"Confidence Man"

Written by Damon Lindelof
Directed by Tucker Gates


In which a medical crisis leads to accusations, torture, and French kissing when Sawyer refuses to tell Jack where he’s hidden some vitally important medicine...

Status Report - Final Analysis







Status Report
Having set up the mythological and Biblical metaphors in the previous episodes, the writers begin to blur the edges. If this is a series about choices and redemption, then it follows that there must be two aspects of the “test” given to each survivor: the chance to make the right choice, and the temptation to make the wrong one. Even though this episode is ostensibly about Sawyer and his true nature, Jack, Sayid, and Kate are all pushed to make decisions that reveal layers of their own personalities.

As noted in the reviews for previous episodes, Sawyer has been placed in contrast with Jack. If Jack represents the troubled, reluctant “deliverer”, then Sawyer is his equal but opposite, the snake in the metaphorical Garden of Eden. It’s important to remember, of course, that the characters themselves are still complex human beings, regardless of the roles they have taken on. Jack is far from perfect, with more than a few apparent skeletons in his closet, and similarly, Sawyer is not a bastion of evil.

Sawyer may not be his name, but it is what he has chosen to become. The flashbacks are entirely accurate, because as he admits at the end of the episode, his life came full circle when he found himself staring at a young boy that could have been him, 30 years earlier. For all that he was a victim of a “confidence man”, he’s no longer an innocent victim. His possessive and abrasive nature probably derives from a lack of a father figure, and as a result, he became so obsessed with finding the real Sawyer that he became that very thing. The real Sawyer was, in the end, the only example of a man of strength in his life.

There is some small hope for Sawyer, of course. He has the potential to accept change and turn his life around. He made the conscious decision not to finish the job when he saw that another child would be the real victim. It’s not entirely clear whether or not the damage was already done, or whether Sawyer was in Australia when the deal went south. He could have been fleeing the consequences of his broken deal when he stepped on that plane. In essence, if all these assumptions can be made, Sawyer already made the first step towards a new life; the island is just forcing the issue.

That being the case, Sawyer is not off to a good start. He’s reverted to form, it seems, because he still hasn’t come to terms with the fact that he can change. But the incident with David and Jessica seems to have triggered something within him, something that prompts him to punish himself. Rather than simply explaining that he doesn’t have the inhalers, he lets the others assume that he has them. It’s easier to get others to show their own dark side, it seems, than for him to open up.

It could be that he has a death wish, having been face-to-face with own past. It could be that Sawyer has been forced to look at his choices, and he doesn’t want to live with the knowledge of what he’s become. Whatever the case, the writers avoid the easy answers. Sawyer isn’t some misunderstood angel; he’s exactly as mean and self-centered as he appears to be. He’s also not happy about that, at least enough to admit it to himself. He holds on to that letter because it reminds him of the innocent he once was. It’s still possible for him to choose a different path, to repent and be transformed.

It’s interesting to note that Jack and Sawyer both found themselves without true father figures. Both of them are haunted by the men who dominated their lives. Just as Sawyer has some spark of innocence remaining within him, Jack has an underlying darkness within his soul. He wants to do the right thing, and he often does. But he’s also capable of taking extreme action, especially when he convinces himself that it’s justified. It’s almost as if this were as much a test of Jack’s character as it was a revelation of Sawyer’s psychology.

Kate, as usual, stands between the two men. She’s strongly attracted to Jack, perhaps because there’s something about him that makes her want to reconsider her choices in life. But she’s also attracted to Sawyer, who in this case represents carnal temptation. If she chooses Jack, then she has the chance to find emotional completion and personal transformation. On the other hand, giving in to her physical attraction to Sawyer would represent human weakness, since she would have to know that it’s a temporary situation at best.

Kate is fully aware of how she’s being pulled in both directions. She wants to believe in Jack, but what she sees in this episode terrifies her. Until now, Jack has kept his worst impulses in check, and now he’s not quite so perfect in her eyes. At the same time, Sawyer tempts her with the empty promise of knowledge. The Biblical metaphor is rather obvious here, and of course, now that Kate has taken that first bite, it’s going to require a great deal of willpower to resist her desires in the future.

It would be too simplistic for Kate to simply choose, and that may not be the intention if there is some higher power at work on the island. Just as Jack is Kate’s most obvious source of personal redemption, Kate represents the same for Sawyer. If Jack is to be some kind of “deliverer”, then he must overcome his own darkness. If Kate were to turn to Sawyer, however briefly, it would test Jack in the worst possible way. But in the end, it’s entirely possible that such a scenario would represent the necessary gauntlet for all three of them to pass through.

Sayid is the wild card in this situation. The writers took the right approach by letting the audience get to know Sayid before expounding on his past. Now that his Iraqi service is coming into play, it’s critical to see him as a human being first and foremost. It gives his time in the Republican Guard a more reasonable context. Some will still shoehorn him into a stereotype, but his basic decency has been established, and he obviously loathes the part of him that has known murder and torture.

