Ever since Ben was introduced to Lost in Season 2, his goodness and badness - his truest motives - have been in doubt. For the most part, he has seemed no good. He gassed all the Dharma people to death, and killed his father - who may have been a lousy, uncaring, brutal father - but, even so, young Ben killed him pretty coldly. And if Ben hasn't since then outrightly murdered too many other people, he has certainly all too often goaded and played games with their minds, to his benefit and their detriment.
Just a few weeks ago, in the powerful Sayid episode, we see Ben at the end perhaps standing up to and coordinating the fight against the real bad guys. Perhaps.
And tonight, although all uncertainties are by no means cleared up, we see Ben being pretty despicable.
Jealous of Juliet's love for Goodwin, Ben assigns him to infiltrate the Tailees after the crash, knowing the danger that posed to Goodwin. And, after Ana Lucia kills Goodwin, and Juliet asks Ben why he put Goodwin in such danger, Ben responds to Juliet that she belongs to Ben.
But that's in the past, and by no means the worst of Ben we see tonight. Because it seems that someone wants poison gas to be released all over the island. Dan and Charlotte rush to the facility - we think, at first, to release the gas. That's what we think, because Goodwin's wife comes to Juliet (in the present, on the island) and tells her Ben needs her to kill Dan and Charlotte before they release the gas.
But when Juliet gets to the facility, both swear they are trying to stop the gas from being released, not release it, and the equipment indeed seems about to release gas. Should we trust those two, especially after Charlotte has knocked Kate out cold with the back of a gun a little earlier in the jungle?
Well ... turns out we can. Because Dan completes his work, and no poison gas is released.
And just to make matters worse, Locke has released Ben back at the barracks, because Ben has revealed to Locke the identity of Ben's man on the boat. (We don't find this out. But it has to be either Michael, or a much older Walt.)
So ... Ben looks much more evil than he has in a while....
Assuming, of course, that the whole gas contraption wasn't some sort of ruse...
Gotta love this show.
See also...
Further Questions about Lost 4.4: Jack and Aaron, Kate and Sawyer
1. Lost's Back Full Paradoxical Blast 4.1 ... 4.2: Five Flashbacks and Three Rational Explanations ... 4.3: Thirty Minutes and Big Ben ... 4.4: Kate and ... ... 4.5 Desmond 1 and Desmond 2 ... 4.7 Flash Both Ways ... 4.8 Michael and Alex ... 4.9 Daughters, Rules, and Some Truth about Ben ... 4.10: Almost a Dream Come True ... 4.11 Unlocking Locke
and
2. More Thoughts On Lost 4.1: Those Who Went with Hurley and Those Who Stayed with Jack and Two More Points about Lost 4.1
special 5-minute podcast of this Lost review and analysis
The Plot to Save Socrates
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
more about The Plot to Save Socrates and its time travel ...
Read the first chapter of The Plot to Save Socrates .... FREE!
10 comments:
Dan and Charlotte may very well have been trying to release the gas, but when Kate showed up at the last minute and started ripping of their masks and possibly damaging Charlotte's suit in the struggle, Dan really had no choice but to turn off (and possibly neutralize) the gas.
Could be. But I'm more and more thinking that Dan is a good guy...
Me too, actually. BTW by "Kate", I meant "Juliette". :)
I know :)
For some reason, I frequently type Jack instead of Locke ...
Looks like Penny's dad has some Ben in him. It seems like his plans are "evil" but he's convincing good people that they are on the ride for noble purposes. A few episodes ago remember Naomi and the African (American?) man (who also showed up at Hurley's "asylum") were running down the list of who was going on the mission.. It seems, if one wants to remain at least a little optimistic about the boat people, that they think they are going to the island for research, and other noble-ish purposes.
Having said that I trust Dan but not Charolette
So, "Ben's insider" on the boat...you think Walt or Michael huh? No chance it is the hard to destruct Mikail(sp?)or maybe Sun's dad?(except I guess Locke has never seen him)
Maybe that FBI kid that Locke brought to the marijuana farm.... Ooooh the possibilities...I can hardly wait!
Hey White Bear Girl - you know, I've also been thinking that maybe Michael or an older Walt are too easy ...
If not them, if would still have to be someone very significant to Locke. Mikhail would do it - especially if Locke thinks that electric fence killed him. (I can't recall - does Locke know that Mikhail survived that?)
But maybe someone else who died - or we and Locke believed died - his father, Eko, who knows - maybe even Boone?
Should be fun to find out ...
Hello Paul,
I am having a problem with a couple of things in this episode. The scene with Juliet saying she was reading Shepards file and how Shepard could help Ben because he was a spinal surgeon. And then I remembered the scene from long ago where Juliet confronts Ben about his tumor, and she says "Ben, if you can cure cancer then why do you have it?"
How do both of these scenes make sense?
Denise in TX
Welcome to the Infinite Regress blog, Denise!
I think you've touched upon a very important inconsistency - or, at least, lack of clarity - that runs through Lost:
Some people experience amazing recuperative consequences from the island - Locke getting up and walking was the first and still one of the most amazing. But other people get hurt and die on the island - Boone is an early example.
So far, this difference in the impact of the island has yet to be explained. Ben clearly gets beaten up pretty badly, and, you're right, he needed a surgeon. But there has also been talk of Ben having some healing power...
I'm sure there will be a good explanation for this, somewhere down the line...
Make sure you come on back here when it appears on the show! :)
I think the dialogue re: Ben's curing cancer was in regards to Julliette's sister. He said he would or did cure her of cancer trying to use it as a bargaining chip for Julliette to do something (I forget what) Wasn't there even film of her playing on a playground with her little child? (But who knows how that could have been doctored)
Anyway, the point I am laboriously trying to make, is that the "island" would have had nothing to do with that cancer cure, as Juliette's sister stayed at home!
Ben's power, and outside world connections sure are a mystery
OK, the ads are saying, "Someone we never expected to see again" I'm starting to think Charlie!! (I have always expected to see Michael and Walter again hasn't everyone? Didn't Ben say something like 'let them sail around in circles who cares?')
Although Boone or Mr. Echo would be good too. Ahhhhh can't wait!
BTW, when Charlie saw Mikhail outside the window with the grenade, why couldn't he have hit the button he was suppose to hit and then slam the hatch shut from the little room? (except to fulfill Desmond's ever changing prophecy/ time travel of course)
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