The Mysterious Benedict Society

I was quite fond of this book as a kid and the attention to detail in this adaptation is mind blowing. Almost every little thing is book-accurate. It is truly mind blowing. I respect anyone who adapts a book with this much love and attention.

I don't understand why there has been so little promotion for this show. It just appeared one day on Disney Plus. Based on the poster It didn't look like it would be for me, but as often happens I had run out of new and interesting things to watch on streaming. So before giving up and watching another Danish crime drama I figured I give it a shot, besides Disney plus looks good on my O. L. E. D. I am so glad I did. This show absolutely reminds me of netflix's "A serious of unfortunate events", another show I enjoyed. As with the best juvenile fiction this new Disney plus show is smart and doesn't condescend. The whole cast is fantastic, but I have to single out the character of Constance Contraire. She is my hands down fave. Often delivering the best one liners and sarcastic quips in her awesome accent that reminds me of the German Ambassador character from the old "The Colbert report". At first I didn't know what to make of her, or the show for that matter, but as I watched it captured my imagination and attention. Everyone is doing a great job with their parts but Marta (Timofeeva) Kessler is knocking it out of the park. Can't wait to watch the next one and see what happens! My only real criticism is the pacing. This show like so many others on the streaming services (looking at you Netflix) seem to stretch out the content in order to come up with a particular number of episodes. I can't say how many times I heard my friends, family and others say "Yes I watched it put it was about one or two episodes to long". This is probably a phenomenon that is sadly here to stay. In the case of this show It just feels like the pacing is slower then it should be. Having said all that it's absolutely worth the wait.

I absolutely love the book series! It's so well done. Overall, this is a great adaptation. I don't understand some of the choices (i.e. SQ is Curtain's son, Sticky's parents are dead and his aunt/uncle were the ones who had him on the trivia circuit), but overall not a big deal.

My two biggest issues: they made Kate annoying (I did not find her annoying in the books at all) and they made Mr. Benedict more anxious. It's been awhile since I read the first book, but I recently read the rest of the series. Kate was always confident and competent, but also a big team player. She's too arrogant and "maverick" in the show.

And Mr. Benedict is not portrayed as an anxious, nervous person in the books! He's certainly concerned for the children's safety, but he's confident in his plans and decisions. I pictured him more calm and confident than he's portrayed in the show.

Again, overall I really like it and think it's a good interpretation of the book. Those two things are really my only issues! Maybe they'll consider being more true to those characters in future season?

I was wonderfully surprised by this show. The entire cast was excellent, especially the child actors. I can't stress enough how great they played their characters. They were funny, felt genuine, and you really grew to love them. The adults too, played their roles incredibly well. I was not familiar with the books they are based on, but the story was compelling, while still being family friendly. A lot of love went into this story (both seasons). Sadly, Disney couldn't let a good thing alone.

Disney+ announced it would be removing this show this month, along with many others, as a way to cut back costs. You'd think they'd start with their poorly made stuff first. It was slated to have a third season, but now it's fate is uncertain. No wonder Disney is losing money. They struggle to make good content, and when they do they find a way to ruin it. Bad management across the board. Really hope this show comes back or finds another way to survive.

I see a lot of reviews here saying it's very slow paced. IMO it's actually rather refreshing to see a show of this genre with child actors moving at the slower pace and taking it's time to build the plot up versus rushing through it because it's geared for kids (really it's for kids and adults but most kids under 14 won't get the plot, so parents will need to explain, if THEY get it 😉 ).

It's actually a rather cerebral show and reminds me a lot of shows like Star Trek and Quantum Leap.

If you're looking for a fast paced or action show this isn't it. But if you're willing to be patient and can understand and adjectives the intellectual aspect, then this is for you.