Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Lost, Ep. 20: The Man Behind the Curtain
WHAT… was THAT?! Whoa… there was so much going on in this episode I don’t even know where to start…

Ben’s flashback revealed that he was NOT born on the island, contrary to what he’s told us; he was actually part of the Dharma Initiative; his father was Roger Workman/Skeletor; he was responsible for the massacre of the Initiative; he chose to be an Other.

We know that last week when Juliet and Jack were discussing whether or not to tell Kate it was that Jack knows what Juliet was doing, and apparently decided to keep it to himself. Good man, good man. He didn’t tell them because he “hadn’t decided what to do about it yet.” Ah, awesome. Again with Jack and his God Complex making the decisions for EVERYONE. And apparently Jack’s ass-ishness is rubbing off on Kate, who was totally annoying when talking to Sayid.

Children’s book references:
Alice in Wonderland: It’s a favourite book among the writers (and me!) and in this one, young Ben uses a white rabbit, allowing it to hop into “Wonderland” and he follows it down the rabbit hole to a completely bizarre world where the dead talk to him, and people don’t age.

The Wizard of Oz: As in the book and movie, there’s a suggestion that there is no wizard, and in fact Ben is the little man behind the curtain keeping up the ruse that there really is a wizard, when in fact he’s pulling all the strings. It’s interesting that he originally came to the Lostaways by claiming to have landed on the island in a balloon. During that whole scene in Jacob’s cabin, I could almost see Ben as the little man from the film version of the book, spinning his wheels and hitting the knobs, yelling into the microphone. Ben’s mother’s name is Emily. Interestingly, that was Dorothy’s aunt’s name in Wizard of Oz. Her uncle’s name was Henry Gale.

The Emperor’s New Clothes: In this children’s story (which is one of my daughter’s favourites) two conmen come to town and say they will make the emperor a suit of clothes so exquisite that it will only be seen by intelligent people who are good at their jobs, and any stupid person who doesn’t deserve their post won’t see the clothes. The emperor sends his people to go and see how the clothes are coming along, and the conmen hold up nothing and claim it’s a beautiful outfit, and the emperor’s politicians, thinking they’ll be labeled stupid, marvel at the beauty of the clothes, until the emperor, who similarly can’t see them and is similarly worried, parades through the streets naked. It takes a small child pointing at him and saying, “But he’s not wearing any clothes!” to show him how stupid he’s really been. In the scene where Ben is talking to what appears to be an empty chair, Locke must have felt like the emperor, but rather than fall for it, he’s immediately seen through what he believes is a ruse.

Interesting Casting:
-The actress who was playing Ben’s mother is Carrie Preston, who in real life is Michael Emerson’s wife. It doesn’t get much more Freudian than THAT. (While Emerson had rarely seen the show before getting the part of Henry Gale, Preston was a massive fan of the show… imagine how odd that would be to be a big fangirl about a show and then your husband ends up one of the main characters. Weirdness.)
-the guy who plays the man in the car who takes Ben’s dad to the island is Brian Hutchison, who I remember as the slimy little guard in “The Green Mile” who is pure evil. He was also on Party of Five with Matthew Fox.
-his wife Olivia is played by Samantha Mathis, who’s appeared in several movies. I remember her best in the early 90s as the girl who was dating River Phoenix right before he died, and the black-haired girlfriend of Christian Slater in Pump up the Volume (one of my all-time fave movies).

