Eddie The Freshman: Who Is Pedro Pascal In Buffy The Vampire Slayer?

Pedro Pascal joins the Buffy The Vampire Slayer cast for one episode "The Freshman".

"The Freshman" marks the beginning of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is the fifty-seventh episode in the series. Joss Whedon both wrote and directed the season premiere, which first aired on 5th October 1999, on The WB network. The exterior scenes depicting UC Sunnydale were shot on the UCLA campus. During its initial broadcast, "The Freshman" garnered an impressive audience of 4.4 million households.

"The Freshman" is the same episode where we meet Riley Finn, Buffy's boyfriend after Angel, for the first time. The pair meet with Willow in the UC Sunnydale Library.

Who does Pedro Pascal play in Buffy The Vampire Slayer?

Pedro Pascal plays Eddie or Edward in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, one of the first freshman Buffy meets at UC Sunnydale. He was credited in the role as "Pedro Balmaceda" as his full name is José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal.

On his first night at college, Eddie was searching for Dunwirth Hall and his dorm room and he meets Buffy on the way. Both of them were lost, so they teamed up to follow the map and find his dorm. After successfully finding it, they parted ways but were excited about seeing each other again as they hadn't yet made many friends. They promised to help each other get through the year.

As Buffy left, Eddie was ambushed by Sunday, a vampire, and her gang of followers. They looted almost all of Eddie's belongings from his dorm room and left a note implying that he left early due to the pressure of college. In reality, Eddie had been turned into a vampire and his body was left lying on the floor of their lair until he woke up.

After realising that Eddie was missing from their Psych 105 class, which they had discussed the night before, Buffy began to investigate his disappearance. She searched his vacant dorm room and discovered his copy of the novel "Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham" left behind. This led her to the conclusion that Eddie had been kidnapped, as he had confided in her that the book was his source of comfort in stressful situations and he wouldn't have forgotten it if he had really gone home early.

That evening, Buffy came across Eddie on the campus grounds, but her relief was short-lived when she realised that he had turned into a vampire. Despite the shock, she told him she was sorry for what had happened to him, and Eddie responded, "I'm not." He proceeded to attack her, but Buffy staked him and reduced him to dust.

Eddie had one deleted line in Buffy The Vampire Slayer when he first met Buffy looking for his dorm. It was as follows:

"Eddie. Edward. I mean— Edward. But I aspire to be Eddie."

What happens in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer episode "The Freshman"?

UC Sunnydale welcomes Buffy and Willow, but Buffy finds it difficult to adjust. She has a discouraging encounter with fellow student Riley Finn, a tough time living with her new roommate Kathy, and gets thrown out of a class by a professor. That night, Buffy befriends freshman Eddie, but unfortunately, he falls prey to a group of vampires led by Sunday. The next day, when Eddie doesn't show up for class, Buffy seeks advice from Giles, who encourages her to handle the situation independently.

The subsequent night, Buffy encounters Eddie again, but now as a vampire. She is left with no choice but to kill him. Sunday's gang of vampires then attack and overpower Buffy, causing her to flee to her mother's house and later to the Bronze club. There, she is surprised to see someone who resembles her former love interest, Angel. Xander cheers Buffy up, and together with Oz and Willow, they track down the vampires.

Buffy and her friends find themselves in the vampire's hideout, where Sunday once again dominates Buffy. However, when Sunday smashes Buffy's "Class Protector" trophy, Buffy becomes enraged, and with the support of Xander, Oz, and Willow, she turns the tide, defeating Sunday. 

What happens to Eddie in "The Freshman"?

While walking outside, Buffy encounters Eddie, a fellow freshman who is just as overwhelmed by their new environment as she is. They discuss needing a "security blanket" in such an unfamiliar place. Eddie confides that he finds comfort in reading his favourite novel, "Of Human Bondage", which he keeps by his bedside and has read ten times. Buffy, on the other hand, relies on her trusty stake, Mr. Pointy. As they part ways, Eddie runs into a group of vampires led by Sunday and he is kidnapped. They break into Eddie's dorm room and ransack his belongings, leaving a note on his bed claiming that he has dropped out of college due to the pressure.

The following day, Buffy attends her psychology class in hopes of finding Eddie, but he is nowhere to be seen. She decides to investigate and heads to his dorm room, only to find it empty with the note left behind. The dorm assistant explains that some students are unable to handle the pressures of college life and often drop out very quickly. However, Buffy notices that Eddie's favourite book is still on his nightstand. She realises that something is amiss as Eddie would never leave without it. 

Meanwhile, in Sunday's lair, the group of vampires sift through Eddie's belongings; Sunday complains that they should go after more "cool" people. Eddie is lying motionless on the floor having been bitten by the group. Suddenly his eyes snap open and he has been turned into a vampire too.

What else has Pedro Pascal been in?

The Chilean-American actor, Pedro Pascal, began his acting career in the late 1990s with small roles in various TV shows and films. As well as his role of Eddie in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, some of Pedro Pascal's early acting roles include Greg in Undressed on MTV, NYPD Blue as Dio, Reggie Luckman in Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Nathan Landry in The Good Wife.

Pascal gained wider recognition for his roles as Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the popular HBO series Game of Thrones and as Javier Peña in the series Narcos. In addition to his TV work, Pascal has also appeared in films such as "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," "The Equalizer 2," and "We Can Be Heroes."

More recently Pedro Pascal starred in the title role of The Mandalorian, the hit Disney+ series set in the Star Wars universe. He has also played a leading role in the film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent opposite Nicolas Cage. In 2023, Pedro Pascal's fame has reached new heights after appearing in the adaptation of the video game The Last of Us on HBO with Bella Ramsey.

Pedro Pascal's portrayal of Eddie in Buffy the Vampire Slayer may have been brief, but it has had a resurgence due to his success in The Last Of Us. Eddie's story served as a catalyst for Buffy's character development at UC Sunnydale by leading to the discovery of The Initiative and showcased the series' ability to handle dark and mature themes. Eddie the Freshman will always be a memorable part of the show's legacy, and Pedro Pascal's early role in the series is a stepping stone towards his future success.

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