'Lost': Sawyer does a little 'Recon'

A slightly mixed bag in tonight's episode of "Lost," ladies and gents. A lot to like. Just as much to straight up love. But there were enough clunky scenes, impossible-to-decipher double talk, and a newly implied character motivation that kept this from being a truly great episode.

A good episode, no doubt, and the logical sequel to Season 2's excellent episode "The Long Con." Just too many flaws to allow it into the upper echelon of Season 6's best. Since the recap is, as always, quite lengthy, let's dive right into it!

4) In Short

I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
That I almost believe that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you that
I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel
-- The Cure, "Pictures of You"

8) Sideways Timeline

Sawyer's in bed with some young thang. Hey, we've seen this before, haven't we? It's Sawyer pulling a con on some unknowing young lass ... only, in this case, the pigeon drop doesn't work. In fact, it makes her pull a gun on him. She tells him she's married to a con artist, and she knows a grift when she sees it. Realizing he's caught, he tells the "truth": He's a cop, looking to track her hubby via the tracer in his case. Hey, nice lie, Sawyer ... oh wait, it's not a lie. The cops bust in on his code word ("LaFleur"), including his partner: Miles Straume. Officer Shirtless Sawyer? Holy Fanfic Flash Sideways, Batman!

In his office, Sawyer calls another on an apparently long list of Anthony Coopers. Hmm. When Miles asks him what he's up to, Sawyer makes up a lie involving Laker tickets. Looks like that's not the only lie he's told Miles -- the latter thinks Sawyer was just in Palm Springs, not Australia. In any case, Miles has more important things on his mind: like the blind date he's set up for his partner that night. She works at a museum, apparently. For the second time this paragraph: hmmm. Miles senses that something's off with Sawyer, but doesn't push it for now.

Those of us hoping for Sawyer's coffee date with Juliet? Disappointed. Those of us surprised to see a hellaciously sexy-looking Charlotte Staples Lewis sitting at the bar? Pretty happy. Damn, she cleans up good ... when she's not cleaning up polar bear skeletons in Tunisia. The two flirt hard-core over a bottle of wine. Talk of Indiana Jones and whips, and hey, someone cue the Nelly, 'cuz it's getting hot in herre. Sawyer gives a stock answer about why he joined the force, but when pressed to give an "honest" response, he notes that he hit a point at which he could either be a cop or a criminal, and he chose the former.

With those words: onto the sweaty sex! Alrighty then. Guess any pairing's possible in the sideways timeline. (I look forward to Shannon and Faraday getting it on later this season.) As Sawyer gets her a glass of water, she goes to grab one of his shirts. After staring at his copy of "Watership Down" on the dresser, she opens up a drawer. In it? Some neatly folded shirts, and a folder marked "Sawyer." Inside that? A newspaper clipping of Sawyer's parents' murder-suicide, same as we remember from the Island timeline, along with some slides and other piece of information. Sawyer freaks OUT upon seeing her looking at them. "What did you see?" he growls, increasingly angry. He eventually kicks her out. Wow. His post-coital behavior would put Angelus to shame.

Liam Pace is at Sawyer's police station, wondering if you all everybody can help him get the 411 on his brother Charlie. Sawyer passes the buck, noting narcotics isn't his division. Miles finds his partner and aggressively shoves him against a locker. Sawyer thinks this is about the date, but in fact Miles learned about his partner's trip to Australia. Sawyer remains tight-lipped about his reasons for going, which means these two are no longer partners. Sawyer then gets his Season 6 mirror scene: he looks into it, and then smashes it with a vigor that Jack Shephard would appreciate.

