Edward James Arthur Winslow (born on January 28, 1974) age 42, is a supporting character portrayed by singer/actor Darius McCrary on the ABC/CBS American sitcom Family Matters from 1989 to 1998. In the series, he was the teen-aged son and eldest child of Carl and Harriette Winslow.
Background
Personality
During the early years of Family Matters, Edward—or Eddie, as he was commonly known—is a typical teenage boy, whose main interests were cars, girls; and pulling hijinks typical of boys his age. Throughout school, he was a mediocre student, earning only average grades (although once, Rodney changed his grades by hacking into the school's computer system as a practical joke).
Often, his judgement was not the best, and this frequently landed him in trouble. Several times, he developed a gambling habit and was prone to not going to Carl out of fear he'd be yelled at. This landed him in trouble with a pool shark named Boyd Higgins, a tough bookie named Bones, and the law. In the latter instance, he tried to gamble with Steve at an illegal casino to pay for repairs to the family car, which he damaged while driving without a license because he was trying to impress Jolene. Other times, he let other people take the blame for his mistakes (such as the time he said nothing when the nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel, told Carl he drove the family car through the front of the house, when in fact Eddie was the guilty one). However, on most of those occasions he later admitted his guilt (as in the aforementioned car-through-the-front-of-the-house incident, where he admitted his guilt after finding out that Steve was being sent to military school for what happened). Eddie also had let Steve take the fall in A Test of Friendship. Although feeling guilty, he refused to help save him by confessing, because it would show he didn't study. Eddie eventually confessed after Laura threatened to tell their parents and the school the truth about him cheating on his chemestry test if he didn't save Steve from expulsion.
Eddie's father, Carl, often came down very hard on him, something that frustrated him to the point that, more than once, he threatened to move out of the house (and once actually made good on that threat). However, Eddie would eventually see the error of his ways, and make up with his father. He often got along with his mother, Harriette, while having typical "brother/sister" relationships with his younger sisters, Laura and Judy.
In time, Eddie gained maturity, even coming to his father when something wasn't right; for instance, he told his father he had been scammed by a con artist, who promised him and a friend a chance to meet members of the Chicago Bulls at a bar he owns (which Urkel had suspected all along and refused to go inside), and THUS was left with an expensive bill. Another time was when he got ripped off by Weasel's friend when he sold him a stolen stereo system, which Urkel also suspected of foul play. However, he still was prone to late-night carousing and other mistakes. The latter trait nearly backfired when Eddie was the victim of a harrowing racial profiling incident with two overzealous Caucasian police officers and Carl did not initially believe him, as he had already gotten in trouble the night before for breaking curfew and figured Eddie was just using it as an excuse for more misbehavior (everyone else believed Eddie but Carl didn't and thought he was lying.) He eventually had to get the cops side of the story not only after Eddie tearfully told his father off for not believing him, but also Harriette and Estelle telling him that he needs to talk to the cops who arrested him first. Carl later confronted both officers in a coffee shop and found out that Eddie was telling the truth when the senior officer who arrested him revealed himself as a racist. Outraged, he took action by reporting the senior officer, while encourage the rookie to re-evaluate himself.
During the early years of Family Matters, Eddie liked to play basketball. In fact, one of his dreams was to become a basketball player in college, and possibly be drafted into the NBA. While basketball remains one of his passions in later years, he re-assessed those dreams when a former college standout told him about the pitfalls of putting sports before academics in college.
Eddie, who worked for several years in a management position at the Mighty Weenie restaurant, enrolls in college but his academic skills are still meager, and eventually realizes his life-long dream is to follow in his father's footsteps: law enforcement. During the final season, Eddie attends the police academy, and is hired by the Chicago Police Department as a rookie officer. Eddie is progressing well in his new profession, which is detoured for a short time when his overprotective mother, Harriette, has him transferred to parking enforcement. It is then that Eddie is grazed by an armed robber's bullet; he is nonetheless able to capture him. Harriette soon learns her lesson that while the job is dangerous, he still needs to do his job and protect his community
Season 10
If the show had continued in it's final season, it would've been revealed that Stefan would ask Eddie for help and they would team up to stop Myra from ruining Steve and Laura's wedding. It took three tries before they were successful. He would also team with Cornelius to help stop a convicted felon from killing Carl. With Eddie's encouragement, he was able to overcome his former friends. He would be involved in the rescue of Myrtle when a dangerous thug holds her and everyone else inside the Sizzle Club hostage. was also in attendance with Steve, Laura and the other Winslows in staying with Stefan before he disappeared in Death Of Stefan. Eddie and Greta has announced they're gonna get married right away, at the same time that Waldo and Maxine are. However, it goes awry when the witnesses mistakenly marries Eddie off to Maxine and Waldo to Greta. Steve and Laura are recruited to help fix the mistake and get them rightfully married to their spouses. Eddie faces a tough decision when he's offered a job in the New York City Police Department when there is a shortage of cops in New York. Realizing that nothing made him more happier than being both a cop and loving Greta, he takes the reassignment to New York. However before they leave, Eddie and Greta witnesses the birth of Steve and Laura's daughter, Stephanie Laurine Urkel.
