James Eisler

**James Eisler** is a character of **Titanic (Season 1)**. He is Zetta Serda's nephew and lives off of her money. He attempts to break off her engagement to Richard King, in fear that her fiancé would encourage her to cut him off.

## History

Although James describes his father as a poor immigrant, his aunt provided him with a governess, who taught him to read and write. As James grew older, she later paid for his education, club memberships, and London home as well.

If Adele lies and claims that she met James at church, Zetta will mention that she is surprised because James had "sworn off religion." though she accepts the story.

## Appearance

James has light skin, blond hair, and hazel eyes. He is well dressed, wearing a variety of suits and ties.

## Personality

James is rude, selfish, and conniving. He feels entitled to a living (which he tends to squander on drinking, gambling, and girls) from his aunt, and it is this sense of entitlement that prompts him to hire Adele to help ruin Zetta's engagement, therefore kicking off the plot of the first season.

Although James is generally unpleasant, he occasionally shows Adele vulnerability. It seems that at least some of his poor treatment of Zetta stems from the fact that he believes her to be his mother and resents her for denying their theoretical relationship. If James survives the sinking, Matteo mentions that he seems to have been changed by his experiences and is showing more care for other, and that Matteo could see the two men developing a legitimate friendship in the future.

## Episodes

### Titanic

#### Season 1

* Episode 1
* Episode 2
* Episode 3
* Episode 4
* Episode 5
* Episode 6
* Episode 7
* Episode 8
* Episode 9 (Determinant)
* Episode 10 (Mentioned)
* Episode 11
* Episode 12
* Episode 13 (Mentioned)
* Episode 16
* Episode 17 (Determinant)

## Relationships

### Adele Carrem

James and Adele initially meet when they are both being held in prison. If Adele kisses James after coming aboard he will kiss her back, although Matteo warns her that "whatever James feels for you—whether affection or just attraction—it will never outweigh his self-interest." If Adele later tells Zetta that she is James' mistress, he acts disgusted by the suggestion. He continues to berate and manipulate her up until the party, using her loved ones and the threat of jail time to pressure her into spying. If she refuses to sell Zetta out at the party, he exposes her crimes and, during the sinking, attacks her with a knife for ruining him. When he is trapped after their confrontation, she can either save him or leave him to die.

### Zetta Serda

Zetta is James' paternal aunt, although he incorrectly suspects her of being his mother. As James' father was quite poor, Zetta began providing for her son at an early age. By the time he reached adulthood, he was completely financially on her. When she gets engaged to Richard King, he is worried she will cut him off and therefore wants to break up the engagement. If Zetta dies, Adele imagines her spending her last moments trying to free James from where he is trapped.

### Matteo Vasari

Matteo serves as James' valet. Unusually, he refers to his employer by his first name. According to Matteo, he and James are alike in some ways—for example, they both often feel like outsiders in polite British society. In spite of their close connection, there is quite a lot of tension between the two men, with James often insulting Matteo or taking him for granted. Matteo's attraction to Adele slowly drives a wedge between the two men. If Adele primarily romances Matteo, he will extend his manipulation of her to include threats against Matteo, talking about the ways a man of his skin tone would be mistreated without James to protect him from the racist upper echelons of British society.

By the time the ship begins to sink, their relationship has degraded so severely that James stabs Matteo in an attempt to attack Adele. If James survives, he will convince a steward to allow Matteo to board the lifeboat, saving his valet's life. If James does not survive, Matteo will be turned away from the lifeboats and die as a result. If James, Matteo, and Zetta remain onboard, Adele imagines Matteo returning to the gymnasium to help Zetta try to save her nephew. If Matteo survives, he will say that James has changed and that he might even become James’ friend.

### Charlie Stoke

When James finds out Charlie has been helping Adele circumvent his orders by taking her to visit Hileni in third class, he initially attempts to bribe him to stay away from her, something Charlie considers to be an insult to his character and does not consider for an instant. When James realizes Charlie can't be bought, he has him demoted from steward to lift boy. He also attacks Charlie's relationship with Adele, saying she seduced him and is only using him to gain access to steerage so that she can visit Hileni. His words rattle Charlie, who later asks Adele about their relationship.

## Gallery

Playing cards with Matteo and Hileni in Ismay's private promenadeBeing rescued by Zetta and Matteo
## Trivia

* His crimes include blackmail, conspiracy, and attempted murder.