The Substitute (Lost)
"The Substitute" | |
---|---|
Lost episode | |
Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 4 |
Directed by | Tucker Gates |
Written by | Elizabeth Sarnoff Melinda Hsu Taylor |
Production code | 604 |
Original air date | February 16, 2010 |
Running time | 42 minutes[1] |
Guest appearances | |
L. Scott Caldwell as Rose Nadler Billy Ray Gallion as Randy Nations Kenton Duty as Boy Joshua Smith as Kid Katey Sagal as Helen Norwood Suzanne Krull as Lynn Karnoff Eddie L. Cavett as Courier | |
"The Substitute" is the fourth television episode of the American Broadcasting Company's sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 107th episode overall. The episode aired on February 16, 2010, on ABC. It was directed by Tucker Gates and written by executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff and producer Melinda Hsu Taylor.[2] John Locke is the character the episode is centered on.
In 2007,
Plot
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (November 2015) |
2004 (flash-sideways timeline)
John Locke (Terry O'Quinn) arrives at his home, after returning from Australia on Flight 815. He is greeted by his fiancée, Helen Norwood (Katey Sagal), whom he is set to marry shortly, in a wedding also apparently to be attended by his father. Helen encourages Locke to call Dr.
Locke returns to work, where his supervisor, Randy (Billy Ray Gallion), confronts Locke about Locke's failure to attend a company conference while in Sydney. Locke attempts to apologize, but Randy fires him. While leaving the building, Locke comes into contact with
Rose finds him work as a substitute teacher at a school. There, Ben Linus (Michael Emerson) also works as a history teacher.
2007 (original timeline)
"Locke" leads Sawyer to a cave, after descending via a ladder made of rope and bamboo, inside of which there are scales holding one black and one white stone. He takes the white stone and throws it into the sea. "Locke" leads Sawyer deeper into the cave, where there are surnames written on the ceiling and walls. The names include his own, Jarrah, Shephard, Reyes, and Kwon. Other names are scratched out and the Man in Black crosses out "Locke". Additionally, six names correspond to one of the numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 for Locke, Reyes, Ford, Jarrah, Shephard and Kwon, respectively). They were brought to the island by Jacob as candidates to replace him as the guardian of the island. The Man in Black claims that Jacob has manipulated the lives of all of the candidates in order to bring them to the island. Sawyer now has three options: to do nothing, to accept the job and protect the island, or to leave the island with the Man in Black, who claims that protecting the island is pointless as there is nothing to protect it from (similar to what Jack once told the real Locke); Sawyer agrees to leave with him.
At the remains of the statue,
Reception
The episode has received positive reviews, with many citing it as the best of the first four episodes. Review tally website Metacritic awarded the episode a score of 88 out of 100, indicating "Universal Acclaim". This is up on the previous episodes score of 64 out of 100.[3] Chris Carbot of IGN gave the episode a highly positive review, stating that "Early on it's clear that Lindelof and Cuse are determined to reinvigorate some of the strong character work the show was known for during the first couple of seasons. There are some great examples of this in 'The Substitute'." Overall, he gave the episode a score of 9.4 out of 10.[4] Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly praised the episode and gave a perfect score.[5][full citation needed] Emily VanDerWerff of Los Angeles Times also gave the episode a positive review, stating "There may not have been enough answers for the hyper-mythological crowd (though we got a good deal of interesting conjecture), but it was a great showcase for the finest character "Lost" ever cooked up."[6] Zap2it's Ryan McGee also praised the episode, calling the episode "impossibly good."[7]
However, Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune was mixed about the episode, stating "Even as a certified "Lost" fan, I was a little frustrated with the episode at times. I think the cumulative effect of not truly understanding many characters’ motivations is starting to wear on me a bit."[8]
References
- ^ "Lost - Netflix". Netflix. Retrieved 24 November 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Fordis, Jeff (February 10, 2010). "Lost (2/16)". ABC Medianet. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
- ^ Dietz, Jason (February 17, 2010), "Episode Review: Last Night's Lost, Season 6, Ep. 4: 'The Substitute'", Metacritic. Retrieved on February 19, 2010.
- ^ Carabott, Chris (February 18, 2010). "Lost: "The Substitute" Review". IGN. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ Jensen, Jeff (February 18, 2010). "'Lost' recap: The Man With the Plan". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (February 18, 2010). "'Lost': Locke gets in touch with his feelings". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ McGee, Ryan (February 18, 2010). "'Lost' shows the writing on the wall in 'The Substitute'". Zap2it. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (February 17, 2010), "Let's Talk Lost: 'The Substitute'[permanent dead link]", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on February 18, 2010.
External links
- "The Substitute" at ABC
- "The Substitute" at IMDb