Maybe this show is not diverging from the books, after all. 

On Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 7 and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 8, the children got closer to the truth as they found themselves working in the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill. 

Now, I need to speak about the reveal that Will Arnett and Cobie Smulders were not actually Bertrand and Beatrice Baudelaire.

That floored me. The kids walking towards that yellow door definitely made me think we were getting to watch the reunion play out. 

However, the constant sense of dread that seeps from every single scene of the show should have sent alarm bells ringing as soon as it was "revealed" that they were alive. 

In the grand scheme of things, it made sense because it helped set up the plot at Prufrock Preparatory School for both the Baudelaires and the Quagmires.

Additionally, if you're a fan of the books, then you probably already know who set the fire at the Quagmire mansion, but that will no doubt be covered in the first few episodes of Season 2.

Sir: They're not anywhere nearby, are they?
Violet: They died in a fire.
Sir: Good. What goes around comes around.

• Permalink: Good. What goes around comes around.

With that plot aside, working at the lumber mill was definitely the worst job in the entire world. Hypnotizing people to do what you want is pretty grim. 

Catherine O'Hara was a delight as Georgina Orwell.

She played Justice Strauss in the original movie, so it was exciting to watch her in a new role this time around. 

Georgina was silly to even entertain the thought of working with Count Olaf.

Two power hungry people working together was never going to end well. 

Georgina's end differed from the books, too. Somehow, I think  having her cut into smithereens by the log cutter would have been a little too...graphic...even for Netflix. 

Count Olaf's latest disguise as Shirley was not my favorite, but it was better than Captain Sham.

Seriously, there's nothing this dude would not do in order to get his grubby hands on the Baudelaire fortune. 

Violet: Why do you hate us so much?
Olaf: Because it's fun.

• Permalink: Because it's fun.

Mr. and Mrs. Poe showing up was one of the more annoying developments of the final two episodes, but it did lay the groundwork for the kids to wind up at Prufrock.

As soon as Mrs. Poe made it her mission to go after the children, it was clear she would use all of her crafty skills to ensure she would secure leads to write up another exploitative piece for the Daily Punctilio. 

With her husband's job at risk, there was no way she was not going to sleuth her way to the truth. She's definitely someone who gets things done, that's for sure. 

Don Johnson was the perfect person to play Sir. He effortlessly brought the character to life and I could not imagine anyone else in the role. 

With the kids wondering why their parents were being ruled as the ones to star the fire which destroyed the town, it was only natural that they would seek out the truth. 

These kids have been holding out hope for so long that they will get all of the answers about what really happened with their parents, but there was no way they were going to believe their parents were guilty. 

These episodes were a thrilling close to the first season of this Netflix series. Getting to see The Miserable Mill adapted for the first time was an excellent experience. 

There are still a lot of characters I can't wait to meet from the books, and I would love if the next batch of episodes were out this year, but that's doubtful. 

Other tidbits from the final episodes:

• Characters being hypnotized can really make or break a show, but the solid writing helped it flourish. 

• Five minutes for a lunch break is not something that anyone would ever agree to. 

• Klaus questioning Georgina's ethics was hilarious. This kid is one of the smartest on TV. 

• Did anyone else feel bad for Charles? Everybody seemed to be using him. 

• Did Olaf and Lemony Snicket go to the same school?

• Jacquelyn sending Klaus the telescope was just perfect. 

What did you think of the conclusion? Sound off below!

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.