LOST 6.14 - The Candidate
So we're all back on Craphole Island for one of the few remaining times, and, well, a couple of people we've known for a long time won't be coming back. With the series finale rapidly approaching, I think everyone was at least aware the Grim Reaper would be making a visit to the island to knock off some regulars. The visit came tonight as we said goodbye to three major characters Sun, Jin, and Sayid(Possibly Lapidus, but I think he's ok) all met their demise thanks to Smokey... which mirrored Locke's nasty habit of always destroying forms of transportation. Honestly, I think we all should have expected Sun and Jin to go as soon as they were reunited... things don't end well for couples on this island, at least in the regular universe.
The episode opened right in the sideways universe as Jack was meeting with Locke, recovering from Desmond's hit and run. Jack immediately brought up the surgery proposal to Locke, going so far as to call him a candidate, although Locke was still refusing to get the surgery. Peggy Bundy ended the scene with some cryptic words to Jack - "Thank you for saving him". Jack, perplexed, started digging about Locke's pre-existing condition and ran into Bernard, who apparently did dental work on Locke as part of the previous condition. Bernard put him on the trail of none other than Anthony Cooper, the man who conned Locke out of a kidney in the real universe. Jack's mission took him to a nursing home where he found Anthony Cooper, bound in a wheelchair and a near vegetable. Karma.
On a return visit. Jack heard Locke mumbling some cryptic words (We'll probably hear soon), and ran into Claire. Over a good old Apollo candy bar, Jack and Claire had an airing out over Christian. Both realized they were on 815 and they looked into the mirror, surprise, surprise, of a music box. Jack did have one more conversation with Locke in the hospital and brought up Anthony Cooper. Locke revealed he was in a previous plane crash that caused Cooper to be in his current state. Jack brought up "what happened happened", but he couldn't convince Locke to get the surgery.
On island, we opened with Jack, recovering from Widmore's assault, talking with Sayid on Hydra Island, while Widmore's goons led the rest of the survivors back into the polar bear cages. Widmore revealed, under threat to Kate, he had access to the "candidate" list. Flocke, ticked off with the way things are going, decided to go all gung ho and mount an assault on Widmore and put it in very plain terms that Jack more or less better follow him or else. In the cages, Sawyer made the reveal that Kate's name was crossed off the candidate list, while Sun and Jin had a nice, sniff, discussion about their daughter and wedding ring. Things got interrupted by Smokey getting all ticked off and going crazy around the cages, although it did allow Jack to bust them out. Smokey/Flocke, though, ended up heading straight to the Ajira plane, where he found the explosives set on board.
Unfortunately, this caused Flocke to propose the submarine exit strategy. Doesn't anyone remember Locke's track record with submarines? The assault was going well until Locke switched bags with Jack to bring the C4 on board, and Jack put Flocke in the water. Things went to hell after that as Kate got shot and Locke, along with Claire, watched as the sub dove with the bomb on board. Jack, even though he was an idiot in delaying disarming the bomb, did bring up a good point in that Locke couldn't kill any of the candidates because of "the rules". Sayid, though, redeemed himself by taking the bomb and informing everyone about Desmond moments before the bomb exploded. Sun and Jin's death was pretty tragic and it had echoes of Michael's death and Charlie's death. Things don't end well for couples in the real universe.
We ended with the survivors washing on shore, and Jack breaking down over what happened. Things then turned to Locke and Claire, and Locke was definitely ticked his plan wasn't completed.
Line of the night goes to Hurley: "And we're dead."
Next week... Jacob vs. The Man in Black.