Looking at Lost: Sawyer’s Top Ten Nicknames

Aside from his sarcastic wit and general moody nature, LOST‘s Sawyer is known for his scathing yet humorous nicknames. From the very first episode, Sawyer has labeled just about every other person on the Island with some sort of derogatory moniker, whether playing off of a character trait or simply mocking the person. If you’re as big a fan of LOST as I am, you learned pretty quickly that it’s not a bad idea to keep a piece of paper and pen handy, to jot down the latest nicknaming gem from the island’s resident moody man! Here’s a look at some of the best of Sawyer’s nicknames. These are, in no particular order, my top ten!

Daniel Faraday: Plato, Greek philosopher

In the fifth season, Sawyer, Miles, Juliet, and Daniel happen upon a grizzly scene which Sawyer feels compelled to stop. Daniel says that what happened, happened, and they can’t change anything. Sawyer’s response is, “Yeah, thanks anyway, Plato. I’m going over there.”

Mr. Eko: John Shaft, iconic Black 1970’s television and movie detective

In season two, Sawyer, Michael, Jin, and a strange woman have been captured in a pit by who he assumes are the Others. Mr. Eko repeatedly uses a weapon to keep them complacent and from escaping. Sawyer has a gun, and tells the other captives, “Next time Shaft opens the cage, he’s gonna get a surprising little howdy-doody.” Unfortunately for him, a fellow “captive,” Anna-Lucia, pulls a “howdy-doody” of her own when it’s revealed she’s actually on Eko’s side.

Sayid: Al Jazeera, television network in Qatar

In the first season episode Tabula Rasa (1.3), Boone manages to slip a gun and clip away from Sawyer and Sayid while they sleep. Sayid tells Boone to give the weapon back to him. Sawyer replies, “Oh, yeah. Give it to Al Jazeera. He’ll protect us.” Ironically, the English translation of the Arabic al jazeera is “the island.”

Jin and Sun : Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Chinese-language film

In the third season episode titled Enter 77, Jin and Sun speak to each other in Korean, which frustrates Sawyer. While they speak, he says, “Oh, looks like Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon got something good.” Sawyer, who also called Sun “Tokyo Rose,” often ignores Jin and Sun’s Korean heritage in assigning them nicknames.

Hurley: Stay Puft, famous giant marshmallow featured in Ghostbusters

In season one, episode ten (Raised by Another), the rest of the survivors want Sawyer to hand over the crashed plane’s manifest. Hurley asks Sawyer for the manifest, telling him he should give it up because he could “use the points” with the other survivors. Sawyer answers, “Well gosh! You sure know how to butter a man up, Stay Puft.”

Kate: Freckles

Very early on in the series, Sawyer begins calling Kate “Freckles.” Though at first it serves as just another of his nicknames, it soon becomes more of a term of endearment. This makes it one of Sawyer’s greatest hits, as the nickname evolves to an expression of the growing feelings between himself and Kate.

Jack: Dr. Giggles, horror movie title, and the movie’s main character

In season two, Sawyer and Jack have developed a sour relationship, especially since they both have romantic feelings for Kate. In episode eighteen (Dave), Sawyer and Kate are alone together when Jack appears. As the doctor approaches, Sawyer says, “Oh, happy day! Here comes Dr. Giggles.”

Locke: Colonel Kurtz, Apocalypse Now character who goes insane during Vietnam

In the fourth season episode titled Confirmed Dead, Locke says they have to find a cabin somewhere on the island (he’s looking for Jacob, the elusive figure the Others apparently take orders from). When questioned about it, Locke reveals he doesn’t know where it is or how to find it. His explanation makes no sense, and Sawyer gets annoyed. He asks, “You mind telling us who you’re getting your orders from, Colonel Kurtz?”

Libby: Moonbeam

Libby was a somewhat short-lived character on Lost. She was a member of Anna-Lucia and Mr. Eko’s group. When they join up with the main group of survivors in season two, problems arise as they begin to work out the logistics of their team-up. One question pertains to food. When they try to figure out who should be in charge of guarding it, Libby suggests no one be in charge. Sawyer, the former island “store-keeper,” is less than enthusiastic about the idea, retorting, “Great plan, Moonbeam. And after that, we can sing Kumbaya and do trust falls.”

Ben: Captain Bunny Killer

In the third season, Ben “proves” the existence of a heart-stopping device he implanted in Sawyer by apparently killing a bunny with the same device implanted in its heart. A few episodes later, after Kate and Sawyer are released by the Others, Kate wants to return to the small island they were taken to and save Jack. Sawyer, still convinced that Ben killed the bunny and could kill him, is against it, asking, “We go back there, what do you think Captain Bunny Killer is going to do when he catches us?”