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L.A. Reality: In our brave new world, James Ford isn't a con man; he's a cop playing a con man in order to nab the wife of an actual con man. In his off hours, he hunts down Anthony Cooper, because even in this reality, Ford's daddy executed the murder/suicide play, after Cooper bedded the Mrs. and made bank. Miles is James' partner, and he knows something's going on, but James won't come clean with him. He will, however, go on a date with Miles' father's cute ginger co-worker -- archaeologist (not anthropologist) Charlotte Staples Lewis. But when Charlotte stumbles across James' "Sawyer" folder, in search of a T-shirt to cover up her freckled nakedness, James bounces her out on her lily white derrière.
After watching a restorative episode of Little House on the Prairie, James stops by Charlotte's with a six pack and a sun flower, but sorry dude, she's just not that into you. He does manage, however, to make up with Miles, who broke up with him on account of his reticence to confess his entire life's story. Just before the boys seal their reunion with a kiss, the car they're in is rammed by some fugitive, who and flees down an alley, in an attempt to escape. James beats Miles and the other cops to the punch... and the criminal. He pushes the fugitive against the wall and rips of the fugitive's hood to reveal... KATE! "Son of a bitch." This was as surprising as a sunrise.
Island Reality: This is where the episode title, "Recon" really comes into play. Sure, it makes us think of a reconnaissance mission, but it's all about conning, and then conning again. Faucke sends Sawyer to the Hydra island on a mission that involves gaining the confidence of the Ajira Air crash victims, but really? He sends him there to get him out of the way, so he can work his smoke and mirrors on Kate, and lure her to his side.
Claire, all jacked up on three years of loathing the Others for stealing Aaron, has no problem transferring that hate to Kate, who already confessed to taking the tot back to the real world. So while Sayid watches with empty eyes, and Claire tries to stab Kate to death, Faucke gets to play the hero and pull Claire off Kate (and bitch slap Claire, which made my stomach flip-flop). And later, this gives him the opportunity to tell Kate about his crazy mother (which drives us all back to our mythology books and Bibles), and how Claire is now a crazy mother, and that Aaron deserves better, doesn't he? Bite the fruit, Eve. You surely won't die.
Over on Hydra Island, Sawyer finds Kate's sundress in the sex cages and gets all sniffly, even though Juliet's body is barely cold. He also finds all the Ajira passengers -- dead. He then runs into one of Widmore's crew from the sub, who pretends to be an Ajira survivor. Sawyer doesn't buy her line, but she's got armed reinforcements in the bush. When they driver Sawyer to his knees, he says, "Take me to your leader."
Their leader is, of course, Charles Widmore (who never exits the sub). Sawyer tells Widmore he'll deliver Faucke to him, by telling him everything is hunky-dory over on Hydra island, provided that Widmore promises safe passage to Sawyer and his passengers of choice. And then, back on Craphole, Sawyer tells Faucke everything he told Widmore. AND THEN, he tells Kate that he's going to let Faucke and Widmore fight it out, while he and Kate take the submarine off the island and back home, because surely, piloting a sub is no more complicated than riding a raft, or paddling an outrigger, and remember how well those excursions turned out?
This was, it seems, a foundational episode. It kept my attention at all times, but I felt a large disconnect with Sideways Sawyer -- and it was more notable to me than the disconnect I've felt with any of the other Sideways Lost-Aways. Although I love seeing Sawyer as Miles as cop-buddies (and I'd totally watch that show, ABC), the story didn't resonate with me the way Jack and David, Claire and Kate, Locke and Helen, Sayid and Nadia, and Ben and Alex did. Charlotte was somebody to me, but she was never really actually anyone except a dying young woman -- to Sawyer. Still, this episode didn't leave me feeling like we've stalled. It just left me waiting for the real end to begin.
I'm starting the full recap now, so until then, please join us in the forums, where post-partum violence is at an all time low.
Want more? The full recap starts right below! There were no Previouslies, this week, so let's get right to it, because Sawyer's back on our screens after being gone far too long!Island Reality; Claire's Lair; Exterior; Day: Sawyer, after burning his hand and son-of-a-bitching about it, brings a cup of tea inside Claire's lair and shakes Jin awake. When he tells Jin that Faucke and Claire said they'd be back by sun-up (and it's past then, yeah?) Jin wants to flee before they return, but Sawyer's words stop him cold. "I'm with Locke."
Even though he spent three years in Dharmaville with Sawyer and Miles, no one ever taught Jin how to say you stupid shit, so he simply replies, "That is not Locke." Sawyer admits he knows that, but tells Jin that Faucke's offering a way off the island. Jin won't leave if there's a chance Sun is there (and, Show, you've already delayed their reunion about 7 episodes too long, so teasing it is doing you no favors). Sawyer understands. "If she's here, you've got my word, we ain't leaving without her." Right, because Sawyer never lies.
Faucke, Claire, Kate, Sayid, Cindy, the kids, and the rest of the refugee Templars return, cutting short our alone time with our handsome men. Ooh, there's Sayid. He looks so broken. There's Claire. Ditto. There's Kate -- weary and confused. She approaches Sawyer with a soft, "Hi." He replies, "Hi yourself," and looks away, as she wanders off.
L.A. Reality; Seedy Motel Room: James Ford and Ava (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe; Gretchen, Prison Break) are pantingly post-coital. She's squeezing his pec and calling him Jimmy. And now she's trying to board that ride again -- at least until she notices the time: 8:42 and reminds "Jimmy" he has an appointment at 9:00. He hops out of bed and puts on his pants, but no shirt, because as we'll soon learn, this scene is heavy on the gratuitous skin, and light on sense. He picks up his brief case and swings round toward the bed, and what do you know? That sucker just pops open, and all sorts of cold hard cash spills onto the still warm sheets, just like it did with Cassidy, back in "The Long Con."
