This week's LOST, "Dr. Linus," was yet another great Ben episode. Ben is either terrifying or weirdly endearing (or obnoxiously evil), and our perception of him seems to change every episode.
Ilana finds out that Ben killed Jacob, which is apparently worse than we thought. She looks like she's about to eat him once Miles reads Jacob's ashes (WTF?) and tells her it was all Ben.
They go back to the beach (once a-fricking-gain), and Ilana forces Ben to dig his own grave. He's penitent seemingly without ulterior motives, which is a first. Smokeylocke sets him free and tries to recruit him, but Ben explains to Ilana, while holding her at gunpoint, that he feels terrible for killing Jacob, and blames it on his distraught state of mind after Alex's death. He seems genuinely sorry, and says he's going to Smokeylocke because "he's the only one that'll have me."
This exchange really intrigued me. Ilana then goes against everything she's already said and accepts Ben. "I'll have you," she says, picking up her gun and heading back to the beach.
Did she forgive him? Does she know that he truly is sorry? It's an intriguing view of forgiveness, and I think it's high time Ben was truly redeemed.
The other Island storyline, with Hurley and Jack running into Richard, was incredibly illuminating. Richard explains that he was touched by Jacob and therefore given a gift. Both Hurley and Jack were also "touched" by Jacob, so what does that say? Are the Losties candidates for Jacob's job, or Richard's?
Richard leads them to the Black Rock where he tries to get Jack to kill him, which doesn't work. It's obvious they both, in the words of Walt, "still have work to do."
As for the LA timeline, I found it be quite interesting. Ben is a high school teacher who deserves more credit then he gets. He's a great teacher, cares about his kids (one of which is his alt-adopted-daughter, Alex), and is friends with a growingly-obnoxious Arzt. Seriously. A one- or two-second cameo was enough. The guy's annoying now.
Anyways, he's trying to get his history club back together (by inexplicably trying to become principal, some weird school politics if you ask me) and tries to blackmail the principal with lascivious emails, only to be reblackmailed into choosing between the principal job and Alex's future. And once again, a alt-timeline Lostie chooses others instead of themselves. He chooses Alex and goes back to being pitiful Dr. Linus again.
I think the alt-timeline characters are proving to be a lot more sane than their Island-bound selves. I hope all the flash-sideways tie together and prove useful, and aren't just filler. I really hope they have something to add to the story, but so far, they don't really have a bearing on the Island timeline.
I think the alt-timeline characters are proving to be a lot more sane than their Island-bound selves. I hope all the flash-sideways tie together and prove useful, and aren't just filler. I really hope they have something to add to the story, but so far, they don't really have a bearing on the Island timeline.
Time will tell.
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