Confidence Man (Lost)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Confidence Man”

Lost episode

Sawyer reads his letter.

Episode no.

Season 1
Episode 8

Written by

Damon Lindelof

Directed by

Tucker Gates

Guest stars

Mike DeLuise
Kristin Richardson
Billy Mayo
Jim Woitas

Production no.

106

Original airdate

November 10, 2004

Episode chronology
← Previous	Next →
"The Moth"	"Solitary"

Lost (season 1)
List of Lost episodes

"Confidence Man" is the 8th episode of Lost. It is the eighth episode of the show's first season. The episode was directed by Tucker Gates and written by Damon Lindelof. It first aired on November 10, 2004 on ABC. The character of James "Sawyer" Ford is featured in the episode's flashback.

[edit] Plot

Kate is bringing fruit to the camp when she comes across Sawyer's clothes on the beach. She picks up the book that he's been reading (Watership Down) when Sawyer walks out from the water. He hits on her but she walks away.

A flashback shows Sawyer sleeping with a woman, Jessica. He gets out of bed suddenly when she informs him of the time and he realizes that he is late for a meeting. He gets dressed and reaches for his suitcase which pops open and money falls out, shocking Jessica. He then tells her that she wasn't supposed to see that. After informing her that he is meeting someone to get money for an investment that will triple his cash in three months, Jessica tells him that she will get the money from her husband so that she and Sawyer can split the profit.

On the island, Sawyer catches Boone rifling through his stash. Later, Shannon brings a bloody Boone to the caves, claiming Sawyer beat him. Jack confronts Sawyer, who doesn’t give any answers.

Shannon's asthma becomes a problem, and everyone becomes convinced that Sawyer is hoarding some inhalers from the wreck. Sawyer says he’ll give up the medicine if Kate kisses him. Kate calls his bluff and challenges him about the letter he often reads and how he is obviously affected by its text. Sawyer makes Kate read the letter aloud. It’s addressed to Mr. Sawyer. The author says Sawyer slept with his mother and stole his father’s money, causing the father to murder his mother and then kill himself. The author says he’ll find Sawyer and give him the letter, indicating he knows what Sawyer did to the author’s family.

In flashbacks, Sawyer is revealed to be a confidence man. He is having lunch with Jessica and her husband, where they agree to invest with Sawyer.

Locke begins to question Sayid about being knocked out the day before and ruining a chance of rescue. Locke suggests that Sawyer may have attacked him because he is benefiting from being lost. Sayid then uses the whereabouts of the inhalers as an excuse to torture Sawyer for information, Jack helps Sayid knock Sawyer out and tie him up in the bamboo thicket. After Sayid slips pieces of bamboo under his fingernails, Sawyer only agrees to give up the inhalers in return for a kiss from Kate. She kisses Sawyer, after which he reveals that he doesn't have them after all. Sayid believes Sawyer is lying, and they fight. Sayid stabs Sawyer in the upper arm with Locke's knife.

A flashback shows Sawyer closing the deal with Jessica and husband at their home. Their son enters, and Sawyer calls the deal off upon seeing him.

He wakes up on the island to find his arm bandaged. Kate has been rereading Sawyer’s letter. She sees the stamp on it from 1976, and deduces that the letter wasn't written to Sawyer, but by him. Sawyer tells Kate about life and his flashback. He tried to hunt down and kill the real Sawyer and entered the confidence trade in order to track him. When he saw that boy on that one con, he says he realized he had become the man he was hunting, and that he then took the alias Sawyer. He snatches the letter from Kate and tells her not to feel sorry for him and to leave.

Despite pleas from Kate, Sayid sets off to explore the island's shoreline in self-imposed isolation, needing time to come to terms with his actions in torturing Sawyer. Sun helps Shannon by making a eucalyptus salve to clear her bronchial passages. Charlie convinces Claire to move to the caves with a clever fake peanut butter jar.

v • d • e Lost
Production	DVD releases • Episode list • Music • Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4
Main characters	Ana Lucia • Ben • Boone • Charlie • Charlotte • Claire • Daniel • Desmond • Hurley • Jack • Jin • Juliet Kate • Libby • Locke • Michael • Miles • Mr. Eko • Nikki • Paulo • Sawyer • Sayid • Shannon • Sun • Walt
Supporting characters	Alex • Bernard • Christian • Ethan • Rose • Rousseau • Tom
Groups	Dharma Initiative • Hanso Foundation • Oceanic Airlines • The Others
Miscellaneous	Awards • Find 815 • Lost Experience • Lost: Missing Pieces • Lost: Via Domus • Mythology