Continuity mistake: When the door handle explodes, Violet and Klaus throw themselves to the floor. When lying on the floor their hands change between shots from being close to each other to far away from each other. (01:00:10)
Audio problem: When Count Olaf, dressed as Stephano, runs away and takes off in his car the tires screech. However the road outside Uncle Monty was of dust and sand, not asphalt. (00:45:05)
Continuity mistake: When they enter Monty's reptile room the first time there is a lizard and two turtles walking on the floor. When it cuts the creatures have totally changed position. (00:30:05)
Continuity mistake: When we first get to see the anchor hanging there is a sack lying next to the closet. Later when they break the support post making the piece of the house they are standing on wiggle, the sack is gone. And it hasn't wiggled enough to send the sack over the edge. (01:00:55 - 01:02:05)
Continuity mistake: When Poe is about to leave after dropping the kids off at Olaf's, Olaf asks if he wants to stay for a glass of port while gesturing his arm down. When it cuts his arm is up by Poe's chest. (00:12:00)
Continuity mistake: At the end, when the Baudelaires walks into their house, we see in a wide shot that they walk up a step on the stairs. When it cuts we see them walk up the same step again. (01:27:00)
Continuity mistake: When Sunny picks up the Scrabble letter, you can see the remaining letters are stacked together. Later when the shot change to her smiling, you can see the letters are more scattered. (00:03:45)
Continuity mistake: In the last scene, when Klaus is in the tower and the light shines through all the mirrors, it is made quite clear he is standing right in the path of the light. Yet, when he walks up to the eye, he no longer is in the light's path. (01:21:20)
Factual error: When Klaus first finds the Eye, if you look closely at the light beam just as it exits the eye, it is curved like a vortex. Light cannot do this; it should have been straight more like a cone shape. (01:21:25)
Continuity mistake: When the crowd is approaching Count Olaf after the marriage certificate is burnt and Olaf says "Not to mention, setting a terrible example to the children", the character played by Cedric the Entertainer is walking among the crowd. When it cuts, Cedric suddenly cuffs Olaf. How did he get on stage that quickly? (01:24:55)
Continuity mistake: When Aunt Josephine gives the casket to Klaus and tells them to finish the shopping, one of the handles on the casket falls under the roots of the vegetables while the other handle rests on the roots. Two shots later both handles rest on the roots. (00:55:25)
Continuity mistake: When Count Olaf enters with his acting troupe, Klaus and Violet are rubbing the floor and Olaf says "Imagine my surprise." Violet places her left hand on her lap. When it cuts she place her hand on her lap again. (00:14:35)
Continuity mistake: When Count Olaf and the Baudelaires are driving home from court, Olaf says "Children, I've been contemplating our situation." while looking at the kids in the mirror. It cuts as he says "situation" but now he is suddenly looking straight forward at the road. (00:22:10)
Continuity mistake: When Violet is signing the 'B' in her last name on the marriage certificate, she connects the 'B' below the line. The shot switches. When it switches back as Violet's signing the 'd', the 'B' is connected above the line.
Continuity mistake: When Violet launch the elf head at the train switching device, the elf head lands at least three feet away from the train tracks. When it cuts the elf head is lying right next to the tracks. (00:26:05)
Continuity mistake: When the train is passing right in front of the car the train signal to the right of the screen is on with a red light. When it cuts the light is suddenly off. It would never have been turned off until the last car of the train had passed. (00:27:00)
Continuity mistake: When Violet and Klaus are setting the table for dinner we can see a chair right next to the edge of the table (on the opposite side of the rehearsing room). But when Violet and Klaus are done setting the table and Violet places the cup of cutlery on the table, the chair has been moved and can't be seen. When it cuts the chair is back. (00:17:20)
Continuity mistake: When Violet is telling about that time when their parents had written a long letter that got lost in the mail, her ponytail hangs behind her right ear. When it cuts, it's over her ear. (00:20:50)
Audio problem: Trapped inside Olaf's car, Violet is in the front seat pushing all the buttons. She pushes the button that starts playing the tape, and the tape begin to roll. When it cuts, the tape suddenly runs the other way, but the music continues normally. (00:24:25)
Continuity mistake: Right before Sunny bites Count Olaf after the Baudelaires have made dinner there is a shot where Klaus says "No" to Olaf. When it cuts, Olaf's hand has suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside Klaus' head. (00:18:40)
Chosen answer: The spy glasses are not explained in the books, but it seems that these are symbols of the fact that they are in VFD, the secret organization we learn about later on in the series. Both Dr. Montgomery and Aunt Josephine's husband and brother-in-law, the Anwhistle brothers, are implied to have been a part of VFD.