| “ | You can never be too careful while there's a city-wide manhunt going on. | ” |
— The Doorman to Gunther
|
The Doorman was an individual employed at 667 Dark Avenue as a gatekeeper. He is stationed in the lobby at the bottom of the stairs that lead to Esmé and Jerome Squalor's penthouse. It is implied that he was either murdered or paid off by Count Olaf or one of his associates since he was replaced by the Hook-Handed Man during the Baudelaires' stay.
Biography[]
The doorman is first met by the Baudelaire orphans when they arrive at the lobby of 667 Dark Avenue, with Mr. Poe behind them with a nosebleed. He asks who they are and Violet Baudelaire introduces herself and her siblings. The doorman allows them to enter the building, but tells Mr. Poe to leave because he isn't expected and because there is a city-wide manhunt going on for Count Olaf. He asks the Baudelaires if Mr. Poe is a friend of theirs, and they simply say that he is a banker. The doorman replies that he knows the type, and tells them that Esmé and Jerome Squalor are in the penthouse on the top floor waiting for them. When they ask to use the elevator, he tells them they can't because elevators are out.
After dark is announced that dark is out, the doorman turns on all of the lights in the lobby and blows out some candles he had lit at his desk. As he finishes doing this, Esmé, Jerome, Gunther and the Baudelaires come down the stairs to go to Herring Houdini. The doorman tells them to enjoy their evening before returning to his office. Later, the Baudelaires sneak past the doorman hiding in a large salmon stolen from Café Salmonella and he doesn't notice.
When Esmé and Gunther return with an unconscious and drugged Jerome, the doorman yells at Gunther as he doesn't recognize him. After he identifies Gunther as Esmé's friend, he apologizes and says he can't be too careful while there's a city-wide manhunt going on. Gunther, who is really Count Olaf in disguise, says that he couldn't agree more, and approaches the doorman clutching his staff which has a sharp blade hidden on the bottom of it.
It is implied that Olaf murders him while Esmé drags Jerome upstairs behind them. Anyhow, his uniform ends up in Olaf's possession and is used by his henchman the Hook-Handed Man as the latter poses as the Doorman.
Trivia[]
In the books, Fernald disguises himself as a doorman before the Baudelaires enter the penthouse. In the series, the doorman is replaced by Fernald at the start of The Ersatz Elevator: Part Two.
Behind the scenes[]
- The doorman is played by Sage Brocklebank in the Netflix adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events. He does not appear in the original book version of The Ersatz Elevator, though The Hook-Handed Man still poses as a doorman in the book, hinting that there may have been a previous doorman killed or bribed by Olaf.
Appearances[]