Lost (TV Series) The Candidate (2010) User Reviews

Building to a conclusion means some get left behind.

[johnnaylor-53059 · 10/10 · 13 September 2016]

My first ever review on here. I have watched all of Lost up to this episode for the first time in the past 3 months. I felt I should actually get round to reviewing an episode.

I agree with other people that 'The Constant' is the best episode I have seen but this one is not that far behind it. It has great character moments, deaths and it ties up at least one loose end. The direction and music are near perfect and every major acting role is done with a precision the series has sometimes lacked. The first major death was a redemption of the character and the other ones played out beautifully. I would highly recommend sticking with the series to see this episode.

10/10 and just a great 41 minutes (or so) of TV!

Emotional and awesome

[BuuBanerjee · 10/10 · 28 March 2021]

Its incredibly good.

Even though its only 43 minutes long it feels incredibly long (in a good way) and interesting

Jinn and sun's death is heart touching and it makes me wanna cry.

The parallals with past and alternative timeline is also mind blowing.

I loved how in alternate timeline locke says to jack " i wished you had believed me"

And in this timeline jack says this same line to locke

I also love how jack tells claire that "we are family"

one of the best episodes of the show

[magnetiko7 · 10/10 · 5 May 2010]

The candidate is a flawless can-win-an-Emmy episode of Lost. It re-reminded me why I was so obsessed with the show. I really feel lucky to be in a minority in the world to have seen the show and especially to have seen this very episode. Love and sacrifice were the main themes in this episode and Jack Bender is genius enough to reveal them without a single flaw. I don't like exaggeration but this episode deserves it. I was really tense and emotional while watching and guess what?...I cried. Sayid sacrificing himself for the others clearly showed the change in his nature. And Claire...:( I really feel for her. She has been abandoned for three times now and she's not sure whether she should go with Flocke or not. And the Kwons...I burst into tears when Jin couldn't save Sun. But at least they were together and died together. And the cages...just like the old times. I felt like I was watching a third season episode. And the irony between FST LOcke and Flocke was well-revealed. He cared and felt guilty for what happened to his father in FST and he didn't feel guilty for Sawyer killing him in the original timeline. Simply put, The Candidate really is an "oh my God!!!" episode and I suppose I'll watch it over and over again.

I can't believe it

[mike-ryan455 · 9/10 · 4 May 2010]

They said people we knew and cared about would be dying, but to see three of them go at once was horrible.

Sayid, running with the bomb, perhaps choosing to die to atone for his sins. Jin and Sun, finally together and inseparable. Yet they weren't all. Was Lapidis the pilot dead as well? Yet one was alive, Desmond.

The candidate - the living Locke could have been one for a cure for his paralysis but he considered himself unworthy because he had made his father into a living dead man. The other Locke, who had Sawyer kill his father. The dead Locke - who was determined to kill them all to get off the island.

Or are they dead? We saw Jin floating away from Sun. We also saw Jin going into Sun's hospital room. Was that Jin any less alive than the other one was dead? Was his life any less real? I keep thinking that the key element is time, and diverging timelines. Both lifelines were real, the one without Jason and the one with. They were very different. Is dead Locke so casually killing them because all of that version of them would be dead and all of them would be alive if that other reality were the only one.

Only a few more weeks will tell. It's sad. Tuesday nights won't be the same.

LOST - now back on track

[shanc_sk · 9/10 · 6 May 2010]

alrite... here we are back on track.

after some thrill-less episodes, seems LOST is good to make a grand finale of "2.5 hrs" with The last recruit & now, The Candidate.

The Candidate did take some unexpected twists on road to 23rd May. In sideways-timeline, Locke refuses to become a candidate & on the island, Jack seems to be following Locke's path of ideas, to become a candidate.

On the Island : After Jack screwed up with the nuclear blast therby killing Juliet & not mending anything, it was Sawyer's turn to screw up things not just with the death of one main character 'Sayid', but also the Kwons & probably, Lapidus too.

Not much Qs been answered yet, awaiting the upcoming final episodes to be more thrilling.

This is the best show on TV & i give it a 9/10. The remaining 1 depends on how cuse & lindelof carry this show and answer the 'hell lotta' unanswered Qs. Hope the ending for this show is really worth this 6 seasons.

Cuse & Lindelof,

Please don't spoil the ending with some lame twists; better have some good answers.

Anyways, counting on u guys...

The explosive candidate

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 25 October 2018]

When 'Lost' was in its prime, it was must-watch television. Remember first watching it, found it remarkably easy to get into, was hooked from the start and was on Season 3 by the end of one week. The general consensus is that the final season is a disappointment and cannot disagree.

It, Season 6 that is, started promisingly enough with "LA X", both parts, but the season since up to this point was variable, mostly somewhere in between of being decent and great. There were disappointments like "Lighthouse", "The Package" and particularly "What Kate Does", but there were excellent episodes such as "Sundown", "Dr Linus", "Happily Ever After" and the season's high point "Ab Aeterno" too.

Season 6's eleventh episode "The Candidate" is a great episode. For me, it's among the season's best, alongside "Ab Aeterno", "Happily Ever After", "Sundown", "The Last Recruit" and "Dr Linus".

Pace is tight mostly, if occasionally rushed leading up to the gut-wrenching last third and throughout the writing is taut and not soapy. There is more story clarity than some of the previous episodes and character motivations are not as vague as some of the previous Season 6 episodes.

The story is gripping, full of suspense and has emotion. The story and character development feels advanced rather than going backwards, being reiterated or ground to a halt.

