Episode Analysis of 1.08 "Confidence Man"

WARNING: If you have not already seen all of LOST, please DO NOT READ THIS.

My LOST re-watch and in-depth episode analysis will include major details from the entirety that was LOST, and will be written with the perspective of having seen everything already. You will be SPOILED if you read any further. It is far better if you learn the story of LOST for yourself, as it is meant to be seen. Trust me on this, and don't say that I didn't warn you first. Seriously. Stop it. Now. Go watch it. Then, come back here.

To read my original post on this episode, please refer to Confidence Man.

This episode was written by Damon Lindelof, and directed by Tucker Gates. It originally aired on November 10th, 2004.

This is a James "Sawyer" Ford flashback-centric episode.

We begin with Kate, who is walking up the beach, along the shore-line, carrying a bunch of bananas over her shoulder.

3.04 Every Man For Himself

1. Desmond watching Claire and Aaron, says she has a problem with her roof, but Charlie and Claire decline his help, say the shelter is fine.
2. Jack watching cartoons, Juliet brings him blueberry pancakes, Jack says that maybe he should take to Ben, but Juliet says Ben isn't in charge, that they make decisions together.
3. Ben says he needs Juliet, that the sub is back.
4. The Others return with Colleen, Sawyer says they did it.
5. Sawyer's hatching a plan, the electrocution of Pickett, with water and the electricity from the machine in his cage, Kate's impressed, but she asks what about Jack.
6. "We've got to take care of us. It's every man for himself, Freckles." Sawyer
7. Sawyer in prison, boxing, Munson being bullied, ripped off the government for 10 million, they never found it, the warden is protecting him, Sawyer imprisoned for 9 months, says warden is buttering Munson up, then he'll use his wife against him, test book con.
8. Sawyer, 180 lbs., 35 years old, he tries to pull his electrocution trick on Ben, but Ben beats the crap out of him with his beating stick.
9. Tom says it's been 2 days since the sky turned purple, the comms are down.
10. Sawyer is strapped to a table, needle in sternum, Jack hears Sawyer screaming on the intercom in his cell.
11. Desmond asks Paulo for a golf club.
12. There is a bunny with a #8 painted on it, Ben shakes the cage, apparently kills it, says he put a pacemaker in it like Sawyer, 70 bpm resting heart-rate, 140 active, above that will cause Sawyer's heart to explode, gives him a pulse monitor, 15 beats within the danger zone, it starts to beep, can't tell Kate or he'll put one in her too. From Lostpedia
13. Sawyer is brought back to his cage, where Kate asks what happened, but Sawyer says nothing, that he doesn't tell her everything. They give Sawyer and Kate something to wash off with, and her something new to wear. When Kate undresses, Sawyer's heart monitor goes off.
14. Cassidy Phillips visits Sawyer in prison, while Costanza sits by, talking to his wife. Cassidy turned Sawyer in, she tells him about daughter, that they live in Albuquerque, near the University, her name is Clementine, Sawyer says it's not his kid. From Lostpedia
15. Juliet asks Jack for help, brings him out, past the cages where Sawyer and Kate are being held, they sound an alarm and put a bag over Jack's head so he can't hear or see Kate and Sawyer yelling for him.
16. Jack is scrubbing up for surgery and sees x-rays, Juliet says they aren't hers, he tries to save Colleen, gives her CPR, but she dies, because they have no crash cart, Juliet says they haven't had anything happen, that it's broken. From Lostpedia
17. Danny Pickett beats the crap out of Sawyer for the death of his wife, Colleen, asks Kate if she loves him, she confesses that she does, and he stops beating Sawyer.
18. Sawyer reads Of Mice and Men, Munson wants him to move the money, says he wife hired a Private Investigator.
19. Kate climbs out of her cage, Sawyers says to leave him behind, that it's every man for himself, Kate says she only said she loved him, so Pickett would stop hitting him, Kate climbs back in, says it's live together, die alone, Ben watches on the monitors.
20. "I don't know what they did to you. But I know you're scared enough to lie about it. And that scares me more than anything that they have done to us before." Kate
21. Juliet tells Jack she's a fertility doctor, the woman who died was Colleen, Jacks asks about spinal x-rays that he saw, a man about 40, large tumor on L4 vertebrae, says that he's a spinal surgeon, he asks who he's there to see, who has the tumor.
22. Desmond pitches a lighting rod near Claire's tent, he watches nearby, as it starts to rain, there is a bolt of lightning that the rod catches, which almost hits Claire's tent. From Lostpedia
23. Ben takes Sawyer for a walk early in the morning.
24. Sawyer finds where the money is, he was working for the warden, Agent Freedman of the Treasury Department, the money, 10 million is in a red Bronco in a Stor-Quik Facility, Sawgrass, off 441, unit 23C, last 6 years of his sentence commuted, his commission, put in an account in Albuquerque, in the name of Clementine Phillips, with no way to find out where it came from.
25. Ben shows Sawyer another island, they're island, which they're no longer on, he has no pacemaker, they only put doubt inside him, the bunny was given a sedative, shows him a bunny with the #8 painted on it, Ben tells him that the island they're on is a small island roughly twice the size of Alcatraz, that there's nowhere to run, threatening Kate is what scared him, Ben quotes Of Mice and Men. From Lostpedia
26. "We did all this because the only way to gain a con man's respect is to con him. And you're pretty good, Sawyer. We're a lot better. Funny thing is, us telling you about the pacemaker wasn't what kept you in line. It was when I threatened her. You work so hard to make her think you don't care--that you don't need her, but, "A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. It don't make no difference who the guy is, long as he's with you. I tell you, I tell you a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick." Ben

