(SPOILER ALERT)
Episode 13 "The Long Con"
This is a Sawyer-central episode.
FLASHBACK:
Same scene, new woman; Sawyer is trying to run his con again by seducing the women (its own payoff) and then "rush" off to a meeting only to have the briefcase fall open and money falls out. This is where the plan goes awry. The woman begins to laugh at him and ask if he really expected her to fall for that, besides she didn't get any money from her divorce. Sawyer gets ready to leave when the woman, Cassidy, stops him. She wants him to teach her how to con.
Later we see Sawyer showing Cassidy about conning. He shows her how to sell junk necklaces for hundreds of dollars and many other small quick cash schemes. Eventually she grows tired and tells him that she wants to learn how to do a long job, or a long con, as her corrects her terminology. He tells her they need money for a long con and she says that she has money. She did get money from her divorce, $600,000. Sawyer recommends they just retire to an island somewhere but Cassidy wants to do a long con and then they can go to an island. During all of this we can see that they have become very close to one another.
Later we see Sawyer meet up with a man named Gordie. Gordie appears to have been, or is, Sawyer's mentor in the grifting game but now he is a boss/partner. He wants to know if Sawyer has gotten the money yet. Sawyer says he almost has it, all $600,000. He knew all along. Gordie see something and accuses Sawyer of getting to close and falling for her. Sawyer admits to it and says that he doesn't want to take her money, but Gordie says he better because he has been waiting six months. Sawyer has a choice, money or death.
Sawyer rushes into the house where Cassidy is and tells her that they have to go. He points to a black car outside and says that his old boss is out there waiting for him. He has to give him her money or he will kill them both. Cassidy, at realizing she was the long con, gets angry with Sawyer but he holds her and explains that the reason why their lives are in danger is because he wouldnt give up the money because he fell for her. Cassidy calms down and begins to listen as Sawyer throws the money in a duffle bag and gives her instructions to meet him at a hotel in Sioux City. He hands her the duffle bag and pushes her out the door telling her to hurry and he will meet her in the morning. Then he tells her he loves her and she tells him that she loves him.
Sawyer then walks back out to the black car parked out front and gets in the passenger seat. Slowly he looks over to the driver's seat and it is empty. The car never had Gordie in it. Sawyer counts down five seconds before we see him back inside the house pulling out a chair at the table with a duffle bag in it. He opens it and it has all the money. He conned Cassidy one last time.
Before Sawyer leaves he picks up a picture of the two of them looking happy together and then lays it face down. He walks out with the money.
ON THE ISLAND:
Locke and Jack are working together to make sure all the guns on the island are safe. Jack is bringing his case of handguns to the vault. He notices the statues and Locke explains that he took them from Charlie, they were his stash. Jack asks why he didn't just destroy them and Locke asks if he wants to destroy the Virgin Mary. Jack just kind of shakes his head.
Jack asks Locke for the combination because he thinks they both need to have it and Locke gives it to him on the condition that they consult each other before ever opening the vault. Then Locke suggests that Jack might want to put all the medicine in there too because of people like Sawyer, hinting to something he knows.
Next we see Sawyer looking like he is coming out of the ocean and Charlie building a tent on the beach. Sawyer harasses Charlie for being the most hated guy on the island and compliments him on doing things that he hadn't even thought of himself, like kidnapping Claire's baby and trying to drown it. He even got Locke to hit him which is like getting Gandhi to beat his own kids. Charlie just ignores him and tells him that he seems calm to be having his tent ransacked by Jack.
Sawyer looks up and Jack is digging through his stuff and holding medicine bottles. Sawyer runs to the tent yelling at Jack and they start arguing. Jack says that they need the medicine for everyone and Sawyer says that he found it, finders-keepers. He then threatens Jack but Jack just walks away with the medicine. Considering Sawyer's recent health I doubt he would have been much for fighting as it was.
Later Kate comes to Sawyer with a magazine from the hatch. She figures that he needs something else to read since he is fresh out of books. He tells her that he really doesn't need to learn how to give his hair more bounce because it is a woman's magazine. He also tells her that he lost his glasses on the raft but she can feel free to read it to him. When she laughs at this he asks her if she has something better to do, like join Jack and Ana-Lucia's army. Kate looks at him blankly and he realizes that she knows nothing of the army.
