Gotcha.

The Long Con

This is the episode where Sawyer returns to selfish, greedy, cranky form. Definitely my favorite episode since their return from the holiday break.

I knew I was going to like the episode from the opening scene with the Bossy Twins in the gun vault. Not only was Locke's superstition about smashing a bunch of Virgin Marys funny, but we actually got a clear and concise explanation for why he kept them: he thought the heroin they contain may come in handy in some future medical emergency. Thank you.

The Long Con was all about Sawyer and refers to a form of con that takes a long time and involves getting the mark to think that the whole thing was their idea in the first place. The flashbacks of Sawyer conning and falling in love with Cassidy dovetailed nicely with the con he was pulling on his fellow lostaways, where he outmaneuvers them and takes possession of the guns himself. I wonder about a few things: How long was this con? Has he been hatching it since he recovered from his gunshot wound? What was his real reason for taking the guns? He must have been motivated by more than just anger over his "stuff" being taken while he was away. As a con-artist, Sawyer is always in control of his circumstances and I imagine he needed to re-assert that control and teach the Bossy Twins a lesson. I think Kate was right - he wants people to hate him. Why? Well, I don't think he's comfortable with being treated any other way and he doesn't think he's deserving of others' kindness. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. That's fine with me - I find him much more interesting as a good-for-nothing.

I recognized the woman playing Cassidy straight away - I just didn't know who she was until about halfway through the episode. Joanie Stubbs, I miss you (and Deadwood)! I think Sawyer really did love her. It would be nice to see her again.

So, Bernard's a dentist! I bet that will come in handy in the future.

It was good to see Sayid again. I hope he's coming out of his funk now. I know it's only been a short amount of island time since Shannon died, but in my timeline, it feels like forever. He's certainly more useful than most of them, so he needs to snap out of it.

So, Sawyer's accomplice in the long con was Charlie! I freely admit that I did not see that coming. I am such an easy mark. Sawyer would have a field day with me...Sorry, I distracted myself. Back to Charlie...that's pretty hardcore, abducting Sun to get revenge against Locke. I don't think he intended for Sun to get hurt, but still. Maybe he caught the Island Crazies, like Michael? He's certainly gone over to the dark side, what with his Sith Lord hood and all. Hmm, are we seeing the beginning of a division among the lostaways, a la The Stand, good vs. evil?

Thanks to the folks at Too Much Free Time, I found out that Kate's mother was the waitress at the diner in Sawyer's flashback. I always miss that stuff.

What was Locke doing with the books. He sure as sh*t wasn't alphabetizing them - he was looking for something. Another piece of film? The book they showed the cover of was "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", by Ambrose Bierce, who, by-the-way, disappeared without a trace. Just like Glen Miller, whose music Sayid and Hurley were listening to on the radio.

Next episode: Sayid! The French Woman!