The Penultimate Peril: Part One

"The Penultimate Peril: Part One"
Adapted from:	The Penultimate Peril
Main character(s):	Violet, Klaus, Sunny
Baudelaire guardian:	Dewey Denouement
Main enemy:	Count Olaf
Olaf's disguise:	Dad Jacques Snicket (Count Olaf’s Disguise)
Main setting:	Hotel Denouement
Key crew
Producer:	Neil Patrick Harris
Release details
Story number:	3a
Season/series:	Season 3
Premiere network:	Netflix
Release date:	January 1, 2019
Format:	55 minutes
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A Series of Unfortunate Events
"The Grim Grotto: Part Two"	"The Penultimate Peril: Part Two"

"The Penultimate Peril: Part One" is the twenty-third episode of Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events. It covered the first half of The Penultimate Peril.

Dedication

For Beatrice –

     No one could extinguish my love,

     or your house.

Plot

Note: this plot summary follows the books and it is unknown when Part One ends.

The story starts with the Baudelaires in Kit Snicket's taxi, the situation at the end of The Grim Grotto. A distraught and pregnant Kit drives them to the Hotel Denouement, where she leaves them with concierge uniforms and tells them to give her a signal that she can see in the sky if the meeting on Thursday is canceled. She also says that Quigley Quagmire, of whom Violet is very fond, is out at sea saving his siblings. They are also to be wary of the managers of the Hotel, identical brothers Frank, a volunteer, and Ernest, a villain. The hotel is designed like a giant library, with rooms cataloged by the Dewey Decimal System. The Baudelaires are expected to serve and help the people of the Hotel, as a front so they can be flâneurs, and in particular learn whether the mysterious "J.S." is helping V.F.D. or its enemies.

When the Baudelaires enter the lobby from the entrance in the white fog that is emitted from the funnel, the see a lot of things like a line at the receptionists' desk, bellboys and bellgirls are rolling different luggage to the elevators, waiters and waitresses were bringing food and drinks to people who are sitting in the lobby, taxi drivers ushering their passengers in to join the line, dogs dragging their owners out for a walk, confused tourists looking quizzically at maps, rambunctious children were playing hide and seek amongst the potted plants, a man in a tuxedo playing tunes on the Grand Piano for anyone who cared to listen, members of the cleaning staff were polishing the green wooden floors, an enormous fountain in one corner of the room, and a woman standing in the opposite corner shouting a man's name over and over again in a crazed annoyed voice. The Baudelaires meet either Frank or Ernest who states that they are short-handed and must figure out the hotel system. He informs them that they are to answer to the summons of the hotel guests. One bellboy appears telling Frank or Ernest that a taxi driver dropped off some luggage where he said that the guests will not arrive until Thursday. Frank or Ernest left with the bellboy to take care of the situation leaving the Baudelaires near a large wooden bench.

The other manager that might be Frank or Ernest appears nearby with a bunch of newspapers where he reads the article from The Daily Punctilio about the Baudelaires being sighted in The City. After getting the opinion of the article from the disguised Baudelaires, Frank or Ernest takes a bellgirl to the Newstand in Room 168. After a discussion of them growing up, the Baudelaires are encountered by either Frank or Ernest as they ask how the hotel is organized. Frank or Ernest explains that the Hotel Denouement is organized by the Dewey decimal system similar to the way that books are organized in many libraries where he uses Room 831 where German poets are gathered as an example and even a description of the social sciences as well as the bells that ring being associated with each room.

Three bells ring simultaneously, and the three orphans are forced to separate on Frank or Ernest's suggestion, in order to carry out various errands. Frank or Ernest leave to go talk to a banker on the phone when told about it by a bellboy.

