Because Ryan is a slacker, this week’s blog post is by Jen! — I have to admit; I am now very, very nervous. We’re in the last four hours of season three, and in this episode, we encounter an invisible man and another man who appears not to age. We see Ben’sd ead mother, somewhat confirming that Christian Shepherd’s reappearance on the island was not a figment of his son’s imagination. I’m wondering where all this is going.
The Others are much scarier and more threatening than I could have imagined and the survivors’ distrust of each other and lack of communication skills will certainly be their undoing. Jack, the de facto leader of the survivors, is the world’s biggest rube. The fact that such a spineless nitwit is a doctor, let alone that everyone seems to look up to him, is frightening.
Locke is some sort of Messiah. At least, Ben thinks Locke is some sort of Messiah. This scares and angers him. We see that Ben was a sneaky, sadistic S.O.B. from the very beginning, so what he does to Locke at the end of “The Man Behind the Curtain” is shocking, but not surprising. We found out a lot about Ben in this episode, but there’s certainly way more where that come from. Despite what he and Mikhail say, Ben is the most powerful man on the island, at least for now. He feels his power slipping and is resorting to some pretty drastic measures. I still think, despite what went on in Jacob’s cabin, that Ben is pretending to be under the sway of Jacob, whoever he is, and is using Jacob to intimidate his minions.
Few things on TV scare me. That one episode of The X-Files with the malformed lady under the bed made me sleep with the lights on for a week, and just the mention of Bob on Twin Peaks can still send chills up my spine. Other than that, I considered myself relatively scare-proof. Until the Jacob sequence in this episode. That was the scariest moment in the whole series so far. I don’t know who that figure is in the stills making their way ’round the net, but I’m too chicken to figure it out. I got the impression that nobody besides Ben had ever laid eyes on Jacob. The expressions on Tom and Alpert’s faces upon hearing about Locke’s impending visit make me wonder if they doubt Jacob’s existence, too.
Ben’s own daughter seems suspicious of his motives. Has she caught on? Why would Locke need a gun for a visit to someone who has previously been described as a loving, benevolent leader? I think she’s got his number, but how?
Where has Danielle been, anyway, besides looking for dynamite?
A volcano is coming into play. I don’t think the volcano is as dormant as Olivia tells the children it is. The ring of powder around Jacob’s house looks like ash.
Speaking of Alpert, he’s been on that island for quite a while. He asks Ben, “Do you remember birthdays?” — as if he’d stopped keeping track of them long ago. Why does Ben age, but not Alpert? I find it interesting that it seems as if Ben has become his superior.
Who is this Horace character? Is he Gerald De Groot? Horace Goodspeed sounds like an alias to me. Was De Groot in trouble with the law?
So Ben’s mom dies in childbirth, seven months into her pregnancy, much like the rest of the pregnant women under his watch on the island. I don’t know about you guys, but the whole baby/fertility subplot gives me the willies. I really hope Kate is not, in fact, pregnant.
Notes and Notions:
- Shut up, Kate. Sayid has more on the ball than you and everybody else in your camp combined, so stop talking to him like a child.
- Locke has got a bad, bad temper. Terry O’ Quinn plays Locke with such a great combination of hapless pathos, magical wisdom, and rage. We’ve been raving about Elizabeth Mitchell and Michael Emerson all season, but Terry can still blow me away, too.
- I still get a kick out of the fact that everyone on the island has either a dead parent or an evil parent or both. It’s like a big Disney movie, times fifty. I like to think it’s Damon and Carlton’s way of sticking it to the bosses at ABC. But it probably isn’t.
- How can Uncle Rico be so mean? No, Uncle Rico! Take that back!
- Like Kate, Ben kills his own father. Locke tells Kate in “Left Behind” that “they” don’t approve of what she’s done. Considering what Ben did to his old man and what ultimately happens to his body, Kate’s murder of her dad doesn’t seem like the kind of thing they should be concerned about. So what is this really all about?
- “The Man Behind the Curtain” discussions at TheFuselage.com, Lost-Forum.com, and Pop Candy
Just a couple quick observations.