Did You Notice?:
-when Roger runs out of the woods carrying Emily, you see a sign that they’re just outside Portland, which is the place Richard claimed to Juliet that she’d be going in “Not in Portland”
-Ben says he’s the only one Jacob talks to. It makes him sound like a prophet.
-Ben seems to get really angry when Locke suggests Richard could take him to Jacob.
-when Ben offers Locke a scotch, Locke just stares at it. I wonder if the last time he was offered a scotch was just before his dad threw him out a window?
-the way they introduce new Dharma people is very Fantasy Island.
-the little girl’s name is Annie. This is the same name Kate used when she was living with Ray in Australia (the man who turned her in).
-Mikhail tells Ben that the pilot’s boat is 160km off the shore
-uh… add Ben to the ever-expanding list of people on the island with serious Daddy Issues.
-how awesome is Michael Emerson for having a scene of dialogue with someone who isn’t there? I love this actor.
-Everything begins moving in the room, and then Ben grabs the chair and tells Jacob to stop, he’s thrown across the room, and the camera pans back to the chair, and there’s Jacob!! I actually didn’t see him until the second time I watched it, and I seriously screamed, paused the scene, and he’s sitting in the chair (it was like I’d seen a ghost, which is why I screamed), but it’s like a split-second where Locke spots him. He’s CREEPY, and kinda looks like Pickett, whom Juliet shot. Go back and look if you missed it.
-there seems to be a caste system in Dharma; if your father was a work man, then so will you be.
-when Ben takes his father out in the VW van, he’s playing Shambala, the song that was playing when Hurley got the thing going again.
-in “The Man from Tallahassee,” Ben asks Locke what it was like knowing his father was trying to kill him. Now we know he was asking because he was interested in what must have been running through his dad’s head when he killed him.
-Ben knew the Others were going to wipe out Dharma, but instead of stalling Daddy and keeping him there, he needed to do it himself. Clearly he has some sort of code where he needed to do his own thing… hence why it was so important to him that Locke kill his father, too. He believes that a father who is that emotionally abusive to his child deserves to be killed at the hands of his own son.

Questions:
-it’s Ben’s birthday. It’s approximately a month since Ben told Jack it was November 29th. Could it be December 25? Is it possible Ben was born on Christmas?
-Why does everyone look at Ben like he’s a traitor when Locke says he’s taking him to Jacob? Has everyone else wanted to go and he’s refused? Or are they pissed that Ben is taking one of THEM to see him?
-why does Alex give Ben a gun to see Jacob? Has she been to see the wizard, too?
-how do the Hostiles infiltrate the Dharma camp all the time if there’s a sonic fence? Why does Ben think that Dharma is the threat when he’s seen the way the “hostiles” keep invading their territory?
-what was that path of weird grey sand-like substance that Ben and Locke crossed? Was it a line that Ben’s been told NOT to cross?
-Ben clearly has a thing for bunnies that he carries around in his shoulder bag. Is this the great-grandbunny of the one he painted the 8 on?
-uh… how is it that when Ben was like 12 or something, he runs into RICHARD in the jungle, looking exactly as he does now. If Richard is in his 30s there, and Ben’s in his 40s now, that makes Richard in his 60s now, which ain’t possible. Is this just a very ill-conceived suspension of disbelief (like, are the writers suggesting Richard is 18 or something?) or is there something about the Others that slows down their aging?
-How did Richard know Ben’s name?
-just before Ben and Locke walk into Jacob’s cabin, you hear a man scream far away. Who was that? (Please let them be torturing Jack on the beach…)
-what were the liquids in jars on the ledge in the cabin?
-what kind of Psycho/Firestarter/Carrie voodoo craziness was going on in Jacob’s cabin?? Yikes.
-did Jacob really say Help Me to Ben, or was Ben somehow throwing his voice? If it was Jacob, what did he mean?
-Is Ben like the kid in Sixth Sense, and can see dead people? Who the heck was in that chair?
-what happened to Annie? Was she one of the casualties in the gassing or was she already dead? If she was killed ahead of time it would help explain Ben’s hostility to Dharma.
-what sort of chemical warfare did the Others launch against Dharma?
-why were the Dharma casualties left in an open grave like that? They clearly didn’t come back to life...
-OMG, are they going to kill Locke???????? When I ran a poll a couple of weeks ago, no one chose Locke as the one they thought would go next. How many people out there GASPED out loud when it happened?? WOW.