At first, Ava plays along, asking what Jimmy is doing with all that money. As he gives her his con spiel about a potential investment and the other guy wanting to see the money up front, Ava hops out of bed, and puts on a shirt just enough to satisfy Standards and Practices, and not a smidgen more. Don't worry kids, she does not influence Jimmy to do the same. Still topless, he turns back to face Ava, and starts to tell her that once his meeting is over, they'll pick up right where they left off, but she's got other ideas -- that start and end with the gun she's pointing at nearly nekkid Jimmy Ford. She tells him to step away from the case. When he tells her to take it easy, she replies, "Here's the thing, Dimples..." (which Sawyer once called Cassidy) "I can spot a con man. I'm married to one, so I know all about the Pigeon Drop..." (which Sawyer tried to use on Cassidy and later pulled with her) "...Oh what, that case just accidentally flew open? How stupid do you think I am?"
Jimmy cocks his head to the side. "Pretty damn stupid, actually. [...] This is a set-up, lady. There's a van sitting right outside. The room is bugged. The place is surrounded by cops. So now you wanna put that gun down -- we'll work something out. They don't care about you. They want your husband. There's a tracer in the case. All you had to do was take it back to wherever your hubby is hiding out."
Ava doesn't believe Ford is working with the cops and wants to know -- if they've surrounded the place and are listening in -- why they didn't rush in and save him. Jimmy seems to take offense at the thought. "I don't need saving." He actually says the "g" sound at the end of that word. This new reality is strange and off-putting, sometimes. Anyhow, he tells her he knows she'll do the right thing and put down the gun, but if she doesn't, he just has to use his "magic word" and the cops will burst in and save the day. She tells him he's a lousy con man and cocks her gun. Jimmy incants: "LaFleur." (That must be his mom's maiden name or something, right? Right?)
As Ava asks, "La-what?" uniformed cops kick open the door. "Police! Drop the gun!" She drops her gun on the bed, and thank goodness she put on some panties when we weren't looking, because the bottom half of that shirt she's barely wearing flies open as she raises her hands in the air. As one of the officers cuffs Ava, the detective in charge of the case walks in and IT'S MILES! He chastises Jim. "Cutting it a little close, huh?" Jim says that's the only way to cut it. Miles throws him his badge necklace (what? what would you call it? Something with lanyard probably, well, feh) and says, "Put your damned clothes on, Jim." Jim says, "You've got it, partner." As the fandom yells, "TOGETHER THEY FIGHT CRIME!" Ava snarls, "You're a cop?!" While the uniforms lead her out, Jim cracks: "Surprise." He slips on his badge bling and we cut to commercial so that he doesn't get a chance to put on a shirt and ruin the moment for us.
Thoughts During the Break:
Okay, first... since there were so many mirror image references to Sawyer's time with Cassidy, why didn't they just use Kim Dickens in this role? Does this mean we can expect to see Cassidy later, or was Kim Dickens just not available?
Secondly... what? All right, so the point of Detective James Ford's undercover assignment was to... seduce a con man's wife into bringing a tracking device back to the con man's hideout? M'kay. So why -- when she pulled the gun on him -- did Detective James Ford not just give her the money, and let her do just that? For that matter, okay, Ava is married to a con man, so she knows the pigeon drop. How and why did Jim's attempted pigeon drop motivate her to pull a gun on him? If she knows she's married to a con man, she can't be all that offended at the thought that she just committed adultery with another. Why didn't Ava just call Jim on his crap -- that is, unless she was planning to take the briefcase, and here's where my brain starts going in circles, because that's what the cops' plan was...and yet Jim stopped it from happening. ARGH. Why did Jim go all Batman villain and tell Ava most of the cover story, once she did pull the gun on him? Please to be making the sense, Show.
Thirdly... again I say what? While on an official police sting, LAPD Detective James Ford had (what looks from the cool-down to have been) hot sex with a suspect's wife, in a room he knows to be bugged, when he knows all his LAPD buddies are listening in? Really? Hey, I like nearly nekkid Josh Holloway as much as the person, but I'm neither that cheap nor desperate. This scene would have worked much better for me if... well, just about everything was different. I mean, if your plan includes seducing your suspect's wife -- and I suspect that you suspect your suspect of being a con man -- why would you ever think the suspected con's man's wife would fall for a con? Also, it seems that in your master plan, the suspect's (unfaithful, if your plan works) wife ends up with your case o' cash. Did you stop to consider that maybe the (unfaithful) wife wouldn't want to bring a case o' cash back to her con man husband? Maybe she'd want to keep it for herself? Or do you somehow know that she's romantically unfaithful, but financially, she's as true as the day is long? Oops, commercial over -- which is a good thing, because I'm getting dizzy.
Show Time:
Island Reality; Claire's Lair: Claire is packing various crap -- most notably, Chekhov's knife -- from her lair when her eye is drawn to her salvaged blue and white bassinet, which looks exactly like the one which once held baby Ethan Goodspeed (pay no attention to past-me calling it a pram). And as if that thought weren't creepy enough, Claire pulls open the discolored tulle draped over it, to reveal the best homemade baby doll, ever! Claire is smiling at her "baby" and fussing with its covers when Kate enters. "This is where you lived?" Claire says, "Yeah," and she gently pats the tulle which is now laying on the bottom half of the best homemade baby doll, ever. When Kate gets an eyeful of "Baby" she asks, "What is that?" Claire turns to her. "It's all I had." Burn.