Another Lost site showed caps of the Jacob shack and I thought I saw a floating dark spot in the chair right before Jacob appeared and it seemeed to be confirmed by the screen cap. Is Jacob tied in with Smoky?
I loved seeing Uncle Rico in the episode. I couldn’t stop thinking about him flinging that steak though lol.
I was glad to see a tie-in that made the infamous throw away episode about the micro bus have more relevance. Little did we know when Sawyer and Hurley were rummaging through it we were really seeing the dead body of Ben’s murdered father.
Could Jacob actually be Desmond, not Locke? Desmond seems to be the one caught in the time loop, not Locke.
Another great episode in what is turning out to be another strong season of Lost.
Didn’t see any children dead in the compound after the “purge”. Nor any child-sized skeletons in the pit. Did the Others/Hostiles spare the Dharma kids for some reason?
In response to a previous post about yelling at the tele.
I was screaming at the TV last night when Locke beat the living daylights out of Mikhail. I also let out a huge gasp when Locke was shot by Ben.
I think Locke will be back….. Remember he was bitten on the hand by his dad. It healed instantly.
Ben is a very creepy dude who doesn’t show any remorse. His seems like a natural born killer.
Overall, this show is driving my wife and I crazy. We haven’t been so attached to one tv show since the the Xfiles left the airwaves.
Locke won me back when he whipped Patchy’s ass! Now he’s dead. Maybe.
In no way at this point do I think little Annie ( island orphan? ) is Danielle. Danielle wanted to kill Ben when she had caught him in her trap. I think if she wanted to do that b/c of the past she would have just done it and not brought him to the camp to become Benry.
I think Locke has showed other people “Jacob” before. People who he said Jacob had summoned through him. ( People making a power-play would be my guess ) I think that would account for any gunshot wounds on the pit skeletons. I’m sure most were the gas victims, but since Alex so boldy warned Locke and gave him a gun it seems to me to say : “When Ben takes someone to Jacob, or the man behind the curtain ( spirit / pirate / smokey / Noman Bate’s mother…whatever it turns out to be ) we never hear from them again”.
Oops – Ben has showed….my head nuckinhurts
I bet its magnus hanso and the original others born on the island are the desendents of the black rock, it would explain their shabby clothing and per a previous comment jacob wearing a white powder wig in colonial clothes and also why the black smoke is mainly based in the dark territory where the black rock is.
One of the most brilliant aspects of this show is their attention to detail when coming up with names. I tried to figure out why they chose Roger and Emily. Could Roger allude to the “Jolly Roger?” It makes sense with the skeleton. Emily could be another reference to the Wizard of Oz. (Auntie Em! Uncle Henry Gale!) I’m sure for the messed up Ben, the “purge” would have felt like the tornado that brought him to another world. I still can’t figure out how he is so important to his people. Is it just his ruthlessness and manipulation that has given him his power, or is there something we haven’t discovered yet? Any theories?
Didn’t Ben tell Richard he could see the dead? Maybe they figured he had some special power. Maybe they just saw that he was an outsider skeptical of Dharma. They presumably over years systematically groomed him to massacre his people. Maybe they realized after the fact that they created a monster. Maybe they’re profoundly indebted to him.
Maybe they’re just scared that he’ll do to them what he did to Dharma is they F with him. But Locke isn’t scared of Ben… that’s why they are in awe of Locke.
(Juliet isn’t scared of him either, but she defers to him. She respects him. He has — real or imaginary — power over her sister, and she’s afraid to be skeptical of his claims lest she shever get back to her sister. Locke is so despondent, with nothing in his life off the island, and with so much power on, that he has no interest in ever leaving.)
Tom – I thought about the “purge” and the fact there were no bodies of children seen on the barracks grounds or in the pit. By this time, maybe there were no children.
