This review may contain spoilers.

The final season of Lost has moved at a pretty plodding, uneven pace so far.

"The Substitute"moved the series in the right direction, however. This weeks entry in the "Lost" saga focused on John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), or should I say John Locke and "the smoke monster now bearing John Lockes likeness." It doesnt matter , whatever keeps Terry OQuinn on screen is good for Lost fans.

In the alternate timeline, John is engaged to Helen (Katy Segal) and ponders whether he should call Jack Shepherd (Matthew Fox) as he struggles with his paralysis. He loses his job when his boss discovers that Locke did not attend a conference in Sydney, Australia after all.

Locke later meets up with Hurley (Jorge Garcia) who happens to own the company. Hurley directs Locke to a temp agency that he owns to hook him up with a job. The temp agent is Rose (L. Scott Caldwell), who sends him to work as a substitute teacher at a high school. There, Locke meets Ben (Michael Emerson).

In the end, Locke, at least for the time being, accepts his fate and decides not to call Jack. With the loving support of Helen, Locke has seemingly found happiness, though it is likely to be short-lived.
On the island, the Locke-monster, apparently is recruiting people, apparently as substitutes for Jacob. That leads Locke to Sawyer (Josh Holloway) who knows that this isnt the real Locke, but follows him anyway. Ultimately, they reach a cave in which Locke gives Sawyer three choices. Though he tells Sawyer he has been manipulated his whole life, that doesnt stop him from doing the exact same thing here. Sawyer, predictably, chooses to get off the island.

While this was a very good episode, it doesnt rank among the best the series has had to offer. It was, however, a vast improvement over last weeks What Kate Does and it ranks as the best episode, so far, of the final season.

What Worked

So, the most morally ambiguous, deceitful, murderous character in the series, Ben would be a high school teacher if fate hadnt intervened. Not a ruthless lawyer, criminal mastermind, or a sports agent, but a teacher. I loved how Ben whined about the coffee maker. Priceless. The only way this scene could have been improved is if Arnst had been teaching at the same school. Similarly, seeing Rose Hurley and Locke all tied together, showed just how strongly the fates of these characters are connected.

The title, The Substitute, could have multiple meanings. The most obvious is that Lock is a substitute teacher. The smoke monster is a substitute for Locke, and Sawyer may be a substitute for Jacob. Or, more importantly, it could refer to the new timeline as a substitute for the old one.

This episode contained a lot of small details that only Lost fans can appreciate. I loved the reference to Of Mice and Men which, if I recall correctly, was referenced on the show before. And Hurleys lottery numbers were affixed to the names of the passengers written on the cave ceiling.

Best line of the night goes to Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey). After burying Lockes body, and a disturbing eulogy by Ben, Frank turned his head, scooped up a shovelful of dirt, and muttered, "This is the weirdest damn funeral I've ever been to".

What Didnt Work

The pace of this season has been quite slow. They do have quite a few stories to tell, but it would be nice if they could pick up the pace a bit.

What was the point of throwing in another mysterious, seemingly pointless character into the mix with the creepy child that Locke and Ben could see? Enough with the mythology already. This may turn out to be important, but right now, it just seems like a dumb trick this series has already overused. Answer questions and tie up loose ends—dont throw junk like this at viewers.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

The Substitute was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Melinda Hsu Taylor. It was directed by Tucker Gates. Lost stars Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Terry OQuinn, Josh Holloway, Jorge Garcia, and Michael Emerson.

"Lost" airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.