Outside, Faucke tells his minions that while it was a long traumatic night for all of them, and they certainly must have a lot of questions, they must keep moving. Cindy, who appears to be in the midst of a Culture Club LARP, wants to know what happened to the people who remained at the Temple. When Faucke says, "The black smoke killed them," Sayid watches with vacant eyes. Emma and Zach, who must still have souls, are upset by this news, so Faucke squats down to comfort them. "I know what happened back there was really scary, but it's over. You're with me now, and I promise I'm going to take care of you." I might believe him if he'd remove those ridiculous ribbons from Zach's head, and burn that grungy teddy bear. Claire, seemingly enraptured by her glorious leader's act of kindness, has never looked more like a victim of a mind-control cult than she does as she grabs hold of Kate's hand. Once Faucke is done putting on a show, he orders the gang to move out. With a wry smile that Kate can't see, Claire releases Kate's hand.
Sawyer touches base with Kate. "Sounds like you had a hell of a night. [...] Jack, Hurley, the rest of them -- did they make it out of the Temple?" Kate tells him she saw them leaving on her way there. Sawyer adds, "What about Miles?" Instead of explaining that they got separated when she went to find Claire, she simply says, "I don't know what happened to him." It's true enough, as far as it goes, but sometimes the dialogue seems cryptic for no bloody reason, other than this -- the writers have fallen into a rut. When Kate expresses her surprise that Sawyer is with Locke now, he corrects her. "I ain't with anybody, Kate." Do you think he has canned responses all ready for her?
L.A. Reality; Cop Shop: Detective James Ford is at work, on the phone, calling an Anthony Cooper about some unclaimed property. "Can you verify you were in Alabama in 1976?" He can't, so Ford crosses that guy off the list and starts calling the one. Right after he asks for Anthony Cooper, Ford's partner -- Detective Miles Straume -- arrives with coffee.
Jim (whose coffee is in a Hollywood mug) cuts his call short and gives Miles some b.s. about Cooper being an old buddy who's gonna hook him up with Laker tickets. In this reality, Jim is still more than willing to lie, but he seems less ready and able. When Miles asks if Jim met up with Cooper in Palm Springs, Jim draws a total blank until Miles nudges him along -- "on your trip... last weekend?" Of course we know he really went to Australia for the... weekend (?!) because we saw him get off the plane.
Jim offers up some sunshiny, Mai-Tai-fueled blur excuse that Miles seems to buy. "Well get it together, 'cause you've got a date tonight, pal." Miles has arranged a date with a friend of his who works at the museum...WITH HIS FATHER! Jim is reluctant at first, so Miles -- in what might be the singular most awkward line reading in the history of this series -- says, "What is your deal. Do you want to... DIE... ALONE?" I'm not even going to dignify that with a link. I will mention though, that Miles notes that he's not asking museum girl out because he already has a girlfriend. If it's Ana Lucia, I'm gonna barf. Go Naomi. Choose Naomi!
Jim tries to make a deal. He'll go out with Miles' friend, if Miles will leave him alone. Miles says, "Throw in one of those Laker tickets? Hell yes, I will." Rather than saying, "Deal," and then later claiming he couldn't get the tickets, Jim starts muttering an ill thought-out excuse about how he's already pulling strings with this guy. "I don't know if I can get another seat." Miles looks at him like -- how exactly did you make detective. He's nicer in this reality though, so instead of saying that, he just reminds his partner that he can always tell him the truth. "Are you lying to me, man?" Jim, looking guilty as sin, says, "Why the hell would I lie?" Oh, probably because you're still planning on killing "Tom Sawyer," even though you're a cop instead of a criminal, now.
Island Reality; Jungle: Faucke leads his band of buggered through the woods, and instructs them to fill up on water, because they'll be camping for a couple of days, in a clearing about a quarter of a mile off. Sawyer marches up from behind. "A couple of days? I thought you said we were getting off this rock." When Faucke says, "We are," Sawyer wants to know when. Once they're alone, Faucke scolds Sawyer for interrupting him. Sawyer snarks, "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners." Faucke sighs and then, straight-faced, forgives him.
Sawyer wants to know what happened back at the Temple. "How'd you know to rescue everybody from that smoke thing?" Faucke says, "I didn't rescue them.... I'm the smoke thing." Sawyer glares at him and asks if he killed all those people. Faucke explains that he gave them a chance to leave peacefully and they refused. He claims that the Templars think they're protecting the island from him, but since all he wants to do is leave, it's either kill or be killed. "And I don't want to be killed." I don't blame you for that, Faucke, but at this point, I don't think the Templars are protecting the island from you. I think they, and the island, are protecting the world from you. Regardless, I'm just marveling at Terry O'Quinn. He somehow managed to stuff that line full of both malice and vulnerability. He's just incredible, isn't he?
Faucke leads Sawyer off to the beach where once, long ago and far away, Sawyer, Kate, and Karl left abandoned the outrigger after they returned from Hydra Island. And that's where Faucke is sending Sawyer now. He wants him to find the Ajira plane and the other passengers and do some recon, because he believes some of them want to do them harm. He's not worried about anyone doing Sawyer any harm because, "You are the best liar I have ever met. You tell 'em whatever you need to tell 'em to gain their trust, find out everything you can about them, and then get back here." Sawyer wants to know why he's doing this. Faucke says, "Why do you think, James? We get on that plane, get off this island, and we never look back." Is he going to magic it back to proper working order?