Remember, Ben was told to be patient for the “right time”. A time, I suspect, when Dharma had entered a less optimistic period.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned yet here, but did anyone else notice Cindy (flight attendant) as part of the Dharma greeting crew when Ben and Roger first arrived at the island? Her hair was longer, but it was definitely her. Ben also made a comment to Locke about him [Ben]being “one of the few” Dharma people that remained with the Others. So, it looks like Cindy is also one of the original Dharma people.
If so, then as she was a flight attendant on 815, they must have known that the flight was going to crash on the island. And also explains how she was taken so quietly without Ana Lucia et al noticing.
After finally seeing Ben’s flashback episode I get the feeling that the reason Ben tells people that he has “lived his whole life on this island” or he was “born on this island” and he is “one of the last ones that were” is because he didn’t really start living his life until the purge of the dharma initiative. Ben rarely talked to anyone and on the day of the purge Roger made the sarcastic comment of him usually being “Chatty Kathy in the morning”. I think Ben considers the day of the purge to be the first day of his life. And who’s to say Ben was telling the truth when he told his father that it was his birthday on the day of the purge? Roger never remembered his birthday anyway and Ben could consider the day of the purge his new birthday.
Ryan & Jenn… i’m missing your insights!!!
Lori — I too saw what appeared to be Cindy at the beginning. My wife is fairly sure it wasn’t her.
I think the following completely contradictory things:
1) It could have been that Cindy was an original Other, as she doesn’t appear to have aged appreciably since the 1960s, and may have infiltrated Dharma.
2) This would mean that maybe the Others brought Cindy out to gather people to flight 815 and then to the island.
3) BUT the Others apparently didn’t expect 815. It was brought down by Desmond’s failing to press the button in time. And they didn’t know who would be on it, since Ben had Ethan and Goodwin scrounging for information. We already know that they didn’t expect 815 to land on the island.
Maybe the actress just looks like Cindy and isn’t her. (Hard to believe that the producers would “accidentally put the actress playing Cindy in another scene if she’s not MEANT to be Cindy.)
Cindy seems to not have nearly as large of a role in the politics of the Others as Richard… she was staring at Sawyer and Kate in the cages. I’m not sure how to explain this all but I don’t think it proves that the Others brought 815 down.
MB — Very interesting thoughts on the birthday. Maybe the Others had Ben do this on his birthday as a renaissance/phoenix rising from the ashes because of the poetry of it. Also it is reminiscent of many religious ceremonies (communion/bar mitzvah) where you become a man/woman on your birthday in the eyes of god. I think Ben metaphorically considers having spent his whole life on the island and metaphorically the day of the massacre to be the first day of the rest of his life… but he clearly admits to not being born there, and everyone but the Losties knows it.
Nuckinfuts — GREAT call on the pit and Alex giving Locke the gun.
I don’t know how a man that loved his wife could ever forget the day she died. I don’t think Ben was lying about his birthday, his father would definitely know in my opinion.
ALSO, something that has not been addressed (I think, I’m pretty sure I read all the posts), the whispers in the jungle after Benry passed through the fence. The whispers were always one of my favorite mysteries, and after I read some of the translations online, I was half-thinking that they were some sort of Dharma thing. But Dharma doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the monster or the whispers. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THOSE DAMN WHISPERS ARE ABOUT.
And to answer a question I saw in one of the posts, I think the others would not hold Locke back from attacking Patchy because they know he used to be in a wheelchair. I mean, really, if I saw a guy I knew healed like crazy beating up some other guy, I would seriously not think about trying to stop him. Either that or no one likes Patchy. That is a good theory.
Some observations and comments..
Fuber says “Something on the island has the ability to appear as something or someone else: Ben’s Mom, Ecko’s brother, Kate’s horse. I think it’s that chick from Heroes.”
– funniest line I’ve read here!
If Ben came to the island in the Dharma submarine, and the Dharma people have been killed, who knows how to operate the submarine in order to bring new people to the island?
How did the hostiles get into the compound when Ben was in school? Wasn’t the sonic fence supposed to keep them out?
Kate didn’t seem to blink when she heard that Julliet was supposed to get a sample from “Austin.” Odd? Does Kate suspect she might be pregnant?
