LOST: “The Substitute”

In case you forgot, this is what happened to the real John Locke on the Island Timeline. Smokey isn't in Locke's body, but rather a clone. Oh wait, this isn't Alias. Probably not a clone. I'm stumped. You explain it. Photo Credit: ABC/ Mario Perez.

Read on for my live blog, edited with comments, for Lost 6×04, aired February 16th, 2010:

Previously, we learned that Jacob’s nemesis had taken on the form of Locke, and that he is the Smoke Monster.  I struggled over what I would call him, as he has yet to be named.  Why do you make me suffer so, Lost?  At first I went with Flocke, but now everyone is calling him Smocke, so I’m going to go with that.  I was tempted to go with Lock-ness Monster, but that is a lot of typing.  Also previously, Sawyer sent Kate packing, and was determined to grieve alone.  We learned that Sayid was “infected,” whatever that means, and Claire too.  And Claire got a jungle-chick makeover.  But don’t get too excited about that sickness stuff, as we get no answers for that craziness in this episode.  In fact, we don’t see Jin, Claire, Kate, Jack, Sayid or Miles in this episode, at all.  And I was fine with that.  What did we see?  Well, on to the recap.

• We open on suburbia.  A big van parks in a driveway, and it is equipped with an electric ramp for Locke’s wheelchair.  However, as Locke is lowered, the contraption freezes, and won’t lower all the way down.  Locke tries to get off, and falls out into the lawn, out of his wheelchair.  Then the sprinklers start.  Of course.  Oh, poor Locke.  However, maybe we shouldn’t feel too bad for him, as Helen comes outside of the house and turns the water off.  Helen!  In this timeline, Locke didn’t screw up his relationship with her!  Score one for Locke.  I wonder what happened with his father in this timeline.  Hmmm.  But back to Helen and Locke.  They are planning their wedding.  Helen is sick of all the planning, and she mentions Vegas.  Locke says that she deserves better.  Helen: “You are a very sweet man.”  She asks him how “the conference” was.  Uh oh, Locke.  Have you been lying to your betrothed?  This does not bode well.  Helen finds Jack’s business card, and asks, “Who’s Dr. Jack Shephard?”  Realizing that he’s a spinal surgeon, she thinks Locke should call him.  She points out: “What are the odds of you running into a spinal surgeon?  Who knows?  Maybe it’s destiny.”  Locke: “Maybe it is.”  Oh, the destiny again!  Sigh.  I am Team Free Will, for the record.
• Then we see a weird sequence, shot from the perspective of the smoke monster.  He is watching New Otherton, where someone, presumably Sawyer, is blasting music.  Then we see Smocke in the jungle, with a large knife.  He lets Richard down out of a tree.  Smocke says: “Alright, Richard.  Time to talk.”  Title card.
• Back in L.A., Locke arrives back at work.  He looks broken in spirit.  The same jerk from “Walkabout,” Randy, is still his boss in this timeline.  Also, he is still a total jerk.  Randy asks, “So, how was the conference, John?”  Locke lies, but Randy points out that John canceled his lunch and never actually attended any of the seminars.  Busted!  Locke tries to convince his boss to consider it his vacation, but Randy replies: “I thought you wanted to have vacation week in October, for your wedding.”  Then, Randy fires him.
• A much tougher Locke, er … Smocke, offers Richard water.  Smocke apologizes for hitting him and dragging him off the beach.  Richard asks what he wants.  He wants Richard to come with him, but Richard refuses.  Richard wonders why he took on Locke’s form.  Smocke explains that he knew John would give him access to Jacob, as he’s “a candidate.”  Ooh, there’s that phrase again.  If you recall, Ilana mentioned that Frank might be a candidate in “The Incident.”  Richard asks, “What do you mean a candidate?”  [Luckily, we get the answer to that at the end of the episode.]  Smocke is surprised that Richard doesn’t know what that means, and mocks his blind obedience to Jacob.  Remarking about how little Richard has been told, Smocke says that he would never have done that—he would have told him everything.  This must have pleased those who subscribe to the “Paradise Lost” theory, as Smocke is so very Lucifer-in-the-garden in this scene.  I guess that would make Jacob God.  Hmmm.  But it is very much faith versus knowledge in some ways.  Being a knowledge seeker myself, I might be tempted by Smocke, but there is definitely something shady about him.  Richard is not swayed, and refuses Smocke again.  Smocke then sees a bloody little boy, and looks upset.  Then the boy disappears, à la Christian Shephard in “White Rabbit.”  Do you think that fact that it was a child who appeared has any significance?  Any connection to the lack of kids on the island?  Just food for thought.  Smocke says goodbye to Richard, and it is kind of creepy and threatening: “I’ll be seeing you Richard.  Sooner than you’d think.”
