Episode Title: "Confidence Man"

Episode Number: 8

Production Number: 107

Air Date: 11/10/04

Press release: Jack and Sayid resort to brutality to convince Sawyer the life-saving medicine he is hoarding.

On island: Kate's walking along the shore with fruit when she notices on the beach Sawyer's clothes and a book. She looks up and sees Sawyer in the ocean saying "it's a hell of a book" as he walks out of the ocean toward her, he tells her it's about bunnies. Sawyer starts to flirt with Kate which doesn't work. Kate walks away. He also leaves and heads back to his belongings and catches Boone looking through his stuff. Sawyer asks Boone "what are you doing with my stuff son?" then beats him up. When Jack finds out he finds Sawyer and asks "where is it?" Sawyer asks "where's what"? He says the inhalers that Shannon needs for her asthma. He confronts Sawyer about attacking a kid for trying to help his sick sister. He tells Jack that he whooped a thief because he was going through his stuff. Jack gets angry that Sawyer thinks these things from the crash is his stuff. Sawyer tells him that he don't know what kind of sheriff Jack has going at the caves, but around here possession is nine tenth and a man has a right to his property. Jack tells him "get up", Sawyer asks him "why, do you want to see who's taller?" Sawyer gets up, Kate walks up asking what is going on, so they stop and Jack walks away.


Kate talks to Sawyer because he thinks they have a connection so he might tell her where the inhalers are. She asks him what he wants. He says "freckles, I got so many answers to that question that I don't know where to start." Kate replies, what do you want for the inhalers. He tells her he wants a kiss from her, right now and that ought to do it. She tells Sawyer that she don't buy the act and that he tries too hard. She tells him that she asks him for help for a girl who can't breathe and that he want to kiss her, she tells him nobody is that disgusting. Kate tells him that she sees him with that piece of paper and the way he looks at it and she thinks there is a human being inside of him somewhere. Sawyer gives Kate the letter and makes her read it. Kate reads a letter from a boy written to a con man named Sawyer who seduced his mom and than stole his dad's money, so his dad got angry and killed his mom and than he killed himself. The boy only knew his name and one day he will find him, give him this letter to let him know what he did to him, you killed my parents Mr. Sawyer. He takes the letter back and says "now about that kiss", Kate keeps her head down and he says to her "I didn't think so."


Before Jack found out what Sawyer did to Boone, he was tending to a wound on the back of Sayid's head. Sayid said they were trying to find the source from the distress call. He saw the flare from the beach and then the flare from Sawyer's position in the jungle, then switched on the antenna, activated the distress call and then "darkness". He tells Jack that whoever hit him came from behind and destroyed all the equipment. Jack tells him they're gonna figure this out. Sayid says "I will do whatever I need to do to find out who is responsible." Then Shannon comes running up screaming for help with her brother Boone who is badly beaten. Boone tells Jack that Sawyer did this to him because Sawyer caught him looking through his stuff. Boone explains that Shannon has asthma and can't breathe and she used up the last of her inhaler, they had 4 more but can't find them. Sawyer had their book from their luggage so they think he has the inhalers too. Shannon's breathing is getting worse. Boone tries to calm her down and Sawyer walks by. Jack goes after him and tells him to give him the inhalers. Sawyer tells Jack that he finally asks nice for them. Jack gets mad that he's sarcastic so he punches Sawyer.


Jack tries to calm Shannon down and tries to teach her how to breathe, he tells Boone to keep her calm and walks away. Sayid follows Jack and asks what will happen if she doesn't get her medicine. Jack shakes his head. Sayid says then we'll have to make Sawyer give it to us. Jack says he will do it. Sayid tells him that he served 5 years in the Republican Guard, Jack says I thought you were a Communications Officer. Sayid replies that part of his training was getting the enemy to communicate, he then goes on to say "just give me 10 minutes with him, he will give us the medicine." Jack and Sayid grab Sawyer and as they walk by Kate she gets real angry about what they're about to do as they walk pass her. Sayid interrogates and tortures Sawyer. He doesn't give in until Sayid places a knife that Locke gave him earlier when Sayid was questioning Locke about who hit him in the back of the head. Locke suggests that it was probably Sawyer because he has nothing to gain by leaving the island. Then Locke gives Sayid the knife in case there's a next time. When Sayid says he will cut his eye out, Sawyer gives in and says the only person that he will tell is her, Jack says "Kate?" Sawyer says that's the deal.


Kate goes to Sawyer thinking he is just going to tell her where the inhalers are. He tells her he will be happy to tell her as soon as he gets that kiss. Kate can't believe he's serious. Sawyer reminds her that he's just been tortured by an Iraqi and tells her all he wants is just a kiss, he also tells her that she can't let that poor girl suffocate. Kate agrees and they kiss. When they're done Sawyer tells her that he don't have the inhalers and never did. Kate slaps him and she walks away.

She finds Jack and Sayid and tells them that he don't have the inhalers. Sayid says he's lying and goes after Sawyer with Locke's knife, he stabs him in the arm and it hits an artery. Jack sends Sayid to get his backpack with things he needs to try to stop the bleeding and save Sawyer's life. He tells Jack to just let him die and he has nothing to live for because he already made out with Kate. Sawyer tells Jack if the tables were turned, he would watch him die.