Violet goes up to the rooftop sunbathing salon, where she finds Esmé Squalor and Carmelita Spats. Carmelita is patrolling the rooftop pool in a large boat, complete with sails, which was given to her as a gift from Esmé and Olaf. Geraldine Julienne, the reporter for the The Daily Punctilio who wrote that the Baudelaires killed Count Olaf, was also present on the rooftop sunbathing salon. Geraldine was interviewing Esmé about the Baudelaires. Violet overhears about a cocktail party on Thursday. Carmelita wants her to bring a harpoon gun, which Violet gets from Frank or Ernest. He asks her if she is who he thinks she is. Violet replies that she is a concierge and brings the gun to Carmelita.

Klaus goes to a room for people in the sawmill industry, where he finds Sir and Charles (from The Miserable Mill). They have him take them to the sauna, which is just down the hall. He props the door open to listen in, and overhears them talk about a party on Thursday, and someone with the initials of J.S. However, Frank or Ernest enters and he has Klaus hang a flypaper-like roll of sticky paper called birdpaper outside the window, in order to catch and trap any falling birds. He asks the same question of Klaus as Frank or Ernest asked of Violet and he gets the same response.

Sunny goes to a room for educational people, where she sees Vice Principal Nero, Mrs. Bass and Mr. Remora, all from The Austere Academy. Mrs. Bass has in the room several bags of money from Mulctuary Money Management. Nero was practicing for his performance on Thursday. Both of them ask when they are going to stop for their lunch break as Nero is surprised that Esmé invited them to the party on Thursday. She takes them to an Indian restaurant in Room 954 which is run by Hal from The Hostile Hospital who is now wearing a turban. When Hal quoted "I didn't know this was a sad occasion," Mr. Remora quoted "it won't be a sad occasion if you don't feed us." When she is sent to fetch a napkin by Nero, Sunny hides in the kitchen and listens to a conversation by Hal and someone that might be Frank or Ernest, also about J.S., and then they see her. Dewey gives her a Vernacularly Fastened Door and has her put it on the lock of a laundry room. The laundry room has a vent through which something can fall and - if the lock is on the door - that something will be protected.

The Baudelaires get together after a long day and try to put together their stories, and wonder how the two managers can be in three places at once. Finally, Klaus deduces that a crow will bring the Sugar Bowl to the Hotel; it will be shot down by the harpoon gun, fall onto the flypaper, and the sugar bowl will fall into the laundry room vent. All of a sudden, they see a man descending form the ceiling of the Hotel from it's clock. They think it is Ernest or Frank, but it turns out to be their third brother Dewey Denouement, also explaining how three different identical men talked to the Baudelaires at the same time. He is helpful and tells them that there is a duplicate of the Hotel at the bottom of the pond, containing a catalogue of all the secrets of V.F.D, which he has spent his entire life collecting. Then Justice Strauss and Jerome Squalor, who both believe that they are the J.S. being contacted, arrive by taxi where they have been helping Dewey. Justice Strauss has been communicating with the High Court on helping the Baudelaires, and Jerome - who also felt bad about how he treated the orphans - has written a book on the matter. The High Court justices are coming to put Count Olaf and the other evil people of V.F.D. on trial and so - on Thursday - all of the noble people will arrive to give evidence.

Re-entering the hotel at 1:00 AM, they encounter Count Olaf who says that the Hook-Handed Man and Fiona(of whom Klaus is very fond, due to their kiss in The Grim Grotto) stole the Carmelita (a submarine from The Grim Grotto named after Carmelita Spats). Esmé, Carmelita, and Hugo (who posed as the Rooftop Sunbathing Salon attendant), Colette (who posed as a passing chemist that went passed Klaus near the sauna), and Kevin (who posed as a washerwoman in the laundry room), the three carnival freaks who joined Olaf in The Carnivorous Carnival, all arrive. While Jerome tries to get back with Esmé to no avail as she also wants the Sugar Bowl that Beatrice Baudelaire stole from her, Olaf also hints that the Baudelaire's own parents were not noble, and that they had something to do with a box of poison darts. Dewey tells Olaf of the catalogue he has made, which prompts Esmé to comment that he must already know what is inside the sugar bowl, and why it is so important. Olaf takes the harpoon gun from Carmelita and threatens Dewey. The Baudelaires shield him and approach Olaf as he counts to ten. However, he is interrupted by the coughing of Arthur Poe, who has come from his room to see what is happening. Count Olaf quickly shoves the gun into the Baudelaire's hands. The Baudelaire's accidentally drop the gun to the ground. It fires.