80 Nautical Miles = 148.16 Kilometers = 92 Land Miles
130 Kilometers = 80 Land Miles = 70 Nautical Miles
Did the writers goof? Makail said the ship was 130 Clicks away and Naomi said the ship was 80 Nautical miles away.. do we have a bend in the time/space continuum here? (Maybe I remember the numbers wrong)
“Help Me” possibilities..
If Jacob is also Locke, he might be asking the alternate Locke to “Help Me”
HeyBrah says .. Jacob is clearly unhappy with Ben being the human who helps HIM–that’s why he (Jacob) is asking Locke to “Help [him].â€
Bill says.. Ben warned Locke about the flashlight — turn that off, Jacob doesn’t like technology — he’s like you.”
– Maybe he is you
Judi In On,Canada Says..”just noticed that the girl that was with “Goodspeed†(the couple, who came across Roger, newborn Ben, and mother), was also the teacher in the class when the “Hostiles†attack”
– Maybe stopping to help Ben’s mom wasn’t an accident by The Others.
Jenn Says… “I read a loose theory that “Jacob†was one of the original psychics Dharma was using in their experiments, but he was too powerful and somehow things went amuck…ending in him being disembodied – or maybe traveling around like the “smoke monster.â€
– I heard that theory too, and it could also have something to do with this person mentally pushing the “numbers” out into the real world during a mental telepathy experiement
Tom says.. “Didn’t see any children dead in the compound after the “purge†”
– Good catch.. children are sacred to The Others
Nuckinfuts Says.. When Ben takes someone to Jacob, or the man behind the curtain ( spirit / pirate / smokey / Noman Bate’s mother…whatever ) it turns we never hear from them againâ€.
– The best reason to give Locke the pistol.
Ben was told to be patient for the “right time 
– maybe the right Time-Loop?
Lost Writers.. please, please, please don’t kill Locke.. he’s finally become the Man!
Lost might be the best TV show this decade!
Ryan and jen are you going to compose a write up or summary?
“well, looks like we have some catching up to do” great great line on jacks part. the Others seem to have their group put together based on “kill your dad, join us !!! type initiation eh???” Possible Spoiler Warning:::::::
I just dont think they would kill off Locke… yet…. I mean Mr. Cuse and Mr. Lindeloff spoke about the Finale being a Locke versus Jack showdown no??? (from SpoilerFix)…
Locke is 100% guaranteed not dead. Seriously.
Another thing I just thought of. I thought it during the episode, then I got distracted by all the crazy stuff happening. Ben seems all scared of Jacob before they go to meet him, then when they get there, he just waltzes in and even talks angrily and aggressively. And then, instead of cowaring, as one may do when a very powerful man throws a telekinetic temper tantrum, he runs up to him and tries to grab him, only to be shoved back.
I just found it strange that he would talk to someone he supposedly respects and fears like that.
SpilledMilkInc-I think that everything Ben does is for “show” or to control the situation. Would we even know if he was being real and genuine? I think there is a moment of truth coming for Ben when he will have no more secrets, no more lies, no allies and no power. Then we will see his true nature and I am expecting that moment to be anguishing (for Ben, that is).
Also I think ben shot locke in the kidney area.
The Goodspeeds were DEFINITELY part of Dharma. Both Homer or Hiram or whatever his name was and his wife. The wife was the teacher and the husband welcomed them. This was not at all subtle.
As to whether this was coincidence… I suspect so. Definitely shades of The Village as noted above. (The whole series is not unlike The Village actually, what with costumes and unknown creatures and maintaining fear of the unknown.) But Ben was born two months early. The Goodspeeds happened upon Ben and Uncle Rico and Dead Mom. Eight-ish years later with Rico Roger down on his luck he gets a break from friendly old Mr Goodspeed (incidentally, NOT an Other and killed in a more or less mass murder by Ben and the Others). That would have to be some really kick-ass planning. Maybe even more complicated than the Ben waiting 20 years or so to massacre the Dhamra folks.
On the one hand, let’s not mistake fate for coincidence.
