Jonzin Sawyer fans got their fix with last night’s episode of LOST, “Recon” – and so did the growing crowd that has been chanting “Get on with it already” for the last couple of weeks. If the answers weren’t spewing out of last night’s episode, the sense that an epic clash with larger than life stakes was brewing most certainly was.
I was really thrilled for this episode from the moment I heard the title. Thinking of Recon both as “covertly gaining information,” an more importantly as “to con again.” Sawyer is at his best when he is in the grift, and the title suggested a Matryoshka doll of cons – it did not disappoint.
LOST season 6 is mirroring, to some degree, the character centric pacing of season one with a few exceptions. 6.06, “Sundown” was Sayid centric, where 1.06 was Sun centric; 1.07 was Charlie centric, where 6.07, “Dr. Linus”, was Ben centric. We got back on track with Recon. 1.08 was “Confidence Man”, the character defining piece for Sawyer – where 6.08 may very well be the season defining episode for LOST’s rundown, or the head of that snake at least. We now have a character arc lead by a familiar character to follow, finally, and an intriguing setup for what Charles Widmore is up to. Let’s break it down.
Flashing Sideways
The sideways mirrors Sawyer’s pigeon drop gag from “Confidence Man”, only this time his mark is, herself, a con-woman. Turns out this babe knows a thing or two about the grift and is going to take Sawyer’s bread, but not so fast. Turns out Sawyer is an LAPD Detective working the scam beat, and his partner is non-other than Miles Straume. As the flash sideways progresses, though, we find this character turn isn’t as drastic as we might think.
After meeting Charlotte Lewis (played by the returning Rebecca Mader) on a blind date, she asks him why he became a cop. He says he reached a point in his life where he could of either become a good guy or a bad guy, and he chose good. The thing is, as we learned earlier, the motivation for this path is unchanged – Anthony Cooper. The loss of his parents to the conman known as Sawyer is a constant in the alterna-verse. The result is that Sawyer is secretly consumed by the hunt for Sawyer, a hunt he utilizes police resources to pursue while keeping the entire venture secret from even his most trusted confidants.
It all comes out in the end, but before we can really get much into Miles reaction to Sawyer’s murderous crusade Kate turns up, crashing into Sawyer’s car and eventually being chased and caught by Sawyer himself.
Flash-Pointless?
I, like a lot of people, want to know what these flash sideways things represent. There is a mild undercurrent that seems to suggest there is a connection. Mirror shots, Déjà vu, an inescapable pattern of social connecting between these characters – but nothing definitive. Hopefully we’ll get to see these actors play different roles on other shows, but I wasn’t expecting it on LOST. I’ve succumbed to Damon and Carlton’s plea to “Trust Us” here, and am putting my faith – well-earned with five seasons of mind blowing entertainment – that the payoff will be worth my bemusement.
It’s About Bunnies
Is LOST all about bunnies? Watership Down appeared in this episode – along with A Wrinkle in Time and Lancelot, all books read by Sawyer on the island – and Kate was eating Rabbit later on. Rabbits have figured prominently in LOST. What’s the message here?
On Island
So in this episode, John Locke sent Sawyer back to Hydra Island to see what was going on. Sawyer found the Ajira plan, a pile of stinking bodies, and a bespectacled survivor named Zoe. Turns out Zoe isn’t a survivor at all, though – she’s actually one of Widmore’s people. After discovering he’s been duped, Sawyer is captured and taken back to Widmore’s sub. Along the way, he sees some scientists setting up pylons in the jungle – they look a lot like the sonic fence that keeps smokey out of Dharmaville.
Sawyer cuts a deal with Widmore, divining that Widmore is there to kill Smokey he agrees to give Locke the all clear and lead him into Widmore’s trap in exchange for a sub trip off the island. When Sawyer gets back to the main island, he tells Locke everything he told Widmore, telling the bald one that he is setting Widmore up for a surprise attack. Later, he tells his Kate his true plan – to sneak aboard the sub while both sides are duking it out.
Hated It
Unlike other seasons, the major movement has been under the control of new characters. Man in Black traipsing around the island gathering followers gets a little boring, and ditto for Jacob’s proxy Illana. I get the candidate thing, but it seems like the characters we care about have been invested in somebody else’s mission all season – and those people haven’t been exactly forthcoming with the details.
Loved It
On the other hand, with this episode we have an arc that is under the control of one of the show’s most familiar and loved characters. Now we have a story with a goal, and some time to see how it is going to work out. We’ve gone from oblique mystery, to honest suspense. This is where things should really get bold.
New Mysteries
What is behind the door? When Sawyer asked “What” was behind the locked door, my first thought was “this is a misdirection.” This is the LOST writers conning us. Theory: It isn’t a “What” behind that door, but a who. Best Guess: Who is the one character that we have already been told is immune to the laws of the island? Desmond. Seems like a person with that kind of immunity would be of use to a guy like Widmore.
