The Candidate

The Candidate
Season	6
Episode number	14
Airdate(s)	May 4, 2010
Length	43:30
Flash-sideways	Jack Locke
Writer	Elizabeth Sarnoff & Jim Galasso
Director	Jack Bender
Guests	Sam Anderson - Bernard Nadler Alan Dale - Charles Widmore Fred Koehler - Seamus Katey Sagal - Helen Norwood Kevin Tighe - Anthony Cooper
Co-stars	Casey Adams - Wheeler Ken Elliott - Orderly Noelle Maile Holck - Nurse Christopher McGahan - Paul Alan Seabock - Sub Commander
Uncredited	Larry Wegger - Hospital patient
Transcript	The Candidate transcript

"The Candidate" is the fourteenth episode in Season 6 of Lost and the 117th produced hour of the series as a whole. It aired on May 4, 2010. Jack must decide whether or not to trust Locke after he is asked to follow through on a difficult task.

Synopsis

Flash-sideways timeline (2004)

Just out of surgery, John Locke is waking up from anesthesia with his surgeon, Jack Shephard at his side. ♪ John recognizes Jack, who refreshes Locke's memory about how the two of them met after the flight from Sydney. Jack explains that John was run down by a car and that while he operated he found that John might be a candidate for a new surgical treatment to repair his pre-existing paralysis. Locke immediately and firmly refuses the offer. John's fiancée, Helen Norwood, arrives and thanks Jack for saving him. ♪

Bernard teases Jack about flirting with his wife on Oceanic Flight 815.

Jack enters a dental lab where Dr. Bernard Nadler is working on a cast of a patient's mouth. Jack asks to see John Locke's patient file, explaining that he is Locke's surgeon and he believes Locke was a client of Nadler's about three years ago, adding that he is trying to find out more about the injury that caused Locke's paralysis. Nadler questions Jack's interest in Locke and Jack starts to explain that he met Locke after a flight back from Australia. Bernard immediately interrupts explaining that he was seated across the aisle from Jack on Oceanic Flight 815 and teases him about flirting with his wife, Rose. He calls it "pretty weird". Bernard refuses to breach confidentiality but writes down the name "Anthony Cooper" and says this man was brought in with John Locke three years ago. As they part he says that he hopes Jack will find what he is looking for.

Helen introduces Anthony Cooper as Locke's father to Jack.

Jack goes to the Palms Nursing Home to see Anthony Cooper. Helen also arrives there and, after some prodding by Jack, asks that he let it go, clarifying that John doesn't want the operation and that it should be enough that he saved John's life. Jack says it is not enough. They go to see Cooper who is in a vegetative state. Helen reveals that he is John's father. ♪

Back at the hospital, Jack is at Locke's bedside. Locke, still groggy from his surgery, murmurs, "Push the button... I wish you had believed me." Claire arrives and she and Jack go to the cafeteria to resume their discussion which had been cut short when Jack had to leave during the reading of their father's will. Claire tells Jack that the lawyer told her that her father especially wanted her to have an inlaid music box. She shows it to Jack, who says he doesn't know the meaning of the bequest, adding that he didn't even know about her. Claire asks how their father died and Jack recounts that he drank himself to death and was found in an alley in Sydney and that the airline has lost the body. Claire says that she just flew in from Sydney. Jack is befuddled when he realizes that Claire was also on Oceanic 815. They open the music box and "Catch a Falling Star" plays. He offers to let Claire come and stay at his flat. He says to Claire that they are not strangers, they are family.

Claire and Jack stare at their reflections in the music box mirror.

Leaving the hospital, Locke passes Jin, who is carrying yellow flowers into a hospital room. Locke wheels himself out to meet his fiancée, Helen. Jack approaches Locke in the hall to say goodbye and Locke simply thanks him. Jack tells him that he went to see his father to understand why he doesn't want the surgery. Visibly shaken by this intrusion into his privacy, Locke tells Jack that the accident which paralyzed him and put his father into a vegetative state was a plane crash. He explains he had just qualified for his pilot's license and begged his father to be his first passenger.