At the same time, let’s not mistake coincidence for fate.
Those classroom posters above the chalkboard were the following.
Why I had this set of posters as a kid I have no idea…I did not like math very well…
1. The Beginning of Mathematics: pre counting
2. The Beginning of Mathematics: Counting
3. The Beginning of Arithmetic: Barter and trade
4. The Beginning of Arithmetic Astronomy
7. The Strange Cult of Pythagoras
8. The invention of Zero
9. The Decimal System
11. The Invention of Trigonometry
17. Non Euclidean Geometries
18. Game Theory.
The textbook they are using is Physical Science
Not all of the 18 posters are shown and I still think it’s funny that the illustrator has Locke in the name…
I just rewatch the episode and I stop to the moment we see Jacob..(after ben said”It enough you had your fun”) and we see long hair.. finish at the shoulder… like Roger’s hair when he was younger.. but I dont think its Roger… and I dont remerber seeing Locke with long hair… and just a moment after we have a big eye… is it Jacob’s eye ??
I like the age cap idea but why Roger go over 60 years old and not Richard ?
It would be fantastic if Ben destroyed Locke’s remaining kidney only to find that the Island had “replaced” the one his father stole thus sparing his life.
For what it’s worth, and they’re generally right on target, Lost Spoilers has revealed the names and photos of the three males that will die by the end of the season. There are two females whose names they will not yet release. For anyone interested check:
http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/
I just watched TMBTC online. Several things stand out:
–Jacob definitely has hair…it’s not a hood or something else
–there is a close up of an eyeball right before John loses it and bolts from the room. Locke’s eyes are blue, but I am pretty sure the closeup eyeball was brown.
–the event that caused the Dharma group’s death is referred to as a “purge”…a very organic term used mostly to describe a biological function or something that happens to a living body.
–Ben seems relieved and somehow invigorated when he discovers Jacob’s words to Locke…”help me”…he could see this as a sign that he hasn’t lost control of Jacob or that Jacob is powerless or that Locke hasn’t upset the balance of power in any way that matters.
–for what it’s worth the numbers young Ben used to disable the sonic fence…54439…5 + 4= 9….9 x 4=36…36 x 3=108..but I can’t work in the last digit “9”…108 divided by 9 =12
Hi TJ!
where is the logic in your number thing ??
With the next week preview, we can presume that Danielle Rousseau take the dynamite to help Jack and Juliet to attack the Others
Maybe Locke dies and Terry O’Quinn plays the part of Jacob for the rest of the show?
I also thought that Ben didn’t show Jacob the proper reverence and respect due to someone so “magnificent” as Patchy once called him. Ben has been feeding Jacob some kind of kryptonite and has him under his power.
I think Locke is Jacob but he still doesn’t know it…
I take it back! I don’t know anything anymore!!! Waaaaahhhh!!!!
Hi, I just recently stumbled across this site. I love LOST and really enjoy reading everyone’s comments each week. I think Wednesday night’s episode was one of the best ever. I was definitely one of the people saying “Whaaaaat?” when Ben shot Locke.
At first I wondered why Alex gave Locke a gun. If it’s true that no one has ever seen or heard Jacob, then why would Locke need a gun to protect himself against something that he can’t see or hear? But then I thought that Alex knew Ben would try to kill Locke once he witnessed what Jacob really was. I agree with the person who said in an earlier post that anyone Ben has ever taken to see Jacob has never come back.
I loved the Ben flashbacks. I’ve been waiting for them for a while. I think they are key to the truth about the island. Did anyone ever think that “Help me” was Jacob saying aloud what Locke was thinking to himself? Maybe Jacob can read minds and to prove his existence, he spoke through Ben (that would be the only way Locke could hear him) to show Locke he knew what he was thinking. That would explain why Ben didn’t hear what Jacob said. And if Jacob can read people’s minds, he could be relaying that information to Ben which is why Ben seems to know everything about everyone.
