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A review by notwellread
The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket
4.0
In this instalment, the Baudelaires are forced to masquerade as ‘freaks’ at a carnival in order to avoid persecution by Olaf or the general public, only to find that he remains in their vicinity for longer than they had hoped. For the first time, the Baudelaires must actively disguise themselves as they run from the law, in their first real entrance into this characteristic of Olaf’s behaviour (though we come to understand in this instalment that more sympathetic characters, like Olivia and other VFD members, may also use these tactics towards more morally justifiable ends — costumes may be dishonest, but are not always used in the service of evil). Once again, the true nature of VFD is hinted at, and we get a little more of an idea of machinations behind the scenes, but still not a lot of information on this front. We are well over halfway at this point, so it seems Snicket/Handler really likes to drag things out.
I particularly enjoyed the exploration of ‘freaks’ and freak shows, which was very sensitively done — we get a sympathetic portrayal of the whole ordeal of a freak show from a ‘freak’ perspective as the Baudelaires take on these roles in disguise, as well as the arbitrariness of who is and is not considered a ‘freak’, which largely depends on social standing and perception — one character, Kevin, is considered a freak simply because he is ambidextrous, and another, Colette, is a highly talented contortionist, and yet the hook-handed man is somehow exempt from this category because of the status he is granted by his association with Olaf. (This aspect is present in the book, but more heavily emphasised in the show.) There is also at least implied scepticism towards the institution of psychics, since we find out that the carnival’s psychic, ‘Madame Lulu’, is actually a VFD member, and is not psychic but simply doing research behind the scenes to get answers. The darkness of the series continues to progress too, with two characters dying in a particularly gruesome way at the hands of lions, and some otherwise apparently sympathetic characters being persuaded to join Olaf’s ranks.
I particularly enjoyed the exploration of ‘freaks’ and freak shows, which was very sensitively done — we get a sympathetic portrayal of the whole ordeal of a freak show from a ‘freak’ perspective as the Baudelaires take on these roles in disguise, as well as the arbitrariness of who is and is not considered a ‘freak’, which largely depends on social standing and perception — one character, Kevin, is considered a freak simply because he is ambidextrous, and another, Colette, is a highly talented contortionist, and yet the hook-handed man is somehow exempt from this category because of the status he is granted by his association with Olaf. (This aspect is present in the book, but more heavily emphasised in the show.) There is also at least implied scepticism towards the institution of psychics, since we find out that the carnival’s psychic, ‘Madame Lulu’, is actually a VFD member, and is not psychic but simply doing research behind the scenes to get answers. The darkness of the series continues to progress too, with two characters dying in a particularly gruesome way at the hands of lions, and some otherwise apparently sympathetic characters being persuaded to join Olaf’s ranks.