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Friday, May 11, 2007
10:37 am
60 Comments
Let me say this, just once, to get it out of the way.
Holy Shit!
Ben’s back story. Finally.
The camp “catching up”.
Jacob.
The end of Dharma.
Holy Shit!
Ok, so that was twice. Can you blame me?
This week opens with a woman in labour. She’s having trouble and her husband is panic stricken, but he holds it together long enough to deliver the baby, right there amongst the trees. Once the baby comes, he picks up his wife and child and runs in search of help.
I’ll admit I was a little surprised when he stumbled out of the forest onto the roadside 32 miles out of Portland. I really did think he was on the island.
A car finally pulls over and offers help, but it’s too late. Ben’s Mother dies in her husband’s arms.
Richard opens Ben’s tent to find him holding a wooden doll. He asks him about it.
“It’s a birthday present. Mine just happens to be today. You do remember birthdays, don’t you, Richard?”
Ignoring the rather pointed remark, Richard asks if Ben wants him to take the recorded instructions Ben has prepared for Juliette to the medical station. Ben is furious that it hadn’t already been taken and storms out of his tent in search of his recorder. His train of thought is interrupted as Locke walks into the camp carrying his Father’s body.
BAG DAD
“You said that if I killed my Father, you’d tell me everything I wanted to know about the island. So why don’t you start at the beginning?”
In a scene very reminiscent of one that played out between Locke and his father, Ben pours two glasses of liquor and hands one to Locke. Unlike the previous situation, Locke ignores the proffered drink until Ben is forced to put it down beside him. Ben tells Locke that the leader of the group is someone named Jacob, but since Ben is the only one who sees and talks to this “Jacob”, Locke figures that Ben is really “The man behind the curtain” and that Jacob doesn’t exist at all.
“And what might you base that theory on, John.”
“Because if you were telling the truth, your hand wouldn’t be shaking.”
A very young Ben comes to the island with his Father, part of the Dharma Initiative, putting the lie to Ben’s assertion that he was born on the island. They are welcomed by the man, Goodspeed, who helped Ben’s Father the day his Mother died. Goodspeed has helped Roger Linus out with a job in the Initiative.
WELCOME TO NAMBLA ISLAND, I SEE YOU PACK SMALL.
At an orientation, the new Initiative recruits are shown a video that details the function of the sonic fences, which are there to protect the community from the indigenous wildlife. The video also mentions that the island has properties that exist nowhere else on earth and that part of the Initiative’s mission is to study those properties “for the betterment of mankind and advancement of world peace.”
Ben sees people being inoculated with a familiar looking injector gun and is handed an Apollo bar by a little girl who introduces herself as “Annie”.
His Father finds out that his new job is that of “Workman” and isn’t happy about it. He makes a scene and storms off with his new coverall.
OH WORK-MAN, I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST A JEWISH ROGER WORKMAN
Sawyer corrals Sayid and gives him the news about Locke. He has more information for the Iraqi as well. On tape.
Mikhail comes running into the Others’ camp, yelling for Ben. We learn that his miraculous recovery is due to the fact that the pylons weren’t set to a lethal level. He learns that Locke is now part of the group. Ignoring that little revelation for the moment, Mikhail tells Ben about the woman who has parachuted onto the island, with a radio transmitter and a ship somewhere nearby. Ben tells him of their plans to raid the survivors’ camp in two days time, but Mikhail thinks that they have to act immediately.
Locke puts Ben in an awkward situation by speaking up just then.
“Ben’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Excuse me?”
“He and I are going to see Jacob.”
Ben always took second to Steve when it came to the annual
Dharma eye poppin’ festival in June.
When Ben tries to delay their “excursion”, Locke demonstrates just how well he understands the group dynamic by beating Mikhail senseless while the crowd watches passively. Apparently, they respect strength and action and he demonstrates both in abundance.
“So, when do we leave?”
As Locke and Ben fill their canteens for the journey, Alex approaches and hands Locke a 9mm.
“I hear you’re going to go see Jacob. You’re going to need this.”
She shares an odd look with her Father and then almost as an afterthought, she wishes him a happy birthday.
(*Um…ok, we’ll come back to this at the end…’cuz…um…if what I think just happened, happened…um…*)
Young Ben is learning about volcanoes and eruptions when his school room is rocked by an explosion. The teacher herds the students into a corner and picks up a rifle. Ben watches, mesmerized as the Dharma group arms itself against “The Hostiles”.
That night, Ben lies awake in bed, petting his pet rabbit as his Father and Goodspeed talk about what happened earlier in the day. Ben’s Dad isn’t happy about being stuck on an island where he’s going to get shot at. As he turns to go back to bed before his Father catches him eavesdropping, young Ben is startled to see a blonde woman at his window.
His Mother?
Back in the camp, Sayid and Sawyer are looking for Juliette. Kate tells them that Juliette left with Jack just after she told them about Naomi. Sawyer wonders who Naomi is, but his question is ignored. Kate suggests that perhaps it’s time for Sayid to tell everyone about the newest arrival on the island. As he storms off in search of Jack and Juliette, Sayid instructs Sawyer to play the tape for Kate.
As they prepare to set out, Ben explains to Locke that “Jacob” is very real and he’s not going to be happy that he and Locke are dropping in unexpectedly.