Thoughts During the Break:
All right, Miles' interest in getting at Detective James Ford's pink secrets seems a little...intense, no? I mean, they relate as if they've been partners for a while. If they haven't been, wouldn't Miles now be pushing too hard? Assuming they have been partners for a while, wouldn't James' secretive nature have reared its head before now? Something about Miles' interest seems sudden, but it's wrong that it's sudden, which takes me out of the episode. I don't blame Leung or Holloway. They're both great. This week's trip to Sideways land tastes like contrivance cake. Also, did James really go to Australia for only a...weekend, or was that just clunky wording?
I love, love, love that Miles' father is alive in this reality. I hope he's still Dr. Pierre Chang. But Joyce Saenz Harris (a.k.a. in these recaps as "Reader Joyce") asked me if Miles is talking about Chang, then why does Miles' nameplate read Detective Miles Straume? To that I say -- who knows what the heck Chang's name really is? I mean, I've always assumed Chang was his real name, but it could be just another layer of Dharma pseud. Or perhaps their name was Chang, but leaving Dharma requires some sort of witness protection program procedures. In the first reality, only Lara and Miles would have changed their names. In this one, if Daddy-Dearest is alive and well, perhaps they all made the change.
The commercial is almost over, so I'll stop after this: How about that Faucke, just up and admitting to Sawyer that he is the smoke monster? That was so cool, and yet, his lies are starting to show, but I'm getting ahead of myself. And now it's...
Show Time:
L.A. Reality: Jim Ford is relatively dressed up, and I'll studiously avoid his red shirt, to point out that he could stand to wash his hair. He scans the lounge area of a nice restaurant, as he calls Miles to ask him what his date looks like again. She's the only one in the joint with red hair. IT'S CHARLOTTE! And man, does Rebecca Mader clean up well. She's got that red-haired, blue-eyed Maureen O'Hara coloring, and is dressed to the nines in a sparkly little number that does all the right things for her. Jim turns on the Southern charm as he introduces himself, and neither of them seem disappointed in Miles' set-up, to say the least.
Later, at dinner, he asks her about life as an archaeologist (this week, not an anthropologist). She says she is exactly like Indiana Jones and they flirt about whether or not she has a whip. When Charlotte wants to know why Jim became a cop, he asks her if she's ever seen Steve McQueen's Bullitt. Since she hasn't, he says he won't bore her with an explanation. Charlotte sees right through his smoke and mirrors and tells him to tell her the real story -- not just what he tells all the other women. It's clear that despite his better judgment, Jim likes being challenged by her, even if he's not inclined to bare his soul. He ends up saying, "Well, I guess I got to a point in my life where I was either going to become a criminal or a cop, so I chose cop." That's wholly true and yet only part of his truth. Whatevs. It totes works on Charlotte, who says filthy things with her eyes that I am so not repeating here. When James responds to her look with a "What?" Charlotte says, "You know what." Ba bang! Cut to...
Jim Ford's Bedroom: Insert a lot of purple prose here, that concludes with Jim and Charlotte totally doing it. Am I counting wrong, or has he now had as much sex in this one episode as he had in the five and a half years prior? After the loving, Jim runs his tan hand up her pale, freckled back. Charlotte says, "Not bad, considering I didn't have that whip." Jim dares her: "Bring it, time." They giggle and kiss, and when he gets up to get her a glass of water, she asks if she can borrow a T-shirt. He tells her to look in the top drawer on the right. Wrapped in his green sheet that does wonders for her already wonderful complexion, Charlotte pauses to look at the books lying atop his bureau (Watership Down; A Wrinkle In Time; and Lancelot). Here, you can insert a lot of literary blah-blah we've been saying about this show since the beginning, but it's blah-blah that never helps us figure out a damned thing.
Charlotte opens the dresser drawer which only seems to contain pants, so she digs through it rather quickly. This is a weird choice either on Mader's part, or the director's, because it looks like she's rifling with a less than honorable purpose, but after everything shakes out, it seems she just wanted a freaking shirt. Anyhow, during the course of her sifting through Jim's drawer, she finds a blue binder labeled SAWYER. When she lifts it up, a Ford family portrait (young Jim, Deadly Daddy, and Mendacious Mommy) slips out. Charlotte opens the binder to replace the picture, only to see an old newspaper clipping featuring the same photo, and the headline: "Local Man Kills Wife, Self -- Survived by 9 Year-Old Son." I'll touch on that 9 year old business, later.
Just then, Jim comes in. "What the hell are you doing?" She tries to explain that the picture just fell out while she was looking for a T-shirt, but he can't stop yelling, "What did you see? What did you see?" long enough to listen to her. And when he does stop yelling, "What did you see," it's only to yell, "Get the hell out!" Charlotte struggles not to cry as she retrieves her clothes and leaves the room to change. In all the hubbub, the Ford Family Photo seems to have fallen to the floor. Jim picks it up and stares at it, as we cut to...
Island Reality; Shores of Hydra Island: Sawyer walks up the beach and through the jungle until he comes across the Hydra Station and the sex cages. He stops in Kate's cage to fondle her discarded sundress that never made her feel one bit like a lady. So, now he's totally over Juliet who died days ago and is back into Kate? The fleeting nature of romantic love on this show may just be the most consistent element of the entire series. Oh look, we're back on the main island at Camp Faucke. I need a new paragraph.
Camp Faucke: Sayid is sitting (like a bump) on a log when Kate comes up, sits to him, and asks if he believes "Locke" can get them off the island. Sadder than ever, Sayid says, "Yes, I believe him." When Kate asks if he's all right, his whisper is hoarse. "No." She narrows her eyes, but before she can think or speak, Claire comes up behind her, pulls Kate off the log and onto the ground, climbs on top of her and holds a knife at her throat. Kate screams for Sayid's help, but he just watches these funny little ants who look just like people, or would, if other people existed in his world... which they clearly do not.
