# Lost 11/10 "Confidence Man" - Contains Spoilers! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090 "2004-11-10T22:21:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/81 "2004-11-11T18:48:49Z")
So, Jack performed vascular surgery on the ground in a clearing in the rain forest. Without benefit of sterilization. And yet, chances are, Sawyer will be up and around, not septic, and his old self by next week (except maybe when Kate is around). I guess I can overlook that. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/82 "2004-11-11T19:26:19Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > So, Jack performed vascular surgery on the ground in a clearing in the rain forest. Without benefit of sterilization. And yet, chances are, Sawyer will be up and around, not septic, and his old self by next week (except maybe when Kate is around). I guess I can overlook that. They skipped the part where Jack, in the space of a few minutes, discovers, extracts and refins a brand new miraculous antibiotic from a plant only found in the rain forest on this particular island. [The typical plot on “Gilligan’s Island”] ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/83 "2004-11-11T19:31:36Z")
I am extremely pleased that Sayid finally decided to walk the beach and figure out the geography of the “island,” if island it is. I agree that Sawyer’s backstory was Sawyer himself, not a projection/transference into his childhood with his face on the con man’s. Just like he said: He became the thing he hated. Unlike some of you, though, I didn’t like this twist overmuch. It feels too pat, too “writer-y,” for lack of a better word. And it sort of bothers me that they gave the guy scruples, that they had his conscience attack him when he saw the kid. I was hoping for at least one of the castaways to be all-dark instead of just partly-dark. Oh, and this: > [@Wile E](#): > > BTW, best Hurley moment of the night was when he was in total awe of Jack and he said “Dude, that was like a … jedi moment.” …may have been my favorite single moment of the show. I love Hurley. (Charlie: “Okay, but are you _sure_ there isn’t any food…” Hurley: “_Duuude_…” Charlie: “Sorry.” Heh.) That torture scene sure was hard to watch, wasn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/84 "2004-11-11T19:39:36Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I think we saw island Sawyer’s back story, because of the way it ended. He left the money behind. In the letter, it says, “You stole all my dad’s money away.” We don’t know what happened to the family after Sawyer left, but they still had their money, plus $140K of his (or his partner’s, really). That and, as Kate pointed out, Young Sawyer’s letter was written in **1976**! While some may think the backstory had a retro feel, it would have been really, _really_ retro with wide ties, bell-bottoms, bigger hair. Sawyer’s pool playing partner would have had a 'fro, man! And the reluctant husband would have had a haircut from _Welcome Back Kotter_, and Sawyer would have had Luke Skywalker’s hair. Nah, it was Island Sawyer seeing that kid and suddenly realizing with absolute certainty that he really had become the very thing he had despite since he was eight years old. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/85 "2004-11-11T19:40:10Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > Either I’m missing a big point, or others are… > > The backstory of Sawyer is the story of the “real” Sawyer (the bad guy who conned the parents of the Sawyer we know, where his father killed his mother), not the full story of the Sawyer on the island. The Island-Sawyer is the kid in the backstory. The backstory shown had nothing to do with the $6000 con that the Island-Sawyer did, other than explain his self-hatred – he became the very thing he hated. I disagree with the above. I think what we saw last night was the backstory of our Sawyer. He was pulling a con, had almost finished the deal when he saw the little boy… and bolted. Blew the deal, left the money, and thus was in dutch with the man who loaned him the money. Remember, the guy he was playing pool with, who threatened him with severe bodily harm if he didn’t get double his money back ASAP? Thus, Sawyer had to vacate the area immediate, which is why he was on the plane. The letter he showed Kate explains why he walked away from the deal despite the consequences. I think it’s interesting that Sawyer fled to escape torture and death at the hands of the moneylender, only to wind up with bamboo shoots under his nails elesewhere. Seems to indicate that getting hurt is part of his agenda now because he’s so full of self-loathing. I do feel sorry for him. Seems that he needs healing even more than Locke did. In fact, all of the characters whose backstories we’ve seen so far are miserable and hurt for some reason and in need of a place to recover… ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/86 "2004-11-11T19:46:59Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I agree that Sawyer’s backstory was Sawyer himself, not a projection/transference into his childhood with his face on the con man’s. Just like he said: He became the thing he hated. I concede. It _does_ explain the scene where he drops the briefcase full of money after seeing the kid. It is true that that scene doesn’t fit my hypothesis of projection/transference. I think I simply got hung up on a) the backstory as shown matched the story in the letter, and b) the $6000 con confessed by Sawyer to Kate did _not_ match the backstory. Either way, I liked it. I was happy that the writers did not have Sawyer turn to the good side after the reveal. I was waiting to groan at that turn of events, but then he showed his true rotten self again right at the end. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/87 "2004-11-11T19:48:52Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > Thus, Sawyer had to vacate the area immediate, which is why he was on the plane. I don’t think this is the case. The plane was heading from Australia to L.A. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/88 "2004-11-11T20:00:02Z")
> [@Cowgirl Jules](#): > > I’m not convinced that the preview showed Sayid on the island. How do we know that it’s not part of his backstory? He did tell Sawyer that he had tortured people before, but he could have been lying, and been the torturee. I think it’s pretty clear it’s Sayid on the island. The preview showed him walking into a snare trap, then waking up in a cave with jungle-like foliage asking “Where am I?” and wearing the same black clothes he was wearing when he got snared. Plus, there aren’t too many jungles in Iraq, are there? Did anyone else have trouble understanding Sawyer? I didn’t catch what he said to Jack after Sayid tortured him - something like “The tables have turned, I’m going to watch you die” ? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/89 "2004-11-11T20:02:13Z")
