The Substitute (Lost)
Encyclopedia
"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
. John Locke
is the character the episode is centered on.
In 2007, The Man in Black (Terry O'Quinn
) attempts to recruit James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
) and reveals the survivors' purpose on the Island. Meanwhile, Jacob's (Mark Pellegrino
) bodyguards, led by Ilana Verdansky
(Zuleikha Robinson
), decide to bury John Locke
(also O'Quinn). In the "flash-sideways", John Locke tries to balance his life as after he is fired from his job.
(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. 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 abruptly fires him. As he leaves the building, Locke comes into contact with Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia
), the owner of the company, who refers Locke to a temp agency that he also owns. At the temp agency, Rose Nadler (L. Scott Caldwell
) sympathizes with Locke's handicap because of her own battle with cancer. Rose denies his request to work at a construction company because his handicap will make this impossible and eventually finds him work as a substitute teacher at a school where Ben Linus (Michael Emerson
) also works as a history teacher. In addition, Locke tells Helen why he lost his job and admits that he went to Australia to go on a walkabout
, but was not allowed to do so. Helen encourages Locke to call Dr. Jack Shephard
(Matthew Fox
), who previously offered to evaluate Locke's condition. Locke declines to do so because he doesn't believe in miracles and wants Helen to love him for who he is; they reaffirm their love for one another.
, in the form of Locke, attempts to recruit both Richard Alpert
(Nestor Carbonell
) and James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
) for his quest to leave the island. Sawyer immediately realizes that the Man in Black is not Locke, because Locke was always scared and the Man in Black is not. He separately promises each of them answers about the island; Richard refuses and Sawyer agrees to travel with him. While in the jungle, they both see a young boy (the Man in Black is surprised that Sawyer can see him as well), whom the Man in Black chases. The boy tells him, "You know the rules; you can't kill him." At this, the Man in Black becomes angry and loudly declares "don't tell me what I can't do," a phrase that the real Locke frequently used in the past. At this time, Richard speaks with Sawyer, claiming that the Man in Black's true intention is to kill everyone on the island, but is forced to leave before he can explain further. Locke leads Sawyer to a cave, inside of which is a set of scales holding one black and one white stone. Locke takes the white stone and throws it into the sea, referring to it as an inside joke. Locke leads Sawyer deeper into the cave, where there are several surnames written on the ceiling and walls. The names include his own, Jarrah
, Shephard, Reyes, and Kwon (referring to either Sun or Jin). Several 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). He explains that 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; Sawyer agrees to leave with him.
Meanwhile, at the remains of the statue, Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson
) and Ben discuss what happened to her companions; Ben tells her that the Man in Black killed them all, including Jacob. Ilana, who is visibly upset, takes some of the ashes of Jacob's body and informs Ben that the Man in Black is now "stuck" in the form of Locke. Outside, she tells the remaining group, Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) and Frank Lapidus
(Jeff Fahey
) that they must travel to the temple for protection. Sun insists that they must first bury Locke's body and travel to the survivors' original graveyard to do so. They hold an impromptu funeral, where Ben delivers a short eulogy and apologizes for murdering Locke.
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. 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. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly
praised the episode and gave a perfect score. Todd 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." Zap2it
's Ryan McGee also praised the episode, calling the episode "impossibly good."
However, Ryan Maureen 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."
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's sixth season
Lost (season 6)
The sixth and final season of the American serial drama television series Lost commenced airing in the United States and Canada on February 2, 2010. The sixth-season premiere was the first to climb in the ratings year-over-year since the second season, drawing 12.1 million viewers. The season...
of the serial drama television series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
and 107th episode overall. The episode aired on February 16, 2010 on ABC. It was directed by Tucker Gates
Tucker Gates
Tucker Gates is an American television director and producer. He has directed several episodes of the J. J. Abrams shows, Alias and Lost, including the very last episode of Alias...
and written by executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff
Elizabeth Sarnoff
Elizabeth "Liz" Sarnoff is an American television writer and producer. She has written episodes of NYPD Blue, Crossing Jordan, Deadwood and Lost.-Career:...
and producer Melinda Hsu Taylor
Melinda Hsu Taylor
Melinda Hsu Taylor is an American television writer and producer. She has worked in both capacities on the series Lost. She was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for best drama series for her work on the fifth season of Lost, as well as a 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for the series'...
