'Lost' recap: Staying Connected

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Somewhere under the sea, a fish is at a pawn shop asking, ''How many clams will you give me for this ring?''

I am worried for our friend Sawyer. The episode opened with the heartbroken La Fleur cynically meditating on the Island's dubious resurrection policy. ''He's an Iraqi torturer who shoots kids. He definitely deserves another go around.'' Translation: How come he got to come back but Juliet didn't? Sawyer then told Kate he was ditching the Temple scene. ''I'm thinking about running, Kate.'' Very pointed. Even kind of cruel, as if he was meanly poking at her issues. Sawyer told her not to chase after him. Little miss born to run-and-chase did, anyway.

Kate tracked him down at the Dharma barracks and found him prying up the floorboards and pulling out an old shoebox full of mementos and one very precious item — an engagement ring for Juliet. (Shoebox = Kate and Tom's time capsule, ''Born To Run'') On the Dharma docks, Sawyer allowed himself to be consumed by guilt for Juliet's death, believing that if he hadn't convinced her to stay on the Island out of his own fear of being alone, she'd still be alive. He then connected his experience to Kate in a vaguely accusatory way. ''You understand that, don't you?'' Perhaps Sawyer was referencing all the times she essentially chose Jack over him; perhaps he was alluding to ''Born To Run,'' and the Sun/Kate conspiracy to keep Jin on the Island for Sun's sake. And then, after revealing he had intended to propose to Juliet, he threw the ring into the drink, just as Desmond did back in ''Flashes Before Your Eyes'' when he became convinced destiny was conspiring to keep him and Penelope apart. He announced to Kate that he wanted to be left alone, and he walked away, leaving her in tears as she looked out on Sawyer's Dharma home, his ''something nice,'' now ruined. I think she was genuinely heartbroken for Sawyer. She might have blamed herself, as her well-intentioned time traveling rescue mission was a catalyst for his unhappy ending. But she certainly had more than enough life experience to empathize, as her own damned soul had cost her so much true love, from Tom (''Born To Run'') to her ex-husband Kevin Callis (''I Do'') to even Jack Shephard, who had once given her an engagement ring, too. SHAMU ALERT! ''Something Nice Back Home.''

And with that, Kate began her trek back to the Temple, her quest a failure. She watched Sawyer skulk past her and retreat into his ruined home, his Goodspeedesque love shack-turned-haunted house — his version of Jacob's cabin. Let us be afraid, very afraid for Sawyer. From his anger toward the Island gods at the beginning of the episode to his near misanthropy at the end, Sawyer has suddenly crawled into a dark place, the kind that can infect a heart and claim a soul. You have to wonder if some (demon) seeds have been planted. You have to wonder if Sawyer might soon follow Claire and quite possibly Sayid into the dark embrace of the Man In Black, aka the Locke-ness Monster, aka.... SHAMU ALERT!

Today. 12 PM PST/3 PM EST. I'll on twitter, answering your questions. @ewdocjensen

Tuesday. A new Doc Jensen. Next week, a new recap. But now: ''Totally Lost.'' And then... the floor is yours.