• Elsewhere on the island, Ben goes into the Jacob’s home beneath the statue, and finds a crying Ilana.  Ben: “Ahem.  Am I interrupting?”  She gets up, and asks him what happened to all her men.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot about them.  Ben doesn’t think she’ll believe him, but Ilana tells him to go ahead.  Ben: “John Locke killed them.  He turned into a pillar of black smoke and he killed them.”  Ilana asks if he killed Jacob too, and Ben lies and says yes.  She wonders about Jacob’s body, and Ben explains, “Locke kicked him into the fire and he burned away.”  Ilana picks up the ash from the fire, and starts scooping it into a pouch.  Hmmm.  Do you think he can be resurrected or something?  Was Jacob at all human?  If not, what was Jacob?  Ben asks why Locke carried Richard out into the jungle.  Ilana: “He’s recruiting.”  Aha!  Well that explains Smokey scoping out Sawyer’s place.
• And on that note, we then see Smocke enter New Otherton.  The music is still blasting.  Smocke finds Sawyer with a bottle of alcohol, drunk, and sitting in a corner.  Smocke: “Hello, James.”  Sawyer: “I thought you were dead.”  Smocke: “I am.”  I love the conversations on this show.  Only on Lost.
• When we come back from commercial, Sawyer raises a glass to Smocke: “Here’s to being dead.”  Hee.  Smocke notes, “You’re taking this extremely well.”  Sawyer doesn’t give a damn whether Locke’s dead, or the ghost of Christmas past.  As he explains, “All I care about is this whiskey.”  When Locke tells Sawyer that it was never his house, Sawyer asks: “Who are you?  Cause you sure as hell aren’t John Locke.”  Smocke asks how he knows.  Sawyer explains that it’s because he’s not scared: “Locke was always scared, even when he pretended that he wasn’t.”  Sawyer always was a keen observer.  Even more so once he started going by LaFleur, and became a leader.  Smocke: “What if I told you that I’m the person who can answer the most important question in the world?”  Sawyer laughs, and gives a series of answers for why he’s there—really more like a sequence of events that led to him getting stuck on the island.  Smocke explains: “That’s not why you’re here.  And if you come with me, I can prove it.”  Sawyer: “Well, I guess I better put some pants on.”  Hee.  I love this show.
• Back in L.A., Locke leaves work with his box of belongings, fired.  He tries to get in his car, but a Hummer is parked too close.  He tries to lower the wheelchair lift, in order to scratch the Hummer and teach the owner a lesson.  However, the lift stops before hitting the nearby car.  [Something which is easily explained when we learn that the car is Hurley’s.  He is now the luckiest man in the world.]  Yes, it is revealed to be Hurley’s Hummer.  He approaches, with his usual greeting: “Dude. Dude.”  Locke yells at him: “Did you ever park a car in your life?”  Hurley notes that there are handicapped spots that John could have parked in.  John: “Ok, but I don’t have to park there.  I can park anywhere I want.”   I think that that line says it all about John Locke.  He is so desperately trying to prove that he can do everything he used to do, exactly how he used to do it.  Locke is so fixated on what he wants that he is unwilling to adapt and change.  Hurley reveals that he owns the company, and shakes Locke’s hand.  He is super nice and awesome.  He asks what John does for the company, and John explains that he was just fired.  When Hurley learns that John’s boss is Randy, he says: “Randy Nations?  Yeah, that guy is a huge douche.”  While, I am currently on a campaign against the overuse of that word on TV—I’m so over it—I love Hurley, and his sentiment is in the right place.  Hurley tells John that he owns a temp agency too, and refers him there.  He also adds, “And chin up, things are gonna work out.”  Wow, I really need the Hurley from that timeline in my life.
• Then we cut to the island timeline, on the beach.  Frank, referring to Locke’s body, comments, “It’s getting pretty ripe.”  Ilana wants to head out to the temple, but Sun wonders why she should go.  Ilana says that Jin will probably be there.  Sun is clearly not missing Jin as much as he misses her, as she then says they need to bury Locke.  I mean, burying Locke is the right thing to do, but Sun sure doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to find Jin.
• Walking through the jungle, Sawyer and Smocke run into the little kid again.  Smocke trips.  The little boy stares at him, and says: “You know the rules.  You can’t kill him.”  Smocke yells, “Don’t tell me what I can’t do.”  And then, even louder, repeats it: “Don’t tell me what I can’t do.”  Wow.  Smocke sure has a lot in common with Locke.  Also, who is that little boy?  Is he Jacob?  Or is he Smocke as a child?  Were Smocke and Jacob brothers?  Is this a Cain and Abel story?  Or have I just been watching too much Supernatural?  Are you annoyed that my method of commenting is to just ask more questions?  Don’t answer that last one.
