Apparently, the succession plot twists at the Renaissance Fair in Todd Mission, Texas did not end with the conclusion of the three-part HBO docuseries “ Ren Faire .” In fact, according to director Lance Oppenheim , it was the airing of the last two episodes on June 9 that actually led to the latest chapter in the saga. “George [Coulam] watched Episodes 2 and 3 , and he loved the series so much that he actually cleaned the office out again and he gave Jeff [Baldwin] his old job back, so now Jeff is the new general manager,” said Oppenheim on an upcoming episode of IndieWire’s Toolkit podcast .
“Jeff is back in charge.” This is the position Baldwin was in at the start of Episode 1 of “ Ren Faire .” The loyal, dedicated employee of 43 years, had risen from being the festival’s long-serving entertainment director to its new general manager, in charge of running the day-to-day operations of the multi-faceted multi-million dollar enterprise that Coulam had built from scratch.
At the start of the series Baldwin is under the impression Coulam, the 86-year old mayor-owner-cosplay king, plans to steadily step aside in the coming years (seeking the companionship of a yet-to-be-found younger woman in his Golden years), handing over the reigns to Baldwin and his team. But at the end of Episode 1, which Oppenheim coined “ Jeff’s Ego Death ,” the rug is pulled out from underneath Baldwin when Coulam decides to sell the festival (in a deal that ultimately falls apar.