Nitpicks: It’s a LONG trek from the beach to Otherville, as we saw when Kate, Sayid, et al did it. Hurley finds the VW bus close to the beach, yet Ben somehow left it there and did a full-day trek in less than an hour back to Otherville? Maybe he moved the bus later.

Next week: Um… it’s called Greatest Hits, so I’ll hazard a guess that it’s Charlie. (CTV no longer shows the previews for next week.) Will Charlie find Locke?

23 comments:

Chris in NF said...

You're unreal. I could swear I just turned off the closing credits of Lost, and here's your having-watched-it-twice recap.

You're one of the Heroes, aren't you? With either the ability to stop time, type at Mach 5, and/or a TiVO right IN YOUR BRAIN? In which case, shouldn't you be out fighting evil or something? ;-)

Crissy Calhoun said...

WTF on this episode. What I found weird was how Richard asked Little Ben if his mum died on the island or not. As if to suggest if she died on island, she wouldn't appear but if she died off-island, then she could be there. I dunno. Coool and confusing.

Locke rocked this episode. He was all cool and badass and eating his mango: that's the Locke I love.

The ABC preview looked like it was a Charlie episode. Desmond says something awesome to him like "No really, you're really gonna die this time. Brutha." Fingers crossed that Jacob intervenes and switches Charlie for Locke.

Justin Mohareb said...

Remember, Ben asked Richard if he remembered what it was like to have a birthday. Richard is very long lived.

Neat episode, but I don't think I know any more now than I did a couple hours ago.

Anonymous said...

All I can say is woah.

I have another question to add: Is Jacob connected to Smokey? Or any of the other weird happenings on the island?

Here's another one. Is Jacob 0really Peter Petrelli. He has the powers of invisibiliy and telekinesis afterall. Think about it!

Anonymous said...

Also, I want to point out a key point to this episode. It confirms that it is posible to leave the island.

Richard was on-island 30 years ago, but he was off-island when they recruited Juliet. So (at least before the hatch imploded) the Others could come and go from the island.

My guess is Richard brought Cooper with him when he returned to the island.

Anonymous said...

I hate that CTV doesn't have the previews for next week's episode. Had to wait 2 hours to watch the ABC show to see the previews. Who is DS? Desmond?

Richard knew Ben's name because he asked what his name was and ben told him.

Anonymous said...

Do the washrooms in the hatches use chemical toilets or indoor plumbing? Cause when Tooms is a member of Dharma... I know he was in Green Mile, but he'll always be creepy stretchy X-Files guy to me.

Samantha Mathis was on Harsh Realm with - Terry O'Quinn.

I wonder if any of the Others that were with Richard have normal lifespans - or are, in fact, alive. Maybe they're the survivors of the Black Rock.

I'm not so worried about Locke. He heals real good.

Is Jacob trapped in another dimension? Stuck between worlds?

On a scale of one to crazy, how crazy is Ben? Eleven?

I thought for a minute that the whispery voices are a side effect of the sonic barrier, but they're louder out in the jungle.

Is this show about science vs the supernatural? Is it like having The Intitiative (Dharma) against the Hellmouth? (the Island)

Anonymous said...

Amsted, agree 100% with you, I hate CTV for not having previews, even when they had them they were terrible compared to the ABC ones.

What a totally confusing, yet exhilarating episode. There is so much I don't understand.

First of all, Locke can't possibly be dead, can he? I heard the producers say that the season finale is about the Losties against the Others but also Jack against Locke. I think a lot of fans would be royally pissed off if they killed him off, me included.

The whole Richard thing not aging really bothered me. I hope that it is part of the storyline with the island and anti-aging and not to expect us to believe Richard looks younger now than he did 30 years ago. How old is Ben supposed to be now, 40?

Did they jump the shark with Jacob? I loved the scene when Ben and Locke went into the cabin but was WTF??? when it was an invisible entity. Are they going a little too weird and supernatural with this storyline? I actually expected someone we'd already met to be Jacob. Wouldn't it have been cool if it was Boone or Mr. Eko??? Or even Rousseau! That would have been an awesome twist.

