About Last Night: Lost but Not Forgotten

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Lost, "The Candidate"

When the credits rolled on "The Candidate" last night, the first words out of my mouth—the only words out of my mouth—were: Did that just happen?

I mean, did it?

Sitting here, almost 24 hours later, I still can't quite wrap my head around what transpired on last night's episode. (Spoiler alert if you have yet to watch.) I knew going in that the stakes were high and getting higher—the much-hyped two-and-a-half-hour series finale airs in just a couple of short weeks—but I hadn't really considered what that meant until (seriously, spoiler alert) a makeshift bomb blew Sayid to pieces and flooded Widmore's sub, trapping Lost's most beloved duo, Jin and Sun, in a watery tomb—mere hours after their joyous reunion on the Island. I didn't expect the writers to let the twosome's happy occasion pass unspoiled—this is Lost, after all, not some J.Lo rom-com—but I had hoped that they'd at least allow us a grace period to revel in the lovers' recoupling before tearing the proverbial rug out from under us yet again. Crazy, I know. Suddenly I'm a romantic.

I get that Lost is just a show and Jin and Sun are just characters on that show, but my heart broke for them anyway. I even teared up a bit when Jin told Sun (in Korean) that he wasn't going to leave her—then or ever again. I mean, that's love, people. Stupid, irrational, against-all-odds love. It's not exactly great parenting though, is it? Did they forget they had a daughter? Who's going to care for her now that they're both 20,000 leagues under the sea? Is she going to stay with Sun's mother? Take her parents' place on the Island? There are SO MANY QUESTIONS. (Aaaand, I'm back.)

I think the part of the episode that really got to me last night was when Hurley and Jack broke down crying after making it back to shore and realizing they'd left three of their friends behind. Hurley's sobs upon hearing the news of their deaths were perhaps even more devastating than the deaths themselves. And Jack's face at the end, all twisted with grief and desperation, was like a punch in the gut after an already crippling fight. (Kudos to Jorge Garcia and Matthew Fox for their brilliant performances in that scene.) I can't even imagine what kind of emotional blows Team Darlton has in store for the May 23 finale. T-minus 18 days and counting.