Of Unfortunate Events (Spoilers)


A Series of Unfortunate Events, at the end, reveals that the answers don’t really change anything. At the end, the world is as it is, and the people who’ve died and fought will stay dead; nothing will change that. The ideal of finding closure is subverted. It is a sad, but beautiful ending. They have a new chance at life, a chance to nurse a new life into this world, after seeing so many lives lost amongst horrible catastrophes. Despite everything, they still have each other. And they’re alive, as Phil said once. Count Olaf, for all his crimes, died a hero’s death, even without feeling remorse. Is it an injustice that they buried him? Who knows. It’s fitting that The End takes place on an island, wherein they are finally free from a ludicrous society. They’re no longer hunted as they were, and are free from disguises. It’s a final chapter in one particular saga, the location driving the conclusion. Their isolation from society, the idealized protector of freedom, enables them to be free.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My favourite things: the tragedy of Oddworld, a lost classic

Image
Oddworld was intended to be a grand sweeping epic. Of that ambitious vision, only a small sliver has been released. I imagine to most people it's good, but not anything noteworthy. Oddworld is a legendary franchise, a video game series that has flown under the radar. It is made by now-indie video game developers Oddworld Inhabitants. It is engaging both as a video game, and as a greater story waiting to be unraveled. It is a story that has not, and most likely will not, reached its true potential. That is because the video games have not yet had the opportunity to delve into the mythos of the universe. Oddworld is a story about an alien world, and a rebellion against the Magog Cartel, a consumerist collection of monumental and monstrous corporations using slave labour.  The five installments were to be called the Oddworld Quintology. In each installment, we get introduced to a new character and we go higher up the food chain as the stakes escalate. The old world unravels in reform.
Read more

SpongeBob and the Simpsons

I adore SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons. For some adults, SpongeBob on the TV appeared to be just noise, insipid. I think that's unfair. It was a great comedy series with charming characters and quotable lines. It was Stephen Hillenburg's (the creator and former marine biologist) way of expressing his love for marine life. It was surprising adult in some scenes and jokes, as is the case with several kids’ media. (For example, they have an episode wherein SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs believe they killed the health inspector and try to cover it up, burying his body.) Regarding the show as a whole, one internet personality theorized that part of the charm of the show was the differing perspectives between SpongeBob and Squidward. Squidward represented a cynical adulthood, while SpongeBob represented the naiveté and joy of childhood; both perspectives everyone could see themselves in. Kids were SpongeBob and grew up to become Squidward. This is not to dictate; adults still have
Read more

Gabriel Dropout/Dropkick on My Devil

  I lately saw these two comedy anime, both based off of manga. I found them really funny. Both shows have similarities and are also reminiscent of the anime Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, a series I am a big fan of, despite its unfortunate problematic elements (neither Gabriel Dropout nor Dropkick on My Devil have those kinds of elements). Both series are about they are about angels and demons coming over to the human world, in the slice-of-life genre. Both shows deal with folklore and mythos, which is always welcome. Gabriel Dropout follows two high-achieving angels who are sent to Earth via their student exchange program. Upon arrival, the main character Gabriel, almost immediately becomes addicted to gaming, losing her angelic disposition in favour of a misanthropic, slovenly, and lazy demeanour. The other angel, Raphiel, becomes a sadist. Then they meet two demons, Vignette and Satania. Vignette is a polite and kind person, ironically being more like an angel in behaviour rather th
Read more