“This is not a man you go and see. This is a man who summons you.”
“Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
On young Ben’s birthday, Annie gives him a gift. It’s two wooden dolls, a boy and a girl. She’s giving him the girl and keeping the boy since the dolls represent the two of them. Now they never have to be apart.
If I really need to make the joke. . . then I am disappointed with all of you.
His Father is passed out on their couch and when Ben tries to take his boots off to make him more comfortable, he wakes up and notices the present on the table.
“Sorry I forgot. Kinda hard to celebrate on the day you killed your Mom.”
Father of the Year, this guy.
Devasted by his Father’s cruelty, Ben runs out into the night, as far as the deadly sonic fence.
Whispers.
On the other side, he sees his Mother.
“It’s not time yet, Benjamin.”
He screams for her as she walks back into the jungle.
A much older Ben leads Locke through the jungle. They come to an odd line of dirt that runs out of sight in both directions. Ben makes a point of stepping across it without touching it. Locke is curious and picks up a pinch of it. Impatiently, Ben calls for Locke to follow him. John makes a point of also stepping over the odd line, and the two men continue on.
(*Sandy line sidenote: Practitioners of spellcraft believe that a circle of salt or sand can be drawn around an entity to contain it. The “entity” could be a person, spirit or even a demon, but the concept is the same. Another possibility could be a sort of “dead zone” between “here” and “there”. In many myths, there is a line of “nothingness” between the land of the living and the land of the dead. Or maybe there’s a psychotic landscaper loose on the island.*)
Back at the beach, the group is having another town meeting. That’s twice in one season. Actually, that’s twice in three seasons, but who’s counting.
The group is mightily concerned to find out that the world thinks that they’re dead, but Sayid wants them to focus on the fact that the group may be in danger because of Jack’s extended stay at Casa de Others and his Other gal pal, Juliette.
When Sun begins to defend Juliette to the group, Sawyer plays the tape. Everyone seems a little taken aback, except Jack and Juliette who walk up to the group just then. Juliette asks Sawyer to flip the tape and play the other side.
“You want to burn me at the stake? Here I am. But first, turn the tape over and press play.”
On the other side of the tape is Ben’s voice, detailing the Others’ plan to take Sun and giving instructions for Juliette to identify any of the Other women that the Others might want to take.
Turns out that Juliette told Jack all about what was going on and he only kept it to himself until he decided what to do with the information.
“I think we’ve got some catching up to do.”
Young Ben uses a code to disable the sonic fence, testing his handywork by sending his pet rabbit through ahead of him. When the great, great, great grandfather of #8 doesn’t bleed from its long furry ears, he heads out into the jungle.
In the jungle, Ben hears more whispers and then is confronted by one of “Them”.
It’s Richard!
HO LY SHIT
I JUST FIGURED OUT WHERE THEY ARE!!!
THE ISLAND. . LOST. . ALL OF IT. . .
THEY ARE ON ….
The secret hiding place of THE TICK’S BATMANUEL!
When Ben explains about his dead Mother appearing to him, Richard doesn’t seem all that surprised. When Ben begs to be allowed to join “The Hostiles” because he hates the Initiative compound so much, Richard has a surprising answer for him.
“If that’s what you want, I want you to think about that. But, you’re going to have to be very, very patient.”
Ben is nothing if not patient.
Locke and Ben reach a small cabin that seems to be rotting into the jungle. Ben suggests that Locke turn his flashlight off, since Jacob feels much the same as Locke does about technology. In the light of a lantern, Ben asks Locke if he’s really certain he wants to go through with this. His silence is his only answer.
Ben announces that they’re there and opens the door.
Ben introduces Locke to a highbacked wooden chair. Locke isn’t amused.
Ben seems awfully sincere in his conviction that Jacob is sitting in the empty chair. So much so that Locke questions Ben’s sanity.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, John. And I’m sorry that you’re too limited to see.”
“You’re pathetic.”
Locke turns to leave and a third voice speaks.
“Help me.”
Locke turns back to Ben to ask what he said, but Ben claims to have said nothing.
Locke turns on his flashlight to show Ben that the cabin is empty and all hell breaks loose.
The cabin erupts in chaos, objects flying around the room, the lamp knocked off the table, setting the place alight, and in the weird light of the flame, Locke sees a third figure suddenly visible where only a chair had been.
Tell me that silhouette isn’t Locke with hair. Sure looks like it to me.
Walking through the jungle in the daylight, Ben asks Locke what he heard Jacob say in the cabin last night.
“He didn’t say anything to me. You did.”
When Locke points out that they’re not returning the way that they came, Ben tells him that he has something he wants to show him. He admits that some of the things he’s told Locke weren’t true. Particularly the part about him being born on the island.
“Then where did you come from?”
“That’s what I want to show you.”
An older Ben helps his Father load one of the microbuses with beer and supplies destined for the Pearl Station. Since it’s his birthday, in order to make up for forgetting that it’s Ben’s birthday, his Father suggests that when they’re done with their run, they spend some “father and son” time together.
As they stop the van for a drink, Ben asks his Father a question. He wants to know if his Dad really blames him for his Mother’s death.
“You know, I’ve missed her too. Maybe as much as you have. But the difference is, that for as long as I can remember, I’ve had to put up with you. And doing that required a tremendous amount of patience. Goodbye, Dad.”
With that, he puts on a gas mask and pops a canister of gas that kills his Father in a few seconds.
Back at the Dharma Initiative compound, Ben’s Father has plenty of company. It seems that with his help, the “Hostiles” have managed to kill every last member of the Initiative. Richard is the first to check his watch and remove his mask. He asks if Ben wants them to retrieve his Father’s body, but Ben wants them to leave him where Hurley can find him and turn him into a couple of tasty prop comedy moments.
The “Hostiles” begin gathering up the bodies. They throw them in an open pit. That’s what Ben wants Locke to see. The corpses of the Initiative that Ben betrayed.
“These are my people. The Dharma Initiative. They came here seeking harmony. They couldn’t even co-exist with the island’s original inhabitants. When it became clear that one side had to go, one side had to be purged, I did what I had to do. I was one of the people that was smart enough to make sure that I didn’t end up in that ditch. Which makes me considerably smarter than you, John.”
Half a second later, Locke has joined the corpses in the pit.
So who other than me gasped then
followed that gasp up with a series of “holy shits” right about here?
(*Remember my sidenote after Alex gave Locke the gun and then wishing Ben “Happy Birthday”? Considering that Locke goes for his knife, not his gun, I’m left wondering if perhaps Alex made sure that Locke had the gun, knowing that her Dad was sneaky enough to lift it from Locke’s waistband while he had him distracted and use it to solve his Locke problem while out of sight and earshot of his group.*)
Ben wants to know what Locke heard Jacob say.
“He said: ‘Help me.’”
“Well, I certainly hope he helps you, John.”
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60 Comments
I had a feeling I was going to be annoyed by this episode and I was.
OK, first of all – FASTEST RECAP POSTED EVER!!!!! And I love you for that.
Second, I haven’t read the recap yet but I saw the beginning and I said the same thing as you – HOLY SHIT!
I thought the circle around the cabin was gun powder, but it could be some kind of ash too.
The guy in the chair was Terry O’Quinn, but does it mean anything, or did they just want a teaser shot? There was also a brief shot of someone’s eye during that scene, but it wasn’t Locke’s or Ben’s. Picture comparison: http://lostpedia.com/images/7/78/Jacob_Locke_Comparison.jpg
Richard is very interesting. Is he supposed to look like he hasn’t aged much at all, or was it just really hard to make the actor look younger?
And of course, how does Ben go from rookie to leader?
What happened to Ben’s little girlfriend? I thought for sure Ben would see her corpse as he entered the Barracks. I guess we’ll learn more about her later.
What’s up with the injections!? Kelvin was just messing with Desmond to get his boat.
What happened to Karl (Alex’s boyfriend)? Last we saw he was let go by Sawyer and Kate. If he met up with the Others again, why haven’t we seen him?
Mikhail is right up there with Sawyer for getting beat up or otherwise injured the most often now.
Also, the smoke monster has impersonated Christian (Jack’s dad) and Yemi (Eko’s brother) before. However, both corpses were on the island and then disappeared. But Ben’s mother’s corpse was never on the island. If the monster doesn’t dispose of the bodies to take someone’s shape, why did those two bodies disappear?
Poor Uncle Rico–coach never put him in, he never made it to state or went pro, lost his wife, and ended up stuck on an island working as a janitor and drinking generic beer for twenty years, only to be poisoned by his psychotic son.
And his original van was way cooler than the one he passed down to Hurley.
This episode just pissed me off. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Locke, who, assuming he’s ‘dead’, will doubtlessly reappear as a spectral vision or dream visitor, but I hate to see one of the show’s coolest characters get punked like that.
At least we now know what became of the Dharma Initiative (and that ‘the others’ are not affiliated with them), but now I’m annoyed by all of the Dharma stuff we were teased with in the past. Will all of that stuff eventually matter, or has Dharma suddenly just become irrelevant, beyond its function of getting Ben on the island and providing the Others with a bunch of hatches and dormitories? Could it be that the island is, say, a portal to Hell, that Richard is a demon, that Jacob is the Devil?
The fact that the name Jacob is used also brought to mind the film ‘Jacob’s Ladder,’ and the biblical allusion from which that film’s title is drawn. I won’t spoil it here, but it makes me go ‘Hmmm . . .’
By the way: WTF happened to Walt and Michael, and why was Walt so important to the Others? Where is Rose? Since she, like Locke, also knows the healing powers of the island, wouldn’t this be about the right time for her to step up and make some disclosures to her fellow survivors?
One thing I learned last night: trying to figure out what’s going on in this show through clues and internet dummy sites is pointless, because the writers are either making it up as they go along or just f%&*ing with us. I’m too curious to turn off, but my expectations are certainly changing.
That was probably the second most confusing episode of Lost ever. EVER.
Yes, I’m sure that DHARMA will still matter, if not just for whatever experiments they were running on the special natural properties.
I’m just really confused by that episode, STILL.
But one thing I thought of. Probably not intentional (but who knows with these writer?), but Jacob can be an acronym for, wait for it…
Just
A
Crazy
Old
Bastard.
Describes Ben to a tee.
awesome episode and thanks for the quick recap!
ok….something that’s been bugging me…I think Ben is still lying about his birthday because if he really was born outside of Portland, he must have been born in warmer months…everyone was wearing summer clothes and Goodspeed was driving a convertible!…this doesn’t make sense in the LOST timeline because if they crashed at the end of Sept….it’s now the end of Dec…which means that Ben’s birthday would have been in a cold month in Oregon!….maybe it’s now Dec. 25th and Ben just adopted that date as his bday cause he thinks he’s jesus? who knows?!
I was blown away by this episode. Jumped about ten feet when it was Richard standing there in the woods looking exactly the same age. Have the others found a fountain of youth or something? I wonder if Ben’s little girlfriend was that blonde woman who could read Jack’s tatoos?
This is the first time i’ve been interested in the others for a while. The folks from the plane continue to baffle me. Why did they go along easily with “I was going to think up a plan?” people need to kick Jack’s butt. I have no idea why playing the second side of the tape was supposed to pacify anyone.
i really hope ‘nothing on this island stays buried’ is true of Locke. He was throwing down some emmy-worhty acting last night.
Thank you Leah! I was thinking the same thing. Jack was witholding info about Juliette and everybody is okay with that? Playing the other side of the tape confirms that she was working for Ben, the fact that she “confessed” to Jack doesn’t change that. I’m really tired of this Juliette character.
I think Locke will survive the gunshot and become more powerful as a result.
I don’t the the long hair Richard and short hair Richard are the same. I have a feeling short haired Richard is his son or something. MOstly b/c he told long haired Richard that he wasn’t born on the island and everyone at camp thinks he was born there. Somethings up. Richard is super hot though, I hope he stays around for a while.
I totally agree with the post about Richard looking the exact same. And when I was reading the recap it totally struck me that Ben said early in the episode “You remember birthdays, don’t you, Richard?” At the time I thought he was referring to Richard forgetting his birthday, but now I am convinced he was referring to Richard not getting older!
My head is going to explode thinking about this until January of 2008.
that’s a good point too. it’s just hard to believe that Richard would so willing let Ben look like a figurehead though. Plus he is the one that gaev Locke the recorder.
Maybe Richard’s job is to recruit leaders of the others? And the initiation is to kill your father?
I was pleasantly surprised this week, but what’s the deal with everyone having “daddy issues”? It’s beyond tedious!
So now we know that Ben is a sociopathic liar who’d give the Clintons a run for their money, so in other words, nothing he says can be believed.
So how did listening to the flip side of that tape, which just happened to be cued up at the right spot, exonerate Juliette (and Jacksus)? “Aw shucks, Jacksus! We’re sorry we ever doubted you! So what’s your plan for our salvation?”. Puh-lease.
Great recap, Greybishop, of an ….. interesting ….. and ….. brain twisting …… episode!
Darn! So many questions. Just a few:
1)Did Goodspeed ship Emily’s body to the Island the day (or shortly thereafter) she died or was she a manifestation of Ben’s thoughts/dreams/wishes?
2) What’s up with Young Ben meeting Adult Alpert in the jungle? Does Alpert not age or do we have father and son Alperts?
3) Why/how did the microbus get turned over between the time Ben left it and Hurley found it?
4) Why does Mikhail stand with Ben while the rest of the Others (including Alpert) favor Locke?
5) Where is Annie now? Something tells me that Ben did not have her killed.
I don’t believe that Locke dies. The Island will heal him …. again.
One more thing…
When Ben and Locke were in Jacob’s cabin, Jacob knocked the lantern off the table and started a fire. Five seconds later, they left and Ben hung the lantern up on the porch like this never happened and there was no fire.
Lost is killing me.
More biblical symbols if anyone is interested (forgive me if someone already brought these up-)
Jacob was the father of the tribes of Israel, Benjamin being one of them. Jacob also had a usuper sun, (Joespeh) whose brothers were jealous that he was about to get more power than him, and threw him into a pit for dead.
The whole “you have to be invited to see the king” is an echo of the story of Esther, a Queen in the old testament who defied this to go before the king and save her people. This would tie in with the other names of Biblical women already named, Ruth and Naomi. (I’m killing spellings here, sorry).
greybishop: thanks for such a fast recap!! this episode definitely had my scratching my head!!
those oceanic ppl really do need to kick jack’s ass. he is really infuriating…
cansnuts: Im w/ you- richard is hot! :O) whoever he is i really dont care, but just keep him around b/c he is damn nice to look at!! he can stay forever that age.
lol that ben’s dad is uncle rico! :O) that is just funny.
I have to agree with ponsoldt, #10 … “And when I was reading the recap it totally struck me that Ben said early in the episode “You remember birthdays, don’t you, Richard?” At the time I thought he was referring to Richard forgetting his birthday, but now I am convinced he was referring to Richard not getting older!” … I think that is an excellent catch and a very promising theory. I don’t care which way you slice it, Alpert definitely should look older. Ben was, what? At most, twelve, when he first came to the island, (or so we saw) and so we can guesstimate that it’s been around twenty-five to thirty years AT LEAST…and I don’t care how good of genes you have or how much moisturizer you slap on, you ain’t gonna look that er…”untouched” after more than two decades. So…what does that tell us? It all makes my head hurt, really.
Oh, and greybishop, bless your heart for recapping so quickly. Sorry, have to mention one teeny typo: “That night, Ben lies awake in bet, petting his pet rabbit as his Father…” I won’t over-explain the obvious.
speaking of pet rabbits, sheesh white rabbits are no safer on this island than pregnant women
why aren’t more people posting? I thought this was such a mind blowing espisode
This episode was just… awesome.
And the part where Locke hears “Help Me” totally creeped me out. Actually made me shudder… heh
Just wow.. I hope we get some answers in the next couple of episodes before the show ends.
Awesome episode and recap. I’m sure Locke isn’t going to die… Ben shot him in the stomach not even the chest so he sure wasn’t shooting to kill. Thanks too for the screen cap of Jacob in the chair. It flashed so fast that I couldn’t tell who/what it was. Maybe everyone sees him differently depending on what’s in their subconscious.
I definitely think that the guy Ben met as a child is the same Richard now. I’m thinking the island, which can help people who weren’t born there heal, doesn’t age those who were born there. But I have to say: if Richard was a “native” when Ben first met him where did he get normal clothes from? Did the Dharma Initiative import a Banana Republic store with them? I remember thinking that Ben’s comment to him regarding birthdays was really odd but then it made sense later on.
As we’ve already seen, Richard has been off the island at least once and probably more than that, so he could have gotten normal clothes then.
As for the biblical references: those were both good cathes. I hadn’t even thought of the pit that way. And the story of Esther is completely relevant in this case, as she was a Jew (pretending not to be) married to the king whose vizier was trying to get him to eliminate all of the Jews.
And then, of course, the very Exodus-plagues like mention of marking the tents of the pregnant women. It’s interesting, too, because in the bible, those in marked houses were spared. Interesting.
My thoughts, not very deep as some here but what the hell.
My first thoughts about Jacob’s house was that it was an old haunted house from DisneyWorld! Seriously they have an old abandoned zoo why not an abandoned theme park?
Everything in that house screamed phony to me. That weird little fire, etc.
The last few shows I am just wondering when Juliette had time to drop STUPID PILLS in their food!
How else can you explain letting the Russian guy go again?
Why else would Jun tell Juliette she had an affair? Why would she trust Juliette of all people with that information?
Everyone letting Jack bring Juliette back? Really stupid!
But the tops to me was after visiting Jacob last night Locke walked in front of Ben. Why?? Why would you turn your back on that man? Who didn’t see Locke falling in the hole the minute that scene came on? Locke must have taken the super stupid pill!
I know a lot of the show is deep and I learn a lot more from the recaps but the stupidity is getting worse every week!
I think Sun told Juliette b/c she had to get it off of her chest.
So instead of telling people, her friends, about it.. people who might see her in a different light, she tells the woman who doesn’t know her.
As for Locke turning his back on Ben, he was getting too cocky of himself. Thinking he still had the gun.
Anywho! I visit a few other Lost boards and people bring up some good observations.
Such as.. what’s up with all of the daddy issues?
And could Ben be the reason why the pregnant women die b/c of what happened to his own mother?
WOW, recap was great, everyone had great ideas…hasn’t this thrown us for a loop. Everything has a biblical tie to it, from day one. Then the mark above the tents to mark the pregnant women, moses and the israelites, during the plagues. Anyone notice that in the cabin jacob threw things, fire was set a blaze, yet Ben could sit jacob down saying “okay you’ve had your fun” then walk out of the cabin okay? IN the still frame it looked like locke with hair, or bens dad with hair+age.
Why would the Natives help Ben kill Dharma, are they good or bad?
great recap, GB!
everyone has excellent points.
#21 – imo, gut shots are just as (if not more) potentially fatal then a chest shot, especially in a jungle with limited medical supplies. the producers will do as they must (in terms of killing locke off) for ratings. i hope he lives to clear up his back story.
what really struck me when ben was introducing jacob to locke was the strong sense that ben is indeed “crazy” and that jacob is his alter-ego. The display of wind, fire, and the image of someone in the chair was created by ben’s own mind – telekinesis, etc. did young ben develop alternate personalities while a child in his father’s abusive care in order to cope? #24, re” ben being cause of pregnant women’s death because of what happened to his mom – maybe its done unintentionally?
who knows… just struck me as a very stephen king-ish plot device.
anyone else notice ben’s parents came out of the woods beside a highway sign reading “Portland 32″? Richard and Ethan’s Mittelos Labs was just outside of Portland in “Not in Portland”.
thanks again GB!!!
~alexis
Shoila,
As soon as I watched Ben’s mother die after giving birth, I wondered if that was why women, who gave birth on the island died– the whole box thing. His unconscious fear issues.
I also thought Ben would have prevented his friend Annie from being gased by the “Hostiles”. I’m also confused about that too.
Wasn’t it in season 2 when the “others” talked about the Hostiles as another group? The natives? Then we saw Kate find the “clothing props” in the locker?
I almost want to go and watch all of Season 1&2 to see if something is amiss.
GB– Great recap! Fast too! I didn’t realize it would be up this quick.
oh my goodness. My opinion, this was the best lost episode EVER. There are definately serious Daddy issues. Think about it all the main characters, sawyer, kate, locke, jack, jin, sun etc….. and these are the people that ben is interested in the most. And I cant believe they killed everyone in the initiative, could there really be a good reason for that. because right now, i see ben and them as the bad guys, who are crazy enough to think they are the good guys. weird… I can not wait to find out more.
Great episode, great recap. Thanks again GB for getting it up so fast!
I thought this was one of the most edge-of-your-seat episodes ever. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest during the whole sequence with Jacob. Wow. It was so intense. Oh, and before I forget, Evangeline Lily was on Jimmy Kimmel the other night. She neither confirm or deny if Locke is alive. She said the next 2 episodes are going to be just as intense as the last few have been. And she said there is a big reveal in the finale and when she read it in the script it gave her goosebumps! I can’t wait!
OK, back to the show. My initial thought about the sand-like substance that Ben made a point of stepping over was gun powder also (as mentioned above). I have no idea why I thought that. I really like the theory that there is a circle of it around Jacob’s cabin to contain him/it. When I saw the empty chair my first thought was that Ben is crazy. I didn’t think he was trying to punk Locke, I thought he really believed there was something there. I thought it was the fart cloud. Then after seeing an actual image I don’t know what to think. It does look like Locke but I have also seen the image compared to a photo of Alvar Hanso and there is a resemblance there also. I think it could still be the fart cloud which appears to Ben in human form, the theory that is becomes whatever you have a connection to.
I jumped 5 feet in the air when Ben shot Locke. I did not see that coming. I also do not believe Locke is going to die. He seems to be too important to the overall story of the show.
As for Richard¦ He is either the same person who hasn’t aged or maybe the Richard that young Ben encountered is the father of the Richard that brought Juliet to the island. The theory that people born on the island don’t age is a good one but they have to age some in order to become adults. Is the aging process super slow? Or does it stop once they reach a certain age? I think there is more to Ben’s comment to Richard about remembering birthdays.
Overall I thought this was a fantastic episode and I can’t wait for the next 2.
Mrs LT- good point on the Exodus! Don’t know how I missed that one.
Excellent recap.
Here is a thought- maybe the reason that babies conceived only ON the island, can not be born, has something to do with the antiaging properties on the island?
Alexis (#26), good hypothesis on the telekinesis (Stephen King-ish). Considering they were reading “Carrie” in the book club and Ben made fun of it, I think that you may be onto something…or you could be way off (you know how Lost is!).
I thought Locke was touching volcanic ash since they showed the volcano earlier.
Richard definitely looks the same…and definitely wears eyeliner!
Quick question…was Rousseau’s daughter born on the island or did she bring her along? I can’t remember. I think she was pregnant when she came to the island, and thus that’s how she was able to be born and live. Just wondering.
I hope that Locke is still alive. Behind Sawyer, he is my favorite along with Benry.
#31 – good point about antiaging…maybe there is also anti-weightlosing on the island as well (look at Hurley…and Jack’s put on a few lbs. as well!).
Darth- good point on the ash. remember how in school the kids asked if the volcano would errupt and the teacher said that it wouldnt’ happen but it happened a long time ago?
Someone really needs to explore the whole “daddy issues” theory. Every main character I can think of has had pronounced “daddy issues” with the exceptions of Charlie and Sayid, unless I am forgetting something.
With this show, everything means something… especially if they are beating us over the head with it, as they are doing with the daddy thing. There have been whole episodes dedicated to exposing a certain characters issues with their father: Claire, Jack, Hurley, Locke, Jin, Sun, Kate (heck she killed one of hers and the other won’t talk to her)…even as far back as Shannon and Boone…remember that?
So we know it must mean something, question is, WHAT?
Thoughts?
Two things: the whole Mittelos translating into Lost Time means something and I think that has something to do with Richard not aging. I don’t think they would have had the same actor portray both the father and son.
In looking at this from a biblical perspective, maybe it’s supposed to be the Garden of Eden where everything began (although orginally I thought maybe it was supposed to be Atlantis). Although I don’t know if from a geographic standpoint if that would make sense (although what does here?)And somehow the Daddy issue fits into that somehow. I just hope that they do a back story on Richard and how the island itself began. Although maybe that’ for next season.
While the “daddy issues” thing is neat, I don’t think it [i]means[/i] anything. Just like every appearance of the numbers or every castaway present in someone else’s flashback doesn’t mean something.
Merick, I respectfully disagree. I definitely think that characters appearing in each others flashbacks means something. The fact they they were all somehow connected before crashing on the island is most definitely important.
And the numbers are meaningful, too, but you’re right, I don’t think that every single time they are referenced it means something. But the numbers as a whole concept…that’s something for the last season, I bet.
Perhaps the “daddy issue” theory is just that, a theory. But for now it seems all too important.
Also, #27, AvaMarie, I love your theory: As soon as I watched Ben’s mother die after giving birth, I wondered if that was why women who gave birth on the island died– the whole box thing. His unconscious fear issues. As soon as I read that it sent my mind racing…a connection seems highly likely.
But with this show, you just never, ever know.
Good recap.
Richard is definitely the same Richard and is meant to be so. No father/son deal, it’s the same person.
I think natives of the island just age at a much slower rate. Richard could be two or three hundred years old. Why not? Is it that much of a stretch? Not for this show.
As far as why Richard isn’t in control of the group, he’s not “gifted”, he doesn’t have a connection with the island, Ben does. Ben is the only one in the group who talks to Jacob because he’s the only one who CAN talk to Jacob, the others aren’t able to. Just because Richard is a native of the island doesn’t mean he has a connection to it. Remember, Richard was definitely interested when Young Ben told him about seeing his dead mother. Plus, why would the Natives let Ben live? Why didn’t they kill him along with everyone else? Because Ben had something to offer, his abilities. However, Locke can also “see” things like Ben can. He and Ben are similar in that regard (and in other ways as well, both Ben and Locke’s mothers are named Emily. Not saying that means something deep, I just think it’s meant to convey that these are two men cut from the same cloth). This is why Ben is so threatened by Locke, because Locke can replace him. I think this is also why Ben was so interested in Walt and is why he had him taken. He wanted to see what Walt could do. He wanted to assess the threat. Maybe Ben let Walt and Michael go because he wanted Walt gone. I think Walt was the most powerful (ability-wise) on the island and Ben wanted him out.
I wonder if Richard knows what the smoke monster is. Juliet (I think) said that they (Dharma) didn’t know what it was, but maybe the Natives know more about it. I’m thinking that when the smoke monster takes the form of a person (specifically a person, not an animal), it’s important. We’ve seen the smoke monster/island reach out to Locke, Ben, Eko, and Jack. I still have no idea why the island killed Eko though.
Ben really wants to retain his control and power, and I don’t think he’s in a cushy position either. Ben is scared of Jacob as Jacob is obviously powerful but Ben also has something over Jacob, Jacob did ask Locke for help after all.
Anyway, that’s what I think for today. It’ll probably all change tomorrow.
AM I TOTALLY CRAZY, LOST, OR BEHIND…I think Richard looks alot like the guy who got Juliette to come to The Island, remember in a business suit talked to her, then her ex husband got killed. I SWEAR that is the same person, those dark set eyes, that are a little creepy?? What do you think?
Jenwed- yes he’s the same person. Ethan’s also in those scenes.
Awesome episode, great recap, and interesting speculation and comments too! I am starting to wonder if Ben is somehow “keeping” Jacob there against his will? It would explain why he said “help me”, it could potentially fit in with the line of sand/ashes if he is some sort of spirit or something. It also ties into the whole purgatory/hell theory as well. Perhaps he is someone who is not being allowed to leave or “cross over” somehow? But who is he? Why would Ben want him around? Why could John hear him and not Ben, and why does he look so much like John? Ben even mentions they share the same feelings toward technology (I just thought it was interesting that Ben chose to point out something they had in common, like some sort of link). And as powerful as Jacob is, Ben seems to have something over Jacob too. Yikes, back into the metaphysical – after all the expostulating about giant psychological experiments and scientific research. Curiouser and curiouser….
Ben says, “Jacob is a man who summons you”. I wonder how Jacob does that. He’s anti-technology, so I’m sure he doesn’t have a phone or radio. I saw no evidence of keepers or aides to deliver messages. So, how does he “summon” people? Smoke signals, a dinner bell, telepathy, how……?
Funniest part of the recap? ———”If I really need to make the joke. . . then I am disappointed with all of you.”
I immediately thought that the stuff on the ground was salt. Don’t think it is volcanic ash- it is laid out too perfectly. I think it is salt and it is imprisoning Jacob, hence the “help me”.
As for the people on the island not aging – well Ben certainly did. And if you think that only people BORN on the island don’t age, well then wouldn’t they all be infants? I vote for “age VERY slowly” or maybe time travel – I know, I know – before you say that that is impossible, remember – smoke monster? All of these people having connections to each other pre- flight 815? How probable is that?
I just came across this article on Lost. Thought some of you might find it interesting.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20038700,00.html
Interesting idea about Alex, but I’m pretty sure she was just trying to help Locke, especially since she’s been told by Sayid that Ben has been lying to her all her life. She may not have believed him, but the fact that he recognized her just from a family resemblance probably helped.
I’m positive Richard is the same Richard. The birthday comment was confirmation. He is fast becoming one of my favorite characters. I don’t understand the relationship he and Ben have at all.
There is NO WAY that Locke will die. Come on. He is like the main character.
WTF is Jacob?? ARG!!!! This episode changed everything and I cannot freaking wait for the season finale.
Btw, Benjamin and Purge is a pretty damn funny title.
after the episode i was sure that alex’s intention was to give locke the gun for his own protection from ben…as if there had been past excursions to visit Jacob which resulted in one person (ben) returning instead of 2.
i had to quickly sit up from my viewing position to “see” where/what Jacob was, cause it didnt look like anything :O. then i saw it wasnt anything but a rocking chair.
Does Ben think Locke is really dead? What is he thinking? See my take on Lost at http://mytvmusings.com/2007/05/09/lost-4/
So we all thought Ben was crazy, until we heard *help me*. Well, even with that I’m not sure he isn’t. I thought it was Ben talking in a funny voice (as did Locke). Possible wrench in that is that we saw Jacob, but more on that later.
Abused children often develop split personalities. We distance ourselves from unpleasant things. We do it at the dentist for example. Problems happen when the negative episodes happen too frequently: people get stuck distancing themselves. Ben was certainly emotionally abused, he could well have developed a more hostile personality to deal with who hurt him (dad).
I’m going to go with Jacob being his buried good side trying to get out, asking Locke for help. Benry keeps him imprisoned, probably not knowing it is another side of himself, and uses the sand border as a measure to do so.
But what of the image that actually appeared? Well, chalk it up to things appearing on the island: Jack’s dad, Ben’s mom etc. Just because we saw it doesn’t mean it really exists. It could have been a manifestation of Ben’s mind.
Why did it look like Locke? Ben (his dominant evil side) obviously sees Locke as a threat: someone capable of doing what he does, someone very like him, but someone who isn’t evil. Thus the visual manifestation of Ben’s good side looks like Locke.
times I actually yelped during this episode: 3
(mom in the window, richard behind kid-ben, ben shoots locke)
SO. If the others don’t age, as we can see as a possibility by richard def. being about the same age, then isn’t it technically possible that Ben is very very old? Like… if ALL the other’s don’t age, then we have no way of knowing how long it has been since they gassed the dharma folks… the reason I thought of this is that, I mean, how long does it take for corpses to turn into the skeletons that were in the pit? I feel like it’s more than a few years. So, potentially, all that happened a hundred years ago, and they are just chillin’… thoughts?
Also, I didn’t make the “Jacob is another version of Locke” connection myself, but once I read it, this came to mind: Ben asks Locke what Jacob said TO LOCKE. Jacob asked Locke to help him. then ben says “well, I hope he helps you.” Almost like locke is both parties? But that may be reaching. (Then again, an invisible scary island leader who may or may not be real and/or locke/ben is also reaching).
#38: Very interesting stuff there… I didn’t make the mom’s name connection, and because this is lost, I’m sure that connection is relevant. Interesting.
re: how Walt and Locke are both seen as threats by Ben… the most important distinction to keep in mind there is that things around walt die, while things around locke heal. Obviously I have NO IDEA how this plays in to anything, but I’m sure it matters.
I will have more later, because I cannot stop thinking about this episode. Awesome, in my opinion.
I don’t think Ben could be that old — if you look at the fact that there was a car on the highway after he was born. But I think that he became the de facto leader instead of Richard because HE was the one who gave Richard and the others the gas to destroy the Dharma-ites.
hmmm, MamiyaOtaru (No. 49), I like your thinking on Ben’s “other” self. I’m going to have to mull that over for a while.
Also, MalloryS (No. 50), I don’t think that Ben is any older than he looks. That just doesn’t fit the story timeline. I think only SOME of the Others are affected by the anti-aging thing. Just the “natives”, perhaps.
timeline question… so horace and olivia’s car was made from 1955-1974, making ben, in 2001, at the oldest 46 and at the youngest 27 (or, I guess, younger, but he’s not 27)… I believe he was about 20 when they gassed the dharma crew (though it would help my theory if he were older)… so, based on that, do we know whether Rousseau was already on the island when that occurred? How detailed of a timeline can we form?
BECAUSE:
is it possible that, if Rousseau WERE on the island for a few years when this occurred, that the gassing that killed all the dharma guys was the cause of the sickness that made rousseau’s husband go crazy? Maybe they were far away but he got a whiff and it messed him up? or something?
also, I think the guy who was in the hatch with Desmond was actually dharma… he just didn’t realize that everyone had left, because he just stayed in the hatch… which is sort of a weird touch to the story, considering that at that point all the other real dharma people were long dead.
ALSO. Alex is 16, born around when rousseau got to the island. I think it is a safe bet that the others had not taken her yet when the gassing occurred. So, based on Ben being 20 at gas time, he must now be at least 36. Which seems possible.
source for the car:
http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/2007/05/horace-and-olivias-car.html
if we could get a screencap of a license plate, that would rule.
wait, if all the Dharma people died then who has been dropping off the Dharma food for the hatch? that is probably a really stupid question, but this show is starting to give me a headache–i think i need to re-watch the first 2 seasons to see if i can put some things together.
wait, if all the Dharma people died then who has been dropping off the Dharma food for the hatch? that is probably a really stupid question, but this show is starting to give me a headache–i think i need to re-watch the first 2 seasons to see if i can put some things together.
Remember back in the submarine episode Alex tells Locke not to trust Ben because he likes to manipulate people? And Locke says something like “I’ll keep that in mind?” I think that she must have been helping Locke by giving him the gun. Could it have been loaded with something other than bullets? Something that would injure, not kill, Locke? Also, there’s the fact that all of the others seem to follow Locke now, like they didn’t stop him from beating up Patchy when Ben told them to. I think there MUST have been some premeditation in this plan and Locke is not dead. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow!
i was just rewatching this episode, and im kind of surprised no one mentioned this (at least not that i saw).
Right before Ben shot locke he says “i was one of the people that was smart enough…” implying that hes not the only one left from the DHARMA initiative.
Now seeing the most recent episode maybe it is the people in the underwater station that charlie went to. in the previews for next week, they look like they are interoggating charlie. if they were ‘hostiles’ wouldnt they know about the plane crash survivors? maybe one of the women down there is annie (bens little friend)
its a stretch.
i just rewatched this episode and noticed that the clothing richard is wearing when he meets young ben in the jungle looks as though it could easily pass for pirate clothing. was richard an original sailor on the Black Rock, shipwrecked on the island a couple hundred years ago? could be explained by the slowly aging thing- but you would think that his clothes would’ve turned to rags by then, so who knows???
~alexis
HELLOOOOOO? I mean I know this week was a little lackluster, but it is T-12 hours until the finale and still no recap? Upsetting.
Yeah Greybishop! Maybe you are planning on a three part recap??
Can’t WAIT!!!!!