. John Locke
John Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
is the character the episode is centered on.
In 2007, The Man in Black (Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
) attempts to recruit James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
) and reveals the survivors' purpose on the Island. Meanwhile, Jacob's (Mark Pellegrino
Mark Pellegrino
Mark Ross Pellegrino is an American actor of film and television. He is best known for his work on Lost as Jacob and for playing Lucifer on Supernatural.-Career:...
) bodyguards, led by Ilana Verdansky
Ilana Verdansky
Ilana Verdansky is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Zuleikha Robinson. Ilana is introduced in the sixth episode of the fifth season of Lost as an officer boarding Ajira Airways Flight 316, with Sayid in her custody...
(Zuleikha Robinson
Zuleikha Robinson
Zuleikha Robinson is an English actress, raised in Thailand and Malaysia by a Burmese-Indian mother and an English father. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, and best known for playing Ilana in the ABC show Lost.In 2006, she played a Bengali character called...
), decide to bury John Locke
John Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
(also O'Quinn). In the "flash-sideways", John Locke tries to balance his life as after he is fired from his job.
2004 (flash-sideways timeline)
John LockeJohn Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
(Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
) arrives at his home, after returning from Australia on Flight 815. He is greeted by his fiancée, Helen Norwood (Katey Sagal
Katey Sagal
Catherine Louise "Katey" Sagal is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first achieved widespread fame as Peggy Bundy on the long-running Fox comedy series Married.....
), whom he is set to marry shortly, in a wedding also apparently to be attended by his father. Locke returns to work, where his supervisor, Randy (Billy Ray Gallion
Billy Ray Gallion
Billy Ray Gallion played the character of Randy Nations in Lost. He appeared in the episodes "Walkabout", "Everybody Hates Hugo", "Tricia Tanaka Is Dead", "The Beginning of the End", and "The Substitute."- Source :...
), confronts Locke about Locke's failure to attend a company conference while in Sydney. Locke attempts to apologize, but Randy abruptly fires him. As he leaves the building, Locke comes into contact with Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia
Jorge Garcia
Jorge García is a U.S. actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show Becker and later for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the television series Lost. Garcia also performs as a stand-up comedian.-Early life:García was born...
), the owner of the company, who refers Locke to a temp agency that he also owns. At the temp agency, Rose Nadler (L. Scott Caldwell
L. Scott Caldwell
Laverne Scott Caldwell is an American actress known for her role as Rose on Lost.This Chicago native started her career in 1978 as a member of the famed Negro Ensemble Company, making her Broadway debut two years later in the Tony Award nominated play Home...
) sympathizes with Locke's handicap because of her own battle with cancer. Rose denies his request to work at a construction company because his handicap will make this impossible and eventually finds him work as a substitute teacher at a school where Ben Linus (Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson
Michael Emerson is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost and fictional serial killer William Hinks in The Practice.-Early life:...
) also works as a history teacher. In addition, Locke tells Helen why he lost his job and admits that he went to Australia to go on a walkabout
Walkabout (Lost)
"Walkabout" is the fourth episode of the first season of Lost. The episode was directed by Jack Bender and written by David Fury. It first aired on October 13, 2004, on ABC. In the episode, flashbacks reveal John Locke's plans to get to Australia and participate in a walkabout tour...
, but was not allowed to do so. Helen encourages Locke to call Dr. Jack Shephard
Jack Shephard
Dr. Jack Shephard is a fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader...
(Matthew Fox
Matthew Fox (actor)
Matthew Chandler Fox is an American actor. He is mostly known for his role as Charlie Salinger on Party of Five, and for portraying Jack Shephard on the supernatural drama television series Lost.- Early life :...
