‘LOST’, The Candidate, centers around Jack and John Locke (review)

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This episode centers around Jack and John Locke.  It seems, by the title, that we will find out which of our Losties will be the candidate to take over for Jacob. 


Flashsideways:  We start in John’s hospital room.  Jack is at his bedside to impart what he thinks is great news.  He tells John that he is a candidate for a new procedure that could give him back the ability to walk.  John refuses the operation, which confuses Jack and sets him on a mission to find out why.

Jack visits a dentist, Dr. Bernard Nadler that did surgery on John after his accident. Bernard tells Jack that he remembers him from Flight 815; that Jack was talking to his wife, Rose.  Bernard gives Jack the name of a man that was involved in the accident with John; Anthony Cooper.  He also says to Jack, “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Jack has tracked down Anthony Cooper and pays the hospital a visit.  While at the front desk, Helen walks in and is surprised to see him.  Jack tells her who he is here to visit and Helen tries to talk him out of it.  Jack will not relent, so she takes him to meet Anthony Cooper; John’s father.  Anthony is also in a wheelchair and is obviously suffering from brain damage.

Next we see Jack back at John’s bed watching him sleep. John starts talking in his sleep.  He says, “Push the button. I wish you’d have believed me.”  Does this mean that John’s subconscious knows the truth? 

Jack sees Claire at the nurse’s station and he goes to talk to her.  Claire shows Jack a music box that their father has left to her and wants to know the significance.  Jack doesn’t have any idea.  We see a shot of them looking in the mirror of the music box together.  This will come to mean something; but what?  Jack also finds out that Claire was also on Flight 815.  Jack is starting to wonder about the coincidence of this, but will it be in time?  He offers for Claire to stay with him while she’s in town.  After all, they are brother and sister.  She agrees.

Next we see John leaving the hospital.  As he’s wheeling himself to an elevator, Jin passes him in the hallway.  John stops with a strange look on his face.  It’s almost as if he remembers him, but can’t figure out why.  At that moment, Jack walks up to say goodbye.  He tells John that he found his father and that he needed to understand why John is refusing the operation.  John explains that he was hurt in a plane crash.  He had just gotten his private pilot’s license and convinced his father to join him on a flight.  The plane crashed, paralyzing John and almost killing his father.  Jack tells John that he has to stop punishing himself and that it will never bring his father back.  John still refuses the operation and starts to leave.  Jack calls after him, “I can help you.  I wish you’d believe me.”  This stops John for only a moment, but it’s not enough to make him turn around.

On the island:  We start with Jack waking up from the explosion.  He’s in a small boat with Sayid sitting vigil.  Sayid tells him that they are on Hydra Island and that after the Widmore’s bombs, those who didn’t die scattered into the woods.  He tells Jack that Flocke saved him and that only the three of them are left. 

Sawyer, Kate, Hugo, Sun, Jin, and Frank are in Widmore’s camp being taken to cages at gunpoint; the same cages that Sawyer and Kate were held hostage by Ben.  Sawyer refuses to go and takes a gun from one of the men.  Widmore appears and holds a gun to Kate’s head.  He tells Sawyer that he was given four names and hers wasn’t one of them; that she’s expendable.  Sawyer lowers his gun and they are all herded into the cage.  Widmore asks his lackeys if the fence is online yet and is told no.  He says that they need to work faster, that “he’s coming”.

Back with Jack, Sayid and Flocke; Jack is told that his friends are being held in a cage by Widmore and that they need to save them and get off the island.  But, Jack refuses to leave the island.  Flocke wants Jack to trust him, but Jack wants to know why he should.  Flocke tells him that he could kill him at any time, but that he hasn’t.  He saved him instead.  Jack thinks about this and decides to help him.

Back in the cage, Kate wants to know why Sawyer didn’t fight when they could.  Sawyer tells her that when he was in the cave that he saw her name, but it was crossed out.  (What did Kate do to have her name crossed out?)  Then the power goes out.

We see Widmore’s men scrambling around the camp.  We hear the tell tale noises that herald the smoke monster.  All of Widmore’s men are killed.  During the melee, Kate sees that the keys to their prison are within reach.  She tries, but can’t reach them.  Out of nowhere Jack appears, grabs the keys and releases them all. They all head out into the woods towards the Ajira plane.  Jack again states that he will help them, but that he’s not leaving the island.

Next we see Flocke at the Ajira plane.  It’s being guarded by men with guns.  They all fire at him.  It’s obvious that the bullets are hitting their aim, but they are not affecting him at all.  He kills the guards with his bare hands.  He boards the plane, finds a hidden bomb and removes it.  While he’s in the plane, Sawyer and the others arrive to find the guards with broken necks.  Flocke exits the plane and shows them the bomb.  He tells them that the plane isn’t safe; that there could be more explosives.  He tells them that they need to take the sub instead.  Jack, again, tells them that he will help them, but that he’s not leaving the island.  As they head out, Sawyer takes Jack aside and tells him that he doesn’t trust Flocke and wants Jack to stop him from getting on the sub.  Jack balks and wants to know how he’s supposed to do that.  Sawyer, being Sawyer, tells him to “figure it out”.

