"A Deadly Choice"

"A DEADLY CHOICE"

One of the most emotionally devastating episodes that aired on ABC's "LOST" (2004-2010) turned out to be the Season Six episode, (6.14) "The Candidate". The episode marked a final turning point in the saga's main narrative. More importantly, it featured the deaths of three main characters who had been with the series since the beginning. 

The fact that three long-standing characters met their deaths made "The Candidate" a topic of great debate by "LOST"fans. The fact that the three characters happened to be non-Western - Jin and Sun Kwon, along with Sayid Jarrah - added fuel to the episode's controversial nature. But the main controversy that emerged from "The Candidate" centered around a choice made by Jin Kwon. It was a choice that affected (off screen) his and Sun's young daughter back in South Korea, Ji-Yeon.

The end of the previous episode, (6.13) "The Last Recruit" saw the Kwons and other Losties prisoners of billionaire and former Other Charles Widmore on Hydra Island. Widmore called himself protecting the castaways from the Smoke Monster, now assuming the form of the late John Locke. However, the "Man in Black" recruited Jack Shephard and Sayid to rescue the castaways from Widmore and his followers in "The Candidate". The Losties made their way to the Ajira 316 airplane, where the "MIB" discovered explosives planted inside. Eager to leave the island, the castaways and the "MIB" decided to use Widmore's submarine to leave. At the same time, James "Sawyer" Ford conspired with Jack to prevent the "MIB" from leaving the island by instructing the latter to shove the Smoke Monster into the water. A gun battle between the Losties and Widmore's people exploded near the submarine. Jack shoved the Smoke Monster into the water and Kate got shot. The rest of the castways - aside from Claire Littleton boarded the submarine. Jack carried the wounded Kate aboard. While searching for something to treat her inside his backpack, Jack found a bomb planted by the "MIB". He tried to convince Sawyer and Sayid not to pull the wires, explaining that the Smoke Monster wanted them to do exactly that so they would kill each other. But Sawyer refused to believe Jack and pulled the wires.

Before the bomb exploded, Sayid grabbed it and ran into another chamber in order to prevent the other castaways from experiencing the initial blast. The explosion loosened a door that knocked pilot Frank Lapidus unconscious. It also put a hole in the side of the submarine, which allowed Frank to float to the water's surface. More importantly, the explosion loosened heavy debris that trapped Sun into a corner. Jin, Jack and Sawyer tried to free Sun with no success. Jack ordered Hugo "Hurley" Reyes to take one of the air tanks inside the chamber and help the wounded Kate reach the ocean surface. After Hurley and Kate left the submarine, more debris loosened and knocked Sawyer unconscious. Jin told Jack to grab the remaining air tank and take Sawyer to the surface. Jack reluctantly followed Jin's suggestion, leaving the Kwons alone aboard the sinking submarine. And here is where viewers arrived at the controversial moment. Jin made several attempts to free Sun from the debris. When husband and wife realized his efforts were futile, Sun sadly suggested that Jin attempt to swim for the surface on his own. Recalling the three years he and Sun had spent apart, Jin refused to abandon his wife and insisted upon remaining by her side. Both of the Kwons remained together to the very end and drowned.

As I had earlier hinted, this scene had generated a good deal of controversy among "LOST" fans. Some fans were moved by the Kwons' fierce devotion to each other and determination to die together. Some complained over what they saw as a lack of originality about the Kwons' deaths, claiming that "LOST" not only provided Charlie Pace a similar death in Season Three's (3.22-3.23) "Through the Looking Glass", but also a more dramatic one. But many had issues over Jin's decision to die by his wife's side. They believed that he should have tried to swim for the surface and live in order to be with his and Sun's only child, Ji-Yeon. They believed that Jin had neglected his parental duties when he made the decision to remain by his wife's side. By making Ji-Yeon an orphan, Jin left his daughter in the hands of Sun's ruthless father, Mr. Paik. If I had to be honest, my sentiments regarding the Kwons' death seemed to match the first group. I was moved Jin's decision to remain at Sun's side. Part of my feelings were based upon my frustration toward the two seasons in which the couple were separated. But I also believe that Sun's parents would care for Ji-Yeon . . . and Jin would have never survived a swim to the surface.

Mr. Paik may have been a ruthless bastard, but I could never accuse him of being a lousy parent. Granted, he struck me as something of a disciplinarian. But Sun has never struck me as an ideal offspring, considering her penchant for lying and other flaky behavior - including an extramarital affair. The only true downside for Ji-Yeon - aside from being parted from her parents - is that I suspect she will never get to meet her paternal grandfather, Mr. Kwon. As for my allegation that Jin would have never survived a swim to the surface, I stand by it. If Jin had left Sun behind and accompanied Jack and the unconscious Sawyer to the surface, he probably would have survived, thanks to the remaining air tank in Jack's possession. But Jin continued his efforts to free Sun when Jack departed the submarine with Sawyer and the air tank. Without an air tank, Jin would not have survived. Even if he had managed to free Sun, they would not have survived the swim to the surface. Not without an air tank.

Many would point out Frank Lapidus' survival of the submarine's destruction as proof that Jin could have made it to the surface without an air tank. But the bomb blast had knocked Frank unconscious. Because he was in that state, his body did not offer any resistance and this allowed the water's currents to convey his body to the surface. Ana-Lucia Cortez had experienced something similar during the Oceanic 815 plane crash, three years earlier. When that plane broke apart in mid-air, a suitcase fell from one of the overhead compartments and knocked the former police officer out cold. The water's current carried her body close to the surface, before she eventually regained conscious.

Unlike Frank and Ana-Lucia, Jin was conscious. Unlike Jack, Sawyer, Hurley and Kate; he lacked the assistance of an air tank. I suppose that many can still accuse him of selfishly choosing Sun over a future with their daughter. But since Jin was conscious and lacked an air tank, he would have drowned before reaching the surface. And in the end, both he and Sun would have died anyway . . . only apart from each other and alone.