Sawyer gets home alone, cracks open a beer, and watches some "Little House on the Prairie." (Or, as Sawyer calls it, "Little House," right?) Laura Ingalls is worried about life without her parents around, but her father Charles just notes that, "People aren't really gone when they die. They leave all the good memories to sustain us until we see them again." Great, here I've been, looking at philosophical tomes and spacetime theory, yet all this time Michael Freakin' Landon had the answers to "Lost!" (Be prepared for my "Highway to Heaven Explains it All!" theory coming next week.) Inspired by the show, Sawyer goes to Charlotte's to apologize, but she insists that it's too late. Which is fine, because that sunflower you left on her doorstep belongs to Juliet, dammit! Oops, I just used my out-loud voice again.

Outside the precinct, Sawyer calls Miles into his car and hands over the "Sawyer" folder. He tells Miles the sadly familiar tale of his parents, and notes that he's been hunting Cooper even since he left the police academy. The trip to Australia? Related to the search as well. He admits to Miles that he plans on killing Anthony upon finding him. Just as Miles seems to have convinced Sawyer to give up his revenge plot, a car plows into them. The driver of that vehicle takes off on foot. Sawyer and Miles soon catch up to the culprit and it's ... Kate. Not as surprising as finding Jin in a meat locker, but another step toward these people reconnecting slowly but surely in the sideways timeline.

15) Island Timeline

Sawyer's at Claire's hovel, making some tea for Jin. (Is that tea infused with a hint of Squirrel Baby, by any chance?) Jin tries to get the two far away from the hovel in Smocke's absence, but Sawyer tells him that he's with the Artist Formerly Known as Locke. He tells Jin of his plan to get everyone off the Island. Jin replies that he's not leaving without Sun, and Sawyer promises to include her in the exodus as well.

Just then, they hear the sounds of Smocke, Sayid, Kate, Claire, and The Smothers (Smocke's Others) returning to the hovel. Kate looks tired, Sayid looks dead-eyed, and Claire looks her usual, recent amount of crazy. Claire gives a last goodbye to her Frankenstein-esque faux baby. She tells Kate, "It's all I had." Smocke takes the floor, promising them answers once they reach their next destination. Cindy asks about the people that stayed at the Temple; Smocke tells them, "The black smoke killed them." (Wait, The Smothers don't know he's the monster? Oh for the love of... ) Two things then happen, equally creepy: Smocke tries to set the minds of Zach and Emma at ease while Claire holds Kate's hand. Neither sounds creepy on paper, but both wigged me out majorly as they happened.

Sawyer catches up with Kate, and inquires about the other survivors, with Miles last on his list (yet perhaps first on his mind). When Kate asks if he's with Locke now, he replies, "I ain't with anybody, Kate." (He is a rock ... he is an iiiisssslllaaaaand.) As they move through the jungle, Smocke notes that the clearing they are going to might be their home for the next few days. The phrase "next few days" doesn't sit well with Sawyer, who calls out Smocke in front of the group. Oh no you didn't! Smocke takes him aside, angry at the outburst. "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners," Sawyer replies. Smocke then drops the bomb directly to Sawyer: he's the smoke monster. "It's either kill or be killed," he tells Sawyer. "And I don't WANNA be killed." OK, that line reading? Brilliant.

He then takes Sawyer to a nearby shore, where an outrigger awaits. He tells Sawyer that their means off the Island -- Ajira 316 -- awaits there. Unfortunately for them, some of the survivors from the plane might be there and a little hesitant to just let them mosey on up into first class. So Smocke asks Sawyer to do some recon and return. Why isn't he worried about Sawyer's safety? "You are the best liar I ever met," Smocke tells him. Aww, you say the sweetest things, Smocke.

Kate sits next to Sayid, and asks him if he believes Locke will get them off the Island. Unable to even make eye contact with her, he says that he believes it. Sayid's behavior confuses Kate, but there's no time for that now. It's girl fight time, with Sayid passively looking on as Claire tries to drive a knife into Kate's neck. Just before Claire can plunge it into Kate's jugular, Smocke grabs Claire and throws her off of Kate. Smocke tries to apply logic to assuage Claire, but then resorts to smacking the bejesus out of her. Well, OK then. Kate, for her part, is pretty much completely regretting her entire "Save Claire" campaign.