They reach the sub and it looks to be unguarded, but they play it safe anyway.  Sawyer, Jin, Sun and Frank head in first.  Once they breach the hull, Kate, Claire and Sayid follow.  Jack and Flocke are to take up the rear.  That’s when Widmore’s men arrive and start shooting.  Kate is shot; Jack runs to her aid.  Flocke stands in the line of fire and shoots all of Widmore’s men.  As Flocke heads toward the sub, Jack pushes him into the water.  This gives him just enough time to get Kate on the sub.  Claire is still on the dock as Flocke is pulling himself out of the water.  Sawyer, knowing that there isn’t enough time and leaves Claire with Flocke.  Sawyer gives Frank the order “to dive”.  Frank is holding the captain at gunpoint and forces him to do his bidding.

Jack is in the sub trying to help Kate when the sub starts to dive.  He doesn’t want to be there; but won’t leave Kate.  He reaches for his pack for something to stop the bleeding when he finds that his pack carries the bomb from the plane.  Flocke exchanged packs with Jack in the woods and has tricked them all.

The bomb has a watch attached to it that is slowly ticking a countdown.  This causes mayhem.  There isn’t enough time to bring the sub to the surface before the bomb detonates.

Sayid thinks he knows how to disarm the bomb and tells Sawyer that they need to pull two wires at the same time.  Jack stops Sawyer and tries to explain that Flocke can’t kill them.  Sawyer doesn’t believe him and pulls the wires anyway.  This doesn’t stop the bomb, but speeds up the timer.  Now they have just over a minute.

Sayid turns to Jack and tells him that Desmond is in a well just off shore and that Flocke wants him dead.  He tells Jack to save him.  Jack wants to know why he’s telling him this and Sayid says, “Because it’s you, Jack”.  He grabs the bomb and starts running through the sub.  He has it in his hands when it detonates.  Sayid is killed and the sub starts to sink.  Frank tries to get to the others and is caught by a dislodged portal door and also dies.

Sun is trapped under debris.  Jack gives Hurley an air tank and tells him to take Kate to the surface; that the rest of them will help Sun.  Jin, Jack and Sawyer are able to remove some of the debris from Sun, but can’t free her.  Sawyer is hit on the head by a piece of the disintegrating sub.  Jin tells Jack to take Sawyer and get out.  Jack doesn’t want to leave them, but has no choice. 

We are left with Sun and Jin.  Sun is trapped with no hope of escaping.  Jin refuses to give up and tries his hardest to help her, but is unsuccessful.  Sun pleads with him to leave, but he refuses.  He tells her, “I will never leave you again.”  They tell each other how much they love each other through tears.  They hold onto each other till the very end.  We see their hands clasped as the sub sinks into oblivion.  (This chokes me up, even now.)

Jack gets Sawyer to the beach where Hurley and Kate are waiting.  He tells them both that Sawyer is alive, but that Sun and Jin didn’t make it.  Hurley sobs uncontrollably.  Kate breaks down.  Jack stands at the waters edge and is able to control himself, but only for a moment.  He breaks down and cries.

Finally, we see Flocke and Claire at the dock.  He tells Claire that the sub has sunk and she cries out that they are all dead.  Flocke says “not all of them”.  He turns and heads towards the woods.  Claire wants to know where he’s going and he replies, “To finish what I started.”

I’m upset, sad, disappointed, etc.  I could probably go on for pages describing how I feel about all of the deaths.  Sun and Jin’s death is the most upsetting.  I guess I should be happy that they were able to be with each other at the end.  Sayid’s death was a tough one.  I wanted to see him finally get his happily ever after.  I was on a Lost board and someone posted that this was an honorable death for him.  I agree.  The Sayid that we grew to love was back at the end.  He gave his life in the hopes that the rest would be able to survive.

Well, we know who the candidate is now; Jack. It’s up to him to take charge; save Desmond and keep the man in black from leaving the island.

The flashsideways is interesting.  I have a feeling that what our characters choose to do in the flashsideways will affect everything.  If they make the right choices, will they all survive?  What will they teach us and themselves?

Next week we will get the man in black’s story.  It looks like we will see him and Jacob as boys, possibly growing up on the island.  This is a part of the story I’ve been anxious to hear.  Why do I have the feeling that the “evil” took on the persona of the man we know as the man in black just as he did Locke?  I guess we’re going to have to watch and see.

April Starlett

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Also see these relate ‘Lost’ reports
‘LOST’ two-hour retrospective look at six seasons

Special ‘LOST’ rewind to the First Two hours, The Beginning

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