| “ | No. We mean no. We don't want to participate in your schemes anymore. For a while, it was fun to fight fire with fire, but we've seen enough flames and smoke to last our whole lives. We don't think that it was a coincidence that our home burned to the ground. We lost a sibling in that fire, Olaf. | ” |
— The women refusing to throw Sunny off a mountain and telling Olaf that they quit his troupe.
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The White-Faced Women were members of Count Olaf's acting troupe. They assisted him in his various schemes to obtain the Baudelaire fortune.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Prior History
Like Olaf's other associates, very little is known about the white-faced women, other than that they are sisters. Though Lemony Snicket never reveals much about them, it is known that they once had a third sibling who died in a fire that burnt down their home. It is possible that Count Olaf was responsible for this fire, although there is no proof of this.
In Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, it is mentioned they took part in a play by Al Funcoot (Count Olaf), titled One Last Warning to those Who stand in My Way, previously the World Is Quiet Here, as the Defenders of Liberty. It said they had painted their faces a ghastly white color.
The Bad Beginning
The white-faced women eat the orphans' pasta puttanesca dinner. Later, they help with The Marvelous Marriage.
The Austere Academy
The white-faced women helped with the abduction of Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. During this time, they were disguised as cafeteria workers and wore metal masks to hide their faces. While they were fleeing, Klaus pursued them as the Quagmires pleaded for his aid as they are smuggled into Olaf's car. After entering the car, one of the white-faced women bit Klaus' hand before shutting the car door and driving away.
The Hostile Hospital
The women disguised themselves as nurses, using the aliases Dr. Tocuna and Nurse Flo, which, when combined, are an anagram of Count Olaf. Originally, they were supposed to perform the cranioectomy on Violet, but fortunately they were late, and so Klaus and Sunny took their places. When they finally arrived in the operating theater, Klaus and Sunny were revealed by Esmé Squalor to be imposters.
The Slippery Slope
The white faced women confront the Baudelaires towards the end of the book, with Olaf giving the order to throw Sunny off the side of the Mortmain Mountains. The women, having become tired of Olaf's schemes and expressing offense to their instruction, refuse. They confess the loss of their own sibling in a housefire to justify their treachery, and leave down the mountain to never be seen again.
Lemony Snicket is unsure of what happened to them. He mentions that some say that they still paint their faces white and can be seen singing sad songs in some of the gloomiest music halls in the city. Some say that they live together in the Hinterlands, attempting to grow rhubarb in the dry and barren ground. And some say that they never made it out of the mountains, and that their bones can be found in one of the range's many caves. Their true fate is unknown.
Appearance
The women are always described as wearing white makeup on their faces, and although they think their makeup makes them look freakish, they continue to wear it.[2] It is never explained why their wear white makeup; it may be because they are actors like Count Olaf, a possible fashionable preference, or possibly to hide fire scars.
Behind the scenes
- In the movie, they were portrayed by Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Adams.
- In the video game, they were voiced by Jocelyn Blue and Kari Wahlgren.
- In the TV series, they were portrayed by twin actresses Jacqueline Robbins and Joyce Robbins and were older than the books let on. The TV series had them finishing each other's sentences when they speak. In an interview with the Unfortunate Associates podcast, the Robbins sisters revealed that they brought their natural back-and-forth patter to the role, and were commended by Barry Sonnenfeld for their "verbal gymnastics".[3]
Trivia
- There is speculation they may be, or related to, Zada and Zora.
- They are frequent boss fights in the video game, fought by Violet in all encounters. The first occurs in the parlor of Count Olaf's house.[1] The second is in Stephano's guest room.[2] The third is in Lake Lachrymose's town.[3]
- It is possible they use talcum powder, also known as baby powder, on their faces, since the Baudelaires use it to whiten their hair to diguise themselves as freaks, after finding it in Count Olaf's car. Later, in The Slippery Slope it is mentioned they powder their faces (oddly enough, in the same book, Lemony Snicket says there are rumors they "paint" their faces, although "painting" with powder is an odd descriptor).
- Talcum powder/baby powder has since been linked to cancer and is dangerous if inhaled.
- It is possible the reason the sisters delayed in appearing in the Operating Theater was because they did not have the courage yet to kill Violet, as they know what it is like to lose a sibling.
Appearances
- The Bad Beginning (First appearance)
- The Reptile Room (Mentioned only)
- The Wide Window (Mentioned only)
- The Miserable Mill (Mentioned only)
- The Austere Academy
- The Hostile Hospital
- The Carnivorous Carnival
- The Slippery Slope
- The End (Mentioned only)
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (film)
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game)
- A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)
Sources
Gallery
Books
Movie
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TV series