What were Ben's motivations for killing off Dharma? He was pretty cold killing off his dad. I didn't realize birthdays were so important LOL. And how does Mikhail fit into all this? If he is the "last surviving member of Dharma" where was he during this massacre?

I really hope they do a twist next week with Charlie. They have telegraphed his death for weeks now. It would be disappointing for him to be the obvious one to die.

Kill Jack! I hate his God complex, it is getting really irritating. I really wonder who is getting killed off in this massacre. I heard from TVguide that up to 7 people get killed in the finale.

Anonymous said...

May I say, I love PVRs. My wife and I rewound the scene in the cabin and I could swear Jacob was the same guy who hired Ben's father (and helped give birth to him).

Obviously, Ben had a lot of respect for that man (whose name escapes me), because when he came back after arranging for all their deaths, his was the only eyes Ben chose to close.

Now, let's get all religious here. If Ben views this guy as his "true" father (as shown by the fact that this guy took an interest in Ben when he came to the island, was a better father than his drunk, Ben-blaming bio-dad, and was actually present at his birth), and if Ben views himself as a "son" of this God, then the fact that only Locke can hear him means that Locke could be a Messiah-type.

So, playing the role of Judas in this multi-act play, Ben shoots Locke, leaves him to die. And, Messiah-like, he'll probably rise from the grave (maybe in three days -- unfortunately they've already used up the moving the rock motif earlier) to come back as the true Messiah, thereby threatening Ben's place.

So, one wannabe God, one Messiah, and one God complex... that's a whole lot for one little island

Anonymous said...

By the way, I hope you don't mind Nikki, here is the You Tube link for fellow fans regarding Jacob (slowed down). I have to admit, I watched it twice (once on CTV and again on ABC) and didn't see him, it was too fast for me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=479HkrFTZiI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Flosteastereggs%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F

The Chapati Kid said...

Oh man. I was watching it with my dad, and he's NEVER seen an episode of Lost before, and he was HOOKED. At the second to last episode of Season 3!

I totally agree with Calhoun. This was a shining moment for me as a Locke fan, because they've made him out to be such a twit all season that this episode just brang (thanks Jaslene) back ALL the Locke goodness we seem to have missed this season. I HEART Locke next to Sawyer. And the shooting scene absolutely floored me. I knew no good was going to happen when Locke knelt down right by the edge of the grave, but I did NOT expect that. I hope Alex comes and saves him. Or Rousseau even. Then Rousseau can nurse Locke back to health, and they totally fall in love, and...

Jack gets killed. I hope. Next week is definitely a Charlie week. Sawyer is the only one who stands up to Jack. And yes, I so despise the way JACK decides for everyone. Wow, talk about a Lord of the Flies situation. I would be so pissed off -- and I love the way the Losties are just stripped of their personal power when Jack comes around. It's both annoying and brilliantly done.

Up to 7 people die?!? Well, I suppose it could make sense, given that Jack has decided to declare all-out war against the Others. Commander Jack. (Bunghole.)

Oh man. I still can't believe how brilliant this episode was. Yes, there was a lot going on, but I loved the way it's building up to the season finale. "Lost" has never been a show to watch passively, so it's really in keeping with the plot to throw a whole bunch of information at audiences and get them really jazzed for the next two episodes.

This is totally a science-faith story. I don't believe we're EVER going to get answers fully, because it appears to me that the premise of this show is that everything that can be explained by faith can also be explained by science, and vice versa. That's why the producers say that there's a scientific explanation for everything (I think). Because there is. But there's also a faith-based explanation for everything, which they omit to say.

I love the way that the inane Hurley episode has now taken on so much greater significance after this Ben flashback. Remember how we all laughed with Hurley and Sawyer about "Roger the Work Man"? Shudder.

I totally saw Jacob. I loved the fact that Ben can't see him or hear him, but feels his presence, and gets jealous that Locke hears Jacob. And did you see how afraid he became when Locke told him that Jacob asked for help? I wonder what that is...

