Uneasy waitress


When Eddie and Frankie were in the diner waiting for their sandwiches, the waitress seemed to be overcome by a sense of wariness or hesitation. Was she picking up on the two men's own solemn mood and jitteriness, or was it, understandably, that people were on edge knowing the fugitives were out there on the lam? The robbery was all people were talking about, including the unlucky gas station attendant and the three young men seated at a table in the diner. I also wondered if there was an attraction between Frankie and the waitress. When Frankie tossed the waitress what seemed to be a fiver and told her to keep the change, Eddie quickly realized that was a bad move, five bucks was a lot of money in those days and their bill only came to a dollar and some change; it was like saying, "I have money to throw away, because I'm filthy rich now!"

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It was an odd scene. Either she was attracted to him - which would seem pretty improbable given he was around 100 years older than her – or she twigged that they may be the thieves and would like some of the action. Her question: driving back this way soon? could apply to either scenario. An earlier comment by one of the guys in the diner: you better watch out mister she’s got a criminal mind, points to her suspecting who they were.

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I guess I forgot about those comments after I watched the movie. What stuck in my mind, was the waitress's sudden alertness, but I wasn't sure what was up with her. Your observations make sense; she was most likely one smart cookie who instinctively suspected (twigged? charmingly British!) the men were the gold thieves. One could almost see the wheels turning in her head: lose this hash-slinging job, a life of luxury, reward money, blackmail maybe? It was a somewhat ambiguous scene open to different interpretations.

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