in: Season 1 Characters, Characters, Recurring Characters, Living Characters
Arnold Pinter
US Marshals (Informant), bookie
Arnold Pinter is a recurring character in the first season of the FX series Justified. Arnold Pinter is a freelance "fixer", bookie, and a confidential information to the US Marshals. Rachel explains that Pinter becomes the responsibility of whoever the rookie Marshal is in the office, a duty that was once held by Tim Gutterson, but gets passed onto Raylan Givens. Pinter appears in two episodes in the first season, the first being Fixer, in which he is held hostage by his girlfriend Samantha, client Travis Travers, as well as his "collector" Curtis Mims. He has a brief appearance in "Hatless", where he provides Raylan with information about Wynn Duffy. Pinter was portrayed by guest star David Eigenberg.
Pinter is a fast and smooth talking bookie and "fixer" from Brooklyn, New York. Pinter has a reputation as being a "snitch" and originally provided Tim with information for the US Marshals until becoming Raylan's responsibility. Pinter also gave Raylan the information needed to track down an escaped convict named Tiny Winfield, who had taken refuge at his wife's house. Pinter is also seen to be very friendly with women, often flirting and having casual conversations with the waitresses in the bar.
Raylan first visits Pinter in the episode "Fixer", after being assigned Pinter as an informant. Pinter sits in the back of a bar, served by Samantha, who is also his girlfriend. Pinter explains to Raylan exactly what it is that he does, before providing the information Raylan needs about "Tiny" Winfield. The next morning, a collector for Pinter named Curtis Mims visits him at the bar, and Pinter explains that a client of his named Travis Travers owes him $16,500 and Curtis agrees to go collect it for him. However, Travis admits to not having the money but rather that he can double it by robbing Pinter's house. The two (along with Pinter's girlfriend) tie Pinter up to a chair and put a bag over his head. Travis removes the bag as well as a cloth that was stuffed into Pinter's mouth to gag him, and Curtis brings Samantha into the room, threatening to "prune" her fingers. Pinter knows that she is in on the scheme due to the fact he is the one that told her about his escape fund. Travis soon gets greedy and decides he wants all the money for himself (as well as the reward the Marshals are giving Pinter for the information he gave), and kills Curtis in the backyard while they are practicing drawing in order to help Curtis beat Raylan. Samantha has a change of heart and unties Pinter and gives him the gun from Curtis. The two hide out in the hallway while the gunfight between Travis and Raylan goes on. As Raylan goes to walk through a door, Pinter mistakenly shoots him. Raylan is saved by his kevlar vest. Raylan hears Travis coming through the door behind him and shoots through the door, killing Travis. At the end of the episode Pinter lets Samantha go because she was just doing what he taught her and is given $20,000 reward money for telling the Marshals about Tiny. He plans to go to Tahiti when he has enough money.
In his next and last appearance, in "Hatless", Pinter is back from Tahiti ("It ain't like the postcard"), and with his eyes set on a new waitress, Gale. Raylan visits him in order to get information about Wynn Duffy. Pinter warns Givens that Duffy is a "mercurial" and in the hire of one Emmitt Arnett. He explains further that when the economy turned, Arnett realized that he could take people's money legitimately, and if they can't pay him back, he takes their money and more.
Tim Gutterson: U.S. Marshal
Raylan Givens: U.S. Marshal
Curtis Mims: Collector, deceased
Travis Travers: Client, deceased
Samantha: Girlfriend
Season one appearances