Finally, I love the whole morality of this episode. For sure, tons of Oedipal stuff. It was brilliant the way it made me feel so sorry for the put-upon child-Ben (wonderful acting on that kid's part), whose father blames him for his mother's death (what a guilt to live with). But we see so clearly how morally different Ben and Locke are. Ben kills his father for being neglectful and emotionally abusive, and Locke still can't kill his father, despite the horrific abuse he has taken.

Nikki Stafford said...

Chris: I CAN stop time. It's my special power as an illusionist. Or... maybe it has something to do with CTV playing it at 8pm EST in Toronto, so I can watch it two hours before the Americans. ;)

Crissy: One thing I was thinking when we saw Ben's mom walking around on the island (and Richard asking Ben if she'd died off the island) is, I wonder if this is the explanation for how Jack saw HIS dad wandering around the island? Though I'm still not convinced Christian is dead.

Justin: Good point. The idea of the Others not aging is very intriguing to me, and would explain why Ben still can. But if they don't age, does it mean they can't be killed? Is Ethan really dead? What about Klugh? Goodwin? (Goodwin looked pretty dead when they passed his body a couple of days later...)

Brian: Good question: Could Jacob be manipulating Old Smokey in some way?

Also, we already knew they could move back and forth between island and mainland. Not only were Ethan and Jacob recruiting Juliet, but Richard was the guy filming Juliet's sister in the park.

Amsted: Oops... I totally missed him asking his name! hahahaha. Duh.

Colleen: I completely forgot to address the whispers! In season 1 and 2 we assumed it was the Others, but what if it's the souls of the dead talking? If Ben's mom is really wandering around out there, who knows who else is there (we've seen Jack's dad and Kate's horse so far as the only 2 things from pre-island) and could that be the whispering? However, in season 2, the voices were referring to Ben as "Henry" when they were whispering, "Oh, no, they have Henry! Don't tell them anything, Henry?" Why would the dead, or the Others, be saying that? Hmm...

Roland: I don't think they've jumped the shark with Jacob; I mean, if we can accept a Eko-smashing, past-flashing, camera-toting smoke monster, then I can accept a guy who's there/not there. :)

As Colleen said, people heal on the island really quickly, and I think Locke will heal fast. And Jay's point about him rising like Christ is a very good one, because it's something they've been leading up to for some time.

Thanks for posting the youtube link!!

Jay: Awesome analysis, as usual (I usually don't do the religious stuff in my blogs because it takes a lot more time, and I've been mapping that out for the book instead). I definitely saw more of a connection between Locke and Horace, and he was the far more responsible "dad," even if it's his fault they're on the island at all. I was surprised, actually, that Locke didn't try to do something like pull him over to the Others before the slaughter so nothing would happen to him. But sacrifices had to be made, I suppose.

Having him as Jacob would be awesome. And it would add to the "caught between worlds" idea that Colleen suggested. I'd also love it to be Christian.

I've gone back and paused it again and again and the shape of the face is so much like Danny's I can't get him out of my mind (that would be a serious let-down) but then again, it could just be a stand-in for now so even the actors don't know who Jacob is. :)

Nikki Stafford said...

Chapatikid: I posted my response before yours appeared. :) What's this about 7 dying?? Was that in the preview? Man... talk about cleaning house. Maybe it's 6 extras and an Other and it'll amount to nothing (that would totally be in keeping with other misleading Lost previews).

I agree about Locke. I remember thinking they still haven't explained his whacked behaviour, and that's why they can't kill him. We need to know why he was acting this way.

What's most interesting to me about Locke's reaction in the room is that the science vs. faith argument lasted throughout season 2. Locke was the faith, who believed in something even if he couldn't see it. Jack needed scientific proof. Now, Locke refuses to believe that there's someone in the chair. What about all the Old Testament prophets who spoke directly to God? The people didn't think they were nutters, and believed that God really did have a conduit on Earth. Yet Locke refuses to believe that Ben, of all people, could be that conduit. Maybe Locke really is very religious and sees Ben as an unworthy prophet.

