Sawyer, Always Working an Angle

It was only a matter of time before Charles Widmore made it back to the island. The question was what he would do when he got there. Sawyer has found himself in the middle of what appears to be a brewing war between Widmore and The Man in Black, telling Kate that while they are in battle they will steal the sub Charles and his crew used to get to the island. The Man in Black does mention to Kate that he had a crazed mother which resulted in his entrapment on the island and reason for wanting to leave. Because of so much time on the island, The Man in Black, still in the form of Locke (unless killing folks within the form of the dangerous black smoke monster), is at a point that he will desperately commit to whatever he can to get off, even if he must recruit (and despoil) folks by exploiting their weaknesses against them. The Man in Black is surprising in certain respects, though. He doesn’t seem to even work to darken Kate’s soul; instead, he appears genuine in his conversations with her, even keeping a knife-wielding mad Claire from killing her. And he doesn’t seem to try and worsen Sawyer, either. But Sayid, though, is gone. Whatever it was that kept him from total darkness seemed to have left when he drowned Dogen and slit Lennon’s throat at the temple. And the bodies strewn all over the place due to the black smoke monster’s sadistic attack is a clear indication that when The Man in Black expects results and forewarns accordingly, he will hold nothing back. Sawyer clearly wants off the island just as much as The Man in Black, fed up and just plain tired of the nonsense. The loss of Juliet was the final straw. While Jack and Hurley are away while Richard Alpert contemplates ending his life at The Black Rock ship, Sawyer sets his con in motion, cluing only Kate in on how he hopes to capitalize on the impending duel of forces gathered for what seems to be on the horizon. Recon, as The Man in Black urges Sawyer to go to Hydra Island to investigate (the reconnaissance mission, so to speak) and return back to him with whatever evidence he finds. That is when Sawyer discovers a woman he realizes wasn’t on the Ajira plane flown by Lapidus, and is “introduced” to Widmore through his armed men. Sawyer works both sides (or so he believes), convincing (he so believes, even getting a hand shake) Widmore he’ll bring Locke into their trap, while returning to the main island encouraging The Man in Black that Widmore is ripe for the picking. So now you have these two forces on the verge of colliding while Ilana, Ben, Jack, Hurley, Sun, and Miles (along with Richard who has felt slighted by Jacob) have accumulated together at the beach with their own mission at hand. Sides are starting to shape, and the island’s protection or exploitation could be on the line.