Finally, it's Faucke to the rescue. When he drags Claire off, she screams about Kate taking Aaron. Faucke tells Claire that Kate couldn't find Claire so she did what she had to do. Claire's still screaming, so Faucke bitch slaps her across the face -- so hard that even Kate reels from the force. Like any substitute would, he tells Claire, "This is completely inappropriate," and puts her in a time-out, adding that he'll deal with her in a minute. When he turns to Kate and asks if she's all right, she yells, "NO, I AM NOT ALL RIGHT," in a tone that makes it crystal clear that Faucke better step the hell off. He gives her an inscrutable look, and then walks off to talk to Claire who is still in a big time-out. She's sitting in front of the fire, which people just love to do on this tropical island. Maybe that's how they come down with the sickness. I mean, I can understand sitting fireside at night -- maybe -- but these people are always drenched in their own perspiration. Every time the show ends, I want to go shower.
Hydra Island: Sawyer comes across the plane. It stalled mid-air and Frank landed it on the runway, remember, it didn't crash, so it looks pretty good. When Sawyer walks around it, there seems to be some damage to the underside of the fuselage, including a breach near the right wing. He examines the little camp near the plane, and lays his hands on the burnt-out fire only to discover it is cold. It's then that he notices the drag marks leading off into the brush. Sawyer follows the path to a little clearing, where the smell and the bad CGI flies point the way to the corpses of the Ajira passengers (does it seem like there are too many to you?). He then hears and runs after a woman, who looks like the love child of Liz Lemon and Laura Roslin. When he catches her she says, "I'm the only one left.
L.A. Reality; Cop Shop: Liam Pace is looking for his brother, who was arrested at the airport on a drug charge, but when the desk sergeant leaves him waiting, Liam stops Detective James Ford, who is strutting through the precinct. Jim's all, "Not my department," you all everybody, and keeps walking. He greets Miles with a "'Morning, Sunshine," but Miles isn't nearly so chipper and tells Jim to come with him. Once they're alone, he shoves Jim up against the lockers -- an amusing sight, since Holloway's a bit of a hulk and Leung is not. It's also satisfying, because it wasn't that long ago that Sawyer pushed Miles face down in the dirt -- which struck me then as so demeaning. I didn't give Sawyer crap for it then, because he was obviously grieving Juliet, but since he's now groping Kate's discarded clothing, and this is another reality, I feel free to cheer: GO MILES!
Miles wants to know if there's something Jim wants to tell him. Finally, Jim says, "She opened the wrong drawer." Miles is all, "What?" He has no idea what that's about, which is probably for the best. He just wants to know why Jim said he was going to Palm Springs when he really flew to Australia. Detective that he is, Miles ran a check on Jim's credit cards. "Oceanic. Round-trip. You took flight 815 back, two days ago." First of all -- it's Friday, September 24, 2004, still? Secondly, there goes my flight 518 theory, darn it. Anyhow, the boys have a lover's spat about trust, privacy and lies. Ford tells Miles none of this is his business. Miles says, "You're right, because I'm not your partner any more." Once he stalks off, Jim continues this season's trend of looking in the mirror, and then punches it -- shattering his own reflection into a broken, distorted mess.
Liz Lemon and Laura Roslin's love child says her name is Zoe (Sheila Kelley). She can't believe there's another survivor from her flight. Sawyer says he's not from her flight. He asks what happened to the rest of the survivors. Zoe says she was out collecting wood when she heard screaming. When she came back, everyone was dead. She's spent the last two days dragging their bodies up to the jungle, out of the sun. She asks James if he's alone. He tells her he's with a group of people on the main island and can take her back with him. When Zoe says, "Thank God," Sawyer responds, "Trust me, God has nothing to do with it." Did any other Buffy fans hear Franken-Forrest, just then?
Main Island; Camp Faucke: Kate is sitting in a bamboo stand, crying, when Faucke approaches her. Those bamboo stands always seemed to be a safe place to hide from Smokey, but it doesn't look like they keep out Faucke, more's the pity. Faucke tells Kate it's his fault Claire is so batshit insane. He told her that the Others took Aaron. He claims he wanted to give her an enemy to hate, to keep her going. When Kate revealed that she took Aaron, Claire was all jacked up and had to aim her fury somewhere. Kate says, "Very insightful, coming from a dead man." Faucke says, "Mmm, well, nobody's perfect." Hee. He apologizes to Kate again and thinks if she gives it time, it will be all right. He notes that he promised, before, to keep everyone safe. "That means you too, Kate." Kate changes the subject. "Where did Sawyer go?" Faucke, now standing, holds out his hand to Kate. "I'll show you." She nearly rolls her eyes at him, waits an awkward eternity, and then stands on her own.
Hydra Island: Sawyer goes along with Zoe, for a while, but when she starts asking too many questions (how many of there are you, how many guns,) he makes it clear he's not buying her act. He draws his weapon and aims at her. "You're good sweetheart, but you ain't that good." Zoe's all I totally am that good, but she's not. However, she does have armed reinforcements in the bush (dirty) to make up for her insufficiencies. At her whistle they appear and order Sawyer to drop his weapon and fall to the ground. Once he's on his knees he deadpans, "Take me to your leader."
