History Fridge / PulpFiction

* Butch's apparent reverence for the katana he uses to save Marsellus doesn't just underscore his samurai-like commitment to honor. Since his father died in a Japanese P.O.W. camp, it also shows that he's capable of respecting people he should have every reason to hate... which may be part of the reason why he goes back to help Marsellus.

* Jules' habit of [[MaliciousMisnaming sarcastically calling Pumpkin "Ringo"]] in the final scene can be taken as a subtle clue that he's a fan of Music/TheBeatles, referencing the deleted scene in which Mia states that "You're either a Beatles man or an Elvis man," and she correctly concludes that Vincent is an "Elvis man." So much of Jules's and Vincent's character dynamic is centered around the fact that they're polar opposites of each other (one's black, the other's white; one's religious, the other's a skeptic; one's a serious and intense professional, the other's a casual, irresponsible druggie; one goes straight, the other dies in a bathroom; etc.), and the fact that they're "a Beatles man" and "an Elvis man", respectively, ties into this.

* Jules' habit of [[MaliciousMisnaming sarcastically calling Pumpkin "Ringo"]] in the final scene can be taken as a subtle clue that he's a fan of Music/TheBeatles, referencing the deleted scene in which Mia states that "You're either a Beatles man or an Elvis man," and she correctly concludes that Vincent is an "Elvis man." So much of Jules's and Vincent's character dynamic is centered around the fact that they're polar opposites of each other (one's black, the other's white; one's religious, the other's a skeptic; one's a serious and intense professional, the other's a casual, irresponsible druggie; one goes straight, the other dies violently; etc.), and the fact that they're "a Beatles man" and "an Elvis man", respectively, ties into this.

[[AC: FridgeHorror]]
* After the fight, Butch shoots shit with Fabienne about speaking Spanish before going to bed. "What time is it?" triggers something in Fabienne to speak to Butch about something important, but he's already asleep and it goes out of her mind. It is quite plausible this is the first moment she forgets she packed the watch, and if he had been awake, then the events of the morning may have occurred the night before... except as it's so late, the pawn shop might have been closed, so there would've been no subplot to complicate Marsellus chasing down Butch with a gun in his hand.

* I don't think this is really Fridge, but it should be clarified: some film trivia buffs claim that Butch was the one who keyed Vince's Malibu. While Butch has motive and means, he doesn't have opportunity in the finished film (although the script includes a scene where the Malibu pulls into the club parking lot and parks next to Fabienne's Honda), because even if it was there, it would be sheer luck that Butch chose the correct car to exact his revenge on. This is moot anyway, because later that afternoon, when Vincent is telling Lance about the damage, he starts off by saying "You know what happened the other day?" (i.e., prior to the chronological beginning of the movie).

* Vincent uses heroin, and one side effect of being a dope fiend is constipation. This explains why Vincent is so backed up that he's constantly trying to relieve himself, and also why he habitually takes so long that he brings a book everywhere to read on the john. Eventually, his habit catches up with him.

* Vincent's reaction when Butch kills him makes logical sense when one realizes that the MAC-10 Butch finds on the counter isn't his, but Marsellus's. Vincent and Marsellus were staking out the apartment together, since it was a job that Marsellus was interested in carrying out personally. Vincent went to the bathroom while Marsellus headed out to get coffee and donuts for the two of them (Marsellus is carrying a pink box with two coffee cups on top when he encounters Butch later on at the intersection). Vincent most likely heard someone entering the apartment; he just assumed it was Marsellus returning from his errand, which explains why Vincent didn't react. Vincent is also a heroin addict, which can seriously cloud your better judgment.
* I don't think this is really Fridge, but it should be clarified: some film trivia buffs claim that Butch was the one who keyed Vince's Malibu. While Butch has motive and means, he doesn't have opportunity in the finished film (although the script includes a scene where the Malibu pulls into the club parking lot and parks next to Fabienne's Honda), because even if it was there, it would be sheer luck that Butch chose the correct car to exact his revenge on. This is moot anyway, because later that afternoon, when Vincent is telling Lance about the damage, he starts off by saying "You know what happened the other day?" (ie. prior to the chronological beginning of the movie).

* In a deleted scene, Mia asks Vincent if he's an [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis man]] or a [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles man]]. Vincent is the former, and Jules refers to Pumpkin as [[Music/RingoStarr Ringo]], so he's obviously the latter.

* Marsellus makes a deal to spare Butch's life over the rescue in the pawn shop. But Marsellus doesn't have any idea that Butch killed one of his enforcers (Vince) just roughly less than an hour before (although, it could be argued he figured out Vincent was dead when he saw Butch driving). He's already down one top enforcer today, since Jules has quit the life. However, given Vincent's rather obvious nature as a constant fuck-up, while Marsellus' organization's strength has possibly gone down, it's probably not as vulnerable as it could be.

