Lady Funk: The Candidate

I found myself crying once, and clapping twice during this episode. It's about time this show started stirring up my emotions again.

Highlights:

Jack offers a surgery to get John Locke to walk again. John refuses.

Jack investigates and runs into Bernard who gives him Anthony Cooper's name. Anthony Cooper was in the accident with John, and looks a lot different in this reality.

Jack meets up with Claire at the hospital, and look at a music box Christian left her in his will. It plays "Catch a Falling Star", the song Kate and Claire often sing to Aaron in the original time line.
Jack offers to put Claire up, but she seems to be weirded out.

John Locke tells him that he got his flying license and took his father up with him. He said that he is the reason he can't move or speak anymore, and doesn't deserve to walk. He delivers an amazingly emotional performance, per usual.

Jack tells him he can save him. Then he says those fateful words: "I wish you would believe me."

On le island, Jack, Sayid, and Smokey ruin Widmore's camp and free the Candidates from their cage.

Sawyer tells Kate she isn't important because her name was crossed off already. Thanks God.

Locke leads them o the airplane, and Jack still refuses to leave with them.

Locke finds a bomb on the plane planted by Widmore, and tells them he wanted them all together so they could all die at once. He tells them they need to leave via submarine.

Sawyer and Jack get in cahoots together about distracting smokey and leaving him on the island.

Before they get on the sub, Kate gets shot, (first time I clapped), Jack brings her on board, and Claire and Smokey get left behind.

Claire gets upset when they leave, but Smokey reassures her she doesn't want to be on the sub.

Jack looks in his back pack to find a bomb planted by Smokey. He believes that if they do nothing, they will be fine. He says that he can't kill them because they are Candidates, but if they mess with it, they will be killing each other.

Sawyer and him fight (per usual) and he takes the wires out. The bomb starts ticking faster.

Sayid grabs Jack and tells him about Desmond being alive in the well. He tells him "It has to be you." before grabbing the bomb, running to the other end of the sub, and exploding himself for the sake of the others. This was the second time I clapped.

Lapidus gets hit with a flying door, Sayid is obviously dead, Hurley takes Kate to shore, Sawyer gets knocked out, and Sun is trapped under some pipes.

Jack takes Sawyer to shore, and Jin stays with Sun even though he knows she is going to die. She tells him to save himself, but he tells her he will never leave her again. This was the part where I cried.

Jack returns to the shore, brings Sawyer back to life, and tells Hurley and Kate about Jin and Sun. Everyone cries.

Claire freaks out that everyone is dead. Smokey says not everyone is dead. He says he must finish what he started. Damnit.

Special/Key Moments:

Jack's determination to do the right thing and take initiative (no pun intended) is compelling. The fact that he cares so much about John Locke to try and save his legs, and put Claire up in his own place really shows his true colors. I've never loved Jack Shephard more than I do in this episode.

I also really like his John Locke-ness and how it grows stronger each episode. The whole bomb debate he had with Sawyer was very John Locke vs. Desmond Hume over The Button in Season 2. If we do nothing, nothing will happen. Only in Season 2, John Locke was wrong. And now, I think Jack was right. If Sawyer hadn't have removed those wires, they would have been just fine.

But we can't turn back the clock. Even on LOST. Well, not to the exact moment we want, anyways.

I was really happy to see Sayid take one for the team and sacrifice himself. I could write something racially and culturally ignorant here, but I know that I am ignorant when it comes to most cultures, so I will refrain. Sayid's act was done based on his moral character, and not his cultural upbringing. He was a wonderful character and will be truly missed. God speed, Sayid Jarrah. God speed.

I never thought we would have this many deaths in one episode. I mean, I really wasn't emotionally prepared for it. Jin and Sun? What the hell? It was so sad. Very Titanic. The way that Jin stayed with her until the end was so beautiful. The way he told her he would never leave her again was heartbreaking. What really cooked my noodle was the imagery at the end of the episode of their hands holding in the water, and then slowly drifting apart. My tears were pretty intense at that point.

There wasn't a dry seat in the house.

I really liked that Kate got shot, but was mad that much better characters died in her stead. Ugh.

I liked that Jack told John Locke "I wish you would believe me." in the flash sideways. Those were the words John Locke wrote to Jack in his suicide note. Fricking irony, huh?

Seeing Terry O'Quinn play the real John Locke is always a treat. Getting to see him be with Helen and be happy is also a plus. The two of them together are a great couple, and seeing her take care of Anthony Cooper was the icing on the cake. These people would do anything for each other.

Terry's explanation of his accident to Jack was wonderful and bittersweet. We haven't seen Locke have a scene like this in so long. It made me very happy, especially since Sun and Jin and Sayid just died.

I liked knowing that Sayid never let the darkness fully overcome him.

I like that everything is simplified now. There are only 3 candidates left. Hurley, Sawyer, and Jack. We need Hurley to talk to Jacob. We need Kate to fuck up the chances of Jack and Sawyer making any sense together. So, naturally, we have the formula for a very dramatic finale. What I can't wait to see is what Ben, Miles, and Richard have been up to. I am sure we will see them next week. I really hope so, anyways. The preview showed a lot of Man in Black and Jacob. Those usually include Richard, so who knows.

I am not going to do anymore theory sections because it is too close to change any of my previous theories. I am still going strong with my Jack support to the bitter end. I believe in him, and right now, he believes in himself. ...Even if he is a cry baby.