Dead is DeadTimeliness was never my strong suit. I'm just sayin'.
As my good friend Krys once said, Benjamin Linus is a complicated little man. He is also one of the most fascinating characters on television, played by the amazing Michael Emerson, and that greatly contributed to the superior quality of this episode. It rocked!
This episode's format was old school LOST, with the story focusing on one character in real time, with flashbacks from that character's past to support the real time story.
Flashback - 1977Charles Widmore rides into the Others' tent village on horseback, looking very Prince Valiant-y. He has words with Richard about how he shouldn't have saved Ben, and Richard tells him that it was what Jacob wanted. Charles visits Ben, who is recuperating in one of the tents. Ben doesn't remember being shot or how he got there. Charles tells him that he will be returned to the DI, but he will also still be an Other.
Hydra Island - Present Day
Ben wakes to find John Locke watching him. The surprised expression on Ben's face is priceless. He tells John that while he believed that John would be resurrected, seeing it is something else entirely. He also tells John that he has come back to the Island to be judged - by the "Monster" - for breaking the rules.
Ben goes to the beach, where he finds Ilana and various other people trying to move a large metal crate that she says is filled with necessary supplies. Ben talks to Caesar, filling his head with ideas about John Locke being a crazy person out to get Ben. Caesar shows Ben a sawed-off shotgun he has hidden in his bag and tells him not to worry, he's got his back.
Flashback
According to
Lostpedia, it's 1989. Ben and a teenage Ethan - who is already displaying his murderous tendencies and who has by this point joined the Others - have staked out Danielle Rousseau's beach shack. Ben has been sent there to kill her. Ethan offers to do the deed for him, but Ben tells him to rein it in. Ben enters Rousseau's shack with the intent to kill her, but stops when he sees baby Alex. He spares Rousseau, but takes Alex with him.
Hydra Island - Present Day
Ben is sitting in his old Hydra office, rummaging through his desk. He finds a photo of him and a teenage Alex, folds it in half and sticks it in his pocket. John comes in and wants to talk about the fact that Ben murdered him. Ben explains that even though he knew John had to die, he couldn't let him kill himself because he had vital information that Ben needed. So Ben got the information - about Mrs. Hawking, I presume - and then killed John himself. John tells Ben that all he was looking for was an apology. He also tells Ben he will assist him in finding and facing the Monster's judgment.
Ben and John are preparing to take one of the outrigger canoes over to the big Island when Caesar approaches and tries to stop them. John refuses to obey, so Caesar reaches for his shotgun. It's not in his bag because Ben has taken it. Ben shoots and kills Caesar. Ben tells John he can consider that an apology.
Ben and John arrive at the Dharma dock, where John tells Ben that he knows that Ben is going to the Monster to be judged not for breaking the rules by leaving the Island and coming back, but for his part in Alex's death. Ben says nothing and they head to the Barracks. It should be noted that they make a point of showing John removing Christian's shoes for the trip in the canoe and then putting them back on when they arrive at the dock.
Flashback
It's still 1989. Ben has returned to the Others' camp with baby Alex. Widmore is angry with Ben for not killing Alex and for bringing the baby back. He tells Ben to kill the baby, that it's what Jabob wants. Ben refuses, telling him if it's what Jacob wants, Widmore should kill her himself. Widmore just walks away.
Island - Present Day
Ben and John arrive at the Barracks and find Frank and Sun in Ben's old house. They all catch up on things, including the fact that John is no longer dead. This is more than Frank can handle and he leaves to return to the Hydra island. Sun stays with Ben and John because Christian told her that John can help her find Jin. She shows Ben the Dharma photo with Jack, Kate and Hurley in it, and is surprised to find that Ben didn't know they were in the DI.
Locke tells Ben it's time to summon the Monster and leaves the house, saying he has to take care of something. Ben goes to his secret room behind the wall in the closet. He descends into a small cave, where he reaches down into a small puddle of water and...well, he pulls a plug and sort of flushes the Island. The water drains and he says, "I'll be outside." Okaaay.
Flashback
It's some time after the 1992 purge, and Ben and the Others are living in the DI barracks. Widmore is being banished for breaking the rules by leaving the Island and having a daughter with an "outsider". Before leaving, Widmore tells Ben that one day he will have to choose between the Island and his daughter Alex.
