After searching through law books in Justice Strauss's library, Klaus discovers that Count Olaf plans to actually marry Violet during the show. The next day, when Count Olaf insists that the children perform in his upcoming theatrical-Violet will play the part of the bride and marry Count Olaf on stage-they just know he's up to something. Poe the next day, he's much too busy working on his bank to help them escape the clutches of this madman. He's not satisfied with the meal they prepare, though, and ends up slapping Klaus across the face before the end of the night. One day, Count Olaf demands that the children make dinner for his theater troupe.

Even though Count Olaf has only given them one bed to share and a cardboard box to keep all their clothes in, the kids make friends with his neighbor, Justice Strauss, so life isn't all bad-just mostly. It's pretty obvious right away that Count Olaf is not even close to being a suitable guardian for the Baudelaire children-not only is his house dilapidated and dirty, he makes it clear that he has only taken in the orphans to get his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. Poe ends up taking the children to live with Count Olaf-a distant relative whom the kids have never heard of. Poe promises to find them a new guardian and to watch over the enormous fortune that their parents left behind. Their entire home has been destroyed, but Mr.

Poe approaches them with some horrible news: Their parents have died in a tragic fire. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are enjoying a gray day at the beach, when a banker named Mr.

The bad beginning series