Cast

Starring

• Count Olaf - Neil Patrick Harris
• Lemony Snicket - Patrick Warburton
• Violet Baudelaire - Malina Weissman
• Klaus Baudelaire - Louis Hynes
• Sunny Baudelaire - Presley Smith
• Esmé Squalor - Lucy Punch

Crew

to be added

References

to be added

Story notes

to be added

Filming locations

to be added

Production errors

to be added

Deviations from the novel

• The Baudelaires wear green concierge outfits instead of red ones. Their outfits also don't have sunglasses.
• Kit doesn't wear a dress.
• Klaus can define "flaneurs" in the show. In the book, Kit defined it for him.
• The enemy taxi was following them much earlier, and Kit seems certain that it is one.
• Violet, Klaus, and Sunny changed much earlier than in the book.
• Violet and Klaus remember staying at the Hotel Denoument instead of just the Hotel Preludio (which was alluded to but not called out).
• Sunny says "Signal V.F.D." instead of "Sugar bowl" in the recap.
• Kit seems confident that they can end this, instead of so distraught that it will all go wrong.
• We find out that Fernald and Fiona double crossed Olaf from a note the former gave to Carmelita, instead of Olaf seeing it for himself. He also saved Phil in addition to the Snow Scouts.
• The Baudelaires already trust Kit, unlike in the book where they were sort of debating it.
• Frank and Ernest were not outside the hotel when Kit talked about them.
• They didn't take anything out of Kit's car. Violet lost her ribbon here instead of back at Heimlich Hospital.
• The signage on the Hotel Denoument can't be read correctly in the pond.
• Olaf, Esme, and Carmelita are still in disguise to hide from V.F.D., even though in the book they weren't. He doesn't recognize the Baudelaires, mainly because that Violet says that villainous guests treat the staff like they are invisible.
• One of the managers called the Baudelaires out by last name (it was possibly Dewey).
• Violet's adventure on the roof is different:
  • Esme isn't wearing strange cone binoculars, she uses a spyglass to watch the skies. Her outfit is (for obvious reasons) not as skimpy as the one in the book.
  • Carmelita's outfit hardly has any blue in it.
  • Geraldine is not on the roof because she is not in the show. Nero is on the roof, however. Due to this, he leads the Esme Squalor Fan Club instead of her. Anything Geraldine was meant to say goes to Nero.
  • Violet pretends to be apart of the fan club, which was not mentioned in the book.
  • Nero says thay Esme should know who J.S. is, but is interruped by Carmelita screaming for Violet before he can finish.
  • Esme calls Carmelita her daughter (in the book she was quick to dismiss it.) Violet did not call the latter out by name. 
• Klaus's adventure is different too:
  • He finds Babs behind the door. In the book, she was presumed to be dead, and it was Charles and Sir he was assisting, but in the show, the latter ran off and the former is looking for him.
  • The sauna is on another floor instead of down the hall.
  • Jerome is already here. In the book he arrived in a taxi with Justice Strauss.
    • He is pretending to date Babs so they can find the Baudelaires.
    • Jerome is interested in Charles. 
    • Babs in interested in Mrs. Bass.
  • Klaus eavesdrops outside the sauna instead of in it.
  • Jerome thinks J.S. is a woman (maybe Justice Strauss or Jacqueline) and Babs thinks he is a sea captain (probably Captain Widdershins before he left as she said "he")
  • Olaf comes to interrupt the adventure.
• Here's how Sunny's adventure varies:
  • She finds Mr. Poe behind her door. In the book, he finds them much later after Dewey is shot. In the book, it was Nero, Mrs. Bass, and Mr. Remora she was supposed to encounter, but the first was already on the roof for Violet's adventure, the second was arrested, and the third not present at all.
