Sawyer says that the only way he will hand over the inhalers is if Kate kisses him. Kate responds by asking him about the letter he is always reading. Sawyer makes Kate read it herself out loud. It is addressed to Sawyer from a boy saying that because Sawyer slept with his mom and stole all of his dad's money, it caused his dad to kill his mother and then kill himself.
Meanwhile, Shannon's breathing worsens and Sayid and Jack end up tying Sawyer to a tree; Sayid torturing him so he will say where the inhalers are. Again, Sawyer says he will only give up the inhalers if Kate will kiss him. She does, and then he reveals that he never had the inhalers in the first place.
The next day, Sawyer tells Kate that he wrote that letter to a con man who tore his family apart. He later became a con man himself and went under the name Sawyer as an alias.
Despite Kate's arguments, Sayid decides to search the island for the transceiver signal and the person who knocked him out. Sun makes Eucalyptus rub and clears up Shannon's breathing, and Charlie convinces Claire to move back to the caves.
Flashbacks
Sawyer is conning a married woman into giving him $150,000 of her husbands money. When he goes to their house to get the money, their son walks in, causing Sawyer to call off the deal and walk out leaving his money behind.
Do you like or hate Sawyer?
OK: I feel really bad for him, but I still find him to be a really big jerk.
SH: I have a long standing opinion that someone's past can be an explanation for their actions, but not an excuse. That being said, I still dislike Sawyer because he is an immoral pig.
SH: I have a long standing opinion that someone's past can be an explanation for their actions, but not an excuse. That being said, I still dislike Sawyer because he is an immoral pig.
Do you think Kate should like Jack or Sawyer?
OK: Jack for sure. I still don't like Sawyer. He kind of reminds me of Haymitch from Hunger Games, except I liked Haymitch.
SH: Personally, romance should be the least of Kate's problems I think. But, I suppose if I had to chose one I would pick Jack because he has his head on straight and I hate Sawyer.
How do you think Sawyers situation relates to nature vs nurture?
OK: I think that if this hadn't happened to sawyer as a kid he wouldn't have followed that path, but I still don't think that excuses his behavior.
SH: Sawyer could have some kind of inherited condition that could be a partial explanation for his behavior, but because of how he was brought up in a rough life, it probably escalated the symptoms of the potential condition.
SH: Sawyer could have some kind of inherited condition that could be a partial explanation for his behavior, but because of how he was brought up in a rough life, it probably escalated the symptoms of the potential condition.