Jack attempts once more to convince Locke to accept his help.

Although his father was frightened of flying, Locke had convinced him to come, telling his father that he could trust him. He says that he doesn't know what he did wrong but that he knows it was his fault. Jack reminds Locke of their previous conversation at the airport, where Locke helped him come to terms with his father's absence. Jack tells Locke that he must also now come to terms with his father being gone (though Locke tries to say his father isn't gone the same way Jack's is), and accept that punishing himself won't bring him back. He says that "what happened, happened," and that Locke can "let it go." Jack says it's not easy and he doesn't know how to let go either, and he hopes that Locke could "go first". Locke laughs nervously and says goodbye. As he wheels away, Jack calls after him, "I can help you, John. I wish you believed me." Locke pauses for a moment, as if what Jack has just said is somehow familiar, then leaves. ♪

Original timeline (2007)

Widmore threatens to kill Kate.

Jack wakes and finds himself in an outrigger. Sayid is nearby and welcomes him to Hydra Island. Inland at the Hydra station, Sawyer, Hurley, Kate, Claire, Sun, Jin and Frank, held at gunpoint by Widmore's crew, are led into the animal cages. Sawyer refuses to go in and seizes a rifle from Seamus but Charles Widmore grabs Kate and threatens to kill her. Sawyer tries to call his bluff but Widmore informs Sawyer that he has a list of names including "Ford, the Kwons, and Reyes, but not Kate Austen" so he says it doesn't matter to him whether she lives or dies. Against Kate's protests, Sawyer gives up the gun and they are all taken into the cages. Widmore approaches Sawyer and says that although Sawyer won't believe it, he is doing this for Sawyer's own good. Widmore checks with his men whether the fence is live. He is told that it will be an hour; he orders them to work faster because "he's coming."

Sawyer's team approaches the Ajira plane.

On the beach Sayid explains to Jack that Widmore attacked their group with mortars and that Locke had saved Jack. He says that the rest of Locke's group have scattered into the jungle, so that it is now just Locke, Sayid, and Jack. Locke arrives and announces that Jack's friends have been seized by Widmore and that he now wants to rescue them. Jack asks why Widmore would capture them and Locke replies sarcastically that he would ask but he doesn't think Widmore will talk to him. He suggests they break them out, run for the plane and be off the Island before Widmore knows what is happening. Jack says that they are not his people and that he is not leaving the Island. Locke hopes Jack will change his mind but in the meantime he needs Jack to get his friends to trust him. Locke reinforces that Jack can trust him by pointing out that although he could kill Jack and his friends at any time without impediment, he hasn't and has instead saved Jack's life and now he wants to save Jack's friends too.

Sawyer and Kate pace anxiously in the cage. When Kate claims that Widmore wouldn't have killed her, Sawyer explains that in the cave, Kate's name was crossed out and so Widmore was correct, he doesn't need her. Jin tells Sun about seeing their beautiful daughter in a photo. Sun gives Jin his wedding ring that she has been saving. ♪ Suddenly the power generator dies and the smoke monster appears and attacks Widmore's team, killing several. Seamus is thrown into the bars of the cage, falling to the ground next to the cage. Kate tries to reach the keys hanging on Seamus' belt while Frank kicks at the cage door. Jack arrives and unlocks the cage with the keys and frees the group. On their trek to the plane, Kate asks Jack whether he is coming with them now and Jack tells her that he will help them get on the plane but will not join them because he is "not meant to go". Sayid arrives and says they need to go because Locke is waiting.

