Dr. Linus

I read other people’s blogs about LOST. I am typically confused when I read the one at EW.com. Talk about someone taking it to another level! But I was please to see that Tuesday night he wrote that he could no longer get the blog out Tuesday night. He didn’t have enough time to process and absorb the episode and also talk it through with others. Hallelujah! If a highfalutin, online, PAID writer can’t get it done…I should get a pass! J No? Fine! I will try harder next week, I swear. Anyway, on with the show…

Summary

Great episode and confirmed several things that have been brought up these last few weeks. Of course any Ben centered episode is going to be spectacular, and it was! I also loved the little things like Sun’s joy at being reunited with Hurley and Jack. These people have formed strong connections over the last couple of years, originally based on a tragedy. I loved Hurley’s line to Jack in the Black Rock, “If you change your mind, I’ll be like a mile away!” Classic Hurley. I loved it that Jack called him on the fact that he was stalling about going back to the Temple. I think that was what was best about this episode. We got answers to direct questions. Even when Ben denied killing Jacob, he finally confessed and really explained why he did it. And even though Richard wasn’t direct with Jack about where he had been, he still revealed some key points a few moments later. Finally I loved that Miles called out Ben! I thought he was going to cover for him, but really, why should he? Miles was sent to the island to capture Ben for money and nothing between them had really changed since Miles spent the last 3 years in the 70’s. I thought it was great!

Connections

The big one was Alex being connected to Ben off the island in the alternate timeline. It was good to see her less jungle soot. Dr. Arzt is a teacher at the school with Ben. He is in the same episode where Richard is trying to blow himself up with dynamite and Dr. Arzt did blow himself up on the island with dynamite. Next to Booty Babes (must have been Michael’s! Actually it was Sawyer’s), Ben finds a book called The Chosen by Chaim Potok. The book is about 2 Jewish boys growing up in the 40’s in Brooklyn. The book’s main themes center around friendship and the importance of father/son relationships. Ben was lecturing about Napoleon and his exile, which is a parallel to Ben’s exile from the island. Ben helped his father with his oxygen tank (notice close up) and in the other timeline, he killed his father with poison gas. Miles is looking at one of the 8 million in diamonds that were buried with Paolo and Nikki, a numbers reference.


Questions

Richard – We have confirmation that the lives of those Jacob touches are changed. It seems as though for the candidates, that touch caused their lives to go wrong. But with Richard and Ilana, they found purpose. We knew that they couldn’t kill themselves unless they were done with their task because Michael couldn’t die until he helped on the ship. Jack couldn’t kill himself either on the bridge. I’m glad that Jack now seems to believe he is there for a reason. If there are 6 candidates left, who are Richard and Ilana protecting them from? How will the candidate be selected? And by whom? It seems as though Richard and Ilana will continue to protect the new Jacob, but to what end? This makes me further believe that the alternate timeline we are seeing is the end of the show. I can’t see Richard on the island forever now even though he will see this part through.

Widmore – Seeing him really messes with my theory! I always thought it was fate against free will or good against evil. Widmore is a 3rd component and I am not sure how he fits in. I don’t think he is on either side! Widmore found the island and sent the mercenaries in first to get Benjamin Linus. Why was it important to get Ben, now that we now its really Jacob and SM Locke running things? He doesn’t get Ben and Ben threatens him because he was blaming Widmore for the death of his daughter. Ben goes back to the island and now Widmore is coming there by sub. What changed? Will he band with SM Locke? Since Ben never saw Jacob, did Widmore? Did Widmore ever see SM Locke? I am totally out of ideas on this front. If he wants to control the island, who does he serve? OR is he there to destroy it?

SM Locke – With Jacob gone, why doesn’t SM Locke just lead the island? Let’s say he was being held prisoner there as the alternative force as long as Jacob was there. With Jacob gone, he can now leave, however he must find his replacement and Jacob is selecting his. I believe he has to leave before Jacob’s replacement is in place or else he is stuck there. With Ben staying with Ilana, who will take his place? He has tricked Sawyer, Claire and Sayid to follow him, but why? Am I looking to closely? Again back to Widmore, will SM Locke choose him to lead the island?

LAX – Off the island, Ben seems to have learned his lesson. He puts Alex first this time around in front of his own desire to feel important and to have control. He also has a healthy relationship with both Alex and with his father. He is still a sad man, but his life seems better than it was on the island. If his father took Ben off the island, was it right before the blast when they were loading people onto the submarine to the mainland? They obviously never heard from Dharma again because he was sorry they hadn’t stayed and must not know that its underwater. The timeline is making my head hurt. But if they were on the island, he had to have left before he was shot by Sayid and taken to the Temple because that was what caused his change (or at least that was what was implied). So could it be that Jughead exploded and it caused changes in history? Much like Back to the Future, Marty’s dad was a Science Fiction author due to his contact with his dad in the past.

I would have LOVED it if Walt had been a student in Ben’s class!!! Oh well.

Conclusion

I am going to say that this was the best episode this season so far. I have loved Benjamin Linus since he was pretending to be Henry Gale. I think Michael Emerson should get an Emmy for his performance as Ben and I hope that he is going to stay sincere. I didn’t catch the previews for next week but I am sure we will get back to the hydro station. I read somewhere that lots of people had this episode spoiled because they saw the actress who played Alex and the actor who played Widmore during the opening credits (SAG rules). I don’t know their real names so it wasn’t spoiled for me. But it would of if I saw Ana Lucia, Michael or Libby’s actor name. Although I know they are coming back, its much better to be surprised during the actual episode. So watch out for that. Please feel free to comment on anything mentioned in this blog or anything you want. Your opinions are always welcome! Take care, be safe, until next week….c-ya!