It makes us see the Ben/Locke situation in an entirely new light. Looking at it from a "Ben is jealous of Locke" point of view, suddenly everything takes on new meaning. That Ben destroyed the last of Locke's faith at the end of season 2 by making him believe in Ben completely and then betraying that trust. That Ben told him to kill his father, as if he needed to bring Locke down to his level.

However, this ALSO sheds a question on Richard. Last week I asked if Richard was acting on his own when he gave Locke that file, or if he was working for Ben. I think it was Brian who posted and said there's NO question he was working for Ben. But now I'm not so sure. Maybe everyone now sees Locke as the true Messiah and sees Ben as a charlatan. Notice no one helped when Locke was beating the bejesus out of Mikhail. If Ben needed Locke to kill Cooper to destroy his soul, it was Richard who offered him the way out.

Ben's position within the community has been threatened by Locke, and he needs to get rid of him.

Anonymous said...

Jay: I was going to post something about Locke "raising from the dead." Christ isn't the only one who's done this, although he is the best known in this part of the world. This is totally in keeping with Joe Cambell's Heroic Journey.

Nikki: Most likely Jacob is a stand-in at this point. Just like Sylar was at first on Heroes.

I still think Jacob is really Peter Petrelli btw. :-)

Jason Halm said...

Hi Niki - LONG time reader - first time poster. There have been many times that I have considered posting some theories that either you or others have consequently posted - but I was always afraid to create an account while at work - which is where I read your blog.

I'm not a very religious man, but that doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about Biblical text. There were quite a few things that jumped out at me which seemed to be an interesting mix of science and faith.

However, here goes... I thought that Jacob was another one of Ben's lies, but to login to your blog this morning and see the screen capture of someone sitting in the chair blew me away. I don't even know what to say about that - as I have been focusing on another aspect. Could this refer to Jacob's ladder - a prophet who dreamed that the spot he slept would become the chosen land? Is the island someone's "holyland?" If you go with another interpretation that the ladder is really Christ, is Jacob's request of Locke to help him a plea to a Christ-like figure - which would indicate that Ben is something opposite and equal to John Locke?

Let's talk Ben. I used to be fascinated with the Book of Revelation and a bit scared of it - had a few thoughts and really had to look around at quite to a few places on the web to verify, but could Ben/Henry be the Antichrist/The Beast? Could his birth in last night's episode be drawing comparison to Revelations Chapter 12 - specifically 12:5-6? She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God, and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.

It has occurred to me that Ben is very well-read - and probably has read the Bible, and he may think of himself of this child in Revelations - and his mother as the woman mentioned in Rev. 12:1. If that's the case - Ben knows that a battle must ensue with the Losties - at the very least would act as a sign to his people that he's meant to lead them.

This could be a true exploration of the question of: Did God create man, or did man create god? Right? Are these events really miracles, or are they concocted? What is the first thing that Rousseau says of Ben? Do not trust him. He lies! What is the most significant attribute of an antichrist - deception?

Those are some brainstorm thoughts that I need to dump onto the blog - discuss - and there's more to come.

Anonymous said...

Nikki: We have not evidence that Ethan was on the island before recruiting Juliet. This also the first direct evidence we have of Richard being there before.

Nikki Stafford said...

Jason: Welcome, and please, PLEASE keep posting! What a great first post. I shudder to think of all the theories you've had that we've missed out on. :)

I've already been digging into my biblical stuff and making separate notes today on it, and the Revelations verse you point out is brilliant and absolutely possible.

I do believe that Jacob is named after Jacob in the Old Testament -- the one who saw the ladder leading to Heaven with the angels standing on it. Jacob was the only person in the Bible that God said he loved, and he had 12 sons, the youngest being named Benjamin. Ben could also fancy himself a son of this man, in a sense. The writers have been very careful to never show Ben with a Bible of any kind, and it's probably just to mislead us into thinking he hasn't read it, but I'd bet he's memorized it.

