Am I the only one who thought, once the Sawyer/Miles buddy cop relationship was revealed early on in ‘Recon’, that there would be slash fiction popping up all over the Internet?

And no, I didn’t look.

‘Recon’ is all classic Sawyer.  He is every bit the suave con man in both realities, when on a blind date or scouting for faux-Locke, Josh Holloway brings a charm to the role that makes it fun to watch.

‘Recon’ is not as successful as ‘Sundown’ or ‘Dr. Linus’ in what they did for Sayid and Ben respectively.  This is not due to Holloway’s acting, which is sharp and layered (compare his life as a detective to the one we know; he is still, at his core, the same Sawyer, but the subtleties are where Holloway excels).  The script simply isn’t meaty enough. In the flash sideways, ‘Detective Ford’ begins in the middle of a sting, and then goes on a date and screws up that potential relationship.

The twist at the end is not much of one at all; who wouldn’t have guess who was running way in the hoodie jacket? In short, not much really happens, and what does happen isn’t particularly riveting.

The same goes for the Island story.  Sawyer goes on a recon mission, finds what he’s looking for, makes a couple of deals, and chats with Kate a bit. Again, not the most challenging or in-depth hour of television, which is a shame since Holloway has shown that he is a fine actor and can deliver.

There just isn’t much to work with, and yet the episode is still enjoyable. The Sawyer / Miles relationship works in a quirky, charming way (even if Miles comes off as a bit needy and possessive).  The winks at the audience are fun (catch whose father Sawyer’s date works with?), and Widmore’s return to the storyline is a welcome (if late) addition to the season.

‘Recon’ is a light episode that, while a good one, seems irrelevant given the scope of the storyline. And with less than 10 episodes left in the series, that’s a huge sin.