Boarding the submarine

Locke strides up to the plane, unfazed by Widmore's guards as they shoot at him. He breaks one guard's neck and shoots the other and takes the dead man's digital wristwatch. He goes into the plane and examines exposed wiring leading to a pack of C4 explosives. The survivors arrive and find the dead men. Locke emerges from the plane and admits that he killed them but that Widmore knew he would kill them otherwise he wouldn't have removed his "little fences". He explains that Widmore wants them all together in a confined space so that he can kill them all, showing them the C4 he found. Locke says their new plan is to leave via the submarine because they can't be sure the plane does not have more booby traps. Hurley tries to remind everyone that Richard Alpert said Locke is not meant to leave the Island, but Sawyer cuts him off, pointing out that Alpert is not here. Sawyer then thanks Locke for twice saving them and says that he was wrong about him. Locke says that the submarine will be heavily defended and that they will need everyone. Jack reiterates he will help, but he is not going to leave with them. As they leave, Claire apologizes to Locke who says he understands. Sawyer whispers to Jack that he doesn't trust Locke one bit and asks Jack to make sure Locke doesn't get on the sub.

Claire realizes she has been left behind again.

The group arrives at the dock, where there is no sign of any defense. Sawyer lays out their plan, specifically that Jack and Locke watch their backs and be last to go to the dock. Sawyer, Sun, Frank, Jin and Hurley go first. They face no resistance, and board the sub where they easily overpower the crew. ♪ Sawyer orders the captain to "fire this thing up." Kate, Claire and Sayid follow onto the dock. Locke gives Jack one of the backpacks, and they follow close behind. On the dock Locke asks Jack to reconsider his decision not to leave, explaining that whoever told Jack to stay had no idea what he was talking about. Jack turns and says, "John Locke told me I needed to stay," and abruptly pushes Locke off the dock and into the water. Kate looks around, asks what just happened, and is shot in the shoulder by Widmore's team, who have arrived at the tree line. Jack carries Kate into the sub and Sayid follows, leaving Claire and Locke in the firefight. Locke shoots three of Widmore's men. Sawyer goes above to find Claire and Locke shooting. As Locke runs toward the sub, Sawyer closes the hatch leaving Locke and Claire outside. He uses the intercom to tell Frank to get the captain to dive. Claire sees the sub leave and as she runs to it Locke restrains her with a look of satisfaction as he replies: "Trust me, you don't want to be on that sub."

Jack tries to assure the group that the bomb will not go off.

Kate lies injured and is flustered that they've left Claire behind. Jack asks Jin for his pack to treat Kate's wound, only to find Locke has put the plane's C4 in his bag and rigged a bomb, using the watch he stole from the slain guard as a timer. The timer is counting down from 3:54. Jack realizes what is going on and tells them all that they have done exactly what Locke wanted. Jack demands that they surface and tells Sawyer that Locke intended all along to be left behind at the dock. Frank informs them that the captain says it will take five minutes to surface. The timer nears 3:20. Sayid explains how to disarm the bomb but he has some doubt whether it will work. Sawyer is about to pull the wires but Jack stops him, saying that nothing is going to happen; the bomb won't detonate if they leave it alone. He explains that they have done exactly what Locke wanted: just as Locke had said of Widmore, "He wanted to get us all in the same place at the same time. A nice enclosed space where we had no hope of getting out of." He explains that Locke has been saying he can't leave the Island without them but what is really the case is that he can't leave the Island unless they are all dead. Jack surmises that Locke cannot kill them directly and is trying to get them to kill each other by pulling the wires from the C4.

Sayid makes his last sacrifice.

Jack asks Sawyer why Locke would use a timer and not just throw the bomb into the sub. He pleads that they will be okay, they just have to trust him. Sawyer says he's sorry and quickly pulls the wires out. The timer stops at 1:31 and nothing happens at first. Then the timer restarts and races down. Sayid says “Listen carefully. There is a well on the main island half a mile south from the camp we just left. Desmond’s inside it. Locke wants him dead which means you are going to need him, do you understand me?” Jack asks why Sayid is telling him this. Sayid hurriedly says "Because it's going to be you, Jack." He picks up the C4 and runs down the passageway. The bomb explodes in his hands.

