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In the words of a very wise and surprisingly talkative Tibetan monk snake: Life is a conundrum of esoterica.
 
— Monty Montgomery, "The Carnivorous Carnival: Part One"

Monty Montgomery was Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire's second guardian in The Reptile Room.

The Reptile Room[]

Netflix ASOUE 21

Uncle Monty introducing himself to the Baudelaires.

Upon first meeting the Baudelaires, he gave them homemade coconut cream cake, and told them to call him "Uncle Monty". He mentioned how he had planned to take them to Peru with his assistant, Dr. Gustav Sebald, who had mysteriously "resigned" the day before the trip (actually drowned in the Swarthy Swamp by Count Olaf). Montgomery mistakenly hired Count Olaf, disguised as a lab assistant named Stephano, as Gustav's replacement. Monty also spent the initial days of his guardianship treating the children to one entertainment after another. Most of these centred on his scientific interests, or theirs, but the children also watched a film called Zombies in the Snow, directed by Gustav Sebald. The movie, written in Sebald Code, warned them about an impostor (Stephano), and a survivor of a fire, but neither the Baudelaires nor Dr. Montgomery had ever learned Sebald Code, and as a result they did not realize this. The Baudelaire orphans were aware that Stephano was Olaf in disguise, but they were unable to convince Montgomery.

In the TV series, Montgomery does notice the code, and received a message saying, "Danger. Take the children to Peru on the S.S. Prospero".

Montgomery does, however, notice that Stephano is not a very good herpetologist, and believes he is a spy from the Herpetological Society. He rips up Stephano's ticket to Peru and plans to tell Stephano to stay at the house to look after the specimens. Sometime during the night, Montgomery is murdered by Stephano who uses the snake venom of the Mamba du Mal to divert suspicion, making it seem as if Montgomery died from an accidental snakebite.

MontyBody

Monty's body.

The next morning, the Baudelaires wake up and find their uncle's body in the Reptile Room. The children are extremely upset, yet they are determined to prove the death was a murder. They expose Stephano's true identity, but Olaf manages to escape again.

Both the villains and volunteers want possession of Montgomery's collection of reptiles and amphibians. After Dr. Montgomery's death, a man named Bruce retrieves the animals for use by the Herpetological Society. It is stated in The Slippery Slope that Count Olaf later tricked Bruce into letting him take possession of the animals. This is the last mention of them in the books.[1]

Later books[]

In The End, Montgomery is mentioned as "my herpetologist comrade", by Lemony Snicket, confirming he is a member of V.F.D. Kit Snicket mentions that he taught her to apply the Vapporetto of Favorite Detritus.

Behind the scenes[]

Etymology[]

It is unknown where the name Montgomery came from, as there are many stories of its origin.

It is possible that the name "Montgomery Montgomery" is a reference to Monty Python, a British comedy group. The children call him uncle "Monty" and his herpetological interest in snakes may refer to "Pythons".

It is also possible that the dual name, "Montgomery Montgomery" relates to Vladimir Nabokov's seminal novel, Lolita, in which the narrating character's name was Humbert Humbert.

It is possible that the name "Uncle Monty" is a reference to the 1987 British cult film Withnail and I, in which there is a character named Uncle Monty, also portrayed as a fat, short man with a round, red chubby face.

Quotes[]

Books[]

  • “I promise that if you take time to learn the facts, no harm will come to you here in the Reptile Room.” (to the Baudelaire orphans)
  • "Come along, bambini!"
  • "I'm so excited to have you here, I may very well be speaking gibberish!"

TV series[]

  • “Life is a conundrum of esoterica.”
  • “As I was saying, the Mamba du Mal is one of the deadliest snakes in the world, which is why I'm training them to send and receive secret messages.”

Trivia[]

PianoPhoto

Monty locked inside the piano.

  • In the TV series, Montgomery Montgomery's mustache resembles that of Clash Royale's Electro Wizard.
  • In the TV series, it is revealed Monty was locked in a piano with the Baudelaire parents, and Count Olaf took a picture of it.
    • Whether Count Olaf was the one to lock them in the piano in the first place or not is unknown.
  • In the TV series, The Daily Punctilio, as usual, publishes lies, claiming Montgomery Montgomery had "snake allergies" and died from them, and that he "hated snakes". It also tries to push the narrative that the Baudelaires murdered their parents, Montgomery Montgomery, and Josephine Anwhistle because they want their fortune all to themselves.[2]
  • In the TV series, Montgomery was also shown to have a ticket taker ally who spliced the footage of Zombies in the Snow so that he can copy down the remaining message. In addition, Count Olaf had the White-Faced Women try to capture him, to no avail.

Family[]

Books/Netflix Series[]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown if adoptive or biological
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unknown
 
 
 
 
Unknown
 
 
Unnamed Guardians
 
 
Biological Parents
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnamed Mother
 
 
Unknown
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Monty Montgomery
 
 
 
Monty Montgomery's Sister
 
Bertrand's Cousin
 
 
 
 
Bertrand Baudelaire
 
 
 
Beatrice Baudelaire
 
 
 
Gregor Anwhistle
 
Ike Anwhistle
 
 
Josephine Anwhistle
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Violet Baudelaire
 
Klaus Baudelaire
 
Sunny Baudelaire
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Beatrice Baudelaire II
 
 
 


Film[]

Wife
 
 
 
Monty Montgomery
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Children
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Violet Baudelaire
 
Klaus Baudelaire
 
Sunny Baudelaire
 


Appearances[]



Gallery[]

Books[]

Movie[]

Video game[]

TV series[]

Sources[]

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