Summary: In flashbacks, Sawyer pulls a con on a girl named Jessica. He convinces her that he got in contact with somebody that is going to triple his money, but he needs help from an outside party to get enough money to make the deal. Jessica offers her husband's money and Sawyer nearly takes the deal. But when he sees that they have a kid, he backs off. In the present, Shannon is suffering from asthma as her inhalers are missing. Boone suspects Sawyer has the inhalers but Sawyer refuses to give them. Kate goes to talk with Sawyer about this to which Sawyer gives her a letter saying that Sawyer's con killed a child's parents. Jack and Sayid end up getting frustrated with Sawyer and eventually take him away for torture. Sayid is revealed to be experienced at torturing and Sawyer eventually spills the beans: he doesn't have the inhalers. Sayid doesn't believe him and nearly kills Sawyer. Horrified by his actions, Sayid leaves the camp to scout the island. Kate visits Sawyer and reads his letter again, deducing that he wrote the letter.
The Good: This was another fantastic episode that told a brilliant story. After last episode was lacking in drama, this episode came up with a much better plot. Shannon's asthma is a good focal point for the story as it does give the episode a sense of urgency and it helps build to the many frustrations which boil over through the course of the episode. The key characters that come into conflict in this episode are Sawyer, Jack and Sayid. Sawyer is just an overall prick as he has been throughout the series, so it's no surprise that he is the catalyst in this episode. Jack and Sayid on the other hand are both experiencing intense frustrations against Sawyer. Jack is noticing that he is running low on medical supplies, and Sawyer hoarding a lot of supplies puts Jack and Sawyer at odds. Sayid's feud with Sawyer is already more personal, and it certainly isn't helped by Locke getting Sayid to suspect that Sawyer was the one who attacked him. With all of these characters at each other's throats and with the urgency of Shannon's deteriorating condition, it isn't a surprise that Sayid and Jack turn to something barbaric and desperate to solve their problems. The torture scene is extremely intense and is one of the better drama scenes that the show has produced. I had genuinely no idea where the story would go once Sayid started torturing Sawyer and I was left on the edge of my seat. The end of the sequence is handled well too. Sawyer is as much of a jerk as ever when he demands that Kate kiss him anyways, and the subsequent reveal that he doesn't have the inhalers is a surprise, but one that fits with Sawyer's character. Speaking of Sawyer's character, he is given a ridiculous amount of depth here. The show pulls the same trick they used back in "Walkabout" where a twist at the end of the episode completely changes our perception of a character. The original story we believe is that Sawyer is a con man that feels guilty about what he did to the kid that sent him the letter. So to cope he is just a complete asshole to everyone. The story is easy enough to understand and enjoy throughout the episode, plus we get a wonderful scene where Sawyer forces Kate to read the letter, showing an intensity that we have never seen from him before. Because of this story, it seems obvious that the flashbacks are showing us Sawyer doing the con that leads to the deaths of Jessica and David. But because this is "Lost", Sawyer's character has so much more to it. The end of the episode gives us some surprising twists starting with Sawyer's unexpected decision to abandon the con he was doing. It's confusing and it raises many questions about why Sawyer's flashbacks don't seem to correspond with the story. Then Kate gives us the huge reveal that Sawyer was actually the one who wrote the letter. The twist is outstanding and it does a brilliant job of making us sympathize with Sawyer. A con man with regrets is still somebody who is easy to hate, but the man with a revenge quest who tragically became the man he wants to kill is so much deeper. My feelings towards Sawyer are very complex now, and I'm feeling a mixture of hate, pity, understanding and sympathy. Just like with Locke, the episode expertly changed my thoughts on Sawyer. I also really loved the look we got into Sayid's character. Learning about his background as a torturer is very significant, and it appears that Sayid has a darker past than it initially seemed. I really like his decision to distance himself from the camp after he nearly killed Sawyer. Sayid seems genuinely ashamed of what he did and now it's time for him to atone in his own way. Furthermore, Sayid leaving on his own gives us a good excuse to explore more of this mysterious island with a new plot thread. The Charlie/Claire side story is harmless fun and I liked it. It develops their relationship well, and it also allowed for Hurley to continue to be hilarious. The Charlie/Hurley scene is one of the show's funnier moments so far. The Bad: Apparently Charlie went through withdrawal off screen because he is fine now. That's pretty sloppy storytelling, and I think a side story of Charlie dealing with withdrawal would have been a much better addition to this episode. Locke suggesting that Sawyer could delay the fuse with a cigarette is absurd. With Sawyer needing to react to Shannon's bottle rocket, to delay a fuse with such timing is near impossible. Sayid should have been smart enough to realize this. The Unknown: It seems that Locke wasn't the one who attacked Sayid. So who was it? Best Moment: Kate realizing the truth about Sawyer's letter was a shocking twist and it really put Sawyer's character into the spotlight. I love the idea that Sawyer isn't actually his name, and that he donned the name when he realized that he had become the man he wanted to kill. The depth to this is so spectacular. Kate deduces that Sawyer's toxic behaviour is because he wants to be hated, and the episode seems to imply that Sawyer behaves this way intentionally. Sawyer seems to believe that he has to be a terrible person, because if he can forgive himself, then that would mean that he can also forgive Mr. Sawyer. And that is something that Sawyer is nowhere near ready to deal with. Character of the Episode: Sawyer. Conclusion: With a structure similar to "Walkabout", this ended up being another outstanding episode. The story is so well done, and the depth given to Sawyer is simply remarkable. This show continues to deliver. Score: 81
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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