Friday, July 31, 2009

1.16 Outlaws

Follow along! The episode guide to “Outlaws” is in Finding Lost, pp. 101-105.

This was an episode about guilt coming back to bite them: Sawyer’s guilt for killing Duckett; Charlie’s guilt for killing Ethan; Locke’s mother’s guilt for not watching Jeannie; Sayid’s guilt for being part of a firing squad… and even a moment of guilt from Kate when she’s playing I Never and admits to killing a man.

Fun things I noticed:
• This is one of the only times we ever see Sayid truly enjoying himself… mocking Sawyer. I love it.
• This is a NOT-so-fun thing I noticed… the whisper transcript to Outlaws was not in my Finding Lost book. I checked my old file folder, and sure enough I had the sidebar all written up… but then I’d forgotten to paste it into the master file I handed to my publisher, and no one seemed to notice. Stupid, stupid me… I can paste it here if anyone is interested. Just let me know.

Things that have new meaning:
• I wonder if there’s any significance to the fact that we’ve never see Sawyer’s dad’s face? We only see his boots. Could that factor in later?
• Hibbs telling Sawyer he’s not the killing type is interesting: He’s killed Duckett, Cooper, Tom… yet each time he feels sad about it.
• That photo of Duckett in his file makes it look like he’s wearing Dharma clothing.
• Hurley always has the throwaway lines, but then they end up being prescient. Now he’s talking about Ethan rising from the dead and chasing them like a zombie. Not far off from other things that have happened on the island…
• Kate refers to “carte blanche,” which is French… like “LaFleur.”
• We now know just how brief that marriage of hers was from I Do, and that was actually painful for her to leave him.
• John says, “Well… that would be silly” when Kate suggests the dog was Jeannie, but does he actually believe that? I don’t think his mother is the only one who believes the dog might have been Jeannie.
• Later, in Cabin Fever, we see that Locke’s sister was Melissa. And the mother clearly wasn’t off the rails yet. I’m thinking either Jeannie was out of the house in that scene, or that was a different foster family. Maybe they turfed him once he didn’t prove his specialness.
• That soccer game playing in the bar where Sawyer meets Christian made me think of the one in Flashes Before Your Eyes (but obviously it’s not the same one, since that one was in 1996).

26 comments:

Joan Crawford said...

Oh, yes, please paste the whisper transcripts - I would love to read them!

Paithan1 said...

Yes, please post the transcript...they are freaky.

I'm glad Sawyer's mom hid him. Unfortunately, Daddy was over the edge & he probably would have killed James also; it happens way too often.

Christian puts stock in fate/faith but Jack doesn't. A link between Christian & Locke--and I can't get into that whole Jacob/Man in Black, faux Locke, etc. It makes my head spin! Kinda like all the time travel...

Azá said...

Intrigued about the whisper transcripts - they certainly make that "it will come back around" comment rather apparent!

Sawyer just continues to develop in character as the season progresses and his sarcasm has gotta be one of the funniest on TV to date!

Azá said...

Addendum- this is where we (the audience) start to see all the cross overs between characters. I really do hope they address and don't leave it open by the end of Season 6. I guess we can say they are all special, and they have almost been selected for this 'game', but I hope the deeper connections reveals something awesome to the show! :)

Kate said...

Yes, POST THE WHISPERS!! I love reading those--I think they provide tons to theorize on.

Okay, I have to say, I LOVED rewatching this episode. I found it hilarious, especially after the past few episodes were kind of intense and freaky what with all the Claire-Ethan-Others stuff. It was nice to go traipsing around in the jungle with a snarky cowboy out on a boar vendetta. :D

Thoughts:
**Sayid's "Maybe he wanted to go camping." Line was wonderful!! Have some fun Sayid, go ahead!

**I cooed when Jack was rambling about how he didn't want Kate to get the gun from Sawyer because he doesn't "want her to owe him anything". Awww, it's so painfully obvious that he's staking territory if only Kate could see it!

**"Thank you Boar Expert."

**Hurley describing Ethan's resurrection was hilarious (although also eerie) but I loved the part when he says "He catches me fist because, I'm heavy and...I get cramps." XD I love you Hugo!

**I found so many of the lines in this episode hilarious, I don't know why! But Kate telling Sawyer he'd been tracking "Humans, birds, a rock-slide, yourself, basically everything but boar." was a crack-up too! Awww, Sawy-Sawy. He tries.

