In “The Reptile Room: Part Two” episode of “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” Stephano tries to distract Mr. Poe from the true nature of Monty’s death, while the children attempt to prove that Monty was murdered. Jacqueline confronts Olaf and reveals a secret to the children.
Dealing in the immediate fallout of Monty’s death, Part Two starts slow, but escalates and builds to a great crescendo. The finale of the children figuring out Olaf’s murder scheme was immensely satisfying and thrilling, as the kids essentially got to be Sherlock Holmes for a few minutes.
This episode was unusually comedic given that a major character just died, but that’s the contradictory brilliance of the show. Mr. Poe was as incompetent as ever and Olaf’s troupe provided a few gags. Even Sunny got some good, albeit subtitled, zingers.
The finale of the episode was extended a bit, as Jacqueline reappeared and chased after Olaf. Of course, she doesn’t catch him, but she manages to retrieve the Baudelaire parents’ spyglass. Whether or not she can get it back to Klaus remains to be seen.
“The Reptile Room: Part Two” was a well orchestrated and funny episode, despite the contradiction of following death with comedy. It wasn’t the biggest or most bombastic episode, but serves as a bridge into the next section.