Questions:

1. Is Clementine really Sawyer's baby? Did Cassidy try to con him?
2. Why does Juliet say she not used to death when later, in D.O.C., she says she's lost 9 patients?
3. Why does Danny Pickett hate Sawyer so much?
4. Why don't the Others just ask Jack to do the surgery?

Favorites:

1. "Sound a little stuffy there, Chinatown. You need to blow your nose?" Sawyer
2. "You think the warden's breaking up those fights because you're cute, Costanza?" Sawyer
3. "God, I hate needles." Ben
4. "No, you have to go through the sternum--the sternum, like in the movie." Jason
5. "What the hell am I going to write, "Dear Goo-goo, Ga-ga?" She's a baby." Sawyer
6. "Is that--art?" Hurley "Nope. Just an experiment." Desmond "Okay. You want some fruit salad?" Hurley
7. "That little place you always wanted, George?" Sawyer "Sorry?" Ben "What, don't you read? It's from Of Mice and Men. You'd like it--puppy's get killed." Sawyer
8. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sawyer "It's from Of Mice and Men. Don't you read?" Ben

Notes:

1. The title Every Man For Himself is a reference to the Live Together, Die Alone speech Jack made in White Rabbit.
2. I believe that this is the first appearance of Ben's baton, the time travel beating stick.
3. This is the first episode where Desmond saves Charlie's life.

2.12 Fire + Water

1. Charlie's dream, painting, The Baptism Of Christ, Charlie as a child wearing bunny slippers, his mom gives him a piano, his dad disapproves of his music career. He is a butcher.
2. "You're special, love. Some day, you're going to get us out of here. All of us." Megan
3. "Save us, Charlie. Save us." Megan and Liam tell Charlie.
4. In the ocean, Charlie as an adult playing the piano, Aaron is crying, whispers, Aaron in piano floating in the ocean. Charlie is wearing the taped FATE on his fingers again. From Lostpedia
5. Claire is getting close to Locke, wants Charlie to stay away.
6. Liam's daughter in the hospital, Karen named her Megan, after Charlie and Liam's mother. Charlie lies and says Liam is on his way.
7. The same Kinks song that Charlie was singing to Jin in the previous episode, He's Evil, is on in the background in Charlie and Liam's apartment.
8. Charlie's dream, like the painting, guitar, baby crying, Aaron's cradle in the ocean, Charlie goes in to save him, he can swim now. Claire and his mother tell him "You have to save the baby, Charlie." Beachcraft, doves, Hurley as John the Baptist asks what he is doing, which causes Charlie to snap out of his dream.
   
   From Lostpedia
   
9. Charlie asks Locke for help, he says to leave Claire alone.
10. Drive Shaft commercial for baby diapers. "You All Every Butties." Liam going through withdrawals destroys their chance at making some money. From Lostpedia
11. Hurley and Libby do laundry in the hatch. Libby questions why the washer and dryer are newer than everything else in there. Hurley says he knows her from somewhere. Libby says that Hurley stepped on her foot on the plane.
12. Charlie tells Eko about his dreams, flying doves, Claire and his mom say to save the baby. Eko is marking trees.
13. Charlie tells Claire that Aaron is in danger, that he has to be baptized.
14. Charlie and Liam write a song about two brothers. Karen kicked Liam out for dropping Megan.
15. Locke follows Charlie to his stash, takes it from him. From Lostpedia
16. "You said everything happens for a reason. This island tests us. That's what this is, John, a test. This is my test. That's why these are here." Charlie
17. Liam sells Charlie's piano, been clean for 2 days, quits the band. He's going to Sydney for a job and so he can go to rehab and be with his family.
18. "What about my family?" Charlie asks Liam, while you can see the London Underground in the background.
19. Charlie starts fire on the beach camp, takes the baby, Locke beats him up.
20. Charlie tells Jack that he started the fire while Jack repairs his wounds.
21. Claire asks Eko about baptism, he baptizes the both of them.
22. Locke changes the combination to the armory, put the Virgin Mary statues inside.

