| “ | Call me Sir. Everyone does, because I tell 'em to. I'm the boss, they have to do what I say. | ” |
— Sir introducing himself to the Baudelaire orphans
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Sir is the fourth guardian of the Baudelaire orphans and the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill.[3]
He is portrayed by Don Johnson in the TV series.
Biography
Sir at his desk.
Sir is the owner of the Lucky Smells Lumbermill, located in Paltryville. Sir's real name is unknown. It is extremely difficult to pronounce, as evidenced by Mr. Poe's attempts early in the book. Equally obscure is Sir's appearance, his entire head is hidden by a thick layer of smoke from his ever-burning cigar. He shows little concern for either the Baudelaire orphans or his employees, whom he pays in coupons and provides an unsatisfying meal of chewing gum for lunch and disgusting casseroles for dinner. The possible reason he is so mean and greedy is that, according to Charles, he had a very terrible childhood.
A character with similar traits to Sir, Smogface Wiley, appears in All the Wrong Questions. He may be Sir, but it is never confirmed.
The Miserable Mill
Sir watching "Shirley" and Foreman Flacutono escape.
During The Miserable Mill, it is possible he is a member of V.F.D. (probably the fire starting side), and it is possible he may have conspired with Georgina Orwell.
In the end of The Miserable Mill, he fires the Baudelaires, claiming that they were too much trouble and that wherever the Baudelaires go, misfortune follows, and he will have no more of it.
The Penultimate Peril
He later appears in The Penultimate Peril. It is unknown if Sir survived the Hotel Denouement fire.
Sir and Charles Relationship
It is thought by some readers that Sir is in a relationship with his employee and partner, Charles. Some moments in The Miserable Mill in combination with their chat in The Penultimate Peril and them holding hands while running through the smoke of the Hotel Denouement fire hint that this theory may be true. Also, in The Beatrice Letters, Lemony Snicket tells Beatrice Baudelaire that he will love her until "C realizes that S is not worthy of his love," confirming suspicions of the relationship. As well as that, they are mentioned to be partners—the lack of mention of them being business partners is unusual, and suggests they may be romantic partners.
The TV series adaptation made this relationship more explicit, referring to their partnership as one made possible by a more progressive culture and high court decisions, a reference to real-life cases such as Obergefell v. Hodges, or perhaps Lawrence v. Texas, and at one point Charles attempts to kiss Sir but Sir does not notice.
Appearances
References
Gallery