* It has been argued that Vincent and Butch represent two contrasting approaches to ethics. Vincent's conversation with himself before going on the "date" with Mia is about loyalty to his boss: he will not attempt to start anything with Mia because he believes that loyalty is important, but on the other hand he has no problem with killing people for money. In other words, for Vincent, loyalty to Marsellus trumps larger ethical concerns (and even then, he has to ''remind himself'' that he is loyal to Marsellus, and who knows what might have happened if Mia hadn't OD'd?) Butch, on the other hand, believes in at least one rigid ethical principle, which is that you help people who need help, regardless of your relationship with them. Butch didn't intend to kill Floyd in the ring; remember that he was being paid to ''lose'' the fight, but he instead he broke his deal with Marsellus and fought to win, like a boxer should do, and accidentally killed Floyd. In the pawn shop, after he's escaped from and killed the Gimp, Butch has every reason to flee and leave Marsellus, his biggest enemy in the world, to his fate, but he '''can't do it'''. The reason he can't do it is the Gold Watch story, which taught Butch at an early age that you help out people who you have no reason to help out, other than that it's the right thing to do--illustrated by the gunner, Winocki, who has no connection to the watch but was asked to hand it on, and did so, even though if he'd stolen it, nobody would have been any the wiser. So Butch helps his enemy, Marsellus, at considerable personal risk to himself, even though he has no particular reason to suppose that Marsellus will reward him. And Marsellus does reward him, by agreeing not to kill him as long as he never returns to L.A. Jules' character arc in the film is that he moves from Vincent's approach to ethics (do what you're told to do by your boss, because he's your boss) to Butch's (do the right thing, regardless of the consequences.)

** Except how's he going to do it without a passport and now any money?

* Creator/SteveBuscemi plays a waiter. In the [[Film/ReservoirDogs previous Tarantino film]], Buscemi's character explains why he doesn't like to tip, essentially making this LaserGuidedKarma.
* The prologue features a rather famous moment in which Jules intimidates Brett by [[EnemyEatsYourLunch snatching his hamburger and eating it in front of him]] before remorselessly murdering him. It's easy to miss, but that scene is practically a mirror image of another scene in "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife": Mia orders a hamburger at Jackrabbit Slim's, and Vincent (Jules' {{foil}}) respectfully keeps his distance while she eats it -- subtly showing that the soft-spoken, feminine Mia has far more power than the ambitious, masculine Brett. Jules' dialogue even subtly highlights the connection, as he chews Brett out for "fucking" Marsellus, and points out that only "Mrs. Wallace" is allowed to do that.

* After the kid with the "hand cannon" empties his weapon and improbably misses Jules and Vincent at point-blank range, Jules decides that this is an act of God, a message telling the two hitmen to give up "the life". Jules is proven correct later when Vincent is killed by Butch when he returns to his apartment to retrieve the watch. If Jules hadn't quit being a hitman, he would have been in the apartment with Vincent when Butch came back. The miracle may have actually saved Butch, not Jules, since the latter would likely have been guarding the apartment while Vincent was in the bathroom, but the scene would have gone down very differently if Jules had not quit. And Vincent certainly would not have been killed if he had followed his partner's advice and quit "playing blindman" by continuing to murder people for a living.
** And on top of all that, the diner scene would have played out differently: either Jules and Vincent wouldn't have been there at all, or Jules would still have been in his old mindset.

* Vincent dies because he shits where he eats. He first comes close to doing so when he is tempted by Mia (his boss's wife) and then he seals his fate when he takes a bathroom break in Butch's apartment (being on the job at the time). And the one time he doesn't take a shit where he metaphorically ate, is when he takes a shit where he literally ate, at the diner.
** Vincent uses heroin, and one side effect of being a dope fiend is constipation. This explains why Vincent is so backed up that he's constantly trying to relieve himself, and also why he habitually takes so long that he brings a book everywhere to read on the john. Eventually, his habit catches up with him.

* Butch's choice of a samurai sword seems to fall completely in line with KatanasAreJustBetter. He's awed by the sword's majesty, and it symbolizes the honorable decision he's made to rescue Marcellus. However, the sword is also the most practical weapon available: the hammer and baseball bat wouldn't as damaging as a blade, and the chainsaw would make a lot of noise to forewarn the rapists. The samurai sword is also the only item he sees that was designed to be a weapon rather than a tool.

* In a deleted scene, Mia asks Vincent if he's an [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis man]] or a [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles man]]. Vicent is the former, and Jules refers to Pumpkin as [[Music/RingoStarr Ringo]], so he's obviously the latter.