This is our glimpse into the soul of Sawyer, the rebel con-man with a soft side as revealed in his flashbacks. Using his good looks and charm to his advantage, Sawyer finds it easy to manipulate unhappily married women into persuading their husbands to give him money for the phony schemes he concocts. No doubt, this is a sleazy way to earn a living, but when he realized the couple he is currently fleecing has a young son, he calls the whole deal off. He knows the world of hurt that kid would be in for if his scam went as planned.
Sawyer embraces his role as most hated on the Island. So, he is not surprised that suspicion falls on him for having Shannon's inhaler. That does not keep him from laying the smack down on Boone for going through his stuff, however. Due to some clever manipulation by Locke and an already existing tension, Sayid believes Sawyer is also responsible for knocking him out and preventing the triangulation of the signal. (He is innocent of both of these allegations, but it's easy to understand why he is suspected. Plus, he never denies the accusations.) After two bloody patients in one morning and the threat of an asthmatic girl looming in the afternoon, the good doctor heads to the beach for a confrontation with Sawyer. Of course this is a wasted trip. Sawyer's not giving anything up, and Kate interrupts before it comes to blows. Kate tries her hand at getting the medicine, but gets to read a revenge letter instead. Led to believe that it was written to Sawyer rather than by him, she is disgusted by the description of "Mr. Sawyer" as an adulterous scam artist that is ultimately responsible for the death of the author's parents. This letter is so pivotal in understanding Sawyer. The death of his mom and dad and the subsequent revenge he sought are the guiding forces in his life, and it was so awesome to discover that Jacob was present when young James Ford was writing that letter in the Season 5 finale. James was actually penning his own future as he went on to take the name Sawyer and run scams of his own. He is even responsible for taking a life in Australia before the crash. Some would question the benevolence of Jacob since he provided young James with a pen to finish the letter. I am not convinced this was anything other than giving him the option to finish the letter. Free will seems to be important to Jacob. It was Sawyer's choice ultimately, and he was encouraged to let it go by his uncle. He did not.
When Shannon gets worse, there is a mini boxing match in which Jack hits Sawyer about the face and head a couple times, but we all know this is just a preview of the main event in Season 5. There is a lot more nurturing of this competition to come before then. At the center of the resentment they share for one another is Kate, but they butt heads over any number of issues that arise. The basic conflict here is capitalism and private property versus socialism and communal sharing. Sawyer is adhering to the laws of the jungle where it is survival of the fittest by piling up assets to use to his advantage. Jack is all about pooling assets to further the good of the group. Those who need something the most are the ones who get it. Sawyer has no interest in participating in the "commie share fest". It's not in his nature. He's been hustling people and making his way in the world at the expense of others for a long time now. If Sawyer had Shannon's inhaler, of course I think he would have given it up, but I think he is pissed that it's expected of him to just hand out the things he's taken the time and energy to scavenge.
When these two philosophies clash in an instance that could very well be life and death, the criminal justice system of the Island is put to the test. Since Sayid has experience in the torture department and reasoning with Sawyer does not prove productive, a decision has to be made on whether or not torture is acceptable in extraneous circumstances. Kate seems troubled that things have deteriorated to this level, but Jack Bauer, I mean Shephard, and Sayid decide there is no alternative. So, Sawyer is hauled off to Guantanamo Jungle where Sayid works his magic.
Sawyer breaks and tells Jack that he will only tell Kate where the inhalers are. He tells Kate that he wants his kiss first. And in one of the hottest kisses on t.v., the birth of one of the greatest rivalries ever is born. Skaters vs. Jaters. Jack and Sawyer aren't as invested in who Kate chooses to settle down with as these people are, and Jack blew up an H-bomb! Sawyer keeps his end of the bargain and admits that he doesn't have the inhalers. This sets Sayid off, and things get out of hand when he accidentally stabs Sawyer in the arm sending Jack into Dr. Fix It mode. After waking up to a freshly bandaged wound in his tent, Sawyer shares his sordid past with Kate after she figures out that he wrote the letter he carries around with him. Sayid, ashamed of what he's done to Sawyer, decides to go into self-imposed exile. This is the introduction into the conflicted and tortured *wink* soul of Sayid as he comes to grips with his natural inclination to inflict violence. In other island developments:
- Sun makes a eucalyptus mixture as an herbal remedy to solve Shannon's asthma problem. Too bad she didn't make it to '77 Dharmaville. Those hippies would have loved her!
- Charlie convinces Claire to move to the caves with an empty jar of imaginary peanut butter. And Hurley is the crazy one? Don't do drugs kids!
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