Eucalyptus leaves also explains the polar bear, since that’s the only food plant that they… Wait, never mind. I had the polar/Quantus/koala/teddy thing all mixed up. Near the beginning, just before when Sawyer rushes back to find Boone going through his stuff… What was Sawyer hearing? The Tree Crusher Monster? Seemed a bit loud for Boone, esp from that far away. Remember Sawyer’s expression? Looked kind of scared. I think the writers were playing with us there. It _was_ TCM, but it all got overshadowed by the athsma problem. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/90 "2004-11-11T20:02:41Z")
I think he said, “If the tables were turned, I would watch you die,” or something to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/91 "2004-11-11T20:05:32Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > Plus, there aren’t too many jungles in Iraq, are there? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. One of the Eight Wonders of the Ancient World. It’s a really old flashback. 2500 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/92 "2004-11-11T20:06:31Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > I don’t think this is the case. The plane was heading from Australia to L.A. But possibly he had originally fled TO Australia, and had been laying low for several months before deciding it was finally safe to go back to the U.S. That I’m just chalking up to “info we don’t know yet”. Like Kate’s crime, what Jack did to ruin his father’s pride, and how Locke lost the use of his legs in the first place. > [@Algernon](#): > > I think I simply got hung up on a) the backstory as shown matched the story in the letter, and b) the $6000 con confessed by Sawyer to Kate did not match the backstory. You’re not the only one. My GF called me to ask about that too. It may have been odd editing. What Sawyer described to Kate was his _first_ scam that seduced him to the dark side of the force when he was 19. He had no family, was alone and destitute, and was able to scam $6000 out of a woman – thus the start of his naughtiness that led to bigger and more elaborate scams. When he saw the kid in this more recent scam, he realized he had become eeeeeevil Scam Master. Lotsa redemption going on — Charlie lost his virtue in Driveshaft, Sayyid has gone off on his own because he tortured after swearing he’d never torture anyone again, and now Sawyer faces his Scam-Master-Sawyer side. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/93 "2004-11-11T20:13:35Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I think he said, “If the tables were turned, I would watch you die,” or something to that effect. I believe that’s exactly what he said. I haven’t decided if he was just being brutally honest, or if he really wanted to die. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/94 "2004-11-11T20:31:13Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > But possibly he had originally fled TO Australia, and had been laying low for several months before deciding it was finally safe to go back to the U.S. I’d agree with that. I was just commenting on Rubystreak’s comment: "Thus, Sawyer had to vacate the area immediate, which is why he was on the plane. " It seemed to indicate he was on THIS plane because he immediatley needed to get out of dodge (Or Louisiana). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/95 "2004-11-11T20:34:04Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. One of the Eight Wonders of the Ancient World. > > It’s a really old flashback. 2500 years old. “Now 30% Less Torturing!” ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/96 "2004-11-11T20:40:26Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > I’d agree with that. I was just commenting on Rubystreak’s comment: > > "Thus, Sawyer had to vacate the area immediate, which is why he was on the plane. " > > It seemed to indicate he was on THIS plane because he immediatley needed to get out of dodge (Or Louisiana). Sorry if I was unclear. My belief is that Sawyer is “on the lam” as it were. Clearly he wasn’t going back where he came from on this flight, though it wouldn’t surprise me if he was intending to return for his punishment. Clearly he thinks he deserves it. Was the flight a direct to LA, or was it stopping somewhere to refuel? I wonder, because Jin and Sun didn’t seem like they’d be headed to LA, so maybe the plane was going to stop in Asia before going to America. Maybe this was stated already and I’ve forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/97 "2004-11-11T20:46:53Z")
**Rubystreak** - Cheerfully withdrawn! I do think there are direct flights from Sidney to LA. Some stop over in Honolulu, I’d bet. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/98 "2004-11-11T22:17:52Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Near the beginning, just before when Sawyer rushes back to find Boone going through his stuff… What was Sawyer hearing? The Tree Crusher Monster? Seemed a bit loud for Boone, esp from that far away. Remember Sawyer’s expression? Looked kind of scared. I think the writers were playing with us there. It _was_ TCM, but it all got overshadowed by the athsma problem. Anyone? I just thought he heard someone rustling through his secret stash. Being the type he is, I figure he’d hear a thief from a mile away, especially if it’s **his** stuff. And remember, Boone was tossing suitcases open, and throwing things around. He wasn’t trying to be quiet, he was desperate to find the medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/99 "2004-11-11T23:00:48Z")
So, what is the explanation for Hurley not losing weight? If Sawyer didn’t have the inhalers. who did and what happened to Claire? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090/100 "2004-11-11T23:12:54Z")
> [@Kallessa](#): > > So, what is the explanation for Hurley not losing weight? He’s “down one belt notch” and a “big guy” so “don’t expect it to show”. It’s been less than 2 weeks after all. > [@Kallessa](#): > > If Sawyer didn’t have the inhalers. who did No one had them. He says he found the book washed up on the beach and the assumption is the inhalers that were in the same bag were lost. > [@Kallessa](#): > > and what happened to Claire? nothing. Charlie was just worried about her and wanted to convince her to move to the caves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-11-10-confidence-man-contains-spoilers/274090.md?page=6)