• Somewhere nearby, Sawyer yells for Smocke.  Richard comes out of the jungle, and tells him that they need to go.  Sawyer is not having that: “You know, I’ve been to the temple.  I think I’ll stay with John Locke.”  Richard says that he’s not John Locke, which Sawyer, of course, already knows.  Richard says that Smocke will kill him, and that he wants everyone dead.  Suddenly Richard hears Smocke coming and runs off.  Sawyer asks about the kid, and Smocke asks, “What kid?”  Sawyer: “Ri-i-i-ight.  Let’s get on with it, shall we.”
• Cut to L.A., where a creepy woman asks Locke, “What kind of animal would you describe yourself as?”  He is at the temp agency.  The creepy woman then asks if he would describe himself as a people person.  Locke asks to talk to supervisor.  And the supervisor is Rose!  We missed you, Rose.  She asks what kind of job he’s looking for.  He mentions construction.  Rose: “Look, Mr. Locke.  Let’s try to be a little more realistic.”  Locke: “And what do you know about being realistic?”  Rose: “I have cancer.  Terminal cancer.”  Locke apologizes.  Rose explains that when the doctor’s told her, she spent a lot of time fighting it, but now she has got back to living whatever life she has left.  She then says, “So, how ‘bout we find you a job you can do.”  In some ways, I think that needed to be said.  And it certainly has a positive effect on Locke.  However, in another sense, I worry that that philosophy is limiting.  What did you guys think of the message there?  I’m curious to find out other takes on this.
• Back on the island, in the jungle, Sawyer asks Smocke if he reads.  Smocke does.  Sawyer says that he loves Steinback’s Of Mice and Men.  Sawyer tells the story of how George shoots Lenny in the back of the head.  It’s to spare his friend from a lynch mob, after he killed a woman, but Sawyer leaves that part out.  [I’ve never actually read the book, but I will tell you, that movie traumatized me.  Not a feel good film.  In fact, I’m not a huge Steinbeck fan.  We had to read Grapes of Wrath in high school, and it was not an experience I remember fondly.]  Sawyer pulls out his gun, and Smocke asks what’s on his mind.  Sawyer: “Wonder what would happen if I put a bullet in your head.”  Smocke tells him to go ahead.  He says that he’s trapped, and he can’t remember what it was like to be free.  He says that he used to be a man, and to know what it feels like to feel joy, anger, loss, etc.  He continues: “If you want to shoot me, shoot me.  But you’re so close, James.  It would be such a shame to turn back now.”  So, Smocke used to be human, but was then trapped on the island.  How did that happen? How long ago?  It must be Jacob’s fault, I’m thinking, as Smocke hated Jacob so.  In fact, it seems that Jacob was keeping him on the island.  Killing Jacob seems to have been the first step to leaving.
• Elsewhere on the island, Ben asks Ilana why she had to bring Locke to the statue anyway.  Such a complainer, that one.  [Unfortunately, this is when we learn that my sister’s awesome theory that the Smoke Monster is like the First Evil from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is wrong.  Seemed possible, as so far he only appeared as dead people.  Darn.  We thought that we had figured out Lost for a couple days.  I was just waiting for the über vamps.]  Ilana thinks that Smocke will be stuck in Locke’s form, regardless of the fact he’s not in Locke’s actual body, which they are carrying.  The foursome—Ilana, Ben, Sun, and Frank—bury Locke’s body.  Ilana asks if anyone wants to say anything.  Ben volunteers: “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.”  Awkward.  Frank: “Weirdest damn funeral that I have ever been too.”  [I did my Lost homework this week, and watched the season one episode “Walkabout,” right before this one.  There is a very cool parallel with the funeral.  In “Walkabout,” Jack decides that they need to burn the fuselage, which is full of dead bodies.  Claire collects memorabilia from those who didn’t make it, and they have a service for the dead.  I believe that it was the first Lost funeral … but definitely not the last.  Locke is grave-yard neighbors with Boone, Shannon, Scott and/or Steve, Nicki, Paulo, the woman who drowned while out for a swim, and many others.]
