User Reviews

Okay, I'm not going to lie. This is one of my all-time favorite episodes from this season of Lost, and the entire series. It's just so good. The way it ended was so unexpected. I think I love it so much because Sawyer is my favorite character, and this episode shows us more of who he really is. It also starts the love connection of him, and Kate, my favorite Lost couple.

In this episode, Shannon has a terrible asthma attack, and her inhalers have been lost. But once Boone sees Sawyer reading one of his books from his suitcase, where the inhalers were, he immediately suspects him. Sawyer lies, and says he has them, but would only give them up if Kate kisses him. Kate refuses, and she discovers why he always carries around that letter. It sounds like he got a boy's parents killed, (SPOILER ALERT) but it turns out that he was the boy who wrote the letter. Sayid, and Jack take matters into their own hands, and torture Sawyer, until Kate finally kisses him. Sadly, Sawyer lied, and doesn't have the inhalers, as the book just washed up on the beach. In the flashbacks, we discover that Sawyer was a con-man.

Best part of the episode: The Sawyer/Kate kiss.

Worst part of the episode: Nothing in particular.

Overall, I give this episode a 10 out of 10, which in my ratings book is: Freaking Ridonkulous.

A tangible improvement on the relatively weak previous episode ("The Moth"), "Confidence Man" is notable for some extremely intense, even squirm-inducing scenes, leavened by a streak of dark humor, often at the same time (Sawyer: "I think you have never tortured anyone in your life" - Sayid: "Unfortunately for us both, you are wrong"). Sawyer is revealed to be a con artist - and we see the proof of his expertise in his flashbacks, as well as in the on-island events: both stories are built on a con. And Sawyer himself is built as the biggest anti-hero (to put it kindly) of the series up to this point. But "Confidence Man" is remarkable for the way it finds time for little insights into other characters as well: mostly Sayid (in fact, a lot is revealed about Sayid's past here even without flashbacks), but also Boone, Sun, Kate, etc. It is the greatest episode of the series since the two-part "Pilot". ***1/2 out of 4.

Let me be clear. I do not expect any episode of "Lost" to ever surpass "Walkabout." It's possible, but I do not expect it will ever happen.

But this episode came closer than any other yet.

The episode revolves around one person: Sawyer. Unlike other episodes, they delve into Sawyer's backstory at the same time that plot happens with him in present-day.

While I don't support the idea of every character having a dark backstory (it's completely unrealistic), this one was very enjoyable and very interesting. Josh Holloway and Naveen Andrews give stunning performances in this episode, and it's impossible to choose who gave a better one.

This episode is the first time that acting has been the best part of an episode in "Lost." In fact, it's the first time anyone was really any good. And they were more than good; they were fantastic.

Sawyer's complex backstory may be extremely confusing at the end, but it works. The episode feels, especially with Sayid's departure, like it should've been a season finale.

Secured in the Top 50 of TV.

Why it is sometimes the case that the best episode of a character is their first is that we get the most significant chunk of their back-story within their first hour. When it comes to Sawyer this really isn't the case, in fact his first flashback is really just one big misdirect for the final twist that was in fact him who wrote the letter.

Although on a cosmetic level Confidence Man feels very different to the episodes that have preceded it, actually it is rather in keeping with the way Lindelof and co have dealt with the characters and flashbacks up till this point. The letter is to Sawyer what disability is to Locke and what drug addiction is to Charlie or daddy issues are to Jack. It is what gives direction to their lives, what both simultaneously gives and takes their agency away from them.

The thing is that it might have been too much to actually introduce us to Sawyer via showing us his parents dying, the events that caused the letter, so instead we are left with a flashback that basically only tells us that Sawyer was a con-man, something we probably didn't need a full episode of to work out.

At the same time a Sawyer episode will never be that bad because Sawyer and Josh Holloway are such compelling screen presences. At the very least a Sawyer episode will be fun and enjoyable on the basis of Holloway, which is something the likes of Kate and Charlie episodes can't fall back on.

The other major issue with the episode is the torture scene. I don't know if it would have worked better after a Sayid episode or not but it just seems a little out of place. At the same time it does establish another important trait of Sawyer's, his death wish.

Particularly in these early stage Sawyer seems to be asking for a fatal blow, but while I think it is an important part of the character I think he improves as a character when he loses this and begins to develop relationships with others on the show.

At this stage the only real relationship Sawyer has on the island is with Kate or at least it is the only one that isn't completely filled with hate. The scene where they kiss though is a little indicative of one of the show's earliest problems. I have mentioned in these reviews how the show pushes Jack and Kate way too much in these early episodes and I think the show somewhat recognized this and the kiss between Kate and Sawyer is them steadily back tracking.

That isn't too say that Kate and Sawyer wasn't something Lindelof and co didn't envisage at the start of the show but it seems like something they felt like deploying eight episode in after a little bit too much of them showing their own hand with Jack and Kate.

Nonetheless Confidence Man is an enjoyable enough episode of Lost even if it doesn't come anywhere near to the heights of the very best Sawyer hours.

Sawyer was dating a married woman and stole the man's money then he received a letter saying the man killed the woman and then he killed himself because of him. But it turns out the little boy was himself and the name sawyer was the scammer guy's name. Shannon has asthma and rivalry between jack and sawyer is getting nastier. And Sayed left the beach to discover and map the island.