What is brilliant about this show is that when we see a flashback, it allows us to sympathize with a character. Remember how much we hated Jin until we saw his flashback in season 1? How about Juliet in season 2, and how our feelings and sympathies immediately turned to her after not only seeing what she went through in Not in Portland, but how badly she wanted off the island in One of Us. So with a Ben episode, I assumed we'd finally be given a chance to sympathize with him and know a bit about this man and what makes him tick.

But the writers are treating Ben the same way they treated the Lostaways throughout the first 2 seasons. Just a snippet of info here, snippet there. Enough for us to feel for him -- he went through a hellish childhood, after all -- but still forcing us to ask so many questions that we're actually turning on him rather than sympathizing with him. He allowed dozens of people to be killed, and killed his own father by sitting there and watching him suffer and die. The stuff with Jacob shows that on the one hand, he's a prophet who can speak to him, but on the other, he's become arrogant about the fact. And he talks to Jacob NOT in a reverential tone, but as a father scolding a child and arguing with him. And then he shot Locke, presumably out of jealousy.

Hmm... you know, while just typing that it made me think, is THIS why Alex gave Locke the gun? Could this have happened before, that Ben took someone to see Jacob, and they heard him, and he killed them? It seems strange that she gave it to Locke with no explanation (and Ben was shooting daggers at her with his eyes).

Nikki Stafford said...

Brian: I have to disagree. Ethan talked about the submarine journey like he'd been on it many times. He told her it was bumpy, he helped her off the sub, he had absolutely been to the island before. As for Richard, you're right that this is the first evidence we've had that he's been there before, but in your previous post you'd said this was the first evidence we'd had that he comes and goes from the island, and I was just saying that no, he was off the island again in the One of Us flashback, filming her sister, and Ben said to him, "That's enough, Richard; I'll need you to hurry BACK," indicating he'd been to the island in the first place.

Anonymous said...

it’s Ben’s birthday. It’s approximately a month since Ben told Jack it was November 29th. Could it be December 25? Is it possible Ben was born on Christmas?

No. The current date, according to LostPedia, is around December 22nd or 23rd. The attack on the beach is said to happen on the 24th.

Anyway!! Wow. Wow wow wow. What a jerk-ass dad. "Sorry, its kind of hard to celebrate on the day you killed your mom." Ben, Locke, Jack, and Kate should all have a nice long therapy session. With Dr. Jacob, of course!!

...yeah. And when I saw Jacob in the chair (the first time through *pride*), I screamed and my mom just looked at me weird. So I had to rewind and show her. How spooky!!

Also, why did the Hostiles (Others) just.....LEAVE the Dharmas in the hole?? Didn't they bother to, I don't know, BURY them??? Truly odd.

j said...

all of this theory about Locke as some sort of prophet reminds me - when we met his (admittedly crazy) mother Emily, she said he was immaculately conceived - and wait, wasn't Ben's mother named Emily as well? weird...different actress i know, but couldn't there be something going on here? hmmm...

Anonymous said...

wow, great posts! I can't think of a thing to add to it!
loved it all!
And Nikki, great blog as always!
:0)
KatherineT

Nikki Stafford said...

Maddy: Thanks for the info on the dates... it's very hard to keep them straight, and I didn't go and check a timeline.

You're right; this island doesn't need a spinal surgeon or a fertility doctor so much as they need a therapist!!

And the open grave of Dharma casualties is baffling to me... unless again it has some religious significance; or maybe it was covered and has been dug up again (notice there was no grass on the sides). Ew.

j: I thought of the double Emily thing earlier this evening when I was working on a Locke section of the book, and you beat me to posting on it. :) And as for the immaculate conception, it's such a weird thing to have said that I know it's not for nothing. Is Locke a perversion of the Christ story?

Anonymous said...

My point was this that we now have direct evidence the Richard left the island. The comments made by Ben and Ethan could have been fabrications to give Juliet the impression that it was possible to leave the island. Seeing is believing and whatnot.