Sawyer arrives on Hydra Island, passing by the polar bear cages that "Lost" fans remember so well. (Note I didn't say "fondly.") In one of the cages? The dress given to Kate by Tom Friendly. Sweet, yet completely grody. (I feel a detergent commercial coming on. "Tide with Bleach gets even the toughest cage sex stains out, even after three years!") He makes his way to the Ajira plane, eyes wide with possibility as he tries ascertain its flight potential. A nearby path catches his eye: It looks to have been made by the silver case that once carried the body of the Original Recipe John Locke. Sawyer follows the path and finds a circle of dead bodies, with flies all around them. OK, altogether now: ewww. Sawyer hears a pair of footsteps behind him, and gives chance. He catches up with her, and it's ... OK, I have no idea who this is. Awesome. Another new character. Why not? Pardon me while I drive this spike into my eye.

Smocke finds Kate crying in the jungle. Let the Kate Recruitment begin! He tells her that he fed Claire the lie about The Others having Aaron. He did so to inspire hatred towards an enemy in order to keep her going in the child's absence. Slick lie, Smocke. "That's very insightful, coming from a dead man," she sneers. He promises that he'll keep Kate safe, and even promises to show her where Sawyer went. Hey, if you wanted to recruit people that had been in the dark for three years, giving them loads of answers (even mostly false ones) must taste like cool water on their mental tongues. Yeah, I've come up with better metaphors before. Let's move on.

As Sawyer gives her water, she tells him her name is Zoe. She tells of "screaming" two days ago, with everyone dead upon her return to the beach. She tells him about dragging their bodies one by one to the pile to keep them from rotting in the sun. On the way back to the outrigger, Zoe asks approximately 197 questions to a non-plussed Sawyer, who blandly replies honestly to each one. The blandness is a cover, however, as it allows him to get the drop on her. However, she's one step ahead, as four armed men pop out nearby and force Sawyer to the ground. "Alright, alright, you got me. Take me to your leader." I imagine for most people, THAT was the line of the night.

Locke takes Kate to the beachfront with the lovely Hydra view. (That's how it's listed in the Craphole Island Real Estate Guide. I looked it up.) Kate wonders why Locke didn't simply tell her where Sawyer went; he tells her that this gives them a chance to "talk." What does Smocke want to talk about? His mother. I'm serious. Even Smocke's not free from parental issues. "My mother was crazy," he says. "Long time ago, before I looked like this, I had a mother just like everyone. She was a very disturbed woman, and as a result of that, I had some growing pains. Problems that I'm still trying to work my way through. Problems that could have been avoided had things been different." Why is he telling her this? Because, as he notes: Aaron's got a crazy mother too. Much more on this in "Mythology" below.

Sawyer gets led through the jungle, past a group of men setting up familiar-looking pylons. He's shocked to see a submarine parked at a ferry dock. He walks past a locked door, and asks what's inside. "None of your business," Zoe replies. (Fantastic. Another mystery. Let the speculation begin! I say Des. Or Walt. Or a giant Swiffer to sweep up Smokey. Or a ton of Hot Pockets.) He climbs down inside, and finally meets Charles Widmore face to face. Charles extends a hand, but Sawyer simply sits, still sore about that whole "Kahana and Keamy" thing a while back. "It's sad, really. How little you actually know," he says. I guess Charles Widmore thinks "Lost" fans are collectively a sad bunch, then.

Sawyer thinks Widmore killed the people on Hydra Island, though those flies seem to indicate they've been dead long before Widmore's recent arrival. Widmore sneers at Sawyer's insistence that John Locke sent him, but not necessarily for the reason you might think. (More on this in "Mythology.") The two strike a deal: Sawyer will tell "Locke" that the coast is clear so Widmore can kill him. In return, Sawyer asks for safety and passage for his friends. The two shake on the bargain, though I'm pretty sure both have their fingers crossed behind their respective backs when they make it.