**"The 80's." XD

**It was eerie and fascinating hearing the I Never game as Kate drank to being in love and being married...it made me sad when she drank to being in love. The look on her face...thinking of Tom. :( The short sip on the marriage was actually strangely in character although I don't think Evangeline Lilly could have known that early on what the story was. She seemed almost resigned to it, sort of bitter--and we find out much later the truth that she feels like she should have known and that she can never have all that anyway. I guess it was just luck that she played it that way!

**The "I Never killed a man" was INTENSE. WOW. The acting was superb there for both of them and the way it was done was just...oooh, it was really good. I remember it being one of this big moments for me watching Lost for the first and going "YES! This is so awesome!"

**Locke popping out of the jungle with a mango and saying "morning!" made me laugh. It also made me think of Locke and mangoes in Season Five, when he comes back to the island as "Flocke" Illana gives him a mango and he talks about the island has the best mangoes or something like that. Just random but it made me think of that.

**I chuckled quite a bit when Locke was telling his story about Jeannie. Kate and Sawyer are just sitting around the campfire laughing about the boar and he plops down, rubs his head and says "My little sister Jeannie fell off the monkey bars and broke and her neck." BUZZ KILL. The look Kate and Sawyer both have after that is priceless.

**Also in Locke's story is another one of those "Off the hook" references, a common phrase used in Lost. Jack's wife Sarah let's him off the hook, Boone let's him off the hook, now Jeannie's mom is off the hook...

Ali Bags said...

@Nikki - the soccer game was actually an Aussie rules football game. i noticed because I was impressed with them getting this 'Australian' detail right. (And they obviously put a soccer game in Flashed Before Your Eyes to add to the Britishness of it.)

John says, “Well… that would be silly” when Kate suggests the dog was Jeannie, but does he actually believe that? I don’t think his mother is the only one who believes the dog might have been Jeannie.

And doesn't this echo my theory about Vincent being Jacob? Although, unfotunately they seemed to rule this out at ComicCon when they said Jacob hadn't appeared as anyone else.

I saw this as the Alpha Male episode: Sayid laughing at Sawyer, Jack and Sawyer locking horns over Kate, kate saying 'Just tell Locke and he'll kill it'
The we have Hurley and Charlie being the Beta Males - Charlie traumatised and Hurley worrying about Charlie's feelings.

The guy who gave Sawyer the gun had a good Aussie ac
cent. (And when Kate says 'No' at one point she sounds very Canadian)

I remember when I first watched this episode getting that 'Why doesn't anyone ask any questions in this damned place?' feeling. For instance, on finding out they've both killed someone neither Kate or Sawyer EVER ask each other anything about it!

J.W. said...

Sawyer's first flashback episode (Confidence Man) came right after Charlie's first flashback episode (The Moth). That worked well, so I guess we're doing it again here. I wondered if the trend would continue, so I looked at Nikki's book, and sure enough Sawyer's third flashback episode (The Long Con) comes right after Charlie's (Fire and Water). The pattern ends in season 3. This isn't as freaky as possible ghost-girl Claire giving birth, but I thought I'd mention it.

My thoughts on this episode are almost perfectly in line with Katey's. The writers now look like geniuses with everything figured out when we watch Kate's reaction to the marriage question. And the whole "I Never" scene is a gem.

Nikki, the good news about the whisper transcript being absent in your book is that it doesn't look like a mistake but a choice. We promise not to tell anybody it was anything other than a strategic decision. But yes, Lost expert, share it with us. :)

Fred said...

You know, Sayid is a very smart guy. He gets his first clue that Locke is doing something other than hunting boar, when Sawyer tells him a boar ruined his camp. Sayid: “I thought the boar had vacated this area?” Sure, that’s what Locke told you and everyone else.

That whole dog story Locke tells. Is it Jacob or isn't it? Or is what they are trying to get across that when people die on the island their souls transmigrate--a very ancient Greek idea. Dead is dead, but that doesn't mean past survivors like Boone mightn't pop up in some other form, animal, plant, tree, mineral. He might even be in the computer! LOL.

If you had the chance to be friends with anyone on the island, I'd sure pick Sawyer. he seems to have an endless supply of liquor.

Rebecca T. said...

I was reading your guide to this ep. and went, WAIT where are the whisper transcripts? I want to know what they said!

@Katey: when he comes back to the island as "Flocke"

bwa hahahahaha! I'm totally stealing that name for Locke.

@Ali Bags: on finding out they've both killed someone neither Kate or Sawyer EVER ask each other anything about it!

Because it doesn't matter. All that matters is that connection between them and the fact that they have both crossed the line. They don't need the dirty details.

