CONFIDENCE MAN

Or, A Bad Day For Sawyer

[Originally Aired November 10, 2004]

Flashback to Sawyer humping some woman. He tells he loves her and then rushes out to a meeting. While he's on the way out his briefcase opens up and $150K in cash tumbles out. Oops. Is he some sort of drug dealer? No, he explains it's for an investment. And his partner is ponying up the other half soon, and it's a guaranteed return of 300% in two weeks. The woman suggests Sawyer ditch his partner and she'll have her husband kick in other $150K. Oh, okay, he's a con man. Just like the title of the ep. Back on the beach, Sawyer has a naked swim then flirts with Kate. Sawyer catches Boone rifling through his stash of pilfered goods. He beats up Boone. Boone tells everyone he was looking for Shannon's inhalers, because her other ran out and she's having asthmatic attacks without it. Kate asks for the inhalers and Sawyer says he will for a kiss. She calls him a turd but says he's a human under that gruff exterior. She's seen him reading a letter and looking forlorn. He shows her the letter. It's from a kid who says Sawyer humped his mom and took dad's money so dad killed mom and himself and now the kid plans to find Sawyer and give him this letter. Sawyer's a real tool. And he looks stupid with his hair all slicked back in the flashbacks. It is still a mystery who bonked Sayid over the head and destroyed his transceiver. Jack and Sayid decide to make Jack tell them where the inhalers are. So they abduct Sawyer and tie him up and torture him. Sayid shoves bamboo under Sawyer's fingernails. Eventually Sawyer cracks and says he'll tell Kate where the inhalers are. When Kate arrives he tells her she still owes him a kiss. After some hot tongue action, Sawyer confesses he doesn't have the inhalers, that he never did. Sayid decides to torture Sawyer some more but he breaks free and there is a fight. Sawyer is stabbed, and an artery is hit. Jack saves his life. Kate figures out that the letter was actually written by Sawyer as a kid, and that Sawyer became a con man just like the guy who bilked his parents. She also realizes he is so filled with self-loathing he needs to be hated by everyone. Sun whips up an herbal remedy of eucalyptus leaves and helps Shannon get better. Sayid, filled with shame over torturing Sawyer heads into exile and leaves to survey and map the island.