Island - Present Day
Ben and Sun wait outside. John returns and tells Ben they will have to go to the Monster. Ben says he doesn't know where it is, but John says he knows where it is and he will take them there.
Flashback - 2008
Ben is at the marina in Los Angeles and he's watching Penny on the sailboat. He calls Widmore and tells him that he is going to kill her in retaliation for Alex's murder. He also gives Widmore the name of he sailboat, "Mutual Friend". I imagine that will be important later on.
Can I just say, my stomach was in a knot at this point!
Island - Present Day
John takes them to the Temple and informs Ben that they will be entering it by going in the through the same underground tunnel that Rousseau's men were sucked into. Sun does not go in. Before he enters the tunnel, Ben tells Sun that if she ever sees Desmond Hume again, to tell him he's sorry. Oh no. No no no!
Flashback - 2008
Ben starts toward Penny's boat but runs into Desmond, who is unloading groceries from his car. He shoots Desmond (*gasp!*) and heads toward the boat and Penny. He aims the gun at Penny and tells her he is there to kill her in retribution for her father's murder of Alex. Penny begs him not to, explaining that she has nothing to do with her father, and just when Ben is about to shoot her, little Charlie comes up on deck. Once again, a child prevents Ben from killing its mother, and Ben lowers the gun. Just then, Desmond - who I assume was saved by the grocery bag he had in front of him - pounces on Ben and delivers the beating of all beatings and dumps Ben into the water.
Dear Jesus! Thank God they're alright.
Hydra Island - Present Day
Frank arrives back on the Hydra island. One of the Ajira group runs up to him and warns him that Ilana and others have got guns now. When Frank approaches them, Ilana stops him and cryptically asks, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Frank is all WTF? She asks him again, and when Frank is unable to answer, she knocks him out. She tells the others, "It's time" and instructs them to tie Frank up and take him with them.
Island - Present Day
Ben and John are in the tunnel beneath the Temple when the floor beneath Ben gives way. He has fallen into another chamber. John leaves to get something he can use to pull Ben up and out of there. Ben walks further into the chamber, where he finds what looks like Egyptian hierogplyphs on the walls and columns. He stops in front of a wall carving that seems to depict the Smoke Monster and the Egyptian god Anubis (like the statue) facing each other.
There is a vent below the carving, from which the Monster emerges and surrounds Ben. As it swirls around him, the Monster replays scenes from Ben's past, mostly involving Alex, including her death at the hands of Keamy. Michael Emerson is amazing in this scene. The Monster retreats and then Alex appears. Ben apologizes to her for standing by and allowing her to be killed. Alex accepts his apology but then grabs Ben and pushes him up against the wall. She tells him that she knows that he plans on killing Locke again and she demands that he follow Locke and do everything he tells him to. Ben agrees.
When Ben returns to the hole he fell through, John appears and lowers a vine to Ben. Ben looks up at John and says, "It let me live."
Some thoughts:
* Please accept my apologies for the lateness of this recap. The holiday and other real life things got in the way, and this one was a whopper to recap.
* How big was the freaking heart attack I had when Ben shot Desmond?? JESUS. Thank God they are all OK (as far as we know)
* At first I thought Ilana and friends had been “infected”, like Rousseau’s crew had been. But then I realized that they are not on the main Island. Now, I think they are there working for Widmore. He helped John when he landed in Tunisia because he needed to find a way to get people back to the Island. Once he knew what flight they were taking – how he knew, I’m not sure – he got his people on it. He sent Ilana after Sayid. Widmore himself can’t return, so he sent these people in his place. “What lies in the shadow of the statue” I bet is a code phrase he gave them to identify each other. I’m not sure what’s in the box they’re trying to move, but I bet it has something to do with the upcoming “war” that Widmore was telling John about.
* I think Widmore built his empire during the time he was secretly coming and going from the Island. I bet he used either the power of the Island or a power he got from the Island, to make his fortune. Now the painting in his office makes sense.
* Michael Emerson is just amazing. I mean, AMAZING.
* How awesome was it was Ben told Sun to go inside because “Whatever’s going to come out of that jungle, I can’t control”, and Locke walked out?
* They better not kill Frank.
I will do my best to post the recap for tonight's episode in a more timely manner, I promise!
The Variable
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