Another theory I had is maybe Jacob took control over Ben while he was still young. There’s a big gap between Ben 12 years of age to the time he killed his father. Who knows what happened in between. At some point Jacob could have possessed Ben and the person we know as Ben is really Jacob. And it was Ben who made a breakthrough to Locke by saying, “Help me.” When the entire creepy ordeal was over and Jacob gained control again, it would be Jacob trying to figure out what Ben said to Locke and not the other way around.
I think Ben’s mom, Ecko’s brother, Leonard, Jack’s dad, and the black horse are Jacob taking the form of those beings to lure the people in to the dark side. Ben did say that Jacob summons people. He tried to summon Jack, Kate, Hurley and Ecko. Ecko died when he followed his brother. Hurley would have died if he would have followed Leonard off the cliff.
I didn’t watch the show when it originally aired but caught up on DVD over the winter hiatus. In the second episode, Locke explained the game of parchese to Walt as “Two players, two sides. One light, one dark.” Does anyone think that’s what’s going on on the island? A good vs. evil thing? Maybe God and Satan themselves? The “ultimate showdown?” The biblical references are everywhere. In the Bible, Benjamin was the son of Jacob. Jacob was Isaac’s son and Isaac of course, Abraham’s son. There was a place in the Bible before Jesus died called Abraham’s bosom where the righteous people awaited Judgement Day.
From wikipedia: Here, the righteous occupied an abode or compartment of their own which was distinctly separated by a wall or a chasm from the abode or compartment to which the wicked were consigned. The latter was a place of torments usually spoken of as Gehenna (cf. Matt., 5:29, 30; 18:9ff, Mark 9:42 sqq. in the Latin Vulgate)- the other, a place of bliss and security known under the names of “Paradise” (cf. Luke, 23:43) or “the Bosom of Abraham” (Luke, 16:22, 23).
I know the writers have ruled out hell and purgatory but this was a bit different.
When Ben started to follow his mother’s spirit, she said it wasn’t time. Almost as if he is some sort of “chosen one” for the dark side. Funny how his mom knew what his name should be after he was born, much like Mary knew what to call Jesus. When Richard learned that Ben had seen his dead mom, he looked surprised. Maybe he thought, “this is the one.”
Anyway, these are just thoughts. Obviously, not everything has a religious correlation but I just thought this was interesting.
I thought Ben’s father looked familiar but didn’t realize he was Uncle Rico. That is exactly why I like coming to this site, you guys really know your stuff!
For the people who didn’t recognize Uncle Rico, maybe they should get him a vest or gold bracelet or something to make him look official. 😉
I came up with a wacky theory for the 54439 fence code. Using the numbers to represent the letters in the alphabet in their correct order: 5=e, 4=d, 3=c, 9=i. This gives us “eddci”, which means nothing, but if you rearrange them and add some spaces, you get “i c ded”, which could represent “I see dead…people”. We were shown that Ben sees his dead mom and the jury’s obviously out on Jacob.
Dave – I think the guy’s name was Horace.
Here’s a nit-picky art direction kind of observation:
When young Ben runs out of his house after discovering drunk dad passed out on the couch, notice that the door has an ADA-type door handle – that is, not a “knob” type. Would such handles be in use in whatever year this is/was supposed to be?
George Allen Herrmann Jr.,
The actor who played Mr. Ecko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) wanted to leave the show to pursue an independent project of his own (a bio film). So the writers/producers wrote his characters off (see the official podcast for more info).
Almost everyone agrees that Mr. Ecko was one of the strongest characters of the show, or at least as important as Jack, and Locke.
WHERE ARE YOU JEN & RYAN??????? We Miss You!!!
George,
You can also find the same info on the Wikipedia… Just follow the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adewale_Akinnuoye-Agbaje
D!
Ben said.. everybody respond to someone… Is Jacob follow someone else order ??
George Allen Herrmann Jr. –
Welcome to crazyland. Namaste, brotha.
Sincerely,
Nuckinfuts
Lots of interesting thoughts here! Thanks to Ryan and Jen for a great blog.