Jin and Sun's last moments together

Water begins to flood the submarine. Frank gets up and looks at a bulkhead hatch as it gives way and hits him with full force followed by gushing water. Jack finds Kate underwater and passes her to Hurley, giving him an emergency air cylinder and telling him to take her out. Hurley asks about Sayid but Jack yells, "There is no Sayid." Sun is pinned against the side of the chamber by a metal cabinet. Jin, Sawyer and Jack struggle to move the heavy cabinet but when they do, Sun is still trapped by a bar. A metal bar falls and strikes Sawyer on the head, knocking him out. ♪ Jack grabs him but still wants to help Jin free Sun. Jin refuses the last emergency air cylinder and insists that he leave and save Sawyer. Jack has a long last look at Jin and Sun and swims out of the submarine with Sawyer. ♪ Jin continues to try to free Sun despite her pleas for him to go, but to no avail. He holds her and says that he won't leave her. They embrace as water floods the submarine. The sub sinks and their hands drift apart in death. ♪

The Man in Black tells Claire that he is going to finish what he started.

Jack swims to the beach with Sawyer, who coughs up some water. Hurley and Kate stumble down the beach to meet them. Kate asks about Jin and Sun but Jack shakes his head. Hurley and Kate sob while Jack walks away to the sea and cries bitterly. ♪

Locke, still at the pier, tells Claire that the submarine has sunk. Claire is shocked that they are all dead but Locke says that not all of them are dead. He takes his pack and rifle and Claire asks where he is going. He replies, "To finish what I started."

Production notes

• Nestor Carbonell (Richard), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond), Michael Emerson (Ben), Ken Leung (Miles) and Zuleikha Robinson (Ilana) do not appear in this episode.
  • As of this episode, Desmond has appeared in only five of the first fourteen episodes. This breaks the record of Michael in Season 4 and Nikki in Season 3, who only appeared in six episodes out of their fourteen credited episodes.
• Kevin Tighe (Anthony Cooper) appears (without speaking lines) for the first time since "The Brig", an absence of 49 episodes.
• Fred Koehler (Seamus) appears as a guest star, where in all other appearances he was credited as a co-star.
• This is the first episode since "Pilot, Part 2" where two characters who are not relatives have centricity. "Pilot, Part 2" was a Charlie and Kate centric episode.
  • By the same token, this is the first episode with a traditional number of flashes to focus on two unrelated characters.
• This episode features three main cast deaths, the highest ever amount in any one episode with Sayid, Sun and Jin.
  • This breaks the record of two deaths (Nikki and Paulo) in "Exposé".
  • Although Ana Lucia and Libby were both shot by Michael in "Two for the Road", only Ana Lucia died immediately while Libby died in the subsequent episode, "?".
  • The deaths make Season 6 the only season to kill off more than one original Season 1 main character.
  • As of this episode, there are more dead than living main characters (17 of the 29 main characters are dead).
• This is the first episode since the Season 4 premiere "The Beginning of the End" that all surviving main crash survivors from "Pilot, Part 1" who have returned or remained on the Island have been together in the same place at the same time.
• As of the end of this episode, Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Claire, Walt, and possibly Rose, Bernard, Vincent, Cindy, Zack, Emma and others who defected to the Others are the only remaining passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 still alive in the original timeline.
• When Jack gets the candy bar from the vending machine, there is a candy bar with the name "Lindo's" to the right of it, referring to executive producer Damon Lindelof.
• There is no "Previously on Lost" in this episode.
• The warning klaxon in the submarine is the same sound from the Swan.
• According to the Geronimo Jack's Beard podcast, in the script Locke also said "it's a two man job" in his sleep.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• When Jack gets the C-4 out of the backpack, the countdown goes from 3:55 to 3:52. It then beeps 10 times (one beep per second), leading the countdown to 3:42. However, the scene after, the countdown is at 3:45.
• When Jack is heading to the water to cry for those lost in the sub explosion, the amount of sand on the clothes while he is moving changes.
• When Jack breaks the group out of the cages, it is night time. When they are walking through the woods, it is day. As we see in "Recon", it only took Sawyer a matter of minutes to get from the cages to the Runway. The group should have arrived at the runway and Ajira plane when it was still night time, however they arrived in the day.
  • Also, the submarine explodes and sinks during the day. However, Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sawyer come ashore at night time.

