Ren Faire Series Review

Ren Faire (2024)
Season 1 - 3 episodes

Rent Ren Faire on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Lance Oppenheim, David Gauvey Herbert
Rated: TV-14
Watch the trailer

Plot
When the ailing king of America's largest renaissance festival declares his retirement, a power struggle ensues between an actor, a former elephant trainer, and a kettle-corn kingpin to claim his throne.

Verdict
While the setting is unique, the subject is a cranky old man that has made himself a king. He's not likable, and this story is nothing new. While he considers selling his business for the money, it's clear he likes everyone being subservient to his whims. We see three people fighting over the kingdom, hoping to secede him, but it's clear he doesn't really want to sell. This ends in much the same position as where it started. An unlikable man that's still trying to sell his business, taking advantage of the feelings people have for the fair and basking in the attention it gets him. This doesn't translate the magic of the fair to the screen as it's too focused on the human drama. That's nothing we haven't seen before.
Skip it.

Review
The Texas Renaissance Festival is America's largest Renaissance fair, occupying fifty-five acres with an additional two hundred acres for camping. "King" George Coulam created this event, incorporating a town as the fair is so big. He's considering retiring, having run this fair for nearly fifty years.

In the first episode, we're introduced to King George. He's both the mayor of this town and the King of the Ren Faire. He seems to have a personal driver that takes him around in a gold trimmed Cadillac Escalade and an employee to manage his fifteen different profiles for online dating. He talks about the pills he likes to use and going out with women. The documentary doesn't mention this, but if you pause it at the right moment, you see his employee typing a message about how a prospective date will be paid $400 for a lunch date. George is prickly, caustic. People talk of him reverently, but I can't stand him. In episode three he has a list of questions for when he goes on a date. It's clear he doesn't want a relationship, he wants a sex toy.

Jeff Baldwin and "King" George Caulum

This is a wild world, but the fair is big business. General Manager Jeff Baldwin and "King of Corn" Louie Migliaccio vie to take over. Jeff apparently wants George to give him the fair, while Louie offers to buy it. They criticize each other, pointing out why they should get it and the other shouldn't. Jeff touts his loyalty and position as general manager, though he irritates George by trying to get his wife a job. George dislikes Louie because of his long hair and spelling of his name. These are petty people; big fish in a small pond.

There's a reason the people we see love the fair and stick around despite the work environment, but the documentary never delves into that. The focus is on George and those in his orbit. I'm also not sure how long the fair runs. While there are year round employees, how long is the fair?

George's estate, Stargate Manor, is wild. His house looks like its own renaissance fair. It sits on two-hundred acres including his palace residence, arboretum, cathedral, temple, amphitheater, spiritual complex, and art studio. George wants to sell and maintain his income, claiming he makes seven million a year. I wish the doc went into how. Is it all from the fair?

Vendor coordinator Darla appears in the second episode. She's a rival to Jeff, but only because George likes her more. Jeff even claims she and Louie are plotting against him. They're not, George is just mad about Jeff's mistakes. Jeff pleads with George not to sell to Louie. Jeff gets fired, and his problem is that he's not objective. He can't see where he failed, though "King" George doesn't give him any constructive criticism citing that Jeff is 'irritating.'

In the third episode, George seems no closer to selling. He's considering selling shares to his employees and vendors, but that doesn't go anywhere. George likes people fawning over him. He likes to dictate how and what. He tells Darla how much time and when she should be reading in more detail than anyone would like. He's condescending and impatient, wanting answers quickly; sometimes that's justified, sometimes he's acting like a petulant child. I just don't know why anyone would want to work for him. In spite of or maybe because of it, he's created a huge renaissance fair. He wants to sell and cash out, but he also doesn't want to give up his kingdom. He like that people give him fealty.

This is a portrait of an ornery old man that has crowned himself king. I wish this went into the appeal of the renaissance fair or what's drawn the attendees and employees to this event. There has to be some kind of magic to the fair, but you wouldn't know it. This documentary doesn't go deep enough. There's a lot happening between the lines, but much of that goes unexplored.