I just wanna back up what Connie in Alaska pointed out; the colour of the eyeball appears to be brown, and Locke’s eyes are blue… I just don’t think Jacob is Locke. Also, Locke’s eyebrows sits higher up on his forehead and are lighter in colour.
What happened to the guys up in the winterland – was it Greenland? Haven’t seen much of them lately… Could they be linked to Jacob?
I’ve never posted here before, and I don’t pretend to be as insightful or clever as any of the veteran contributors to this blog. However, if I were to make a feeble attempt to anticipate or guess where the brilliant creators of LOST were going to take us next, these are my thoughts.
We’ve been shown that Mikial is adept at “field surgery”, first with Sayid and again with Naomi; and evidently has some insight into the unusual healing properties of the Island.
It seems that Locke’s assault on Mikial was a little gratuitous and excessive, perhaps even a bit out of character for Locke. Nevertheless, we had that piece of drama laid before us in a way that was not to be overlooked.
Is Locke now going to be in dire need of Mikial’s services to treat his gunshot wound to save his life… could this be another strange twist to the ironies that seem to plague Locke’s entire life?
Also, if Locke’s fall into the burial pit resulted in damage to his spine, does Locke happen to know any Spinal Surgeons who may also coincidentally be on the Island, and is on sufficiently friendly terms with that surgeon? Or, will he face the dilemma of surviving the shooting but returning to a wheelchair?
Does any of this seem likely or am I missing something… as I said, I’m just guessing. Not a prediction, just a possibility.
Lets goo dont stop we are close of 200 comment !!!!
Happy Mother’s Day Jen.
Thank you, Paul. Same to your mom.
Looking forward to hearing your input on this huge episode, Ryan and Jen.
George Allen Hermann – When you were watching Ben as a prisoner in the Swan Hatch, the producers THEMSELVES didn’t know much about his character. The actor, Michael Emerson was so over-the-top outstanding, they decided to make him a regular and began making up his story. We’re only seeing his past now.
Image LOST without him; it’s like Star Wars without Darth Vader.
Well, I do think Locke is actually dead because I’d read that Terry O’Quinn sold his house in Hawaii and had been living in hotels for the past few tapings. Myabe not true, but we the writers have also completed telling Locke’s back story and we know what happens once flashback material runs out….
Oh, and I think it’s supposed to be a Sawyer vs. Jack “showdown”, not Locke vs. Jack. That’s probably why they set up that episode with Sawyer testing out being the “leader” and having to be nicer to people…
A burning question ??
How did Juliet know that Ben had left her instructions on the other side of the tape? (When she was trying to prove to the Losties that she really was on their side)
Juliet had no idea of WHEN or how the tape recorder was stolen, and if the tape recording had been stolen shortly after Juliet left it in the Hatch, the recording would have been blank (and never gotten to Ben.. right?)
But Juliet seemed to ALREADY KNOW what Ben said.. and so did Jack.. even though the tape recorder was stolen BEFORE Juliet had heard the message.
Answers? (Unless Juliet knew because of a prior Time Loop experience)
Good question, Dan! I’m wondering if it’s because that’s the usual format of their tapes back and forth to each other– i.e., he gives orders on one side, she gives answers on the other? But I too was puzzled on that one.
If you don’t want any hints outside the show, skip the rest of this post.
I watched a show with Michael Emerson where he gave a hint about Locke. He said a pre-existing condition would help him with his gunshot wound. He then said that he “gave something up” that would actually be an asset to him. I think it’s pretty obvious Ben shot Locke where his kidney would have been had he not donated it to his father. This will save his life. I sure hope so. I know Locke has resolved some of his previous issues, but I don’t want him to leave the show.
Who do you suspect will die in the next two episodes?
Tori.. I also suspect that both Juliet and Ben have that kind of messaging arrangement.. she records on one side of the tape, and he replies on the other. But in this case, she acted as if she already knew what Ben had said on the tape.
Given the fact that Ben already told Juliet what to do if she was caught (cure the fake sickeness of Claire), maybe Ben also pre-recorded this message just in case Juliet was caught again.
Ben seems to know an awful lot about future events.