LOST 6.4 – "The Substitute"

WRITERS: Elizabeth Sarnoff & Melinda Hsu
DIRECTOR: Tucker Gates
GUEST CAST: Katey Sagal, L. Scott Caldwell, Kenton Duty, Suzanne Krull, Billy Ray Gallion, Eddie L. Cavett & Joshua Smith

[SPOILERS] After the largely forgettable "What Kate Does", Lost's final season spins back into action with a fourth episode that echoed the Locke-centric fourth episode of season 1 in many ways. If you're desperate for some reasonably solid answers, you'll find quite a few of them here, and if you're able to read between the lines you'll realize that "The Substitute" appeared to offer a relatively firm grasp on what's going on. So, why do I feel a creeping feeling of disappointment setting in...?

X-Timeline '04: Locke, Helen & The Job

This week's sideways flash presented us with a Locke (Terry O'Quinn) whose life as an invalid is getting him down, despite the fact it's revealed he has a rather strong relationship with Helen (Katey Sagal), who we know actually died during the three years he was away on the Island in the original timeline. It also appears true (based on a photo on Locke's desk at work) that his relationship with his conman father is in good health, so he clearly didn't suffer his spinal injury from being pushed out of a window by a kidney-stealing dad. Maybe that means his father's similarly a different person in this timeline, or Locke has yet to discover the truth of his dad.

It goes without saying that O'Quinn's a wonderful actor and a compelling presence on the show, and this storyline was particular nice because I'd forgotten how likeable and sympathetic Locke was back in these early days. We also saw lots of other familiar faces cross paths with Locke – after he's fired from his job, for lying about going to Sydney for a work conference, he bumps into Hurley (Jorge Garcia), who it's revealed owns his box company. Then, at a job interview Hurley arranges for Locke, it's revealed that Rose (L. Scott Caldwell) is the supervisor there, and in a later scene when Locke's become a substitute teacher we discover that Ben (Michael Emerson) is a pernickety work colleague. But the certain joy of seeing Locke and Ben interacting, the latter with a more amenable if prissy attitude, will have to wait for another episode...

The Island '07: Ben, Ilana & The Funeral

There wasn't much to report about these beach-set sequences, as Locke's body was finally given a burial in the sands of the Island he adored. Ben's eulogy was darkly humourous ("John Locke was a believer. He was a man of faith. He was a much better man than I will ever be... and I'm very sorry I murdered him"), but right now it's all a bit vague about exactly what role Ben, Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson), Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Frank (Jeff Fahey) will actually play.

The Island '07: Sawyer, "Smocke" & The Cave

The real mythological meat of "The Substitute" came in this plot-strand, with the fake-Locke (who I think I'll call Smocke now) apparently on a quest to "recruit" sympathizers. He's strung Alpert (Nestor Carbonnell) up, but releases him, before making a beeline for Sawyer (Josh Holloway) at the Barracks, to find him sitting around playing loud music[*] in his underwear to grieve the loss of Juliet.

But, with the promise of answers, Sawyer's lured across the jungle with Smocke (whom he knows isn't the real Locke), and is taken to a small cave cut into the side of the Island's cliff-face[**]. Inside, a scale has a black and white rock in perfect balance (until Smocke throws the white stone out to sea, as an inside joke), and shows Sawyer what appears to have been Jacob's dwelling. It's a place where "candidates" were apparently chosen – as hundreds of crossed-out names have been scratched into the cave's walls[***], but six names in particular have been left untouched: 4 – Locke, 8 – Reyes, 15 – Ford, 16 – Jarrah, 23 – Shephard and 42 – Kwon (although it's unknown if that refers to Jin or Sun).

So, it appears that Jacob essentially selects these "candidates", influences and manipulates their lives to draw them to the Island and, one assumes, puts them through tests to see who should succeed him. Funnily enough, Smocke believes that Jacob's intention to "protect" the Island is a waste of time anyway, so his entire cycle of selection is a pointless exercise. Anyway, Sawyer is told that he can either (a) do nothing and see what happens, (b) become the Island's protector, replacing Jacob, or (c) leave the island and never return... and he chooses the latter.

In Summation

Locke-centric episode are always a pleasure, if only because it gives Terry O'Quinn an opportunity to flex various muscles -- here playing two very different versions of the same character (well, three if you count playing a corpse.) "The Substitute" was crammed full of interesting moments, some nice characters beats (loved the Locke/Helen scene where he warns her not to expect miracles) and significant mytharc developments. But, taking a step back, you have to wonder if the path season 6 seems to be on meets with your approval. After all, it seems that most things are going to be explained by the mystical vagaries that two supernatural beings have been pushing the characters around all their lives. And is that something we can connect with, really? I hope the writers make it clear that, after arriving on the Island, free will came into play and the characters lives aren't totally predetermined. After all, when Ben shot Jacob in season 5's finale, he was told that he didn't have to make that choice.

Questions, Questions, Questions!

-- Why did Ilana take Jacob's ashes? Are all the ashes being used on the show derived from the burnt remains of Jacob (and his predecessors)?

-- What is Smocke recruiting for? Is he really trapped? If so, why? And how was he betrayed? Also, why is he stuck in the form of Locke now?

-- Is Richard telling the truth when he says Smocke wants everyone dead?

-- How are Jacob's "candidates" chosen? Crossing out a name obviously means they're not candidates now, but how is that decided?

-- In Jacob's list, which "Kwon" does number 42 correspond to?

-- Why does Jacob think the Island needs protecting? Is Smocke telling the truth when he says Jacob's whole mission is wrong?

-- Who is the blonde teenage boy that Smocke chases through the jungle, and why does the boy show bloodied arms when he first appears? Also, why can't Richard see the boy but Sawyer can?

-- How did Locke end up in a wheelchair in Timeline-X?

19 FEBRUARY 2010: SKY1 (HD), 9PM

[*] The song Sawyer was listening to was Iggy Pop's "Search & Destroy", which perhaps hints at what Smocke's true intentions are when he finds Sawyer there.

[**] A reference to Plato's Allegory Of The Cave, perhaps?

[***] The names on the wall include many small characters we've known from the past (such as Edward Mars and, yes, Nikki), perhaps hinting that Jacob had actually manipulated everyone aboard Flight 815 to come to the Island, but didn't get to decide who would actually survive the crash? It's strange that Kate's name wasn't seen, though.