The Mysterious Benedict Society Review: A Bunch of Smart Orphans/Carrying the Bird (Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2)

Whenever a show is created from a book or other source material it comes with a high expectation from the fans.

The great thing about The Mysterious Benedict Society Season 1 Episode 1, “A Bunch of Smart Orphans,” and The Mysterious Benedict Society Season 1 Episode 2, “A Bunch of Smart Orphans/Carrying the Bird,” is that Disney+ has clearly kept extremely close to the source material.

Often times there are deviations when bringing a book to the screen, but in this case, the magic of Trenton Lee Stewart’s world of Stonetown and the surrounding areas isn’t altered in any big ways. The uniquely identifiable characters come to life thanks to wonderful casting choices and compelling, yet familiar, dialogue.

As a fan of the book series myself, I go into the show with high hopes for seeing my favorite characters and their adventures. The show, much like the concept itself, seems to have kept their audiences in mind when making decisions. 

The idea that there is a world where one big bad is creating chaos by using the voices of children to subliminally manipulate society is unique and not really ever explored before. Often when children are the focus of an adventure story such as The Mysterious Benedict Society they are looked down upon by the adult characters or seen as nuisances that aren’t intelligent at all.

The really fascinating thing about “A Bunch of Smart Orphans” is that we are introduced to this new world from the perspective of the kids themselves, more specifically Reynie Muldoon. The adults are seen as fascinating to Reynie because each of them makes time to show him that he is special — in some way or another. 

Honestly, I’m interested to see where this journey will take us — despite having read the books — because our TV world needs a fresh take on child adventurers. This show takes Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance, and instead of giving them adults who disparage them for their unique way of looking at the world, it provides them with uninhibited trust.

That is what will spurn this season forward, Mr. Benedict’s complete trust and guidance of children versus Dr. Curtain’s manipulation of children for his own gain. Mr. Benedict demonstrates during “Carrying the Bird” that he is merely the supervisor; there to support but not direct.

Number 2: They’ll make the right decision

Mr. Benedict: Yes, and if they don’t what they do decide will become the right decision.

How many times in our world have we seen adults look at children as truth-tellers? Not very often. And while the book series has been around for a couple of decades, the content has never been more relevant than it is right now.

The Mysterious Benedict Society has a delicate balance of intriguing twists and turns with bits of predictability. This makes the show enjoyable for viewers of all ages — a family show.

As the children learn more about themselves and strengthen their belief in their skills, we are going right along with them. Mr. Benedict sets up the story to see things from a child’s perspective. 

Mr. Benedict works as a “leader” to this group of misfits because, as an adult with above-average intelligence, he never throws that around. Instead, he looks to the children and their critical thinking/problem-solving skills to guide the mission and overall story — he believes in the validity of children.

There are many ways to answers some of the questions presented and none of them are incorrect. Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are perfect depictions of that. Each of these children solves problems in different ways but they all manage to realize that a problem can be solved.

Number 2, Rhonda, and Milligan are side characters, but unlike typical adult roles, they don’t overpower the presence of the children. That speaks to both the creation of them as characters as well as the presence created by Kristen Schaal, MaameYaa Boafo, and Ryan Hurst.

Schaal is well known for bringing quirky characters to life, so it comes as no surprise that she is phenomenal as Number 2. However, the real surprise comes from Ryan Hurst, who is known for playing roles that are very gruff and domineering, the opposite of Milligan in every way. 

Hurst molds into the role of Milligan as if he has been waiting to show off this skill all his life. It’s as if this was the role he was born to play. It’s hard to believe the man who was once a beloved member of a biker gang (Sons of Anarchy) has the ability to be a larger-than-life, lovable, mysterious member of Mr. Benedict’s crew.

While the children are the stars of the screen and definitely have the potential to become great actors as they grow, there is one role that needed to be distinctly cast. That is the role of Mr. Benedict and Dr. Curtain.

People who aren’t familiar with the source material won’t be aware that Benedict and Curtain are brothers until they see Curtain for the first time. Choosing a great like Tony Hale to play these roles is a fantastic move for The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Hale has a way of playing the gambit of character types, which makes this casting so much fun. Benedict and Curtain are cut from the same cloth but are different in every possible way.

As the season continues, these differences are bound to come out, and I, for one, cannot wait to see the journey unfold. Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are going to have the time of their lives infiltrating L.I.V.E. if “Carrying the Bird” is anything to go off of.

Mysterious Stray Musings

• Seeing Shannon Kook as one of the instructors at L.I.V.E. is a nice surprise and fun casting as well.
• If you haven’t read the book series I highly recommend that you do. It is well worth it!
• The house maze was so much fun to see visually and honestly ran similar to the depiction I’ve had in my head for years.

What did you think of this episode of The Mysterious Benedict Society? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Mysterious Benedict Society airs Fridays on Disney+.

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