LOST names 'The Candidate,' kills fan favorites

Sun, Jin and Sayid of LOST.   Source: ABC

Namaste friends. It’s a heavy hearted week for LOST fans … today Damon Lindelof even tweeted, “I know it probably doesn't help, but I'm depressed today, too.” Here’s my take on ‘The Candidate’:

Sideways Timeline-
As usual, the episode is layered with double entendre. Despite sideways Locke turning down Jack’s offer for a free consult all the way back in ‘The Substitute,’ fate has a way of intervening and Jack does indeed end up performing surgery on John – but to save his life (from a ruptured dural sac after being hit by Desmond’s car) rather than make him walk again. For Helen’s sake, John is grateful. But Jack wants to offer more. He wants to “fix” Locke (surprise, surprise).

“I think you’re a candidate.” –Jack to Locke

Unfortunately, John’s not interested. Jack approaches Bernard, who apparently did dental work on Locke after the accident that left him in the wheelchair. Bernard gives Jack the “Anthony Cooper” clue, and also tips his hand by saying that he was on Flight 815 from Australia. I’m loving how sideways-Jack and island-Jack are both beginning to see the big picture and how all the characters are interconnected and significant!

“Oceanic 815 – I sat across the aisle from you.” –Bernard to Jack

Bernard and Rose on the plane.  Source: ABC

When Jack tracks Cooper down, his vegetative state seems like poetic justice for a man who walked all over John Locke in the original timeline and then tried to kill him. It was eerie to see Cooper like that … but even eerier to see Helen & Locke defend and care for him. I doubt there will be time for us to ever see Sawyer cross his path, but here’s wondering if detective Ford would feel that justice had been served? Actually, it’s the crazy sideways timeline, so who says that Cooper was even responsible for the death of Sawyer’s parents?

“I wish you had believed me.” –Locke talking in his sleep

Jack returns to Locke’s bedside to make his final argument, but John is asleep. “Push the button!” he says aloud. And then, “I wish you had believed me.” WTF? More evidence of the timelines converging and memories being shared. Wouldn’t it be great if the sideways timeline wins out in the end? I’d hate for our friends to never have met, never shared all that they have … but the island timeline is so sad and so tragic. I’ve said it before (here and here), and I’ll say it again: to me, they seem better off in sideways world. Okay, Sayid’s life is not perfect, and there are of course glitches, but the big picture is much rosier. I really want these characters to get a better deal than the one they’ve found on the island. But I digress…

Claire shows up to chat with Jack at the hospital. Jack takes a vending machine break and sits with her. The mirror in Claire’s music box gives us yet another opportunity to catch the characters’ sideways reflection. And of course it plays “Catch A Falling Star,” a song that majorly creeps me out ever since ‘Sundown.’  Later, Jack tells Locke, “What happened, happened” (there’s that expression again!).

“I don’t know how to let go; maybe you could go first. I can help you, John. I wish you believed in me.” –Jack

Jacob meets Jack.  Source: ABC 

In my mind, there is no doubt that Jack is the candidate to replace Jacob. From the play on words in the episode title (you didn’t think it was all about Locke’s surgery, did ya?), to Sayid’s comment just before he took off with the C4. But the scene that clinched it for me was when Jack moved to hand Claire the Apollo candy bar. I saw Jacob doing the same for Jack, and it just clicked in my head. It’s always been about the dichotomy between Locke and Jack, and now we will see that come to fruition on a whole ‘nother level.

Island Timeline-
Smokey’s still stickin’ to the story that he wants to rescue the LOSTies, get them all to the plane, and then escape the island. Somehow, though, I don’t believe him and it just can’t be that easy.

Sun and Jin have some quiet alone time where Jin tells Sun about the pictures of Ji Yeon, and Sun returns Jin’s wedding band. Rumors have been circulating for some time that once Sun & Jin were reunited, one of them would die. And when Sun slid that ring on Jin’s finger, I cringed. Never did I expect what was to come, though.