Trivia
Eddie's original name in a draft of the Perfect Strangers episode Crimebusters, is Steve Winslow, the name given to a variation of Steve Urkel in It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Urkel. The name Steve would be reused for Steve Urkel. Steve Winslow was also supposed to appear in that episode.
Friends and adversaries
Steve Urkel
Like the rest of his family, Eddie's relationship with next-door neighbor Steve Urkel — who is two years younger than him and the same age as Laura — evolved. During the early years, Eddie felt little more than pity for Urkel, and like Laura and Carl, thought of him as annoying; Urkel, meanwhile, idolized Eddie and (perhaps thinking of him as a big brother) considered him his "best bud." However, Eddie was grateful for tutoring help the math-whiz Urkel gave him, and he felt obligated to protect him from a bully that threatened him with serious harm.
As the years progressed, Eddie warmed up to Urkel and eventually accepted him as a loyal and true friend. Frequently the two, along with other friends such as Waldo Faldo, would engage in various capers and wound up sticking up for each other. Eddie and Urkel would also help each other resolve various personal crises. They are now brothers in law since Steve married Laura.
Girlfriends
Eddie's first regular girlfriend was Jolene Santiago (played by Bridgid Coulter), who was seen in three episodes during the series' second season. Later, Eddie began dating Oneisha (Mari Morrow) during the third season, but they broke up after Eddie learned (thanks to Urkel's loose lips) that she was dating on the sly and therefore cheated on Eddie.
Toward the end of Season 6, Eddie began dating Greta McClure (Tammy Townsend), who came his longest-lasting girlfriend. Greta was the daughter of Eddie's boss at Mighty Weenie at the time, David McClure, and he did not approve of the relationship. However, Greta continued dating Eddie, despite her father's eventual withdrawal of financial support for college and Urkel (at one point) acting as a go-between. The two became a permanent couple (as of the series' finale, they were still dating). Had the show gone into the tenth and final season, the two would have married and moved to New York City.
Friends
Early in the series, Eddie's best friend was Rodney Beckett (Randy Joselynn, one of the series' few white regulars). Later on, Eddie became friends with Waldo Geraldo Faldo (Shawn Harrison) and Steve Urkel, best known for his dim-wittedness. Urkel was frequently caught up in both pairs' capers.
Eddie is also friends with Alex Park, whom he calls "Weasel", played by Shavar Ross. Weasel happens to be a hard-headed, troublemaking best friend, who likes mooning meter-maids(which Carl is very offended by because it disrespects law enforcement officers), and once won an award for most days in detention.
Myrtle Urkel
Urkel's cousin, Myrtle Mae Urkel (played by Jaleel White), was a southern belle from Mississippi. Appearing for the first time in the episode "Cousin Urkel," Myrtle fell in love with Eddie at first sight, despite Eddie's obvious dislike for her. Like Urkel did in his pursuit for Laura, Myrtle frequently went to great lengths to capture the object of her affection, such as sneaking into Eddie's bedroom at night and trying to kiss him. However, unlike Steve, who respected Laura's personal space, Myrtle refused to leave Eddie alone and kept pursuing him, much to his extreme terror. In Swine Lake, Eddie even demanded that Myrtle should "for the last time, stop meddling in his life!". He went on to say that there was no way they will ever be together, and not only did he not love her, he didn't even like her.
After several years away, Myrtle returned to Chicago to visit Urkel and renew her pursuit of Eddie; by this time, Eddie and Greta had started dating. However, Greta is more successful in warding off Myrtle than most of Laura's would-be suitors are at chasing away Urkel. Myrtle was not discouraged, and Laura even gave her a makeover to help out. However, Eddie reaffirmed his rejection of Myrtle; eventually, she relinquished her crush on Eddie. When this happened, Eddie realizes his life would be boring without Myrtle mixing it up by reaffirming her love for him and asks her to stay. She refuses and replied, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
In Season 10, Eddie would have to rescue Myrtle and Myra from a thug holding them hostage in the Sizzle Club. Though Myra is grateful to him, Myrtle would ignore Eddie.
Dave McClure
Dave McClure, played by Ron Canada, is Greta's overprotective and strict father, and owner of Mighty Weenie. He strongly disapproved of his daughter dating Eddie and did whatever he could to keep them apart. He forced his daughter to attend boarding school, but some convincing from Greta allowed her to attend public school; in addition, among all the limits he's placed on her he even did not allow her to date other guys before Eddie.
In season 7 after he was late in bringing Greta home, he forbade him from seeing her again. They went continued secretly dating while using Steve as a go-in-between. Eventually, Mr. McClure found out and rather than let Urkel take the fall, Eddie accepted responsibility for his actions and got fired. Refusing to back down, Steve confronts Mr. McClure for his brash behavior in firing Eddie. He showed maturity and great character in what he did and this is how their boss rewards him. Urkel tells McClure off that if he's the kind of boss who fires others for taking responsibility for their actions, then he never wants to work for McClure again. Eventually Mr. McClure sees the error of his ways, but insists that Eddie and Greta wait a month.
In Season 8's Getting Buff, it was revealed from Laura that he and Greta had a serious fight and he threatened to disown her if she doesn't end her realtionship with Eddie. She refused and he not only withdrew financial support for college, but also disowned her. He was never heard from again after this.
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