Not the Candid Seven

LOST: Season 6, Episode 14: The Candidate
Hi folks. Charlie here, switching roles with Maggie one last time, as work demands have me whisked off to scenic Mankato, Minnesota.

I hope everyone enjoyed their week off of LOST. I know I did. I went outside. Turns out there’s this big, glowing star called “the sun” that actually makes it very warm and pleasant to be out there. Who knew?! I’m still exploring connections between this “sun” and the special pockets of electromagnetic energy on the Island.

But this week, LOST is back, with an episode whose title alone conjures up anticipatory notions of a big plot reveal. THE. Candidate. Not “A candidate.” The. As in, “The One.” That’s right, here comes Keanu Reeves.

Okay, not really. But look, there are four episodes remaining (five hours total), and for the last several we’ve been left saying, “Hey, the pieces are in place,” as the plot begins to turn the corner and barrel toward its conclusion. Just look at the last two weeks, where two big mysteries (the identity of Christian Shephard and the nature of The Whispers) were revealed in plain English. I take those reveals as harbingers of the bigger things to come, and combined with the juxtaposition of our characters on different parts of the Island, I think The Candidate is going to be our first unfettered look into LOST’s much anticipated conclusion.

So who is THE Candidate? I’ll venture some guesses. But first, a small apology/disclosure. Usually, I would look up the 30-second previews that ABC releases and read the guest list, etc., in order to adequately prepare you for the episode. But I can’t do it. It’s too close to the end of the show, and I’m too worried about stumbling upon something I don’t want to have ruined for me. So instead, this preview will focus on what we know about Jacob, the Man in Black and their race to replace. Candidates abound, let’s see what we do know.

Bottled Up
Based on what we know, a “candidate” is someone who has been chosen by Jacob to replace him as the Island’s protector. To summarize Jacob’s “wine bottle” analogy, the wine represents evil (presumably the Man in Black) that must be contained by the cork (The Island). The bottle, presumably, is Jacob.

So Jacob’s looking for a new bottle, err, protector. A replacement. The Man in Black knows that as long as there is a bottle and cork, he will be stuck on the Island. As Jacob mentioned in Ab Aeterno, even if the Man in Black kills him, someone else will just take his place. The Man in Black’s plan, therefore, is twofold. One, assume the body of a Candidate in order to gain access to Jacob and murder him (check). Two, remove the only remaining candidates – all of whom arrived on Oceanic 815 – from the Island and thus free himself from Island captivity (in progress).


On Caves and Compass Wheels
The identities of the candidates are a little bit disputed, but generally we know there are six remaining: Hurley, Sayid, Locke, Jack, Sawyer and one of the Kwons. We know this because of the lists located at two places on the Island: the cave and the Lighthouse. While there are some minor discrepancies between the two lists, they are largely similar, save for the inclusion of “Austen” in the lighthouse (Austen was crossed out in the cave).

I have theorized that the cave list is Man in Black’s, and the Lighthouse list is Jacob’s. True or not, it’s always good to back up your files. In the cave, speaking to Sawyer, Man in Black crossed Locke’s name out, presumably because of his death. In the Lighthouse, Jack and Hurley revolved the wheel and watched it reveal different historical snapshots of the candidates’ lives, including the house Jack grew up in.

We also know that one of the primary functions of The Others is to protect and guide the candidates on their journey. At least, that’s what it would seem. We saw Dogen bow to Hurley’s assertion of himself as a candidate, and it would appear Ilana’s life mission was to protect Jacob’s successors.

Additionally, if every point on the Lighthouse compass wheel corresponded to a candidate, there are 360 candidates. But only six remain. Ilana essentially confirmed this, before pulling an Arzt.


The Gameplan
So what does this all mean for tonight? Well, perhaps the one “not-a-spoiler spoiler” I’ll allow myself this week will help illuminate that. The DVR preview for tonight reads:

“Jack must decide whether or not to trust Locke after he is asked to follow through on a difficult task.”

Last time I wrote, I opined that Jack and Flocke being left on the beach while everyone else was over on Hydra Island was a sign that Jack would become Jacob’s replacement, while the Man in Black would be left to rot on the Island in the form of John Locke. I still think that.

And I think Jack is “The Candidate.” We’ve seen his hero’s journey go from the highs (phoning the freighter and thinking he had everyone rescued) to the lows (drug addiction and submitting to a return trip to the Island). And now, we see him somewhere in the middle. Though he’s not the savior and leader he’s always reluctantly wanted to be, he’s comfortable. He has faith in the Island – or, put another way, faith in fate. He’s willing to let the chips fall where they may and do what he can with them. That’s a far cry from Seasons 1-5 Jack, whose well-intentioned interventions and manipulations of every situation usually spelled disaster.

Jack’s “Man of Faith” personality shift has many people comparing him to early John Locke. I’d go another route though. Locke’s faith was blind and unknowing. And while that’s admirable, it also made him extraordinarily vulnerable. Everyone from his father to Ben Linus to the Man in Black exploited that faith whenever it suited their needs. And in the end, John Locke was always thrown out with the rest of the trash. He was exploited for his kidney by his father, exploited for his supposed mystical Island communion by Ben, and exploited for his physical body by the Man in Black.

Jack, on the other hand, practices a deliberate and learned faith. While we as a society sometimes romanticize the kind of blind and unquestioning devotion that Locke has, in this story, it’s an informed faith that may be key. Jack’s faith in fate is hard-earned. It took him a lifetime to break himself of the constant need for approval fostered by his father from a young age. No more does he require the acceptance of others to validate his journey. He’s on his own mission now, one that requires placing complete faith and trust in the inevitable.

So tonight, The Candidate must “decide whether or not to trust Locke after he is asked to follow through on a difficult task.” (Hasn’t every episode description this season included a “task”? Just replace Jack with Hurley, Desmond, Sayid, or Sawyer. But I digress).

What could that task be? I’m not sure, but it won’t be without an ulterior motive from the Man in Black, I can tell you that. Whatever Flocke asks Jack to do, keep in mind that Flocke’s ultimate goal is to either murder the candidates or remove them from the Island, so that he can leave. I don’t think he can kill them himself, actually, so he generally just tries to lead them into dangerous situations and hopes they die.

But ultimately, it’s my opinion that Jack and Locke are the new Jacob and Man in Black. I think it’s going to happen. Everything’s already setting up for that, with everyone removed from them, and what a perfect bit of closure that would be to the inherent animosity that has existed between them since day one.


That’ll do. Sorry for the unusually brief post, but when one denies himself any "clues," one has little to write about. Confucius said that.

But what do you think we’ll see tonight (no spoilers, please)? Is Jack your #1 candidate? Is Flocke to be trusted, or do you still buy that he’s the bad guy in this story? And what, in the hell, is up with Zoe the Tina Fey look-alike? Can she please die already?


Maggie will be back to break down the action tomorrow morning. Until then, enjoy the return of TV’s greatest mind#*(@.

Namaste.
Charlie