In the jungle, a sullen Claire finds Kate and meekly apologizes. "Thank you -- and thank you for taking care of him," she says, burying her face in Kate's shoulder while crying, "I'm sorry," over and over again. Huh. A true apology? Another con in an ep full of cons, recons, decons, and double dog dare cons? We'll have to wait and see.

Smocke greets Sawyer as he arrives back onshore. Instead of lying to Smocke, he tells him the truth about his encounter with Widmore. Smocke seems as surprised to hear the name "Widmore" as Charles did hearing the name "Locke." Smocke appreciates Sawyer's "loyalty" by sharing his intel. Sawyer merely notes that he wants to leave the Island, and that "a deal's a deal." At dinner that night, he tells Kate of his true plan: Let Smocke and Widmore battle it out, with the rest of them leaving via sub in the confusion. Meet the new sheriff. Same as the old sheriff.

16) The Moment

Since "LaFleur" is one of my all-time favorite episodes, hearing James Ford utter that word again made me deliriously happy.

23) The Mythology

More an episode about setting the stage than downloading major mythology, this episode still gave us plenty to chew on. Here are a few hot-button topics to discuss over the next week.

We may have to rethink Smocke's motivation! I have no way to confirm that Smocke was telling Kate the truth, but all evidence, when collected together, suggest that he's interested in telling portions of his story in a truthful way to people that would understand that particular part of the story. To Sawyer, he spoke of a man in chains. To Kate, he speaks of a mother that ruined his life. I'm not sure I like the idea of Smocke wanting to leave the Island so his own horrible past is erased, but that seems to be where we're possibly headed. Why do shows feel the need to soften their villains so we sympathize with them? We already had the Redemption of Ben; we don't need the Justification of Smocke. (And what to make of the Peter Pan child from "The Substitute" in light of Smocke's growing pains? Is that Smocke's sibling? Smocke himself? Kirk Cameron? I ask, you decide!)

We may have to rethink the runway! For a while now, we've operated under the assumption that Jacob ordered the construction of the Hydra runway in anticipation of Ajira 316's eventual crash-landing in 2007. But given that Smocke wants to use it to leave, we have to at least consider the possibility that Jacob put his people on that flight in order to counter Smocke's original plan, given to the Others under the guise of Jacob's directive. Yes, my head hurts too.

We may have to rethink John Locke's sideways wedding! We were all shocked to learn that Anthony Cooper was invited to Locke's wedding in the sideways universe. Since we saw his photograph in Sideways Locke's cube, we know the two have a relationship in this timeline. Many of us, myself included, postulated that perhaps he wasn't the Worst Father of the Century in this timeline. Looks like we were wrong, and than Locke's merely in the dark about his father's history. To quote my favorite Peter Gabriel lyric: "Nothing fades as fast as the future/Nothing clings like the past." I imagine Sawyer's investigation should lead him to Locke's door before Season 6 is out.

We may have to rethink Widmore's plan to send Locke back to the Island! Here's the takeway I had from his scene with Sawyer: poker-faced Widmore blinked momentarily upon hearing Locke's name, and suddenly realized the implication of what Smocke's presence on the Island meant. We really, REALLY have to go back and rewatch "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," an episode famous for its last scene but which may hold the key to understanding everything that's currently going on on the Island. If Widmore didn't think something that walked like Locke and talked like Locke could exist on the Island upon his arrival, what does that say about his intent in sending Locke back in the first place? Which side of the war needs to win, in his mind?

