The Mysterious Benedict Society

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.

As a child, I read the first three Mysterious Benedict Society books religiously. Each book sucked me in and led me on this wonderful journey that I couldn't seem to put down. When I saw that there was going to be a live-action adaptation I was skeptical but the first two episodes have been so perfectly accurate it's scary.

The cast is perfect, the world feels like it's been pulled from the recesses of my imagination, and did I mention it was perfect? A must-watch Disney+ series already. Six more episodes (and hopefully two more seasons) to go.

Despite older source material, this show is perfect to deal with scars of the psyche left over from the quarantine, politics, constant whispers of wars, lax resourses, and total stress overload. This is perfect for children, and your inner child no matter your age. Because the U. S. does not offer critical thinking courses to children like most western countries, Americans are proving highly susceptible to "the emergency" of constant hidden messages of division, aggression, judgment, hatred & fear of others. *Deep breath*. Life is sacred. Nothing is worth turning on others, especially over the illusion of ideology. While everyone else runs around frantically losing their way in the moment, you must stay centered. Despite urgent topics, this series is an absolute fun time, and a great tool to preserve or revive, your child within. I whole heartedly agree with the other reviews, a million stars just isn't enough. Bravo.

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 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.