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Yippee ki-yay.
 
— Ernest before lassoing Larry

Ernest Denouement is the brother of Frank and Dewey Denouement, and one of the managers of Hotel Denouement.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Ernest and his brothers were recruited into VFD when they were four years old.

At some point, he switched from the Volunteer side to the Fire-starting side, though he continued to work with his brothers in the Hotel Denouement as a manager.

The Penultimate Peril []

Throughout The Penultimate Peril, the Baudelaires are unable to tell the difference between him and Frank. He is described as being "tall and skinny, with long arms that stuck out at odd angles, like drinking straws instead of flesh and bone."

Ernest instructs Klaus to hang the bird-paper. 

When Dewey was killed, Frank or Ernest placed the Baudelaire children in Room 121 while the other one placed Count Olaf in Room 165.

​During the trial of the Baudelaire children and Count Olaf, they submitted a Commonplace book as evidence. When the Hotel Denouement Fire was started, the Woman With Hair But No Beard directed them towards the elevator. When Violet Baudelaire shouts for them to call the fire department, they quote "Which one" as the elevator closes on them.

It is unknown if he survived the fire that destroyed the Hotel Denouement.

TV series Divergent Canon[]

Although Ernest's appearance and character stay mostly true to the book, he makes a few extra appearances, and his presence is mostly unchanged.

Ernest is described as treacherous and untrustworthy, and was allied with Count Olaf's side of the Schism. Despite their apparent rivalry in terms of the Schism within V.F.D, the brothers Frank and Ernest never seem to provoke each other and continue managing the hotel in a professional manner. Ernest's voice is slightly deeper than Frank's and is often shown to be less informed than his sibling, which often attributes to identifying him in the show.

Ernest and Frank are both first seen standing outside the Hotel Denouement when the Baudelaires and Kit Snicket observe them, Kit immediately recognizing and distinguishing them while the Baudelaires remain perplexed. She tells them that they can remember that the "e" in "Ernest" stands for "evil". After the children enter the hotel, a currently unidentified Dewey Denouement greets Kit passionately before Kit asks him to "Give (her) regards to Frank", falsely implying that this brother is Ernest.

After the Baudelaires recognize Count Olaf while wearing their concierge disguises, the three brothers each meet the Baudelaires and inform them of their duties, each remaining aloof in their identities. The first brother to meet the children is the most inquisitive and is later shown to be unaware of J.S.'s arrival on Thursday, a factor that all genuine volunteers would be aware of and thus implying this brother to likely be Ernest.

When Count Olaf is about to fight Larry Your-Waiter, a brother interrupts them and Larry demands Frank's assistance, only for Count Olaf to correct him and address him as Ernest. Ernest lassos Larry and helps Olaf to boil him in a large vat of curry, inadvertently covering Olaf in curry once he lets go of the rope.

Following Klaus' visit to Babs and Jerome Squalor, Frank or Ernest approaches him and request for Bird Fly Paper to be hung from a specific window above a laundry chute. Unlike the other brother who approaches Violet at the same time, this brother makes no direct reference to V.F.D and simply implies an involvement in a larger plan; evidence that this brother is Ernest.

During the trial, he is shown to be saddened by Dewey's death as he and Frank both hang their heads when the Baudelaires bring up that Olaf's actions hurt more than just them. Despite this, he seems to still be on Count Olaf's side as he says "Or maybe not" in favor of him during the trial and genuinely attempts to cast doubt on the Baudelaires plans. During the applause for the Baudelaires' speech, it is likely Frank was applauding alongside the rest of the court while Ernest simply scoffs.

By the end of the trial, Ernest blindfolds himself along with the rest of the court while Count Olaf, Justice Strauss and the Baudelaires flee to the rooftop. It is unknown if he survives the fire Count Olaf sets to the hotel during the escape.

Behind the scenes[]

The three Denouement brothers are portrayed by Max Greenfield in the TV series. Ernest's name is likely in part an allusion to Oscar Wilde's play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' where the main character pretends to be someone named Ernest, only to find out Ernest is his actual name. 

Trivia[]

  • Ernest, like Dewey, is likely ambidextrous. However, he could've trained himself to use whatever hand that was needed at the moment to pass as one of his brothers.
  • It's a known fact 2/3 of an identical triplet pairing always has one be right-handed and the other left-handed leaving the last one in this case Dewey ambidextrous leaving Frank and Ernest's real hand statues unknown due to them all acting identical
  • Just like the White-Faced Women, Snickets, and Quagmires, Ernest appears to be a twin before the third sibling, Dewey is revealed in The Penultimate Peril..

Family[]

Books[]

 
 
 
 
Unnamed Parents †
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dewey Denouement
 
Ernest Denouement
 
Frank Denouement


TV Series[]

 
 
Snicket Father
 
Snicket Mother
 
 
Unnamed Parents †
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jacques Snicket
 
Kit Snicket
 
Lemony SnicketDewey Denouement
 
Ernest Denouement
 
Frank Denouement
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Beatrice Baudelaire II


Appearances[]

Gallery[]

Books[]

TV series[]

Sources[]

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