10 Most Shocking Reveals From Max's Ren Faire Documentary

Summary

Ren Faire
showcases the power struggle and drama behind the Texas Renaissance Festival.
Contenders Louie Migliaccio and Jeff Baldwin vie to succeed the
“king”
of TRF, George Coulam, exploring who will lead the festival.
Struggles for succession are rife at TRF, showcasing betrayals, heartbreaks, and Coulam’s decision to stay in control.

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In three episodes, HBO Max’s documentary Ren Faire recounts the drama and power struggles behind the Texas Renaissance Festival (TRF), the largest theme park of its kind in the United States. Max’s new documentary has been compared to Succession due to the conflict revolving around who will inherit control of TRF and holds 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. For those who were previously unfamiliar with the festival, Ren Faire is an introduction to George Coulam, the owner and “king” of TRF, who is considering retirement. This sparks a debate over who will succeed him as the chief executive of the festival.

The foremost contenders to become king are Jeff Baldwin, the former entertainment director and current general manager (at the beginning of the documentary), and Louie Migliaccio, a businessman and TRF’s “Lord of Corn.”What follows is a power struggle among TRF’s various employees over what they think is best for the festival’s future. Ren Faire reveals relatively little about the history of TRF, focusing on its uncertain future as many people try to secure control of this lucrative business, while the king is consistently unreliable.

10 The Town Of Todd Mission Was Built Around TRF

TRF gave rise to the town where it is located in Texas.

Coulam is the king of TRF but also served as the mayor of Todd Mission, the town he created. When Coulam purchased the land that would become the location of TRF, the town of Todd Mission did not yet exist. Over time, more people moved to the area, primarily to work at TRF. Todd Mission is still very small, with a population of 121 permanent residents as of the 2020 census.

However, the fact that a population large enough to be considered a town grew up around TRF is a testament to the impact of the festival. It also illustrates how the economy and society of this place revolve around TRF, and by extension Coulam, as the person who controls it all. Ren Faire showcases how Coulam is not only responsible for the festival but also for Todd Mission, with many logistics that need to be managed on both ends.

9 Jeff & Louie Both Believe They Are The Best Choice To Be “King”

Ren Faire’s conflict is driven by people who are convinced of their abilities.

Ren Faire also swiftly introduces Baldwin and Migliaccio, who have much to say about the possibility of Coulam’s retirement. Baldwin has been at TRF the longest and was entertainment director before being promoted to general manager. Migliaccio is an entrepreneur from a family of entrepreneurs, who works at the festival primarily overseeing concessions operations, hence his title of the Lord of Kettle Corn. Both Baldwin and Migliaccio resolutely believe that they should succeed Coulam, and give the impression that the general staff of the festival expects it.

Both Baldwin and Migliaccio resolutely believe that they should succeed Coulam, and give the impression that the general staff of the festival expects it.

Baldwin argues that he has been at TRF longer and knows it better, understanding the artistic side of things and how to keep the magic alive. On the other hand, Migliaccio believes that Baldwin is not cut out for it because he is not a businessman. In this way, they are both very like members of the Roy family tree. Migliaccio is leading negotiations on behalf of his family to buy TRF, which will not end well for Baldwin (or for Migliaccio, for that matter).

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8 George Coulam Dates Many Women Much Younger Than Him

Coulam’s dating habits are showcased in Ren Faire.

George expresses his desire to retire to live a simple life, enjoying the rest of his life in peace with a companion. However, his approach to dating has not led to much success in finding someone to spend his life with. With the help of one of TRF’s employees (as Coulam says he struggles with computers) he is on many dating websites, including some “Sugar Daddy” websites. He even says in the documentary that his assistant told him not to reveal that.

Coulam mentions that on at least one of the websites he looks at women ages 30 to 60 (he is 85), but he dates two women in their 20s during the documentary. One of them he rejects because of a lack of connection, suggesting she is too young to understand him. He ends the other date when the woman tells him she has breast implants. No one in the documentary directly says that maybe Coulam should be looking for someone closer to him in age, while Baldwin’s replacement as general manager Darla Smith suggests that he should have stayed with his ex-wife.

7 George Entered Negotiations To Sell TRF While Jeff Was In Germany

Jeff feels betrayed when George starts the process of selling behind his back.

Baldwin is sent to Germany to explore a Renaissance festival and make connections with other people there with his wife Brandi. He is committed to seeing everything at the festival, which he sees as research for work. Baldwin mentions that in the back of his mind, he is worried that something will happen while he is away, but is more or less confident that Coulam will repay his loyalty and years of service.

However, Coulam begins negotiations with Migliaccio while Baldwin is away. Everyone involved seems to believe that the sale will go through quickly and that the Migliaccio will soon own the festival. Baldwin’s assistant Lauren Croft calls him while he is at a jousting show to tell him what is happening. He is completely stunned by the betrayal and being kept out of the loop; however, he resolves to play “the long game” and maintain his position at TRF.