Then we cut to Sayid sitting by himself trying to shuck coconuts. Hurley walks up and starts talking to him about Bernard being a dentist. Sayid shows irritation and Hurley says that he just thought he wanted company and conversation because of what happened, besides he was getting somewhere. Bernard gave him the radio they found in the other hatch that they picked up Boone's message on. Sayid says that he can't do anything with that because of Danielle's transmission, but Hurley said he thought he might like to try and then leaves him with the radio.
We find Ana-Lucia and Jack walking through the jungle talking and Jack explains to her about the guns in the vault and he and Locke having the combination. She comments on how they trust each other and how that is the problem, they all feel safe but they aren't. Jack tries to explain that no one feels safe but she says that no one wants to join their army because they do feel safe. They aren't safe and they know it but no one else does.
To accentuate her point we see Sun working in her garden. We hear a noise and she looks up with a concerned look on her face. Vincent comes running out of the jungle and lets her pet him for a bit and then runs back in. A few seconds after he leaves we hear thunder and it begins to rain. (rain=trouble on Lost) Sun looks around suspiciously and we hear another noise, a footstep. She looks around some more and we hear another footstep. Just as she begins to give up looking around a black bag comes down over her head and she gets drug away into the jungle screaming.
Kate and Sawyer are taking shelter from the rain where Kate has been reading the magazine to him (cozy) and then they hear Sun's screams. They run into the jungle looking for her and eventually run across her unconscious body. Kate runs to get Jack while Sawyer carries her back to her tent where Jin is going crazy and speaking in hyper-fast Korean. Jack arrives and calms Jin down and checks out Sun.
While everyone is busy trying to figure out what happened or who could have done this Ana-Lucia quickly responds, "They're back."
This makes everyone jump and Jack decides they need to create a search party. He wants to go get the guns but Locke tells him to at least wait until Sun wakes up. This calms everyone down momentarily but it is obvious that it is only temporary.
Sawyer and Kate decide to go searching where they found Sun to see if they can find any tracks, despite the Others never leaving any. They wander across the bag that was thrown over Sun's head and Kate recognizes it as being like the one they used on her. Sawyer quickly points out that the fabric and stitching is different, the truth is in the details. He doubts this was the Others.
Kate begins to suspect that someone is trying to scare them so that they can get to the guns. She goes to Jack and asks him how well he knows Ana-Lucia. She explains her theory and Jack brushes it aside.
Later Ana-Lucia and Jack are walking along talking about how Steve volunteered to join the Army. Jack corrects her that it is Scott, Steve is dead. (Scott/Steve thing again. That happened in Season 1. Why would Ana be getting it wrong having never met both? Keep an eye on this.) Whatever his name is Ana-Lucia believes that recent events are making people want to join and they are beginning to become properly scared. Suddenly Jack pauses and asks her if she had anything to do with it. Ana-Lucia immediately knows where the idea came from. Jack can be assured that she did nothing like this.
Soon after Sun wakes up and Jack shows up to ask her exactly what happened. She just remembers Vincent, then the rain, and then the bag. She saw no one. While Jack is asking her questions in English Jin keeps asking questions in Korean. She is trying her best to answer both. Finally Jin is fed up and shows the same sentiment everyone seems to have with one of the few English words he knows, gun.
Kate is sitting with Sawyer and watching everything as Ana-Lucia turns and stares at her. This seems to convince Kate that her theory is correct and she tells Sawyer that he has to go warn Locke while she tries to keep them calm.
Sawyer shows up at the hatch to find Locke alphabetizing all the books. He makes a comment about everyone wanting to go look for the attackers while Locke reinstitutes the Dewey decimal system. Locke then asks what it is that he wants and Sawyer tells him about the possible mob heading this way. He need s to change the combination fast.
Locke realizes that this would only slow them down. If Jack wanted the guns he could get them. He asks Sawyer to help him move the guns by pushing the button while he hides them somewhere. Sawyer agrees. Locke asks him why he is doing this and Sawyer answers that it is because it will piss Jack off.
