Opening Image

“Pumpkin” and “Honey Bunny” are having breakfast at a diner, when Honey Bunny makes plans for another robbery. Pumpkin rejects her ideas due to the risks involved. She says that that’s what he always says before agreeing to it showing us that they constantly try to mend their ways but are eventually drawn back into a life of crime anyway.

He argues that they need to be smarter and change tactics if they want to keep their heads because their targets are wise to their act. In the spur of the moment, they decide to rob the diner as it’s an unlikely target. This scene establishes two things, the relevance of growth and advancement in the plot and marking the beginning of the robbery

Set Up

The opening credits plays a remixed version of ‘Misirlou’, a song originating from the 1920s and halfway through we hear the changing of radio stations followed by a song from the 70s being played. This again hints at advancement by moving further from a song that has been played over and over for decades and onto newer things.

We cut to Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield having a conversation about the subtle differences between Europe and America. It’s established that Vincent has been away from some time now and longs for a sense of familiarity after being exposed to foreign culture for so long. On arriving at their destination, they talk about how their boss, Marsellus Wallace once nearly killed a guy named Tony for giving his wife a foot massage. Jules thinks it was an overreaction but Vincent says it’s justifiable, as he believes in an old fashioned notion about boundaries. This tells us that Jules is more progressive and open-minded while Vincent is more of a traditionalist and thus narrow minded, which is again highlighted by the fact that Jules is willing to try burgers for breakfast and become a vegetarian for his girlfriend, while Vincent is more rooted to his old-time taste.

The two of them arrive at an apartment to collect what is owed to their boss, which is locked away in a briefcase and its combination is the number of the beast, telling us that they’re doing the devil’s bidding.

Meanwhile, Butch Coolidge is bribed by Marsellus to take a dive in an upcoming boxing match. He tells Butch that he’s a washed up boxer who’s on his way out so fixing this match wouldn’t hurt anything but his pride. Marsellus doesn’t realize just how prideful Butch is and bu calling him an underachiever, he’s adding fuel to the fire. On his way out, Vincent antagonizes Butch as he sees him as someone beneath him and so lacks any sense of respect for him, another aspect of his character that will be elaborated upon later.

Theme

Jules recites a Bible passage about the path of righteous men and how they will be blessed for doing the right thing every time. However, that path is constantly hindered by evil men and those men are destined to face the wrath of God. As of now, Jules believes Marsellus is the righteous man and those who get in the way of his operations are the evil men. He doesn’t see the error of his ways but soon enough he’ll have a moment of clarity.

Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace’s Wife

Opening Image: Vincent overhears a conversation about piercings, how their popular at the moment and how it helps with sex but he finds himself repulsed by it

Set Up: He deviates from his usual purchase and buys heroine instead based on his dealer’s recommendation. He’ll find himself regretting this decision eventually.

Catalyst: He brings up the fact that someone recently keyed his car

Debate: He and the dealer agree that as per tradition, there’s an unspoken rule that prevents one man from messing with another man’s car, but today no one honors that

Break into Two: Vincent gets high and goes over to Mia’s place

B Story: Mia acts as a catalyst for change in Vincent’s arc as they’re both opposites and finds themselves attracted to each other. At her place, we hear the song ‘Son Of A Preacher Man’ whose lyrics go “the only one who could ever reach me was the son of a preacher man”, telling us that though Mia is married to Masellus, Vincent is the only one she can open up to.

Fun and Games: They arrive at a 50s themed restaurant which Vincent finds insulting to the era but Mia tells him to not be such a square, which he is. Being under influence, he actually finds himself appreciating his surroundings and to an extent may even find himself at home. He orders a steak, which is synonymous with American culture and a Vanilla Coke (Coke being an American classic and vanilla representing plainness). Mia gets his attention when she orders a $5 milkshake which sounds outrageous and asks if he can try some, she agrees but insists he use her straw. The fact that he likes it tempts him to further stray away from his mind set.

She tells him about her failed TV show with a diverse, female led cast, something which Vincent would most likely not enjoy, but with his curiosity piqued so far, he asks her to tell him a joke from the show but she refuses. Eventually, they share an uncomfortable silence, to which Mia says it’s just because they don’t know each other that well yet. In the washroom, she’s the only woman who’s snorting coke while others are just applying makeup. Vincent asks her about the Tony incident and she reveals that they only shook hands and nothing more.

Midpoint: Mia forces him to participate in a twist contest, he refuses as he knows dancing with someone else’s wife would be crossing a major line but reluctantly agrees. The song played is ‘You Can Never Can Tell’ and is about a woman running away with another man on the day of her wedding, proving that you can never tell how things may turn out, just as Vincent and Mia had no idea they would be attracted to each other

Bad Guys Close In: Having won the contest, they get back home. Vincent heads to the washroom while Mia puts on some music. The song played is ‘Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon’ and is about falling for someone you’re not supposed to. She’s seen wearing Vincent’s coat and finds the heroine in one of the pockets and overdoses, this wouldn’t have happened if Vincent had kept his distance.

All is Lost: Vincent finds Mia knocked out on the floor

Dark Night of the Soul: He rushes Mia to his dealer’s place where they give her an adrenaline shot

Break into Three: On the drive back, they share complete silence as after this mortifying incident, they’re now close than ever before

Finale: They agree to never speak of this incident and shake on it, which is the same thing Tony did and is essentially Vincent digging his own grave.

