Day 19: Pulp Fiction

Some fun fact (druggie “knowledge”) from Pulp Fiction, Quentin’s masterpiece.

According to a convention of drug user (as well as drug dealers), coke (cocaine) should be contained in “baggies”, while heroin should be stored in “balloons”:

(yup, those plastic balloons). Drug dealers store heroin in balloons so they can swallow them should they run into a police raid. The balloons containing heroin will then be pooped out later.

Earlier in the movie, at Lance’s house, Lance [the guy who sells heroin to Vincent] tells Vincent “coke is fucking dead as… dead” and praises heroin, “Heroin, it’s coming back in a big fucking way”. However, just when Lance’s about to sell heroin to Vincent, Lance says that he’s out of balloons, and asks Vincent if baggies are all right [to store heroin].

That leads to the scene when Mia runs through Vincent’s pocket and find a white powder plastic bag, which she thinks it’s cocaine, but actually it’s heroin. She snorts in and O.D right away (OD = overdose). Heroin is a much more potent drug than coke, and an intake of heroin with the dose of cocaine can bring down an elephant (source Reddit r/askdrugs).

Fact 2: and Mia should not be mistaken that easily, if the heroin Vega buys is not of the highest quality (the “Madman”, $500/gram). Typically, “normal” heroin (less pure, less potent) is dark yellow or brownish yellow powder. Only some specific type of heroin, or extremely pure heroin powder has white color. Vincent’s heroin is white, just like cocaine [and is stored in baggies], and that causes Mia’s fatal mistake thinking it’s cocaine. Quentin is indeed very meticulous in every small details.

[Yeah, when you love the movie so much, you absorb every detail…]

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