Character Analysis
Nice Jacket Eddie
Ever since that first diner scene, Eddie Cabot stands out. All the men are wearing suits and ties for the job, while Eddie is kicking it in his '80s jacket. Eddie's the son of the big boss Joe, so he doesn't get a name like the others and he's not going to be working "in the field" at all. Eddie's just a coordinator like his pops but he still hangs out as if he's one of the guys.
He jokes around at the diner, with Blonde in his father's office (he has quite the sense of humor), and in the car with White and Pink and Orange. He's sort of in charge of things but he doesn't have the responsibilities of his father, so he has plenty of time to debate the identity of different actresses and tell stories about Lady E. and crazy glue.
Don't Mess with Eddie
We don't know if Nice Guy Eddie is a descriptive or ironic nickname. We're sure Eddie is a real swell fellow if you catch him on a good day. Unfortunately, the day the robbery goes haywire is not a good day.
Eddie has some tough words for White and Pink when he gets to the abandoned funeral home. He yells at them for beating a cop:
EDDIE: If you f***ing beat this prick long enough, he'll tell you who started the goddamn Chicago fire. Now that don't necessarily make it f***ing so!
He also berates them for even suggesting there's a rat and especially for leaving all their cars parked outside like "Sam's hot car lot." He's clearly a sensible guy when it comes to crime.
When Eddie gets back from moving the cars, things start to really go down. His old friend, Vic Vega (Blonde), is dead and Eddie is not happy. Orange starts to tell the truth about what Blonde was going to do (and already did) to the cop. Eddie's response is to say, "this cop?" and shoot him three times in the chest.
Eddie doesn't mess around.
Then he gets all up in Orange's face (or as close as he can since Orange is lying in a pool of blood on the ground about ten feet in diameter). Tarantino doesn't use a whole lot of close-ups, but when Eddie starts getting angry we get super up close and personal; we can see the spit fly from his lips and his eyes start to bulge out of their sockets.
Eddie, like his father, is a man who values loyalty. He knows that Vic would never have done what Orange says. He also doesn't hesitate to take out an old friend when his own father's life is threatened. As much as he doesn't want to shoot White, Eddie can't stand somebody pointing a gun at his father, so when White shoots Joe, Eddie shoots back and everybody dies.
Nice Guy Eddie's Timeline