Loved that it feels like things are moving forward, as well as things being set up for what's to come. There were some shocking revelations and twists that enhance the intensity, with an ending that one doesn't predict and some truly brutal and emotional goodbyes. Like "The Last Recruit", many characters have much more to do than they have done for a while and that they serve crucial and relevant roles in the story, also that they behave like themselves and not lost what made them the strong characters they are. Jack and Locke are written beautifully and the interaction and performances both tense and moving.

As always, the acting across the board is on the money. Matthew Fox, who gives some of his best ever acting here, and particularly Terry O'Quinn (no surprise as he was one of the best and most consistent actors on the show from the very beginning) being standouts.

Cannot either fault the stylish production values, the chilling and understated music score and some of the best direction of the season. As said already, the writing is also taut and never less than fascinating.

In summation, great and one of the season's best. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Strained and twisted story, extreme emotions, smart and intriguing character development, mesmerizing acting and I Found my brain or not

[igoatabase · 9/10 · 5 May 2010]

The Candidate is you ! You've been summoned to quickly read this very review and watch the episode right afterward. There's no escape, it's your destiny ! You should enjoy its strained story. Its unpredictable events should blow you away. A smile on your face, tears in your eyes the next second. The Substitute focused on John, Lighthouse on Jack. Well this one merged the best of both worlds and served us with one of the most wicked and heartbreaking relationship ever developed. Of course it felt like some parts were rushed because of the 40 something minutes dreadful limit but overall so many things happened that I already plan to watch it again. Matthew Fox and Terry O'Quinn performances were mesmerizing and I wished the close-up on Jack's face never ended. The romantic within also wouldn't mind if he shared more time with Freckles but I suppose the writers have decided to save our favorite love birds for the finale. Yes because it's coming. Sundown was dark and brutal and this installment was quite similar in a way. However its story was far much more twisted and the end should definitely puzzle you even if I sort of saw it coming. Indeed there were a few mistakes and one issue is the lack of planning and strategy some actions are designed with. But maybe we'll get some answers in the upcoming episode, yes I'm sure we will. Still reading like the coward you are ? Don't be afraid my friend because the world of Lost is dangerous but full of wonders and bare naked coconuts. Go now and only come back once your mission is accomplished ! Wait… were you on flight Oceanic 815 ?

OK, not great

[gridoon2024 · 8/10 · 5 May 2010]

Certainly more action-packed than any previous season 6 episode, "The Candidate" is still not as great as it should have been, in my opinion, considering that there are only 4 episodes left 'till the end of the whole series. Season 3 remains the golden standard as far as finishing runs go, and "The Candidate" is no "The Brig" (even if a key supporting character appears in both). Several deaths occur in this episode, both major and minor, but the major ones lack the emotional impact they should have, for two main reasons: A) They are way too similar in concept to previous major deaths, B) The characters are still alive in the alternate timeline. In fact, this episode re-affirms my fears about season 6, that it may end in the most predictable fashion, with the so-called flash-sideways actually being flash-forwards that portray the remaining timeline after the destruction of the other one. Hope I'm wrong! On the positive side, "The Candidate" is well-directed by Jack Bender, who at times manages to make it feel almost like a Hollywood action movie (a compliment for a TV episode, with an obviously lower budget), and Matthew Fox gives an exceptional performance - in this season, he is really the only one (with honorable mention to Nestor Carbonell, but only for his own episode, "Ab Aeterno") who has risen to the level of the acting giant of the show, Terry O'Quinn. *** out of 4.

Not very good

[diego1222 · 6/10 · 27 December 2020]

This season is very bad and this episode seems like an easy way to eliminate some useless characters

Evil Thing

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 23 April 2013]

SPOILER: Sawyer and his group are arrested by Widmore's group. Meanwhile Jack awakes in the Hydra Island and Sayid tells to Jack that Locke saved him. Now there are only the three against Widmore and Locke asks Jack to help him to rescue Sawyer's group from the cages. Sayid turns off the generator and the smoke monster attacks Widmore's camp; Jack opens the cages to release the group. Locke kills the guards that are protecting the plane and removes the explosives but he tells that the plane is not safe. Locke tells that they will need to use the submarine to leave the island. Jack pushes Locke into the water, but they are attacked by Widmore's group. Locke and Claire are left behind and he tells to her that she would not like to be in the submarine. Jack finds explosive in his backpack but Jack tells that nothing will happen to them. Sayid runs with the bomb to save the group; however Sun is trapped in the debris and Jin stays with her and only Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley survive.

In the parallel reality, Jack saves Locke and offers a chance to heal him. Jack visits Bernard to learn Locke's historic and he gives the name of Anthony Cooper. Jack visits him in a nursing home and then he invites Claire to stay home with him.

I have nothing else to say about this show that was destroyed by incompetent writers. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "The Candidate"

Turn your brain off and you'll enjoy it...

[mrwb77 · 3/10 · 3 February 2024]

Turn your brain off and you'll enjoy it...It's an entertaining episode but there are more plot holes and ridiculousness than Swiss cheese.

Firstly the morons with the Fence to keep the monster out, they don't go all out to protect the generator? How stupid are they? Then when the fence is down, they advance in to the jungle with their weapons... Rofl, who are they going to shoot? It's absolutely moronic... They must know what the monster is... or why the Fence?

Then there's the sub scenes, Firstly Kate gets shot, but it barely effects her. She'd bleed out and die for sure. Then the most ludicrous parts of all. When the bomb goes off on the sub, they're dead for sure. Doesn't matter where that much c4 explodes in the sub. The hull would implode. There's no way you can swim out of the hole and surface without drowning or your lungs exploding as you surface...

Yes the show is ludicrous, they should at least try and make episodes vaguely plausible!