We may have to rethink the pylons! Loved, loved seeing those suckers being erected on Hydra Island. The implication seems to be that Widmore leveraged his sizable off-Island heft to secure The Hanso Foundation's schematics in order to provide a safeguard in the War of the Island. That seems to imply that he's interested in either keeping the monster at bay or perhaps contained in some fashion. Is he doing so merely to maintain a foothold on the secondary island as a type of shallow kingdom? Or did he simply bring them along as a defensive base for the upcoming battles? Most importantly: Why not just go to the Temple? Might it be because he learned it would already be unusable upon his return? My wild and incorrect theory an hour after it aired: He at least thinks he's working for Jacob, and might even be working for him, but in fact will ultimately play right into Smocke's hands due to his lust for power. Think Widmore would give up the offer Smocke made to Ben last week? Exactly.

42) Random Thoughts

Love that free will's more in play than ever in the sideways universe. Sawyer's decision to make the choice to become a cop in the sideways universe is vital, and affects his entire life. It doesn't completely change who he is (the vengeful side is still there), but in choosing a profession in which he constantly has a partner, he is allowed a chance to not completely devolve into himself. It's not about reinvention: it's about making the small yet incredibly important life decisions that seem banal on the surface but make all the difference in the world.

I'd love to think that someone on the "Lost" writing staff saw that episode of "Little House on the Prairie" before writing the Rose/Bernard scenes in "The Incident." Thematically and tonally, the two are almost identical in terms of their "live in the moment with loved ones" ethos.

Every time I see an outrigger in this show, I keep expecting to see the other perspective of the on-water shootout in "The Little Prince." It's like how I used to always wait for Locke to get pancaked in his flashbacks so I'd learn how he ended up in a wheelchair.

I need to think more on this, but I can't help but wonder if Smocke's "crazy mother" and the fertility issues on the Island are in some ways related. A huge stretch? You betcha. But you have to be Reed Richards-esque sometimes in connecting the dots on this show.

After next week's episode? We're halfway done with the season. Nine hours will have passed, with only nine to go. Moment of silence, y'all.

108) Final Thoughts

This episode started off like gangbusters, but faltered somewhat down the stretch. Was it a bad episode? No. I need to be careful how I phrase this, since my "Sundown" recap got me in a bit of trouble with some readers. I'd rank it above "Sundown" and "What Kate Does," but below everything else. I haven't found a truly awful episode of the bunch this year, but after the epic high of "Dr. Linus," I suppose anything would be a relative letdown. If we can escape this year without an "Eggtown" or a "Fire+Water," I'll be a happy, happy camper.

With Smocke, Widmore, and Sawyer all lying to each other, it's absolutely impossible to take anything they say seriously at any given time. They are like the Boys Who Cried "Lost." I understand that Sawyer's statement to Kate at the end was truthful, but given both the history of the show as well as Sawyer, didn't you see the double con coming a mile away? Those scenes dominated the last 20 minutes of the show, and coupled with the could-see-it-a-mile-away "twist" of Kate running from the law, it tainted the show's gangbuster first half.

Smocke's new "I had a bad childhood that I haven't overcome in a few millennia" motivation isn't sitting well with me. In a show where it's difficult to take anything at face value, I think we're supposed to take his cryptic backstory download at face value. A few weeks ago I suggested that Smocke was a man in chains for so long that he forgot why he was placed in them in the first place. I think these "growing pains" are punishment, a punishment he's supposed to endure. That raises the stakes of his departure as well as feeds into the morality of the show as a whole. (The show seems to be stating that leaving the Island to erase your past is an immoral act.) Strong stuff to discuss, but a little clunky when played out onscreen. I would have been fine with a man with a strong, compelling viewpoint on life killing his fellow demi-god and moving onto...well, anything else. That worked for me. Bringing up a crazy mother doesn't seem like a step in the right direction.

Next week? Oh boy. Brace yourselves. I imagine the "Mythology" section of my recap will be longer than my actual summary. If you know who it's about, you know why. If you don't, stay in the dark. Readers, if you could withholding revealing the center of next week's ep, that would be greatly appreciated.

What did you think of "Recon"? A post "Linus" letdown, or a superb Sawyer episode? Did Claire truly forgive Kate? And what is Widmore's real goal in returning to the Island? Leave your thoughts below!