Also, the guy who gave Sawyer the gun is Stewart Finlay-McLennan, and I love him. He does an amazing scottish accent too. He was in the tv series Christy.

Little Sawyer=Awwwwwww!

You know, of all the rooms in the house, Sawyer's father had to come into his son's room to off himself! It's almost as though he wanted Sawyer to witness it.

Sayid taunting Sawyer is hysterical.

I find it interesting that Locke never offers any help to Sawyer. He helps Charlie and Boone, works with Sayid at times and even Jack, but I can't recall a single connection of him with Sawyer. I don't know if it's significant, but I thought I'd put it out there.

And Katey, I too loved Kate's line about Sawyer following the tracks of a rock slide. hahahaha

The I Never game takes such a dark turn so quickly. At first they're flirty and bantering, then it moves to pointed barbs and then to reluctant, deep admissions.

Is this the first time we learn Sawyer's real first name?

Another mystery I want to add to the list of things I want them to clear up in the final series is the mystery of how exactly Christian died. The official story seems awful fishy.

I found Christian's story to Sawyer extremely ironic, because he basically says, at the end of the day, he doesn't have what it takes, while Jack does. He's spent all Jack's life lying to himself and to his son.

Ali Bags said...

@Sonshine Music You know, of all the rooms in the house, Sawyer's father had to come into his son's room to off himself! It's almost as though he wanted Sawyer to witness it.

I've always had the rather horrible thought that Sawyer's Dad went into that room because he was going to shoot his son and then shoot himself (but obviously presumed, as Sawyer's Mum hoped that he was at his grandparents)

Gillian Whitfield said...

This one didn't have any moments that would be pivotal to the series, but it was a great episode anyhow.

Sayid was excellent in this episode, especially when he was taunting Sawyer.

Oh, yes, please post the whisper transcripts!

I loved the line: "So . . . the dog was your sister?" "Well, that would be silly". Locke was awesome in his small appearance in this episode

Susan said...

Sonshine Music, that's an interesting take on Christian's story, I had never thought of that before.

I can't really say I noticed Sawyer feeling sad after killing Tom. If he does feel sad, it would be more for the whole taking Walt leading to AL & Libby's deaths and all the rest of the junk that went with that. And after killing Cooper, he was sick to his stomach but didn't seem to feel sad, just angry at being used by John. Just my interpretation.

I see lots of Jack-hate on here and even some Locke-hate but not much Sawyer-hate. So I volunteer to be first;) He annoyed me from the beginning and for me got worse as the series progressed when we learn some of the things he's done. He improved some during season 4 (or maybe 3 when Hurley cons him into being nice) but turns back into a jerk in season 5.

Joan Crawford said...

I am with you Susan, I really, really didn't like Sawyer at all in the beginning. Damaged, needy man-child that he was. I like him more now and I dunno...I like Jack a bit too but I am concerned about his randomly disappearing chest hair...

I'm a big Sayid fan. Why he wasn't the leader, I can't fathom.

Susan said...

Joan, I agree it is a little strange. I know Jack went around saving people's lives early on, but he didn't really want to be the leader. Sayid did a lot of things to help with survival -- building fires, organizing labor etc -- but the majority wanted Jack to be leader. I guess they felt more comfortable and secure with him, since he is a doctor. And I don't think their not choosing Sayid had to do with him being Iraqi; Sawyer was the only one in the early days that had a problem with that.

Rebecca T. said...

I think Hurley's comment to Jack about everything being confidential between them, you know, doctor/patient confidentiality, kind of explained why so many people turned to him as a leader. If there had been an American soldier (since so many of the passengers seem to be American) or a police officer I think people would have turned to them as leaders, too. In fact, this is sort of what happened with the Tailies and Ana Lucia becoming the leader.

I think there are just certain professions that are universally looked at as being more trustworthy and authoratative and a doctor is one of them.

Just my thoughts on the psychology of Jack being chosen as leader :)

Anonymous said...

Sayid seems to be the second-in-command, even in the early seasons before Locke goes all traitory/insane. He takes charge evacuating the camp to the caves at the end of season 1, and in season 3 Desmond + co choose to tell him about Naomi because they don't trust Jack anymore.

I agree that he should be he leader. He's the only survivor with a goddamn brain in his head.

Anonymous said...

I too look forward to the whisper transcripts.

It is interesting that Christian forgave Jack. I wonder if that is why he turns up on the island. I'm also not entirely clear about the time line, and wonder if he was really alive when Sawyer saw him. How long after their encounter did Christian die, and when and why was Sawyer arrested?

