I can’t decide if I liked the episode or not. Yes, it had some intense moments, some great fights, and some great acting. No, it did not solve any of our questions. The flashbacks weren’t exceptional, but Sawyer had some great moments this week. This is why I can’t decide. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll review the episode and if I haven’t come up with a clear opinion by the end, we’ll consider me as a lost cause. Deal?

          Sawyer’s flashbacks, usually ground-breaking, were boring this week. Although I didn’t expect him to betray Munson, the flashbacks weren’t enough. Here’s the problem: viewers have seen all they’ve wanted to see from his flashbacks. There’s no interest anymore. The writers have established the fact that he’s a con. Congratulations. Can we have more? I enjoyed learning that Sawyer has a daughter named Clementine. If I ever named my daughter after a fruit, please shoot me. I’m glad Sawyer took responsibility for his actions. It was great to see him give the commission to his daughter. How much money is that? He also wants to remain anonymous. I wouldn’t want my daughter tracking me down either if I was Sawyer. It was nice though to see a resolution from a previous flashback. Lost has a hard time resolving stories. At least now we were presented with the aftermath of The Long Con.

          Sawyer got so many beatings today I don’t know how he survived. First, he tried escaping by luring Ben into his trap. Problem: they have them on camera. Ben took the initiative of turning off Sawyer’s food machine. That’s not playing fair. For a small guy, Ben can really deliver a punch. Of course, after he was done with Sawyer I was hoping Sawyer would come back and destroy him. Second: Pickett, from his anger, just let it all out with Sawyer. This one was more vicious.

          Jack finally had something to do this week. It was very clever having him operate on one of the Others. Furthermore, he got a glimpse at some X-Ray photos. He obviously deduces that he’s here for a spinal surgery. That works out great. They need him. He needs them. Jack is getting more and more leverage every day. It’s time he tricks Juliet into letting him out. I have a feeling Juliet will be the person to free Jack. She is falling for him. She is being pushed around by Ben and it’s only a matter of time before she’s had enough. I’m really getting excited.

          Kate also had some great stuff. So, does she love Sawyer? Of course she loves Sawyer. Or did she say what she said because she didn’t want Pickett hurting Sawyer? I think she loves Sawyer. The Others have obviously done this on purpose. They are somehow testing Sawyer’s attraction to Kate. What would be the big deal with her taking a shower? They want her undressing in front of Sawyer. Poor guy had a hard time looking away. They are expecting something to happen or worse, they are planning on doing something to them. I hope our survivors can save them on time. Locke, hurry up. Hurry up!

Spotlight on…Sawyer

-          Sawyer is boxing in prison. He sees this guy called Munson being clobbered by another prisoner. Supposedly, he ripped off the government for ten million dollars. Sawyer assumes the warden wants it.

-          Sawyer meets with the woman he conned, Cassidy. She says he has a daughter named Clementine. They live in Albuquerque.

-          Munson asks Sawyer to move the money for him. He wants to keep it away from his wife.

-          Sawyer betrays Munson by turning in the location to the warden. Sawyer had lied and cheated his way out of prison.

Tales from the Island

Sawyer: We’re on another freakin’ island. How the hell are they going to get to us? We’ve already pissed them off enough as it is. They are going to tighten security as much as they can. They have a camera on me and Kate. There’s no way we can talk anymore. I guess I have to go solo. Kate is able to climb out of her cage though. That skinny assed girl should have ran away when she had the chance. It’s every man for himself. Also, was that really Jack coming out of the door? His head was covered and he couldn’t hear us yelling at him. We can’t be certain it was him. About the other island thing. How did they get from one island to the other? Who are these people? At this point, I don’t even want to know. I just want to get the hell outta here.

Quotable Quotes

-          Cassidy: “I just thought you could write her a letter.”
Sawyer: “What the hell am I gonna write? "Dear gugu gaga..." she's a BABY!!!”

-          Kate: “Are you ok?”
Sawyer: “Dandy. Guy fights like a girl. No offense.”

-          Sawyer: “If you want me dead, why don’t you just shoot me and get it over with?”
Ben: “Because we’re not killers, James.” I beg to differ.

-          Prison Warden: “Congratulations, Ford. You just lied and cheated your way out of prison. You’re a free man.” Sounds like the Sawyer I know.

-          Juliet: “I shouldn’t have, ah…I should have come to get you sooner.”
Jack: “It wouldn’t have mattered. There wasn’t any more that you could have done. She was dead before you put her on the table.”
Juliet: “Are…are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
Jack: “I don’t…I don’t care about making you feel better.”

-          Pickett: “Time for work!”
Sawyer: “Sounding a little stuffy there, ChinaTown. You need to blow your nose?”
Pickett (wants to hit Sawyer): “Just give me an excuse.”
Sawyer: “Thought I just did, what do I gotta do, talk about your mother?”

-          Ben: “The only way to gain a con man’s respect is to con him. You’re pretty good, Sawyer. We're a lot better.”

-          Charlie: “If there’s a problem, I’ll fix it. I’m quite handy. I was building a church before Eko exploded.”

-          Kate (to Sawyer): “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 else that they have done to us before.”

Some Final Notes

-          So it seems as if The Others have a submarine. That’s how they got on Desmond’s boat so quietly.

-          Sawyer called Pickett “Chinatown.” Where does he come up with those names?

-          Juliet is a fertility doctor. How did she learn how to be a fertility doctor?

-          Ben went completely psycho with the rabbit. I felt bad.

-          The pacemaker/watch con was well done. I’m surprised Sawyer fell for it. I fell for it too.

-          Kate is amazing. How can she fit through those bars?

-          Colleen dies. That’s too bad.

-          Pickett and Colleen were married.

-          The Others don’t have any paddles. I wonder what else they’re missing.

-          I laughed when Sawyer threw that bucking of water over his head. He had to cool down his heart rate because he was watching Kate undress.

-          I realized that Jack was watching a cartoon on swans. Reference to the hatch.

I have my answer. It was a standard good episode. 3 stars

-          Next episode

-          Lost season 3

-          Lost main