Closing Image: We end with a close up of Vincent, just like in the opening image. He blows Mia a kiss as he knows that’s as close as he’ll ever get. This whole incident reassures him that the principles and mind-set he stuck by were right all along, thus bringing him back to exactly where he was in the opening image

The Gold Watch

Opening Image: A young Butch is visited by Captain Koons who hands him his father’s watch that’s been in his family for generations. He tells him just how difficult it was to make sure that watch stayed out of the hands of the Vietnamese soldiers which tells us to their family it’s a matter of pride. There is a possibility that the reason Butch double crossed Marcellus is because he a bit of racist as he’s seen watching a racist cartoon and Koons refers to the Vietnamese soldiers in a very demeaning way, so doing the bidding of a black man would not sit well with his pride.

Set Up: This memory constantly haunts Butch as everyone in his family had to earn that watch by fighting in wars but for Butch it was just handed over to him, so he feels like he hasn’t earned it and now by indulging in match fixing he’s even more unworthy of it. He decides to cheat Marsellus by winning the match and fleeing from the ring.

Catalyst: The cab driver tells him that he killed his opponent, Floyd

Debate: She asks him what it was like killing a man and he says it doesn’t bother him one bit. Despite no doing the devil’s bidding, he is still walking the path of evil right now

Break into Two: Being completely unfazed by the incident, Butch is seen bragging about it on the phone

B Story: He arrives at a motel where he’s laying low with his girlfriend Fabienne. She tells him that she thinks a pot belly would be very attractive on a woman, implying that she’s pregnant. Butch asks her if she thinks men would find her attractive with it, he says she doesn’t care as “what’s pleasing to the eyes and to the touch are seldom the same” telling us that though she’ll be unattractive she’ll be able to feel her child growing within her which would make it worth it. This makes the stakes higher for Butch as now he needs to earn the watch in order to be able to pass it on to his offspring.

Fun and Games: Butch wakes up to the sound of gunfire and explosions from a movie Fabienne is watching, showing us how he’s still haunted by the pressures of the past. They’re about to get breakfast and Fabienne appears to have a huge appetite, common for pregnant women. He realizes that the watch was left back in the apartment and goes back to get it.

Midpoint: At his apartment, he finds and kills Vincent who was there looking for him.

Bad Guys Close In: On his way back, he runs into Marsellus and runs him over but is hit by another car.

All is Lost: He gets chased into a pawn shop and the owner knocks him out.

Dark Night of the Soul: A cop named Zed arrives and rapes Marsellus while Butch manages to break free. He’s about to escape but finds himself unable to leave Marsellus behind and the situation mirrors the one his father was in when he was tortured in Vietnam.

Break into Three: He’s seen going through several weapons before settling on a katana sword, a noble weapon of an honorable warrior. Another parallel is made with the situation at hand and the one Butch’s father was in as we see dogtags in the torture room and a police offer and a soldier share a bit of likeness

Finale: Marsellus tells him that they’re now square provided he leaves and never returns

Closing Image: Butch arrives at the motel and they drive away on Zed’s chopper (a vehicle you’d use to escape an army camp). Having walked the path of the righteous man, he has earned the watch.

The Bonnie Situation

Opening Image: We once again hear Jules’ monologue, something that he’s yet to full understand

Set Up: Turns out there was a fourth man at the apartment and he comes out guns blazing

Catalyst: By some miracle, Vincent and Jules are both unharmed as he misses all the shots

Debate: By now we know Jules is more open minded and believes this to be an act of God while Vincent being narrow-minded shrugs it off as luck. Jules’ decides to quit after the briefcase has been handed over to Marsellus

Break into Two: Vincent accidentally shoots Marvin and they’re forced to head to Jimmy’s place. This incident can be viewed as a consequence to Vincent who refuses to heed to the warning presented in the form of the miracle

B Story: Jules understands the situation he’s putting Jimmy in and acts accordingly, meanwhile Vincent remains indifferent as he views Jimmy as someone beneath him and so lacks any form of respect for him. This is highlighted with how Vincent carelessly gets blood all over Jimmy’s towel

Fun and Games: The conversation Jules has with Jimmy mirrors the one he had with Bret at the beginning of the movie (Jimmy asking if his house has a sign about storing dead bodies is similar to Jules asking what Marsellus looks like) only this time he’s not in the position of power but he understands that and acts accordingly while Vincent fails to do so.

Despite being on the clock, Winston Wolf remains extremely calm but acts fast. On arrival, he even finds the time to have a cup of coffee. When issuing orders, Vincent asks him to be nicer, showing that he doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation.

The duo being stripped of their “work” clothes and into regular ones can be viewed as them not having control over the situation. When the job gets done even Vincent thanks Winston for his help out of sheer respect.

Midpoint: Jules is convinced that it’s time for him to quit the game, he plans to continue to be open minded and optimistic about where life takes him but Vincent sees it as him being just aimless.

They even talk about how personality determines a good chunk about a person and nearing the end we’ve learned quite a lot about Vincent and Jules’ personalities.

Bad Guys Close In: Pumpkin and Honey Bunny hold up the restaurant

All is Lost: Jules manages to disarm Pumpkin and holds him at gunpoint and the duo find themselves at their lowest point here.

Dark Night of the Soul: If Jules kills Pumpkin then he would be returning to his life of crime but instead he offers him a second chance by sparing his life

Break into Three: Jules finally understands the true meaning of the Bible passage and now walks the path of the righteous man

Finale: Pumpkin and Honey Bunny live to see another day on account of them trying to be smarter with their crimes

Closing Image: Jules is no longer trapped in a life of crime and heads out for a new start while Vincent heads back to the only life he knows. The movie begins with violence but ends with a peaceful resolution.