), who previously offered to evaluate Locke's condition. Locke declines to do so because he doesn't believe in miracles and wants Helen to love him for who he is; they reaffirm their love for one another.
2007 (original timeline)
The Man in BlackMan in Black (Lost)
The entity referred to most frequently as the Man in Black is a fictional character on the American ABC television series Lost, and is the main antagonist of the...
, in the form of Locke, attempts to recruit both Richard Alpert
Richard Alpert (Lost)
Ricardo "Richard" Alpert is a fictional character played by Nestor Carbonell in the American ABC television series Lost. Alpert is introduced in a flashback of the character Juliet Burke , where he claims to be a doctor for a bioscience company called Mittelos Bioscience; he is later revealed to...
(Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Carbonell
Nestor Gastón Carbonell is an American actor, known for portraying Richard Alpert in ABC's drama Lost and Mayor Anthony Garcia in the film The Dark Knight...
) and James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
) for his quest to leave the island. Sawyer immediately realizes that the Man in Black is not Locke, because Locke was always scared and the Man in Black is not. He separately promises each of them answers about the island; Richard refuses and Sawyer agrees to travel with him. While in the jungle, they both see a young boy (the Man in Black is surprised that Sawyer can see him as well), whom the Man in Black chases. The boy tells him, "You know the rules; you can't kill him." At this, the Man in Black becomes angry and loudly declares "don't tell me what I can't do," a phrase that the real Locke frequently used in the past. At this time, Richard speaks with Sawyer, claiming that the Man in Black's true intention is to kill everyone on the island, but is forced to leave before he can explain further. Locke leads Sawyer to a cave, inside of which is a set of scales holding one black and one white stone. Locke takes the white stone and throws it into the sea, referring to it as an inside joke. Locke leads Sawyer deeper into the cave, where there are several surnames written on the ceiling and walls. The names include his own, Jarrah
Sayid Jarrah
Sayid Hassan Jarrah is a character from the ABC show Lost portrayed by Naveen Andrews.-Season 1:Sayid fixes the transceiver recovered from the cockpit, and leads a group into the jungle in order to send out a distress signal. Instead, he picks up a looping message . He tries to locate the...
, Shephard, Reyes, and Kwon (referring to either Sun or Jin). Several 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). He explains that 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; Sawyer agrees to leave with him.
Meanwhile, at the remains of the statue, Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson
Zuleikha Robinson
Zuleikha Robinson is an English actress, raised in Thailand and Malaysia by a Burmese-Indian mother and an English father. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, and best known for playing Ilana in the ABC show Lost.In 2006, she played a Bengali character called...
) and Ben discuss what happened to her companions; Ben tells her that the Man in Black killed them all, including Jacob. Ilana, who is visibly upset, takes some of the ashes of Jacob's body and informs Ben that the Man in Black is now "stuck" in the form of Locke. Outside, she tells the remaining group, Sun-Hwa Kwon (Yunjin Kim) and Frank Lapidus
Frank Lapidus
Frank J. Lapidus is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Jeff Fahey. Frank is introduced in the second episode of season four as a pilot hired on a mission to the island where Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. He aids the survivors of the crash against mercenary Martin Keamy ...
(Jeff Fahey
Jeff Fahey
Jeffrey David "Jeff" Fahey is an American film and television actor. He has portrayed Captain Frank Lapidus on the ABC series Lost and the title role of Deputy Marshal Winston MacBride on The Marshal.-Early life:...
) that they must travel to the temple for protection. Sun insists that they must first bury Locke's body and travel to the survivors' original graveyard to do so. They hold an impromptu funeral, where Ben delivers a short eulogy and apologizes for murdering Locke.
Reception
The episode has received positive reviews, with many citing it as the best of the first four episodes. Review tally website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
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. Chris Carbot of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
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. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised the episode and gave a perfect score. Todd VanDerWerff of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
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." Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
's Ryan McGee also praised the episode, calling the episode "impossibly good."
However, Ryan Maureen of Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
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."