Main Island; Abandoned Outrigger Beach: When Faucke sits in the sand, Kate reluctantly joins him as he points out Hydra Island and says that's where he sent Sawyer. And if Miles' "DIE... ALONE..." line wins the award for worst delivery, then Kate's, "You could have just told me you sent him to the island where we were locked in cages," wins the exposition fairy FAIL award. Faucke sees what she means, but he also wanted a chance to talk to her alone. First up, he wants to clarify one thing. "I am not a dead man." Secondly, he wants Kate to know that he knows what she's going through. "My mother was crazy. A 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." Kate's all and this is relevant to my life how, exactly? Faucke says, "Because now...Aaron...has a crazy mother, too. Kate stares at him, and nods her head almost imperceptibly.
Oh Faucke, you dirty bastard. So, do you think Smokey has a crazy mother? I could see where the Biblical Esau might have mommy issues, and when I started researching the Egyptian pantheon, everyone seemed crazy. There's another way to look at it, though. Do you think that Faucke is no longer able to discern between Esau/Smokey and John Locke? After all, we know Faucke has John's memories. He told Ben what Locke's final thoughts were ("
ttp://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/lost/la_x_part_ii_2.php?page=10">I don't understand") as Ben strangled him. The idea that Smokey's loophole might prove his eventual undoing sends shivers up my spine.
Hydra Island: Zoe and crew march Sawyer (past some workers who are erecting portable pylons and) right to Widmore's sub. As Sawyer boards, Zoe says, "Get in. He's waiting for you. We cut to...
L.A. Reality; Jim Ford's Apartment (number 245): Jim arrives home, grabs a brew from the fridge, and pops a frozen dinner in the microwave. He settles down in front of the TV for his sad meal, and a restorative episode of Little House on the Prairie, in which Pa teaches Half Pint not to fear death -- or at least not to waste the present by worrying about the future. At the sound of children laughing, Pa says, "You hear that? That's what life is all about -- laughing and loving each other, and knowing that people aren't really gone when they die." Jim's expression is so sweet throughout this scene -- I wish I could bottle it. But he gets serious Epiphany Face as Pa continues, "We have all the good memories sustain us 'til we see them again." Half Pint: "It's hard not being afraid, Pa." Jim raises his beer can partway to his lips and then reconsiders. Pa: "I know, sweetheart. I know." Jim stands, and we cut to...
Charlotte's Apartment Building Corridor: Jim approaches in a black leather jacket that -- oh my -- he should wear whenever he's not shirtless. He's carrying a sunflower (pay no attention to past-me's use of daisy) in one hand, and has a six-pack of beer tucked under his other arm. A six pack, James? In cans? Really? Where's the porno -- in your pocket? I can tell you right now, that's not going to fly. Why not try a nice bottle of wine? You drank it with her on your date.
When Charlotte answers the door and takes a gander at the scene before her she says, "You've got to be joking." Jim wants to know if he can come in. Charlotte: "Absolutely not." And then -- THEN -- he has the nerve to ask why. Right. He doesn't apologize or explain. He just asks why. Well, Charlotte is more than willing to tell him. "You don't get to kick me out at 3 o'clock in the morning and then come 'round the day with puppy dog eyes and a sad sunflower. Look, I don't know if you're just lonely, or guilty, or completely mad, but you know what? I don't care. You blew it." That's what he said. She closes the door in his face. Jim lays the sunflower down in front of her door, as though it were a grave, and takes his little six-pack back home to share with Half Pint and Pa, 'cause you know he's got the complete Little House box set on DVD.
Hydra Island: Once inside the sub, Zoe leads Sawyer down a narrow corridor. He notices a padlocked room and asks, "Whatcha got in here?" Desmond? Aaron? Hawking? Daniel? Waaaaaaaaalt? Another hydrogen bomb? What? What? What? Zoe tells Sawyer to MYOB and keep moving. She leads him into Widmore's quarters with a, "He's here, sir." Widmore: "Excellent." Once the men are alone, Widmore rises to greet Sawyer and shake his hand. "Hello, Mr. Ford. My name's Charles Widmore." Sawyer, being Sawyer, leaves him hanging and sits down without being invited. Widmore asks (politely) if Sawyer knows who he is. Sawyer says, "Of course I do. You're the fella who sent a freighter to the island loaded with guys to kill us all." Widmore takes his seat. "It's sad, really, how little you actually know." Don't mock us, Darlton!
Sawyer says he knows Widmore murdered the Ajira survivors left on Hydra Island. Widmore says, "We didn't murder those people, but I don't expect you to believe that." Sawyer says, "Good. I don't." Widmore asks Sawyer why he's on Hydra Island. When Sawyer says Locke sent him, Widmore says, "John Locke's dead." Sawyer says he thinks they both know the guy he's talking about isn't really Locke. He leans towards Widmore. "So here's the deal, chief. I'll go back over there and tell him the coast is clear; I didn't find anybody, then I'll bring the old man right to your doorstep -- then you can kill him." Charles' smile at that is adorable. He asks Sawyer what he wants in exchange. Sawyer says, "One: the people I come back with -- the people on my boat -- don't get touched -- not even a hair on their heads. And two: you give us safe passage off the island." Does anyone else think the first request was far too specific and the second was far too general? Shudder. Charles wants to know how he knows he can trust Sawyer. Sawyer smirks. "The same way I know I can trust you." He rises and adds, "So, do we have an agreement?" Widmore considers his guest for a moment, then rises and finally, they shake hands. "I suppose we do."