• In L.A., John wakes up to an alarm.  He gets into his chair and gets ready for the day.  He looks sad.  He takes out Jack’s card, and makes the call.  However, he quickly hangs up after reaching the secretary.  Helen comes in and asks who he was calling.  After he tells her, he then drops the bomb: “I got fired, Helen.”  Cue the door bell.  It’s an Oceanic courier, delivering Locke’s lost luggage.  Once the courier leaves, Helen asks: “OK, John.  Now talk to me.  How did you get fired?”  Locke explains: “I lied to Randy.  I didn’t go to the conference in Sydney.”  He tells her to open the case.  It is full of knives—the same case as in “Walkabout.”  The Locke in the other timeline used the knives to hunt boar.  Locke then tells her about the Walkabout he had planned.  Helen doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  John: “My walkabout.  An adventure […] and they wouldn’t let me go.  And I sat there, shouting at them […] and they’re right.  I’m sick of imagining what my life would be out of this chair.  […]  But I don’t want you to spend your life waiting for a miracle, because there is no such thing.”  It is really quite powerful.  Terry O’Quinn and Katey Sagal are fabulous in this scene.  Helen disagrees with John: “There are miracles, John.  And the only thing that I was ever waiting for was you.”  She rips up Jack’s card, and the two embrace.
• On the island, Sawyer and Smocke stand on a cliff overlooking the ocean.  It really is quite beautiful.  I want to go there.  Smocke wants to go down, as in down a rickety bamboo ladder, down the side of the very high and steep cliff.  Sawyer feels that since he has not previously died, that Locke should go first.  Smocke agrees, and begins climbing down.  When Sawyer follows, the ladder he is on breaks, and he has to swing over to another.  Then that one falls, and he is left hanging.  Smocke tries to grab him, and after a period of stressful worry, he does.  The two make it down.  There are some rocks on a set of scales, and Smocke throws a light colored one out into the ocean.  He says that it is an inside joke.  Hee.  So are Jacob and Smocke engaged in some kind of high stakes backgammon game?  Sawyer is not impressed with what he sees so far, and asks if this is really why Smocke brought him down there.  Given the perilous journey, I can understand Sawyer’s concern.  Smocke says no, and takes him into a cave: “That’s why you’re here.”  On the cave wall, we see a bunch of names written, and most of them are crossed out.
• Cut to L.A., where Locke is acting as a substitute gym teacher/ coach.  The girls run lines, and I get tired just watching.  Then, in a classroom, Locke teaches Health or Biology.  He then asks one of the students where the teachers’ lounge is, and makes his way there.  A teacher with an unmistakable voice is lecturing the rest on proper coffee etiquette.  Ben is a teacher!!!  Locke says that he prefers tea.  Ben: “Tea?  Now there’s a gentleman’s drink.”  They introduce themselves, and Ben reveals that he teaches European history.  So weird.  How can we explain Ben’s presence off island?
• Back on the island, Sawyer wonders who wrote all this.  Smocke: “His name was Jacob.”  Sawyer catches the use of the past-tense: “Was Jacob?”  Smocke: “He died yesterday.”  Sawyer: “You don’t seem too upset about it.”  Smocke admits that he is not, in fact.  Sawyer: “Why are all the names crossed out?”  Smocke says that they’re not all crossed out, pointing out that Shephard (23), Reyes (8), Jarrah (16), Kwon (42), and Ford (15) are not.  Notice those little numbers beside each name?  4 8 15 16 42.  Aggghhh!  We can never escape those darn numbers!  At the reveal of each name, we see a little flashback to when Jacob meets each/ touches each.  The touching part is still a bit unclear.  Also, it is unclear which Kwon the wall refers too—Jin or Sun?  As Smocke crosses out Locke (4), Sawyer asks: “Why would he write my name on this wall?  I never even met the man.”  Smocke says that he did, probably when he was very young and vulnerable.  We see the flash to when Sawyer was at his parents’ funeral, and Jacob offered him a pen.  He says that many choices that Sawyer thought he made were never really his.  Jacob was pushing him to the island.  Sawyer: “Why the hell would he do that?”  I love Sawyer.  He always gets to the point.  Smocke: “Because you’re a candidate.”  Dun dun dun.  Basically, Sawyer has been nominated to take over Jacob’s job, protecting the island.  There are three choices.  1) Sawyer can just keep on doing what he was doing, and possibly his name will be crossed out.  (Because he dies, I assume.)  2) He can accept the job and protect the island.  Sawyer asks what he would protect it from, and Smocke plays innocent.  He says “Nothing.  That’s the joke.”  I’m not so sure.  3) “The third choice, James, is that we just go […] and we never look back.”  Sawyer: “And how do we do that.”  Smocke: “Together.  Are you ready to go home?”  Sawyer: “Hell yes.”  Uh oh, Smocke found his first recruit.  So why wasn’t Austen on the wall?  Kate met Jacob when she was young.  What about Claire?  Was Littleton crossed out and I missed it?

UPDATE: Check out Lostpedia’s post dealing with the names on the cave wall: Lostpedia Wiki: Candidates.

As always, I would love to read your comments.  There is so much to discuss.  Post your thoughts below.

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