Questions:

1. What was the significance of Charlie's dream? Was it really to baptize Aaron or is he in greater danger?
2. Why are the washer and dryer newer than everything else in the hatch?
3. Did Hurley really step on Libby's foot? How does he really know her?
4. Was Charlie doing drugs?
5. Why is Charlie's relationship with his father painted so negatively in this episode?
6. Is Mrs. Pace dead?
7. Did Charlie really know how to swim or was it just the dream?

Favorites:

1. "Well, you got a little love connection brewing over there, Jabba?" Sawyer
2. "Hey, Libby!" Sawyer
3. "Because these are the ones I like." Eko
4. "You hittin' that?" Ana Lucia asks Jack about Kate.
5. Eko baptizing Claire and Aaron.

Notes:

1. I like the dream sequence in this episode, but otherwise it's pretty disappointing. I can see how a lot of people dropped the show during Season 2. It definitely isn't my favorite, but I enjoy it a lot more now going back and watching than I did when it aired.
2. The scene with Ana Lucia and Jack coming out of the jungle is purely there to show us that they're talking about raising an army, which is pure crap because they never do anything with it.
3. It is impossible for Hurley to have stepped on Libby's foot considering he was in the front of the plane and she was in the back. How did she know he was the last one on the plane? How could she have known he was sweaty and had headphones, especially considering he didn't put his headphones on until the plane took off?
4. Claire is allowed to be crazy and annoying in this episode. However, Locke has no excuses.

1.08 Confidence Man

1. "Hell of a book. It's about bunnies." Sawyer, to Kate, about Watership Down. From Lost Hatch
2. The woman that Sawyer cons is named Jess. Her husband's name is David.
3. "He says we have a connection." Kate, to Jack, about Sawyer. From Lostpedia
4. "We're not savages. Not yet." Jack
5. Sawyer's letter says America's Bicentennial, Knoxville, Tennessee on the envelope. From Lostpedia
6. "You were just a kid.. 8 maybe 9 years old." Kate
7. "How's that for a tragedy? I became the man I was hunting. I became Sawyer." Sawyer From Lostpedia
8. "Someone has to walk the shore and map the island. I can't think of anyone better to do it than the only one I trust." Sayid
9. They've been on the island two weeks.
10. "I hope we meet again." Sayid, to Kate.
11. I Shall Not Walk Alone, montage.

Questions:

1. Sawyer tells Jessica that he has $140,000, but then later he says he has $160,000 of his boss's money. Was he stealing money or is this a blooper?
2. Why did Sawyer leave the money behind when he backed out on the con?
3. Why does Sawyer want to be hated so much? Why would he want to be tortured for just a kiss from Kate?

Favorites:

1. "You going through my stuff, boy?" Sawyer, to Boone.
2. "I'm gonna kill him." Jack "That won't help." Kate "Maybe not. But it'll feel good." Jack
3. "Don't you miss anything besides food?" Claire
4. "Whoa. That was like a Jedi moment." Hurley
5. "I'm a big guy. It's gonna be a while before you're gonna want to give me a piggy back ride." Hurley, to Charlie when he asks him for peanut butter.
6. "Good morning." Sayid
7. "Is that all you got? Splinters? No wonder we whooped your ass in the Gulf War. Don't stop now, my sinuses are finally clearing up." Sawyer
8. "Baby, I am tied to a tree in a jungle of mystery. I just got tortured by a damn spinal surgeon and a genuine Iraqi. Of course I'm serious." Sawyer, to Kate about the kiss.
9. The pretend jar of peanut butter scene. From Lostpedia

Notes:

1. Boone is an idiot.
2. Shannon needs her inhaler and everyone thinks Sawyer has them, which leads to Sayid torturing him and Kate and Sawyer kissing for whatever reason.
3. Kate figures out that the letter Sawyer reads wasn't written to him, but by him.
4. Sayid leaves in shame after torturing Sawyer.
5. Locke allows Sayid to believe that it was Sawyer who sabotaged his signal triangulation.
6. Sayid leaving is the beginning of the exploration of the island.