Sidebar Speculation That Will Likely Be Debunked Like All My Other Theories/I'm Looking At You Sideways Flight : Right now, I'm not inclined to think Widmore is on Team Jacob or Team Edward Smokey. I think he's on Team Widmore. I think he's always been on Team Widmore, and only Team Widmore. He thought Ben should have killed Baby Alexandra Rousseau, remember? Good guys don't kill babies. Now sure, Ben probably got his hands more than dirty when he manipulated Widmore's banishment, but even if Ben played it dirty, that doesn't mean Widmore's banishment wasn't Jacob's will. I now return you to your previously scheduled recap.
Main Island; Camp Faucke Outskirts: Kate is wandering back from Abandoned Outrigger Beach when she runs into Claire. Swinging her rifle off her shoulder and into position, she doesn't exactly take aim at Claire, but she's ready if need be. Claire, though, is all contrite. She apologizes and says she doesn't know why she attacked Kate. "I know everything you did was just because you care about me -- about Aaron." Her voice cracks as she continues. "Thank you. Thank you for taking care of him." She flings herself into Kate's arms as she sobs, "I'm sorry." Kate's caught off guard by this at first. I know I was expecting this to be a ploy for Claire to get Kate's gun. But it's sincere. Poor little sick, sad Claire continues her tearful apology. Finally, Kate lets herself return Claire's embrace. After a moment, she says, "It's okay." As Claire continues to cry, Kate repeats that it's okay, and tightens her hold on her poor son's crazy mother.
Abandoned Outrigger Beach: When Sawyer returns, Faucke runs right down to help him drag the boat back onto the beach. Sawyer says, "You didn't really send me over there to find passengers from that plane, did you?" Of course not, because he probably killed them, James. Don't you read the recaps? From "The Incident".... [Faucke] says, "Once I've done that, we're going to need to deal with the rest of the passengers from the Ajira flight that brought me here." Richard says, "What do you mean, 'deal with them'?" Locke Faucke doesn't blink. "You know what I mean."
Where was I? Oh, yeah, so Faucke admits he didn't send James to Hydra to find the Ajira passengers. Sawyer tells him they're all dead. Faucke acts all surprised. Sawyer then tells him Widmore is there on a sub, and has six armed guards with him, as well as whatever crew is working the sub. "There's a locked room on there. Something they're hiding. And they're setting up pylons -- like the ones in New Otherton -- you know, the ones that keep out that smoke thing." Heh. Faucke wants to know what Sawyer told Widmore about him. Sawyer tells him...the truth. He leaves out the part about his deal for safe passage off island for him and whomever he brings over in his boat. Instead, he adds: "Which me
ans they'll be caught with their pants down when we change our plan of attack." Faucke nods. "I appreciate your loyalty." Sawyer's much better at subterfuge in this reality, so he lies with the truth. "You said you were going to get me off this island. A deal's a deal."
L.A. Reality; Cop Shop; Exterior: When Miles leaves the building, Jim is outside waiting for him, so he calls Miles over to his car and invites him inside, where Jim shares his SAWYER folder and life story with Miles. "When I was 9 years old, my father shot my mother, then he killed himself. Sawyer was the reason why. He was a grifter. A con man. I've been hunting him down since the day I left the academy. I chased down a lead in Australia -- got a name, Anthony Cooper." Blah blah blah list. Blah blah blah call. "When I find the right one, I'm gonna kill him." Miles asks why he didn't tell him this before. Um...'cause you're a cop? James: "I knew you'd try to talk me out of it." Miles: "Damn right." Just before the boys seal their reunion with a kiss, the car they're in is rammed by some fugitive who flees down an alley on foot in an attempt to escape. James and Miles beat the other cops to the punch... and the criminal. James heads the fugitive off in an alley way, and when the fugitive passes by, he pushes the fugitive against the wall and rips of the fugitive's hood to reveal...KATE! "Son of a bitch." The reveal and Sawyer's response were as surprising as the sun coming up in the morning, as I'm sure you can tell by my cleverly cryptic repetition of the word fugitive.
Island Reality; Camp Faucke: Kate is lost in thought and idly poking at the fire with a stick when Sawyer joins her. After small talk about what's for dinner (probably rabbit), Kate asks Sawyer why he's running errands for Faucke. Kate explains that Faucke told her he sent Sawyer to Hydra Island. "Did you find the plane?" Sawyer: "Yeah, and that ain't the only thing over there. Guy named Widmore set up camp on the beach. Got a whole team with him -- guys with guns. They're here for Locke." Kate asks what he's going to do. Sawyer looks at her and growls. "I'm going to let them fight it out. And while they've got their hands full with each other, you and me are getting the hell off this island." Kate smiles and sighs with relief, but then shakes her head slightly as if to say, "Forget it. I like Jack, today." Then she actually says, "Even if we could get on that plane, who's going to fly it?" Sawyer says, "We ain't taking the plane, Freckles. We're taking the sub." DUN. Dun dun dun dun DUN. Dun. Title card. Bad robot!
Well, let's not quibble yet about who'll pilot the sub. Maybe the Dharma Initiative taught Submarine 101 to its Security Force. What? It's a thing. Let's talk about Faucke, instead. I just love how Faucke sends Sawyer away, in order to isolate Kate. And then Claire, whom he has been winding up for three years, vents her spleen, providing Faucke with the opportunity to play the hero and to assure Kate that he'll protect her. And then, with Sawyer still gone, and Claire subdued, Faucke gets to tempt Kate with her heart's desire -- Aaron. Oh yes, she came back to Craphole to get Aaron his real mommy, and this is a labor of love, to be sure, but it's one that is breaking her heart. How better to appeal to Kate than to plant the idea that Kate must keep mothering Aaron? Well played, you evil bastard. Well played.
