As I've heard from many a Lost fan, this was one of the best episodes from this season yet. If you think about it nothing much actually happened in terms of action, but as a friend of mine pointed out, it was a very interesting character study for Ben.Something I found interesting was as soon as parallel-Locke suggested that Ben go for school principal, I wanted him to get it. Even though Ben is such a hateful character, there's still something that also makes him a sympathetic character where we can understand where he's coming from. We've known for a while that Ben's only moral weakness is children. He was sent to kill Danielle, but couldn't once he saw the baby Alex. He was determined to kill Widmore's daughter Penny, but couldn't when her son came up on the boat deck. It's really no surprise that in the parallel world, Ben is a devoted and great school teacher. Because of that, I wanted him to be principal...I knew he'd do a great job. BTW it took a few minutes, but I finally realized the science teacher was another Lostie! He was the dude that blew up from the dynamite (referenced by Hurley further into the show). That was a good throwback.
It was also interesting seeing Alex again, and finding out she was somehow destined to have a close relationship with Ben, one way or another. It was surprising finding out Ben and his father did go to the Island, but left for some reason, and seem to have a fairly healthy father-son relationship.
Poor Richard, man I feel bad for that guy. We found out he came to the Island off the ancient shipwreck and feels like his entire life, however many centuries it's been, has been a waste. We also know for sure Jack has a purpose there because it seems he CAN'T die. His reunion with Sun at the end was a warm and fuzzy moment, I forgot they hadn't seen each other in quite some time since she didn't go back to the 70s with him. I also liked how Ilana forgave Ben and accepted him back with her group. I found the photo above quit stirring seeing him look like such an empty shell of a man, given how much power he used to have.
So Widmore's just off the coast...what do you think he's doing there??
5 comments:
I think Widmore realized the Guam crash (I assume it was in the news or got to him through his info sources) was Ben returning to the island and used it as a way to find the island so could finally return there to regain power. Once he gets there, he will be surprised by the death of Jacob but quickly take advantage of the situation and trade with unLocke for power on the island for a way for unLocke and his disciples to get off the island (on Widmore's sub).
I think there is another important idea and question that comes from this episode. So we finally have the answer that, yes, Richard is immortal because Jacob gave him his immortality by touching him. Well, he's not immortal. Someone else can kill him, he just can't age or die from his own hand. So does that mean all the other candidates touched by Jack are semi-mortal? Is this what happened to Michael back when he was off the island trying to kill himself? Would he have never aged? Why didn't Kate and Sawyer stay kids forever? They were touched as children. Does this aging just stop in their late 30s? I propose a new line of wrinkle reducing creams called "Touched by Jacob". It'll be all the rage (amongst Losties).
(Sorry to keep leaving these as separate comments, but I keep thinking of separate things)
And to me the parallel universe is pretty much just there to show us more about the character about these people and give clues about what happened in the actual universe. So, this Dr. Linus parallel universe may say some things about what happened with the bomb. Ben and his Dad still went to the island which was pre-bomb. Then the bomb likely didn't affect anything pre-bomb is what this episode is saying. Maybe then the bomb went off and Ben's Dad said, "Hmm, my son was shot and an atomic bomb just went off; maybe we better go."
And why would Rousseau have ended up struggling working multiple jobs in Los Angeles and raised her kid there? Wasn't she a French researcher? She couldn't at least get a job at a university? This does not bode well for myself and my fellow researchers...
Wow that's a great point David, maybe that IS why Michael couldn't kill himself! I had forgotten about that completely. But you're right, why would the kids have aged if they were also given "the gift" that Richard was? It makes sense that Widmore could be the "someone" who Jacob told Hurley was trying to find the Island.
I just came online at 3 AM to make that point.
I must highly recommend going back and revisiting the last two episode of season 5: "The Incident - Part 1 (& 2)"
A. The writers of this show are very, very cruel to have left us hanging with all the wildness in the air - John is not-John, Jacob is murdered by Ben, Sawyer is in emotional collapse from losing Juliette who was at the bottom of the pit clanging on the nuclear core of a bomb with a rock, and bang - white - see ya in 6 months.
Go back and watch how Jacob very subtly touched each Lostie as he visited them at some point in their lives. Watch Ben's desperation as he realizes he has lost everything just as he explained it in this most current episode.
Regarding that, it has been three days since this eppisode aired, and I am still reeling from the raw, heart-breaking emotion from one of the most power scenes I have ever seen on TV as Ben made his full confession, desperate for some form of redemption.
In some ways, he's an even better character than Alias's Sloane because he doesn't rapidly fluctuate from good to evil and back again. The transitions are too difficult for Ben. He's relate-able because we all, as humans beings, have those sides to us that we fight every single day, and we all have the things in our lives we cannot take back that happened through our own weakness.
I just cannot get over this episode. It was better than the best of this season. It has to be within the top three of the series, if not the best.
-R.
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