an aura of menace he was not kidding. There is a theory that they're Gifford and Ghede from ATWQ; the logic for this theory makes sense, I think.
I like the build-up to Quigley's reveal, especially the Vertical Flame Diversion. The VFD codes from the Baudelaires to Quigley and back again are also quite fun to watch. Makes me feel like I'm around my friends.
Then there's...ahem, that moment (ft. Lemony giving them privacy!), followed by Esmé's... whatever that was. Something about skinning the children alive being the second worst thing she's done in a hot tub.
I dread to think of the first.
MUSH, MUSH! MUSH! MUSH, MUSH! MUSH!
Carmelita being forced to be 100% democratically elected (in a vote which is not in any way rigged whatsoever) crowned False Spring Queen, then being adopted by Esmé—
I think Carmelita was the last straw in Olaf and Esmé's already deteriorating relationship. Esmé saw an opportunity whereas Olaf saw a nuisance.
The reveal of 'Quigleforth Quagmire' to the villains is still hilarious, to this day. What, one may argue, is even more hilarious is the fact that they all think the Sugar Bowl is close when it's just chilling (rather literally) in Anwhistle Aquatics!
Let's be honest, though — those eagle-controlling whistles look amazing. I'd like to not consider myself a villain, but I'd love one of those.
But to kidnap a bunch of Snow Scouts... for money? Really?
I don't understand why they couldn't just, from their perspective, played the manipulation game: slowly but surely bankrupted every 'noble' VFD member, swindled them out of their entire fortune.
Then again, the Baudelaire fortune is small potatoes. Even though Olaf is pretty sure it's money.
At least Sunny got the chance to:
a) stay alive, not dying at the hands of TWWHBNB.
b) bond with Fernald during her time in captivity.
c) shout "ROSEBUD!" as she shoved the sled towards Olaf, a reference to Citizen Kane, referenced in TRR
Then the dream couple separates! Noooooooooo!!!!
P.S. I do have a theory somewhere, on this mess that is my blog, about what the motto is emblazoned on the (iron?) arch of the VFD HQ.