Analysis

Recurring themes

• The episode begins with Locke opening his eyes. (Eyes)
• There are four bricks of C-4. (The Numbers)
• Four people escaped from the sinking submarine. (The Numbers)
• Having finally reunited, Sun places Jin's wedding ring back on his finger. They discuss Ji Yeon for the first time. (Relationships)  (Children)
• Sun, Jin, Sayid, and Seamus and at least ten of Widmore's subordinates die. Frank may also have died, though his fate is left open. (Life and death)
• Widmore puts Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Sun, Jin and Frank in the cages on Hydra Island. (Imprisonment)
• The Man in Black tries to gain the survivors' trust by rescuing them from the cages and revealing Widmore's rigging of the Ajira plane. Then he surreptitiously switches backpacks with Jack before he boards the sub, having stashed a bomb within. (Deceptions and cons)
• Jack and Claire look at each other in the mirror of the music box given by their dad. (Mirrors)
• Bernard remarks that Jack inquiring after John Locke is 'pretty weird', since they were all on Oceanic Flight 815. (Character connections)  (Coincidence)
• Jack and Claire observe they were both on the same flight from Sydney. (Character connections)  (Coincidence)
• Sawyer complains to Kate that they're "runnin' in circles", having wound up in the polar bear cages again. (Coincidence)  (Fate versus free will)  (Imprisonment)
• Sayid saves his friends from certain death by removing the bomb from the compartment. (Death)  (Redemption)  (Sacrifice)
• Sawyer calls Seamus Doughboy (Nicknames)

Storyline analysis

• Jack and Sayid free the caged survivors, aided by the Smoke Monster. Upon arriving at the plane the group changes plans and commandeers the sub. (A Missions)
• Sayid entrusts Jack with Desmond's destiny and tells him "It's going to be you." (Leadership)
• Jack wants to stay on the Island and Sawyer wants to leave. When Jack asks Sawyer to believe the bomb will not go off, Sawyer attempts to deactivate it anyway. (Rivalries)
• Sayid, Sun and Jin die. (Life and Death)

• Jack Shephard in the FST learns that the reason John Locke refuses to let Jack operate on him is because John feels guilty of putting his father into a vegetative state. (Relationships)

Cultural references

• Eric "Hoss" Cartwright: Sawyer calls the submarine captain "Hoss", a nickname he has used before to label characters who he needs to do something for him. (TV)
• "Catch a Falling Star": This 1957 song is played by Claire's music box. (Music)
• Pillsbury Doughboy: Sawyer calls Seamus "doughboy", after this advertising icon and mascot of The Pillsbury Company, a pale and puffy character. (Pop culture references)