Celandine

JennM said...

I too, always wondered how it is that Sayid silently sat at the sidelines and allowed Jack to lead.
I have also wondered what it would have been like if Sayid were the leader.
Sometimes (during these earlier episodes) I think of Sayid as a leader. Just a smarter and less "OMG Look at me! I am soooo the reluctant leader!" leader.
I also think that leaders are (should be) elected on trust. Jack is the doctor. He saves people, so people trust him. Sayid would have a more difficult time building insta-trust like Jack does.

Susan said...

Sayid didn't exactly sit around silently letting Jack lead. He recruited people to stay on the beach instead of move to the caves, and he was the one to come up with the idea of stringing Michael along. Sayid also convinced Jack to go to the radio tower while Sayid stayed behind to ambush the Others.

Anonymous said...

Sayid isn't used to a leadership role. He's a soldier; he takes orders. That's what he's used to. Having said that, he would make an amazing leader; he keeps a level head and usually comes up with the best course of action. Jack would do well to consult him more often - but then, Jack is always convinced he knows what's best.

Of course, it should be noted that Sayid doesn't always use the best judgement. If he HAD been the leader, I would have lost all respect for him the moment he decided Shannon was girlfriend material.

tiasabita said...

Hi, This is my first comment! I started my own rewatch and was thrilled to stumble upon this site! I am LOVING reading all your comments! I first watched LOST mid third season and got kinda turned off by all the brutality/torture in the bear cages and Otherville. I tuned in for the season finale and decided to catch up on seasons one and two during the break. I must have watched too many episodes too quickly or either while under the influence cuz I only vaguely remember much of what I'm seeing! (I'm sure seasons two and three will be the same!) Plus now that I'm a LOST junkie I can watch thru different, more knowledgeable eyes.

I need to mention some things that have been so fun noticing this time around. I know it's all old news to you guys. Have mercy on me since I'm practically a season one virgin!

-I missed so much of the character development. They're all pretty messed up and have crazy baggage but they all have good hearts deep down and are searching for a new life/forgiveness/growth/freedom.
-I've never gotten Hurley (although I've come to believe he will play an integral role in the end) but he is freakin hilarious and much deeper than I understood. I just loved JIn trying to help Hurley out of the water after Hurley stepped on the urchin!
-The show in general is so much funnier than I ever realized!
-God, these people are gorgeous!! (And very well groomed and made-up - not one woman has an arm-pit hair in sight!)
-So many of the throwaway comments are so prophetic.
-The number references are everywhere! (#4 on the football player's jersey)
-I just never realized how many times the Losties crossed paths b4 the crash.
-John Locke definitely knows more than he knows he knows! So many knowing smiles and glances! (I do love the theory that he may already be possessed by MIB)
-Destiny/fate vs making your own luck is already in our faces in season one.
-Sawyer's rhinestone glasses. And he's reading 'A Wrinkle in Time', my all-time favorite book as a tweenager.
-Loved seeing the two missing stars in the Big Dipper that I'd heard yall mention!
-Just seeing the characters develop and bond!
-So that's where Jin got the dog he gave to Sun - that poor little girl!!
-I also never bonded with Charlie the first time around - he was just annoying. But I'm so in love with the sweet guy now and he, too, is laugh-out-loud funny!

Can you tell I'm having a blast with this?! Wish I had internet connection at work cuz I'm getting nothing done at home!! I gotta get the books by Nikki! And I'd also love to read the whisper transcripts! Thanks guys!!

Rebecca T. said...

Welcome tiasabita!

You are so lucky, you stumbled on the best Lost site on the web! I have had a blast since coming across it at the beginning of season 5 and I hope you do to!

Benny said...

Sawyer: "Stick 'em up."
Jack: "Are you trying to be funny?"
...
Sawyer (pause, then smiles): "Yeaaaah! I was fresh out of pies."

Paithan1 said...

I watched the deleted scenes from the Season 1 DVDs and the issue of carte blanche was brought up. Sawyer doesn't seem to feel that Kate helped him kill the boar so he doesn't follow through with his end of the bargain.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Hibbs telling Sawyer he’s not the killing type is interesting: He’s killed Duckett, Cooper, Tom… yet each time he feels sad about it.


Feeling bad about the murders he had committed didn't stop Sawyer from committing them or any other acts of violence on his part.

In some ways, he is a lot like Sayid - "Oh I feel so guilty for doing this or killing that . . ." before he commits another act of violence.



Also, the "I Never" game between Kate and Sawyer struck me as a bit wince-inducing.