'Lost' recap: Working the Angles

Sawyer heard rustling in the bushes and found a woman named Zoe hiding in the brush. She claimed to be an Ajira survivor. Zoe, Greek for ''life,'' was played by Sheila Kelly, whose most famous credit was L.A. Law. Perhaps Sideways Sawyer would have been seduced by her charms, but not Island Sawyer. She asked too many questions. And Sawyer answered all of them truthfully, until she asked about the guns. He smelled a con — or maybe he remembered ''The Long Con.'' He called her bluff. The lady whistled. Goons appeared, and Sawyer was beaten. ''Is your name really even Zoe?'' he asked. She replied, ''Is your name really Sawyer?'' The answer is no. In a story that was all about reminding James Ford who he really was, the answer should have been: ''LaFleur. James LaFleur.''

Sawyer got another reminder of that when Zoe and co. walked him across the plank to Widmore's submarine. Another dagger to the heart: the last time he boarded a submarine, he and Juliet were being deported by Dharma back to the United States to continue their happily ever after away from the Island. Nonetheless, Sawyer bravely climbed down into the lion's den. On his way to see New Sheriff In Town Charles Widmore, Sawyer walked past the fiery furnaces that powered the vessel — and stopped at a locked room. He called it out. He was told: Mind your own business. I remembered how Anthony Cooper had been brought to the Island via sub by the Others — and how John Locke had tricked Sawyer into killing him. FUN FACT! A ''locked room mystery'' is perhaps the oldest identified genre of mystery fiction. The oldest ''locked room mystery'' on record: ''Bel and the Dragon,'' an apocryphal Biblical text, in which a famous prophet debunked a false god by... sprinkling a perimeter of ash around a room. The name of this prophet? Daniel.

Sawyer met Widmore. In the process, Chuck let slip that his bespectacled associate's name was Zoe. Zoe! But where's his old Gnostic Acheron queen, Eloise Hawking? Nowhere to be found. Does Widmore regain his Others throne with Zoe as his consort? TBD. Widmore chided Sawyer for ''just how little'' he understood about what was really going on. I don't know about that. As Sawyer peered into Widmore's eyes and told him he knew that they both knew that John Locke was not Locke, I wondered if Sawyer was also trying to tell Widmore that he knew exactly who Fake Locke really was. They struck a bargain. Sawyer would bring Fake Locke to him so they could duke it out on the beach. In exchange: safety for the friends in his boat and a ride home. Widmore agreed. And now we debate: Who will Sawyer choose for his boat? It's going to be the Raft all over again! THEORY: Remember that time travel moment from season 5 that's never been explained, when Sawyer and co. were fired upon by another raft in the distance? They returned some shots, but flashed away before they could figure out who was shooting at them? Here's your answer, kids: It's going to be Sawyer's boat, paddling over Zooropa with his selected sub friends. Will there be casualties? Talk about a past coming back to haunt you...

Sawyer went back to Fake Locke. Sawyer called him out. FLocke didn't really need him to do recon on Hydra, did he? Nope. Sawyer told him about the dead bodies. FLocke tried to act shocked. That's terrible! Then came the true test: Would Sawyer spin or spill everything he knew? Answer: spill. He basically told FLocke the whole truth about what had happened between him and Widmore. FLocke seemed to be surprised when Sawyer disclosed that Widmore was over there, but I wasn't 100% sure it was genuine. Regardless, the Monster beamed with pride as Sawyer told him everything, and said, ''I appreciate your loyalty.'' Then again, maybe it was the knowing smile of two chess players that had dueled to a stalemate. FLocke wanted him out of the way for a little bit so he could work on Kate — and wanted him to see the cost of betrayal. Sawyer was transparent about what he wanted — and about his clear understanding about where all of this is heading, which is a showdown between Smokey and Widmore. And in tacitly acknowledging that understanding, Sawyer was also telling the Man In Black what he wasn't willing to do for him:

Kill his father.

Which brings us to FLocke's conversation with Kate. It took place after Claire's assault. Claire had the advantage. She was going to drive a knife into her throat. She was going to unleash all her Aaron rage on the woman who had taken him. Kate appealed to Sayid for help. Sayid sat there stupefied. Zombified. Almost zapped of will or initiative. Something was wrong with him, he said. My guess: It's the magic knife Dogen gave him to stab FLocke. It's all but neutralized Sayid's usefulness to FLocke. That utility? Killing. The title of this section, ''Infernal Affairs,'' refers to a section of hell in Buddhism reserved for people who kill their fathers, mothers, and enlightened beings. In this section of hell you don't stay forever — but you have to work to earn enough Enlightenment and Dharma to leave. One wonders if Sayid is frozen and gripped by an experience of penance; maybe his will/soul has been temporarily diverted to the Sideways world to work things out.

After peeling Claire off of Kate and slapping her into submission (an act of violence that even stunned Kate) and parking her in a time out, FLocke found Kate sitting in a refuge of banyan trees. He explained himself. He confessed he had duped Claire into believing The Others had Aaron. He explained he needed to give her anger to give her purpose, to pull her out of what was likely suicidal despair. Kate asked where Sawyer had gone. He brought her the beach and offered her a view of Hydra Island. Again, he searched for the right words to say, for whatever reason… and then told her story about his mother:

NEXT: Smokey's Kate con?