Yes, I saw “The Candidate” last Tuesday night just like you.I was excited, shocked, angry and may have even cried (a little) just like you.
Unfortunately, a number of different forces — an unusually busy week at work in which I had to do five days worth of work in four; a weekend trip that kept me away from my computer; a computer that is on the verge of crapping out — conspired to keep me from writing a proper recap/column/reaction to “The Candidate.”
Still, in the spirit of better late than never, I wanted to (relatively quickly) express my thoughts on one of the most monumental (and one of the saddest) episodes of “Lost.”
- As I alluded to earlier, I was thoroughly pissed off when it became clear that the show was going to kill Sun and Jin one measly episode after reuniting them. I was so angry that when the music that played during Charlie’s death in “Through the Looking Glass” started up as Jin and Sun drowned, I was too annoyed to cry.
Then I thought about it some more and I felt better — a little.
From a dramatic standpoint, the argument could be made that Sun and Jin’s character arc on the show was finished as soon as they got back together. People on this show have a habit of dying once their redemption arc is over. (Like Shannon in season 2.) Of course, there’s a newly orphaned girl named Ji Yeon who would probably disagree with me. However, the fact that Jin apparently chose to abandon his little girl when he stayed by Sun’s side weirdly gives me hope. Maybe I’m naïve, but I simply can’t (or don’t want to) believe that THIS is how the Kwons’ story ends. I’m thinking/hoping they’ll ultimately be reunited with each other (and their baby) in whatever the Sideways world turns out to be.
What’s interesting about that is that, up until now, I’ve gotten a phony, suspicious vibe from the Sideways world — like it was created by malevolent forces. Now I’m actually rooting for the Sidways world to be viable.
Most importantly, there only so many Ilanas (characters who are vaguely important, but vaguely in the periphery) the show can kill. Eventually, they had to kill characters people actually care about to show us Anti-Locke is a bad dude.
- I really hope this puts to rest the silly notions most people had that Anti-Locke/The Man in Black was somehow the good guy.
- Sideways Bernard is a jaunty character...kinda wish we'd seen a bit more of him this season.
- I love Naveen Andrews’ work on this show, but I wasn’t really sad to see him die. Part of it was that it happened so quickly, but most of it was that I was tired of seeing the guy suffer so damn much.
What’s more, the writers found an exceedingly clever and poetic way for the character to die and redeem himself. If you recall, Sayid originally worked with authorities in season 1 to infiltrate a suicide bombing attempt in exchange for information on Nadia’s whereabouts. To have him die in a suicide bombing that actually saved people was a strong way for the character to go.
- Still, "There IS no Sayid" hurts.
- It’s been almost a week and I still have no idea whether Lapidus is alive or not? He SHOULD be dead, and I THINK he’s dead, but I also subscribe to the “no body, no death” rule of television.
- With all the emotional carnage in this episode, the scene that made me cry was the one where Jack, an unconscious Sawyer, a wounded Kate and Hurley all washup on the beach and just started sobbing over their friends. Jorge Garcia as Hurley, in particular, let out a hearth-wrenching cry to start the whole thing off. He was matched by Matthew Fox, who continues to do strong work in this final season.
- So it turned out that Sideways Locke was the titular candidate. To be honest, the most significant tidbit I got from this storyline (in light of Lapidus’ maybe-death) was the revelation that Sideways Locke was a pilot. Hmm.
- Let me get this straight — Sun, Jin and Sayid (and maybe Lapidus) are dead, but annoying Zoe/Evil Tina Fey is still alive?! Come on!
So what’d you think of this episode? Was Jack flirting with Rose? Whose death hit you the hardest? Also, how about Sawyer being the new Jack? (Making a boneheaded decision which cost lives.)
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