Sun and Ji Yeon.  Source: Get Lost Podcast

So Widmore throws everyone in the polar bear cages and acts like he’s doing it for their own good. He uses Kate as a hostage to get them to cooperate … Kate telling Sawyer, “He wouldn’t have shot me.” The power goes out, Smokey comes a callin’, and Widmore’s men are toast. Jack swoops in, grabs the cage keys and saves the day.

 “I’m with him.” –Jack says of Smokey

They head to the Ajira plane, Locke takes a watch off of another victim (so he can track exactly how long he’s going to be stuck on the island?) and removes some C4 from the luggage bin. The plane was rigged and is too dangerous (Who, exactly, did this? Do you believe the MIB?). Plan B is to capture the sub as their last remaining means of getting off the island. Sawyer’s eyebrows go up as this was his secret plan. He plays along, but tells Jack that the MIB cannot be trusted and must never get on that sub with them. Long story short: the MIB switches backpacks with Jack (so THAT’S why the freakin’ backpack was so important), Kate is shot (guess she was wrong about Widmore’s men shooting her after all), and Claire is unintentionally left behind – again. 

Inside the sub, Hurley searches for a first aid kit to help Kate. As he is unable to locate one, Jack asks instead for his backpack of medical supplies. Instead of something to stop the bleeding, he finds the C4 rigged to the watch Smokey took. Sayid perks up and appears to be back in the land of living for the first time in a long time. He has a purpose, and he seems to have just realized what it is. Jack is back in “man of faith” mode and tells Sawyer not to pull the wires out of the bomb as, “Nothing is going to happen.” Never a very trusting soul, however, Sawyer does it anyway – and the race is on.

“Because it’s going to be you, Jack.” –Sayid

Without a moment to spare, Sayid tells Jack where Desmond is. Then he takes the bomb as far from his friends as he can get – it detonates, blowing a hole in the side of the submarine and Sayid to kingdom come. The explosion injures everyone, with only Kate, Hurley, Jack and Sawyer making it out of the sub and back to shore. Sayid sacrificed himself for the lives of his friends. And Jin sacrificed himself as he could not leave the trapped Sun’s side. I kept waiting for her to use the Ji Yeon argument, but all she could muster was, “Please go.” He promised her that they would never be separated again, and stayed true to his word. The frame of their hands letting go of each other in the water gets me choked up even now. The scene was overwhelmingly powerful, and the music from Charlie’s death sequence was just about all I could take. The most tragic death yet, I believe.

For those of you who have been on the fence with the “Is Smokey really good or evil?” argument, Carlton Cuse now says, “There is no ambiguity. He is evil and he has to be stopped.” I think Jin, Sun, and Sayid would agree. How were we to know that it was foreshadowing when Locke was responsible for blowing up the last sub that came to the island?

And as for whether Lapidus survived, don’t hold out hope that he will return to fly the Ajira plane off the island … for one thing, there’s no runway people … the plane is currently out of commission … and don’t forget that subtle little clue that sideways Locke dropped when he said he had his pilot’s license – i.e., Lapidus is not the only one who can fly a plane.  :(

Claire: “Where are you going?”
MIB: “To finish what I started.”

Here are some random thoughts for you to mull over: Michael is dead and warned Hurley in order to redeem himself. Sayid was probably always dead (why he felt nothing) and took the bomb in order to redeem himself. Smokey is dead too? (why no one can kill him), but doesn't want redemption -- just wants to be freed from "purgatory" between two worlds. Just a theory, but I swear if they do a Darth Vader and try to "redeem" him at the last minute, I'll hurt somebody!!!

With only three episodes left, I really don’t know how they’re going to squeeze everything in. We’ve been promised the return of still more familiar faces: Ana-Lucia, Danielle Rousseau, & Shannon … I’m guessing they will appear in the sideways timeline?

LOST returns May 11 with ‘Across the Sea’ and guest star Allison Janney. If you don’t mind being spoiled about Janney’s appearance, visit this link.  The official episode description simply says, “The true motives of John Locke are finally explained.” Nuff said.

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