| “ | The name's Bruce, but you can call me Uncle Bruce, although I'm almost certainly not your real uncle. Welcome to the Snow Scouts, travelers, where all of us are meek. In fact, we're accommodating, basic, calm... | ” |
— Bruce, The Slippery Slope
|
Bruce is a character in the series who is very unintelligent. He appeared in The Reptile Room and The Slippery Slope. He may have also been mentioned in The Penultimate Peril.
Biography
Early Life
Bruce became the director of marketing for the Herpetological Society, as well as the leader of the Snow Scouts. As leader, he made the Snow Scout Alphabet Pledge, ending in an imitation of the winter wind. He also requested that the scouts call him "Uncle Bruce." Every year, his troupe would celebrate False Spring by dancing around the Springpole. He always appointed his niece, Carmelita, as the False Spring Queen.[1]
He is described as talking in a very loud voice for no apparent reason, and he is usually smoking a cigar.[2]
The Reptile Room
As Director of Marketing, Bruce took custody of Montgomery Montgomery's reptiles after his death, condescendingly explaining to the Baudelaire children that they will be split up to several scientists, zoos and retirement homes- the ones who will not be placed will be put to sleep. He denies Sunny's request to say goodbye to the Incredibly Deadly Viper, believing it to be dangerous. Violet and Klaus try and fail to explain that its name a misnomer, and Bruce calls Monty idiotic for giving his snake a very wrong name, and also makes fun of his given name. He wishes the children luck and leaves.
Inbetween The Reptile Room and The Slippery Slope
After retrieving the snakes, most of them were lost or captured by firestarters.[3] Bruce was much trouble to V.F.D. because of this.
On the annual Snow Scout trip to Mount Fraught, Quigley Quagmire joins his troupe in an effort to get to the VFD Mountain Headquarters. Bruce sees and confiscates his matches, saying that children shouldn't play with them.[1]
The Slippery Slope
Bruce takes the Snow Scout troupe to the Mortmain Mountains for their annual camping trip and False Spring celebration. Two mysterious travelers- Violet and Klaus Baudelaire- appear, and he invites them to join the Snow Scouts. He explains that they've stopped in the cave for Snow Scout Story Time, as they always do, and upon Klaus questioning if it's safe to stop in the cave of a hibernating animal, Bruce informs him that the mountains used to be covered with intelligent bears, used as soldiers, but they mysteriously disappeared. Quigley corrects him, saying that there used to be lion detectives.
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Bruce.
The Baudelaires try to signal Quigley with VFD codes, but after Carmelita complains about how boring the stories are, Bruce explains that Snow Scouts skip all the boring parts of their stories. Carmelita then tells stories until it is time for sleep. Bruce also constantly makes everyone saw the Snow Scout pledge multiple times. Quigley, Violet and Klaus sneak out of the tunnel quietly so as not to wake him, and he mutters something about Carmelita in his sleep.
The Snow Scouts make their way to Mount Fraught, where they find Violet, Klaus, Quigley, Count Olaf, Esmé Squalor, the Man with a Beard but No Hair, the Woman with Hair but No Beard, Hugo, Colette, Kevin, The Hook-Handed Man and the White-Faced Women. Carmelita expresses distaste for the new people, but Bruce tells her that they must be there to celebrate her special day. Violet and Klaus try to tell him that the adults were there to kidnap the Snow Scouts, but Bruce doesn't believe them. Even after Violet, Klaus and Quigley unmask themselves and reveal their identities, and after witnessing the White-Faced Women denounce Olaf and leave and Olaf attempt to throw Sunny off of the mountain, Bruce allows Carmelita to plant the Springpole.
The Troupe encourages the Snow Scouts to gather and dance, and Bruce, relieved that the arguing had ceased, leads the Snow Scouts towards the Springpole while reciting the pledge. As they do, the Firestarters' eagles dive and lift Bruce and the Scouts in a large net. Olaf gloats to Bruce that he had tricked him out of a collection of reptiles and now a collection of children. The eagles take the group away; his fate thereafter is unknown.
Possible Later Appearance
In The Penultimate Peril, one of the guests tells a man named Bruce to come back to bed after being awakened by Dewey's death. The same man later calls for this Bruce when the Hotel Denouement Fire starts. It hasn't been confirmed if this is the same Bruce or a different person, though it is likely the same because Daniel Handler has expressed fondness for the character.
Trivia
- Due to Carmelita Spats being his niece, his surname may also be Spats.
- Daniel Handler is fond of Bruce, who is likely his favorite character.
- Handler's claim of Bruce not appearing in the TV series(15:00) held true, as he was been replaced by Brucie.
Appearances
- The Reptile Room
- The Slippery Slope
- The Penultimate Peril (possibly mentioned)