Meanwhile back at the beach, Charlie is trying to convince Claire to move to the caves where he is staying. Claire would rather stay on the beach because she thinks it's a better way to get rescued. They're kidding around things that they miss from home. Charlie can't believe that because she is pregnant, she doesn't miss or crave any food. Claire tells him what she misses is peanut butter. Charlie makes a deal with Claire that if he can get her peanut butter than she will move to the caves with him. Charlie sets out to go find Hurley to see if he has any peanut butter. Hurley tells Charlie that the food from the plane has been gone for a week, dude. charlie insists that there must be some secret stash, but Hurley tells him that there's no peanut butter, no peanuts, no nothing. Charlie tells Hurley that here has to be something because of the way Hurley looks. This insults Hurley and says "what man, fat guy hoarding the food." Charlie tells him, well we have been here for 2 weeks and look at you. Hurley 's like what, fat guy hasn't slim down. Hurley tells him that he has no food and for the record he's down a belt notch. Charlie goes back to Claire and tells her that she can move to the caves and takes out an empty jar and they pretend it's peanut butter.

Sun goes to Michael and tells him she thinks she can help the girl with asthma and asks Michael if he would help her. later finds Sun with the eucalyptus and asks her if these are the right ones, he's not sure if he found the right tree. Sun looks at it and is very pleased and says they are good. Jin then comes from out of no where and starts yelling in Korean, Sun walks away and Michael says to Jin "don't man, I'm telling you, don't."

Sun brings the mixture made out of eucalyptus and it starts to work right away on Shannon. Jack walks up and Boone tells him that it's a miracle, he tells Jack that after 10 minutes of the mixture she is breathing normal. Jack is impressed with Sun and thanks her very much. Jin walks by and stares at Sun, she turns away and looks at Shannon calm and relaxed and sees how relieved Boone is.

Sawyer wakes up with a bandage around his arm. Kate is sitting there beside him. She tells him that he's lucky to be alive. He asks for Jack and she tells him that he's checking on Shannon. She tells him that she read the letter again and again. She tells him this because she has been trying to figure out why he beat up Boone instead of telling him that he didn't have his sisters medication. She also couldn't understand why he pretended to have the inhaler when he didn't. Kate tells him that the this she keeps coming around to is that he want to be hated. Then Kate tells him that she looked at the envelope, America's Bicentennial, Tennessee. 1976. Kate tells him that he was just a kid and he was the one who wrote the letter. She tells him that his name is not Sawyer, he tells her the man was his name and that he was a confidence man. He tells her what a mess this man left behind and he was just a kid, so he did write the letter with the hope that one day he would find him. He told her that the sad part is that when he was 19 he needed 6 grand to pay these guys that he was in trouble with, so he found a pretty lady with a dumb husband and got them to give the money to me. He says " how about that for a tragedy, I became the man I was hunting, I became Sawyer." He told Kate she better not feel sorry for him and to go away. After Kate left he tried to burn the letter, he couldn't do it.


While Sawyer was sitting down trying to burn his letter. Kate ran into Sayid on the beach. Sayid said he was leaving because he couldn't stay there. He said what he did today, he swore to do never again, if he can' t keep that promise than he doesn't deserve to be there. Kate tells him there is no where to go. He tells her someone needs to walk the shore and map the island. He tells her he can't think of a better person than the the only one he trusts. He tells Kate that he hopes they meet again and then starts walks away and leaves.


Flashback: We learn more about Sawyer's background as a con artist. This guy is good and his sad past explains a lot about his conniving ways on the island. In the flashback Sawyer seduces a married woman named Jessica. He makes her think he is in love with her, but he is really pulling a con on her
and her husband to get $160,000 from them from an oil deal that doesn't exist. He pretends that they will all triple their money from this deal. Sawyer takes Jessica and her husband David out to lunch. David is suspicious and even mentions a loophole. Sawyer pretends to end the deal with them so David will agree. Sawyer even leaves his share of $140,000 with them overnight to earn their trust. The only problem is that the money is not Sawyer's, it belongs to
this man Kilo. When Kilo finds out that Sawyer left the money with them, he asks Sawyer if he want to die. Then Kilo threatens him and tells him that he
better get him his money back, plus 50% or else. The next day Sawyer goes to the couples home and is ready to walk away with a suitcase filled with $160,000 from them. Right before Sawyer is about to leave with their money, a little boy walks out and calls Jessica his mommy. Sawyer stops and stares
at this boy and walks away from the con and leaves their money with them. The couple is confused and Sawyer walks out quickly with no explanation.

Trivia:

• The song at the end of this episode is called I Shall Not Walk Alone, the lyrics in the song include Mother Mary. Season 4 reveals that Mary was Sawyer's mothers name.
• The book that Sawyer was reading that was in Boone's luggage is called Watership Down.
• Sawyer had $160,000 of Kilo's money, but he told Jessica that he had $140,000.

OMG Moment:

• Sawer tells Kate to shut up!
• Sawyer insists Kate must kiss him in order to get the medicine he is hoarding,inhalers, andso she takes on thatdoes demandit withand passionateguess gusto. what....
• Sawyer never had the inhalers.inhalers!

Questions and clues:

• Did Locke con Sayid into thinking that Sawyer was the one who hit him from behind?
• How did Sawyer know so soon that him and Kate had a connection?
• Was Sawyer already in love with Kate?
• Was Sawyer also conning Kilo out of 20,000 dollars?
• Did Sawyer ever give Kilo his money back?
• If not, did Kilo ever find Sawyer and hurt him?
• What ever happened to Shannon's inhalers?