Some might consider his motivations in this episode to be suspect, and in fact, they are. It’s true that Sayid has reason to believe that Sawyer sabotaged his attempt to get off the island, and he recognizes that Jack should not be the one to torture Sawyer. It doesn’t justify his hatred, however, and he recognizes that enough to know he needs to find himself. That’s the basis for his decision to map the island and find the source of the signal, if possible; he’s really on a walkabout of his own. (Something that Locke seems to perceive.)

Charlie gets to show his gentle side again in this episode, but more than that, he acts the part of apostle. Having been through the transformative experience of the previous episode, Charlie is now going forth among the survivors still desperately holding on to the dream of rescue. It’s not at all surprising that he would turn to Claire first, as the one perhaps in most need of the resources at the caves. But the rather adorable scenes between Charlie and Claire also fit the Biblical metaphor. The survivors on the beach are like those without faith in themselves, waiting for something else to save them instead of embracing their own ability to help themselves.

Charlie’s conversation with Hurley addresses one of the issues brought up by many fans: why hasn’t Hurley lost any weight in the approximately two weeks since the crash? It is the main reason why it’s easy to assume he might have been on the island already, but his comments in this episode make that less likely. At least the writers cover it, however briefly! Hurley also jokingly refers to something Jack does as a “Jedi moment”, which upon reflection, once again suggests that Jack is performing the will of something greater than himself. It’s a bit of a reach, admittedly, but the writers lace everything with so much subtext that it’s hard not to read into every line of dialogue.

For all the hints that Boone would be swayed by Sawyer into opposing Jack, it seems that the island finds a way to get him on Jack’s side after all. It’s telling that Boone originally sought the answer to Shannon’s medical condition among Sawyer’s stash, only to ultimately receive what was needed from the island itself…but only after coming to Jack for that assistance. It’s a subtle metaphor, but a good one. It’s also telling that Boone would drop everything and risk his own skin to save his sister.

Claire finally shows up again, having apparently lounged on the beach for the past week or so. She’s still incredibly upbeat about the whole situation, but open to something that feels right. It’s still hard to figure out how her story will turn out, and what it is she’s meant to do. She could still die in childbirth, and it’s entirely possible that something in her past behavior mandates self-sacrifice for the life of another. It would be a bit too easy, however, for Claire and/or the baby to die, and the writers don’t seem to be going for simple melodrama.

Walt is kept in the background in this episode, but Michael and Sun continue to grow closer. Sun seems to find something to trust in Michael, but it’s definitely causing problems with Jin. Jin apparently does know some English, and he’s not blind to the fact that Michael and Sun keep finding reasons to talk in secret. This is a situation that could once again escalate into violence, and given Jin’s background, that would not be a good thing.

Locke doesn’t show up much in this episode, but his contribution is pivotal. It’s hard not to think that he knows exactly what needs to happen to test Jack, Sawyer, Kate, and Sayid. He hands Sayid the knife that ultimately brings about the moment of truth for Jack. Without the knife, events might have turned out very differently, and if all these events are happening at the whim of the island, then Locke is the instrument of the island’s will. It’s quite possible that he also knew how to handle Shannon’s asthma, but stepped back to let Sun make her decision to turn to Michael. After all, that seems to be the mechanism for Sun’s transformation.

The writers continue to keep the continuity moving forward, with small items like Jack’s shoulder and the rather pristine copy of “Watership Down” becoming plot points. It’s still not clear whether or not “Watership Down” is meant to be a clue, since there’s nothing that stands out as a direct reference. It could have been intended to serve as a hook into this episode’s plot.

It’s also becoming obvious that there’s much more to each character than what can be covered in a single episode worth of flashbacks. The writers are only covering the parts that are necessary for the overall plot progression, and one has to think that the future plot threads have been crafted as carefully as the episodes to date. Kate’s criminal past, for instance, still hasn’t been revealed, and there’s a lot that Jack hasn’t processed. As this episode demonstrates, it’s possible to shift more focus towards the present situation on the island without losing the interest of the audience.

One item in particular still needs to be addressed. Nearly half of the episodes have ended with a musical montage. While that works for some shows like “Alias” or “Angel”, imagine that happening on “24”. It just wouldn’t thematically make sense. The same applies to this series. The overall concept is one of isolation and forced self-introspection; these musical montages don’t fit, even if the song choices do. More than that, it feels like a cheat; instead of finishing the episode out with a strong scene, the writers are given an out.

This is still only a minor complaint, and it pales in comparison to the complex plotting and character development that has become the hallmark of the series. So far, the story has been remarkably consistent, and it’s amazing to see so many characters being handled effectively. For those producers who can’t figure out how to deal with a handful of characters in a balanced manner, take a look at this episode: even with an emphasis on four characters, each and every cast member gets a moment to shine.


Final Analysis
Overall, this episode might have been focused on Sawyer’s past history, but the focus was on how Sawyer brought out the worst in those around him. Sawyer’s past history informed his reactions in this episode, and in turn advanced several plot and character threads in new and interesting directions. Another triumph from a series that continues to demonstrate why scripted television is far from dead.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10




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