Confidence Man (Lost)

"Confidence Man" is the eighth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Tucker Gates and written by Damon Lindelof. It first aired on November 10, 2004, on ABC. The character of James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) is featured in the episode's flashbacks. Sawyer is accused of stealing Shannon Rutherford's (Maggie Grace) inhaler, and Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) tortures him in an attempt to find out where it is. In the flashbacks, Sawyer's life before the crash is revealed, showing his scams as a confidence man.

The episode was intended to make Sawyer look like less of a belligerent, as he had generally acted as the antagonist in previous episodes. It also set the stage for the love triangle between Kate, Sawyer, and Jack. The episode was first broadcast in the United States on November 10, 2004, earning 18.44 million viewers. It received mostly positive reviews, although a few reviewers discussed aspects of the episode that they felt did not blend in well with the rest of the episode and series.^{[citation needed]}