Literary techniques

• Bernard says to Jack, "I hope you find what you're looking for." (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Anthony Cooper, crafty conman in original timeline, in flashsideways timeline is catatonic. (Irony)
• In the original timeline, a plane crash caused Locke to regain the use of his legs, in the flash-sideways timeline, a plane crash caused him to lose the use of his legs. (Irony)
• In the original timeline, Anthony Cooper is responsible for Locke's condition; in the flashsideways timeline, Locke is responsible for Anthony Cooper's condition. (Irony).
• In the OT, Locke accidentally kills Boone when he insists he get aboard a plane. In the FST, Locke accidentally causes his father to go brain dead in his own plane. (Juxtaposition)
• Jack gets an Apollo candy bar from the hospital vending machine and offers it to Claire, much like Jacob did when he first met Jack. (Irony)
• Jack's and Locke's conversations in the flash-sideways timeline contains many regularly spoken phrases, including "What happened, happened," "I wish you had believed me" and "Let it go." (Regularly spoken phrases)
• On the Island, Locke wants to kill Jack, because he is a candidate. In the flash-sideways timeline, Jack wants to save Locke, because he is a candidate. (Juxtaposition)
• In flashsideways timeline, Sun and Jin's baby is almost killed. In original timeline, Sun and Jin are killed, leaving their child without parents. (Juxtaposition)
• MIB, in John Locke's form, found C4 and blew up Widmore's sub, similar to how the real John Locke found C4 in the Flame and used it to blow up the Galaga. (Juxtaposition)
  • In both instances, the C4 was a security measure, and both times, the C4 was used against its original owners. (Irony)
• Both the men guarding the plane and the group guarding the submarine are killed. The remaining survivors of the Man in Black's group are either dead or missing. (Redshirts)
• The Man in Black explains to the A-Team that Widmore wanted them all on the plane, in a small enclosed space that they could not get out of, in order to kill them all at once. He enacted a plan to do the same to them by tricking them all onto the submarine. (Foreshadowing)
• Sawyer, the long time con man falls for the a con created by the Man in Black. He thought it was his own decision when he left the Man in Black out of the sub when it was actually a con by the Man in Black. (Irony)
• Hurley did not find the first-aid kit, but it was behind Lapidus. (Irony)
• Sayid, who once sought redemption by dissuading a friend from martyring himself with C-4, achieves it by martyring himself with C-4. (Irony)
• Sawyer, who wanted to rescue his friends from the Island is responsible for deaths of Sun, Jin and Sayid. (Irony)
• Jack, Jin and Sawyer lift off the cabinet that is pinning Sun in the submarine only to find her pinned by another bar. (Irony)
• Jin miraculously survives the explosion of Kahana after being left behind by Sun, but dies in the submarine explosion, this time choosing to stay at Sun's side. (Irony)
• Sun considers Jin dead after witnessing Kahana's destruction and after three years of separation she is reunited with Jin, who is still alive, only to die with him in another explosion in another boat. (Irony)
• Both Widmore's boats were destroyed by Widmore's own C-4 explosives. (Irony)
• Sawyer's group originally leaves Sayid out of their plan to get off the island. It is then Sayid who kills himself to save the very group that abandoned him. (Irony)

Episode connections

Episode references

• Sawyer says the last time he and Kate were held prisoner in the cages was when Danny Pickett held a gun to his head. ("I Do")
• Jin tells Sun that Widmore showed him their daughter's photos on her camera. ("The Package")
• Bernard reminds Jack that he flirted with Rose on the plane. ("LA X, Part 1")
• Sayid tells Jack that Desmond is in a well and needs to be saved. ("The Last Recruit")

Episode allusions

• While coming out of post-surgical anesthesia, Locke recalls pushing the button. ("Orientation")
• A character urges inaction, certain that nothing will happen when a countdown timer reaches zero. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 2")
• The Man in Black rigs a bomb to destroy Widmore's submarine, in a similar way that John Locke used to blow up the Galaga. ("The Man from Tallahassee")
• The Man in Black as Locke uses a manipulation on the Losties that Ben used on John Locke to ensure that John Locke blew up the submarine. Alex explained it this way "He makes you think it's your idea but it's his. John Locke replied "I will have to keep that in mind." ("The Man from Tallahassee")
• The Man in Black describes the consequences of switching on the plane as simply: "Boom." Jin had warned Desmond against cutting a bomb wire on the freighter the same way. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
• Jin is given back his wedding ring by Sun. ("This Place Is Death")  ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
• Jack and Locke each say "I wish you had believed me," words Locke used on his suicide letter to Jack. ("316")
• Jack gets an Apollo bar out of the hospital vending machine. ("The Incident, Part 1")

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Candidate/Theories

Original timeline

• How did Charles Widmore obtain a list of the candidates?
• Who placed the explosives on board the plane?

External links

• ABC Press Release