The watch was always precious to him because it came from his father. That doesn’t mean he had digested the message that came along with it. The dream might actually have jogged his memory a bit.
I too find it remarkable that Jules is the one to tell Ringo “Go and sin no more.” The dejected look on his face as he and Yolanda slink out of the diner might mean he’s actually learned something. After all, he came within an inch of getting blown away.
I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed it, but there’s a sudden change in angle as Yolanda starts screaming about “blowing every mother fucker’s head off.” One moment, we’re at eye level; the next, we’re looking down from above—a real “God’s Eye” view.
The dialog changes too. Her words don’t match what she said in the teaser. I’ve read that this was not a goof—it’s what was actually written in the script. I get the feeling we’ve gone to an alternate timeline, one in which the fates of all the characters aren’t foredained.
Speaking of continuity markers, have you ever noticed that the first time we see Yolanda, we can also see Vincent in the background, trudging toward the toilet to take a shit? I didn’t notice that until the fifth or sixth time I saw the movie. (He’s visible just over her right shoulder, wearing his blue T-shirt.)
Since Elvis was the “King” Vincent “worshipped,” it’s appropriate that he died like him—on the toilet!
When he’s upset with Fabienne for forgetting the watch, he says something to the effect of, “Do you have any idea what my father had to go through to get me that watch? I don’t have time to get into it right now, but it was a lot.” So clearly he’s got some memory of what Koons told him about the watch.
Yes, but does he remember the part about two men in a desperate situation not abandoning each other? Seems to me it dawns on him only after he realizes he’s free to get away, but he chooses not to.
I doubt he’s ever been faced with a choice like this.
I never really got the vibe that they reformed, although that is an interesting take on it. I just figured they were coming down off of a massive adrenaline rush after the standoff. I kinda like your interpretation; makes it even more of a morality tale if Jules did save them from their self-destructive path.
There are other interesting loose ends. When Butch picks up Fabienne on the motorcycle chopper, he says something like “this has been the weirdest day in my life. Hop on and I’ll tell you all about it.” Does he tell her everything, after promising Marcellus that he wouldn’t? Does Marcellus want revenge after discovering that Vincent was shot at Butch’s apartment? How does Jimmy explain to Bonnie that all of their dark linens have suddenly disappeared?
Vincent goes to the bathroom three times in the movie. Each time he’s gone, something very, very bad happens. And that doesn’t include making a mess of Jimmy’s towels or the guy with the goddamned hand cannon.
I think Marsellus already had a pretty good idea that Vincent was no longer among the living when he spotted Butch tooling along in a car outside his apartment. Not that he really cared about his hired help.
I wonder how many people grasp the significance of that event. One minute we’re in a parody of Psycho (remember how Janet Leigh’s boss saw her driving away from the scene of the crime?), and from there we go straight to Deliverance.
Butch not only finds “Redemption” and “Grace” for himself, he provides “Deliverance” for Marsellus as he’s being raped by the Hillbillies.
Marcellus was carrying a box of doughnuts when he crossed in front of Butch at a light.
Looks like he was out getting breakfast (and filling in for the now retired Jules) while Vincent was supposed to be holding down the fort. But Vincent was in the toilet when Butch got to the apartment.
Vincent is apparently very regular and needs more fiber (maybe order fewer steaks!) cause he was also in the bathroom at the diner for a long time pretty much exactly 24 hours earlier when stuff went down there.
And Jeez, how stupid does a hit man have to be to leave his loaded Uzi on the kitchen counter in the home of his target while he goes into the next room to take a shit?
He had faced three desperate situations earlier that same day. In his boxing match, he had fought so hard his opponent died. And he hadn’t told his manager about his plan so Marcellus was able to torture him for information (although I believe this scene was cut from the movie). And of course there was the scene in the apartment where he shot Vincent.
So while Butch may have been focused just on himself and Fabienne before the fight, he might have been feeling some belated remorse for the other people who had died due to his plan. When he was confronted with a situation where a fourth person (even if it was Marcellus) was going to die, he decided to do something other than run away again.
It’s clear from the encounter at the bar in the opening that Butch and Vincent immediately hate each other’s guts for no apparent reason. So no remorse there.
He also shows no remorse when the cab driver tells him his boxing opponent is dead. “Serves him right for messin’ up my sport.”
We don’t know how close he was to his manager, or even if he was in on the scam to defraud Marsellus. (I suspect not.) He may even have been one of Marsellus’s crew, so it would be natural for him not to be a matter of concern to Butch.
It might not have occurred to him that the manager would be worked over to determine his whereabouts, though I find that doubtful. I think it’s easier to assume he just didn’t give a shit, for one reason or another.
Marsellus is a different case, though. Yes, walking away from the pawn shop would be the easiest way for Butch to solve all his problems, but I think whatever feelings of remorse he’s capable of surface at that point.
I like the idea that Fabienne is pregnant. Maybe Butch has just grasped the fact that he’s about to become a daddy.
We DOLLY around a phone booth as Butch talks inside.
BUTCH
(into phone)
What'd I tell ya, soon as the word
got out a fix was in, the odds would
be outta control. Hey, if he was a
better fighter he's be alive. If he
never laced up his gloves in the
first place, which he never shoulda
done, he'd be alive. Enough about
the poor unfortunate Mr. Floyd, let's
talk about the rich and prosperous
Mr. Butch. How many bookies you
spread it around with?
(PAUSE)
Eight? How long to collect?
(pause)
So by tomorrow evening, you'll have
it all?
(pause)
Good news Scotty, real good news � I
understand a few stragglers aside.
Me an' Fabienne're gonna leave in
the morning. It should take us a
couple days to get into Knoxville.
Next time we see each other, it'll
be on Tennessee time.
There’s a fascinating film analysis of the Gold Watch story here on YouTube which is well worth a look. Essentially the reviewer makes the point that Butch re-lives his father’s war efforts by recovering the watch:
(edited because the link didn’t work, just take the dot out of https)
http.s://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qD1YChetgY