As I said in the recaplet, this was, it seems, a foundational episode. It kept my attention at all times, but I felt a large disconnect with Sideways Sawyer -- and it was more notable to me than the disconnect I've felt with any of the other Sideways Lost-Aways. After intensive review, I realize that that's because the sideways storyline was more fan service than actual plot. Let's have James be a cop, rather than a crook, but for the same sad reasons. But let's fake everyone out that he's still a crook at first, so that they'll be sad, and then get so, so happy! And let's have him take his shirt off, a lot. And let's have Sideways Jim and Miles maintain the bond they built in Dharmaville. Also, there should be sex -- lots of sex. How do we make it work? Oh, just throw it all together and remember, keep Holloway's shirt off. That's key.
Speaking of the same sad reasons, how old was James Ford when his daddy offed his mommy and then himself? Well, I swear that in the past, Sawyer said he was 8 years old, but maybe I was figuring wrong, or maybe I was basing that number on other people's figuring. In the time allotted me, I haven't been able to find a solid quote or date. If there's one out there (I mean an episode citation), please let me know. Based on Detective Ford's cold call to one of the Anthony Coopers, it seems that the murder-suicide still took place in 1976. And yet, in this episode, both Jim Ford and his newspaper clippings indicate he was 9 years old at the time of the tragedy. It seems ridiculous, in this season of changed lives, to assume it's a mistake, but I'm not going to drive myself crazy (okay, any crazier), trying to figure it out. If it's something, we'll find out eventually. If it's not, at the end of the season we'll chalk it up to a continuity error and be done with it.
Let's play armchair psychologist with Sawyer (and all iterations thereof), starting with Sideways Detective Jim Ford. How telling is it that he saw Sideways Kate's handcuffs, and yet aided her in her escape from airport security? Fine, in this episode, he didn't bother to help Liam Pace locate his druggie brother at the Cop Shop. Everyone has "not my department" moments. But when that's your credo? There's a problem.
Say for example you're an L.A. cop at LAX, and you see someone in cuffs who is clearly trying to escape, if you just let her -- there's something wrong with you -- dead wrong. Now don't get me wrong. I don't think this is an inconsistency or anything like that. I think it feels right in character with all the Sawyers we've known and loved through the years, including the one that is playing Let's You And Him Fight with Widmore and Faucke. It just seems to me that this trait is going to come into play, further down the line. Either Sawyer will get past this (like Sideways Jack seems to have gotten past his Daddy Issues and Sideways Locke seems to have learned to accept his physical limitations), or -- it will prove to be his fatal flaw.
Although Jack wasn't in this episode, I can't help but contrast him with Sawyer. Historically, Jack's flaw has been that he thinks he can, and therefore must, fix everything. This is not uncommon among adult children of alcoholics. Jack's heroic nature has been in overdrive for most of his life. His first hero -- his daddy -- turned out to have feet of clay. His other first hero -- his mommy -- stood by and (at least in Jack's eyes) did nothing to fix it. Small children view their parents as nearly omnipotent, right? Jack's long-standing inability to accept his folks in all their frailty has been wreaking havoc on his psyche for most of his life.
Meanwhile, Sawyer is, I think, a fatalist. His first hero -- his daddy -- didn't just have feet of clay. He turned out to be the super-villain of his son's lifestory. James Ford can blame Anthony "Tom Sawyer" Cooper all he wants, but the person he really wants to kill has been dead since 1976. Make that -- persons. After all, by betraying her family for a roll in the hay, Mommy Ford let down her baby boy in ways he won't even let himself think about.
Sometimes giving up, giving in, or not bothering is the sane choice. Other times, it's a weakness -- a deadly one. Some of Sawyer's longstanding irritation with Jack is well-reasoned, but much of it comes, I think, from Sawyer's own insecurities, his own flaws, and from a deep, deep well of envy. It's sort of: I hate you for trying, because it makes me feel like I should try, but there's no sense in trying, because look at this world -- look at my life -- look at me.
Finally, and apropos of basically nothing in this episode, other than, perhaps, Claire's remorse, I keep thinking about Claire and Aaron being baptized by Mr. Eko. Do you think that has any significance, or is it another Annie, i.e. something that seemed important at the time, but turned out just to be an interesting detail? Does it explain any of the difference between Claire and Sayid, today? Is it why she's just a confused girl being manipulated by a bad man, while Sayid is suffering from terminal cancer of the soul? Just food for thought.
As I close, I'd like to give props to two actors for their fine, fine performances tonight -- and guess what -- they're both women. That's right, Emilie de Ravin, and Evangeline Lilly. Oh, Terry O'Quinn, Josh Holloway, and Naveen Andrews always knock our socks off. Ken Leung isn't far behind them, either. But de Ravin and Lilly are often ignored or met with a lackluster whatever. Their performances in this episode were layered, nuanced, and just heartbreaking. Ladies, I applaud you.
I'll catch you all Wednesday morning with my review of episode 6-9, "Ab Aeterno." Some of you are avoiding even the mildest episode descriptions at this point, so I won't mention the focus, but for those of you who are in the know, could you BE more excited? I am half expecting this to be an instant classic, and one of my favorite Lost episodes, ever. In the meantime, grade the episode up top, answer our Question of the Moment -- "What's in that locked room on Widmore's sub?" -- over in the righthand sidebar, and then come on over to our Lost forum, where the pylons are up, but not on (as far as I know).
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Cindy McLennan is not the smoke thing. She's just a crazy mother, living in a sad little shack, trying to figure out this big bad world. If you understand what's going on, please e-mail her at CynthiaMcLennan[at]gmail.com, or follow her on Twitter.