6 Jeff Agreed To Replace His Wife As Entertainment Director At TRF

Jeff does not fight Brandi being demoted when he is trying to get back in George’s good graces.

Coulam expresses his anger towards Baldwin for making his wife the entertainment director after becoming general manager, seeing this as nepotism and not good for operations. Before Baldwin realizes he may be out of a job, he defends this decision, stating that Brandi has a relevant degree and is qualified. However, he changes his tune when it becomes clear that Coulam is seriously considering selling.

Brandi is removed from the role of entertainment director and Coulam begins looking over the resumes of other potential candidates. The general manager stops defending his hire, saying that going along with what Coulam wants is the best move for him right now. Baldwin tells his wife that this will be good for them in the long run, possibly suggesting that he would hire her back when he is king. However, things do not go at all the way he planned.

5 George Cut His Best Friends Out Of TRF

George’s ex-best friends give interviews in Ren Faire revealing how they were abruptly cut out.

Ren Faire features a brief interview with Paul and Honey, characterized as Coulam’s ex-best friends. Neither of them presently holds Coulam in high regard, saying that all he cares about is power and control. Paul and Honey were also both once a part of TRF; they relate that after 35 years working there, they were told that their contract was not being renewed, and they were forced to sell their operation. They perhaps managed a store or vendor stall within TRF.

Paul and Honey stress that all Coulam has is the festival, as he has ruined the most meaningful relationships in his life. Their words have strong a bearing on Coulam’s decision to sell the festival as well as his attempts to find a new partner. However, by the end of the documentary, neither of these matters will be completely resolved.

4 Jeff “Convinced” George To Not Sell To Louie

Jeff makes a last-ditch attempt to prevent the sale of TRF, which is only temporarily successful.

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Baldwin realizes that there is not enough time to slowly and subtly convince Coulam not to sell and make him the next king, as negotiations are in the final stages. Some of Migliaccio’s family came to the festival to view the premises and meet Coulam, showing how serious the potential sale was. Smith, at this time Baldwin’s co-general manager, agrees that selling to Migliaccio is the best option because Baldwin does not have the necessary business experience.

Baldwin makes a dramatic move when he goes to Coulam’s house at night to very directly say he believes selling is a bad idea and that his vision of the festival will disappear.

Baldwin makes a dramatic move when he goes to Coulam’s house at night to very directly say he believes selling is a bad idea and that his vision of the festival will disappear. Coulam considers his words, not having any huge reaction on camera. However, Migliaccio soon receives a call that Coulam has pulled the plug on the sale — Baldwin has seemingly succeeded in his coup.

3 George Fired Jeff After A Successful Season

Jeff is shocked and devastated when he is fired from TRF.

TRF’s festival season goes on as usual, and the company executives are pleased with the profits. Baldwin believes that his future at TRF is secure and that Coulam trusts him completely. However, after the season ends, Baldwin is fired from TRF, with no notice and no severance. Despite having worked for TRF for decades, Baldwin is completely shut out, with no consideration of offering him a new role.

Baldwin is devastated and secludes himself for some time. However, after recuperating somewhat, he sends an email to Coulam making an argument that while he was not fit to be general manager, he believes he was an excellent entertainment director, and is hired back in this capacity. Soon after this, Baldwin notices new tensions arising at TRF and believes he once again could become general manager and the heir apparent.

2 George Fired Darla After Ruining A Deal

The new general manager has an impossible job and is also fired from TRF.

If Baldwin was happy to do whatever was necessary to keep Coulam happy, his successor is constantly dealing with Coulam’s brash business decisions and relentless expectations. As Coulam’s professional relationship with Baldwin deteriorated, Smith was made the co-general manager at TRF. After Baldwin was fired, she became general manager. She set out to find a new buyer for the festival, as she still believed it was the right way forward.

However, Ren Faire highlights Coulam’s contradictory demands. He tells Smith to work on selling but is then mad that she has not accomplished other tasks. Smith is clearly irritated but is doing her best to do what is best for the company. The closing subtitles reveal that Smith was also fired after another deal fell through; the sale likely fell apart again because of Coulam’s behavior, while Smith was probably fired because of his personal frustrations with her that didn’t reflect on how well she did her job.

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1 George Remains King Of TRF

George does not sell the festival or retire from being TRF’s king.

In the final 10 minutes or so of the Max documentary, TRF again seems to be heading in the direction of selling to Migliaccio. The Lord of Corn largely disappears from the documentary after his first deal fell through, possibly cutting ties with Coulam because of his sporadic business decisions. However, Smith, who was always one of Migliaccio’s biggest supporters, facilitated a new round of negotiations for a beneficial purchase.

However, the closing subtitles for Ren Faire also reveal that these negotiations soon fell apart, following Smith being fired. While Baldwin remains the entertainment director, Coulam hired himself as the general manager of TRF, forgoing retirement. At this point, Coulam has apparently changed his mind about what his life is worth without the festival and opts to remain in control no matter what.

Source: https://anhngunewlight.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment