Lost's latest gambit of including scenes in the alternative timeline as if they were season one flashbacks hasn't really worked for me so far-- I've been impatient to see plot development and itching to know how all these lives in alternative-universe Los Angeles tied into the people we know on the island. This week, though, in the season's first (and maybe our last-ever) Ben-centric episode, I was totally sold. It helps that I'm a sucker for all things Michael Emerson, but everything about this episode-- the pacing, the cutting between groups on the island, the emotional stakes of the alternative universe, the appearance of long-forgotten characters-- worked perfectly.
It wasn't just Ben either-- as I took notes I caught myself typing three different monologues that were too fascinating to forget. Congratulations, Lost-- you've been picking up steam with every episode this season, and I can only hope it doesn't go downhill from here.
Questions Answered
Is Ben Linus good or evil? It was the central question of the episode, and one we've seen Ben wrestle with for season after season. In both the alternative timeline and on the island Ben is given a choice-- be selfish and thereby evil (blackmailing the principal but denying Alex-- now a bright history student-- the chance to go to Yale; escape with SmokeLocke and never have to own up to killing Jacob) or make the difficult decision, stop lying, and go to the side of good. No matter how many times we've seen Ben change allegiances and squirm around the truth, it's still incredibly moving in both timelines to watch him make the right choice for once. The genuine heartbreak in his eyes when he told Ilana about Alex's death is worth another Emmy right there.
When, exactly, did the island sink in this alternative timeline? Considered this one only half-answered, as we only know that in this reality, Ben and his dad did go live on the island, and apparently left of their own accord, in a way that kept their relationship intact-- it was touching and more than a little bizarre to see this version of Ben lovingly prepare dinner for Roger Workman. Although when Ben refilled Dad's air tank, it was both a sly reference to the fact that Ben gassed the old man back on the island, and a moment of genuine tension-- is this where the course correction comes in? Nope, still a sweet father and son moment.
Why won't Richard age? Because he was touched by Jacob, as revealed in the other heartbreaking monologue of the night. Jacob gave Richard a gift long ego, touching him so that he would never die-- but now that Jacob is dead, Richard seems to regard it as a curse. Now I'm not really sure why the catch is that someone else can kill Richard, because given the amount of firearms on this island, you figure at least one or two people would have given it a shot over the years. But I guess that's for the new questions section.
Did Richard come to the island on the Black Rock? Sure seems like it. When he arrives in the ship to allow Jack to blow him up with dynamite, he says he's been to the ship once before, "and in all the time I've spent on this island, today is the first time I've ever come back." That might be as good an explanation as we ever get.
Did Jacob talk Jack into being on his side? Believe it or not, the stubbornest man on television has agreed to take someone else's orders. Telling Richard all about the lighthouse and the vision of his childhood home and all that, Jack sits convinced that the dynamite won't blow up either of them-- and he's right. Don't you remember another character having faith that fate would take care of things and the island had a purpose for him? I think Jack and SmokeLocke will have a very, very interesting conversation soon enough.
Will anyone ever find Nikki and Paolo's diamonds? Yes! In one of the best plot thread wrap-ups, Miles mentions offhand to Ben that he knows about Nikki and Paolo's diamond stash in the beachside graveyard, and in the final scene of the episode-- an excellent old-school reunion montage-- we see Miles cradling one of the diamonds. Provided he ever makes it off the island-- and please let Miles make it off the island-- he'll be a rich man.
Where the hell is Widmore In a submarine! Right off the coast of the island! With some scary dudes and a plan! Way to stick the twist ending!
New Questions
How did Jacob act as a father to Ilana? I have absolutely no clue, but I feel a flashback coming on…
Are the other candidates all immortal too? If Richard can't die because Jacob touched him, and we saw all those people touched by Jacob in their past… isn't that the most logical conclusion? It would sure explain a lot of brushes with death, from the original plane crash to Jin miraculously surviving the freighter explosion. But then there's that sticky question of other people being able to kill them. That seems like way too big a loophole to work. I'm counting on some further explanation coming soon.
What is Team Jacob going to do now? Ilana seems to be the only one with any real sense of purpose, but with the Temple empty and abandoned, no one really seems to know what to do next. Now that Hurley, Jack and Richard are on board, and presumably Jin will come crashing out of the jungle at any point, all the members are assembled. I'm guessing before they manage to come up with a plan to tangle with SmokeLocke, Widmore will manage to get in the way. And speaking of which…
What on earth is Widmore up to? His hilarious CGi submarine suggests he's arriving at the island with all of his might, but it's still unclear if he's the guy trying to protect the island or destroy it-- all we have to go on is his word vs. Ben's, and both of them are notorious liars. Things on the beach are probably about to get interesting.
Where We Go From Here
If the alternative timeline is just the new version of flashbacks, keep making them awesome. Thus far the side-flashes have served to illustrate aspects of the characters to help explain decisions they make back on the island. Now that the lines are drawn between the two sides, though, I think we have a chance to explore these a little further-- keep tossing in the old characters and the nods to the island, because that's awesome, but use them for something more than character building. I'm finally sold on these after a lot of tiring episodes, so I want to see them used as well as possible.
Bring back Desmond! Widmore's arrival reminded me it's been way too long-- where is our favorite Scotsman? He obviously has an important role to play in how things shake out, and I'll start getting really impatient if we don't see him soon.
Keep up the old-school season one style. That beach reunion at the end of the episode was a wonderful reminder of happier times, as was the very presence of bitchy Arzt and Hurley's reminder of his untimely demise. We've seen a little of that already this season-- Adam and Eve in the caves, the return of "Catch a Falling Star"-- but the more the show leans heavily on the character drama and the references we know, the more they delight the hardcore fans, who, let's face it, are probably the only remaining viewers. The more often they use that soaring Michael Giacchino reunion music, the happier I'll be.
