The second season of the Netflix black comedy is based on the thirteen children’s novels written by Lemony Snicket (a pen name for author Daniel Handler) leaves the viewer 9/13ths of the way through the original thirteen novels. Although we do get many more answers in this season than the last, fans are eagerly waiting for the conclusion of the series which will hopefully be sitting in our Netflix queues next year. With this in mind, I wanted to rank the first nine chapters of the series.

9. The Austere Academy

Pro: Strong introduction to Olivia Caliban who plays a much bigger role in the television series than the books and great introduction to the Quagmire triplets.

Con: Wasn’t a very strong opening for the season as there were too many character subplots that we knew would be over by the chapter’s end.

8. The Vile Village

Pro: It served well as a good mid series point in the second season and the Baudelaire’s working together throughout it was nice to see.

Con: Again way to many minor characters with their own intentions and the trial was frustrating to watch. (I know that is part of the series but they could have executed it better)

7. The Wide Window

Pro: One of my favorite Olaf disguises, good introduction into the mystery that awaits the Baudelaire children that propels them the rest of the series.

Con: Even though it still was two parts, this chapter felt rushed to me.

6. The Hostile Hospital

Pro: The subplot of the trio being separated was interesting to watch and was a shining moment for Klaus.

Con: The new characters at the hospital didn’t have as strong of a lasting impact on the children as previous ‘guardians’ have.

5. The Miserable Mill

Pro: Catherine O’Hara’s portrayal of Dr. Orwell and how it plays off of Olaf’s ‘Shirley’ disguise. Also this was her return to the series as she was Justice Strauss in the 2004 film!

Con: Again this felt rushed to me and Part Two wasn’t the strongest ending to the first season.

4. The Ersatz Elevator

Pro: I audibly gasped when I saw Tony Hale was playing Jerome Squalor and his portrayal of the kind, but not the brightest guardian was strong. This was also a strong introduction to Esmé’s character.

Con: I felt the two parts were imbalanced as Part Two was much stronger than part one.

3. The Carnivorous Carnival

Pro: Incredibly strong finale and it was refreshing to actually get some answers after nine parts!

Con: I know the series is about how the three children go through 13 miserable adventures but with everything they added to Olivia’s character, I was hoping they would take out her death by lions in Part Two. Unfortunately I was wrong, but what else can you expect from this universe?

2. The Bad Beginning

Pro: Strong pilot episode and Neil Patrick Harris cemented himself as being an even more over the top version of Count Olaf than Jim Carrey was. Joan Cusack was also a great choice for Justice Strauss.

Con: Nothing really, this was a strong and true adaptation to the first book in the series

1. The Reptile Room

Pro: To be honest, this is my favorite episode because The Reptile Room is my favorite book in the series. For me this chapter really lets the viewer know how dense and creative the Series of Unfortunate Events Universe is.

Con: Not a con per say but just another personal fact the scene with Sunny being in the clutches of the Mamba du Mal, has haunted me since I first read the book years ago.