Jack and Jin (sounds like a good drink) show up at the hatch but the vault is completely empty of guns and statues. Sawyer is in the middle of entering the numbers into the computer and tells Jack to hang on because he is about to set a new high score on Donkey Kong. Jack waits until Sawyer pushes the button and then asks him where the guns are. Sawyer explains that Locke went and hid them before the posse showed up. Sawyer then takes on of his painkillers and then gives Jack the bottle back.
Jack goes to the beach where he finds Locke sitting (and meditating?) by a fire. He starts yelling at Locke about breaking their agreement. Locke accuses Jack of just wanting to hand out guns and not thinking about the consequences of another possible accident (looking at Ana-Lucia, who looks upset by this). He goes on to say that he taught Michael how to shoot and then he ran off and he is accepting that possibility but he is not going to be responsible for any more incidents. He continues to refuse despite Jack saying he only wants two guns, one for Jin and himself.
The argument continues to grow and more people gather around until gunshots ring out of the jungle. Everyone turns to see Sawyer walking out with a rifle. He then informs everyone that he is upset that everyone stole his stuff while he was on the raft trying to save their lives and that he can't believe that everyone has let Locke and Jack lead them until now.
"There is a new sheriff in town," says Sawyer. His shaving cream and deodorant don't matter, guns do and if you want one you have to come to him. As he is walking away he turns to Sayid and says, "I bet you want to torture me right now don't you?"
Kate follows Sawyer back to his tent and begins to ask him why and how he could con everyone like this. His only response is that she runs and he cons. That is what they do. She says that all he can figure out is that he wants everyone to hate him and he reminds her that not everyone hates him. Kate looks embarrassed and then walks away.
We find Hurley reading a manuscript by a fire and Sayid walks out of the jungle towards him with the radio and some cable connected to a makeshift antenna in his hand. Hurley explains that he found the manuscript in a suitcase and it is pretty good, a mystery. (This will actually be sold as the Lost book next fall.)
Sayid tells him that he has something for him and shows him the radio. He stakes the antenna in the ground and then sits down and turns on the radio. He begins trying to tune it in and Hurley jumps and some noise thinking it is something but Sayid informs him that reception is good and that is just noise. Then they run across Danielle's signal (make sure we remember her) and then he keeps going explaining that this radio has a wider range than the one from the plane. Eventually they run across some music. It is not what they need but it is pleasant. Hurley thinks that because it is clear it must be close, but Sayid explains that signals at this wavelength bounce off the ionosphere and could be a thousand miles away. It could be coming from anywhere. "Or anytime," says Hurley. (Clue?) They sit and listen to the music. (What about the batteries?)
We fade to Sawyer wandering through the jungle in the dark and he has a bag with him. Charlie comes up to him in out of the darkness. Sawyer doesn't seem surprised and asks if Locke saw him. Charlie says that he was so worried about his guns that he wasn't paying attention. Sawyer hands Charlie a Virgin Mary statue as payment, saying that he figures he wants his friends back, but Charlie doesn't take it. Charlie says that he didn't do it for that, he wanted Locke to look like a fool and be humiliated. He then says that no one can know what he did to Sun. (Charlie is building a small list of crimes and the writers have conned us)
Then Charlie asks Sawyer why and how or even what would make someone think of a scheme like this. Sawyer pauses and thinks back to his con on Cassidy and then just looks at Charlie and says, "I'm not a good man, Charlie."
Questions raised by this episode:
- What is sawyer getting at?
- What is Charlie getting at?
- Are they making their own little mafia?
- WTF is going on?
Aside from that there doesn't seem to be much going on in this episode. Next week's preview shows Danielle is back and they catch someone they believe to be an Other as well as a clock counting down to zero, but it looks like a different clock than ours.
Looks interesting.
What do you all think?
Oh, and you might as well face it, you're addicted to Lost.
Interesting idea though. Everyone does seem to be strongly connected on the Island.
We also see Claire letting Eko have Aaron and herself baptized. Eko's description of Baptism was so far off from anything Catholic or Protestant that it hurt. I don't know whether that was on purpose or not.
👎 I need my fix!!!
I don't know what is up with the hatch. Check out images from episodes 1-3 and things go from clean to dingy and then clean again if you look at when Sawyer was sick and in the hatch in episode 9.