  • He doesn't recognize her.
  • Larry is in the kitchen instead of Hal.
  • Olaf also interrupts this adventure, posing as Jacques. He also seems to finally to recognize Sunny.
  • Poe brings out all he knows on the siblings' case, including something hidden. He has been contacted by two J.S.'s.
  • Ernest also intercepts this. He drops Larry into a simmering pot of curry.
• None of the Baudelaires are asked if they are who they say they are; instead they call out the names of the people who they are assisting my mistake, having to cover it up by saying they saw it on something they owned. They are also asked if they can be trusted by their respective managers (Violet > Frank, Klaus > Ernest, Sunny > Dewey).
• Klaus figures out that the sugar bowl may fall in the laundry room instead of Sunny.
• Lemony actually meets up with Kit. In the book he doesn't get the chance.
• Dewey find the Baudelaires after they get to the basement instead of before. 
• The siblings realized for themselves that the Denouments were triplets and not twins instead of Dewey having to tell them.
• Dewey takes them through a passageway first instead of straight outside. (By now, this is when Jerome and Justice Strauss appear, but they were introduced earlier).
• He wishes for them to stay at the Hotel, but in the book he does not say he wants them to take over his library.
• When Olaf, Esme and Carmelita show up, this encounter is different:
  • Most of the villains are not here, according to Dewey saying they would arrive late. (In the book they were already here.) Carmelita now mentions wanting to learn how spit instead of at the roof when Violet was tending to her.
  • In the book, Justice Strauss asked why Frank did not stop Violet from taking the gun, to which she replied that he might have tried. In the show, he didn't try, he told her to do her job.
  • Esme notes that they have not yet shot the crow, even though by this point in the book two of them were already shot down.
  • Since Hugo, Collette, and Kevin were (most likely) kileld by the Man and Woman, they are not here to report what was going on after Carmelita would have shot the crows.
  • Dewey says that the container (Sugar Bowl) belongs to Esme and not what it contains, instead of simply saying "Not anymore."
  • Olaf doesn't knock Carmelita to the floor when he takes away the harpoon gun. He also breaks up with Esme instead of just firing her (then she quits and mutual agreement) much earlier than when it happens in the book.
  • Violet and Klaus mention that it's Esme's fault that Olaf is not rich and that they are not dead.
  • The two siblings drop the gun because Mr. Poe calls out and not because it was heavy. The latter also says "Good God, that man's been shot!" instead of simply "Baudelaires!" and only the siblings, Olaf, and Poe are outside since Esme and Carmelita left and none of the others that were present in the book are alive or around.
  • The children do not grab Dewey in time or call out to him before he falls in.
• Lemony is not the man in the taxi in the book.

Continuity

to be added

Behind the scenes

to be added

Home video releases

DVD releases

to be added

Blu-ray releases

to be added

Gallery

Netflix Tie-in Edition.

Frank/Ernest Denouement.

Hotel Denouement.

Count Olaf in his Dad Disguise.

Violet in a concierge outfit.

Olaf on the roof.

Nero and Esmé.

Carmelita on the roof.

Count Olaf with Jerome Squalor and Babs in a sauna.

Count Olaf with Jerome Squalor and Babs in a sauna.

Count Olaf disguised as Jacques Snicket.

Ernest Denouement attacking Larry.

The Baudelaires resting.

Count Olaf with a harpoon gun.

Dewey injured by the harpoon.

Dewey dies in the pond.

Lemony Snicket by a taxi.

External links

• Watch The Penultimate Peril: Part One on Netflix