Drawing Sides

Lost's teams of light and dark are continuing to draw sides. Last week featured the dark forces gathering, and this week we saw Jacob's light team take up residence at the old beach camp. There was some really good stuff with Jack and Richard Alpert facing off in the Black Rock. And while I still side with viewers who are questioning the decision to focus on flash sideways stories during the final season, this week's flash did a good job reflecting on the character of Benjamin Linus.


The episode felt a little slow, but it was good character stuff from Ben and Michael Emerson. We learned that Napoleon existed in this universe, but did he still escape Elba? How long did his reign extend? We didn't get any alternate history lessons in the sideways - instead we got Principal Dickless and Leslie Arzt, computer hacker. Overall I found Ben the history teacher a bit weak. I guess I liked Emerson's performance, and Ben's little ploy for the principal's job was ok, but the retaliation from Princpal Reynolds was toothless. Why wouldn't Ben just take the principal job and send his own recommendation letter? In many ways, it was a silly story just showing how much Ben would give for his "daughter" Alex. And the fact that I watched the Coen brother's brilliant "A Serious Man" the next day probably didn't help my impressions.

But Ben's Napoleon lecture revealed a lot about the man who gave his life to defend the Island. "And it was on this island that everything changed - that everything finally became clear." Ben really thought he was special - a born defender of the island. He staged a coup to take power from Widmore - and it still isn't clear if that was Ben's idea or Jacob's. Ben has said he never saw Jacob, but I would guess that Jacob affected Ben's life just like he did with the survivors of 815. But there is also a darker power at work on Ben.


It was very interesting that Ben's idea to stage a power play against the principal started with a comment from "the substitute" John Locke. I think on the Island, the Smoke Monster has been manipulating Ben since he was just a boy. Shortly after he arrived on the Island, young Ben saw his mother in a clearing near the edge of the DHARMA fence. I think it was actually the Smoke Monster. Ben later returned and heard the whispers, before finding Richard Alpert (with long hair!) instead of his mother. Richard was very interested to hear that Ben had seen his dead mother appear on the Island. He told Ben one day maybe he could join the Others, if he's patient. But things moved a little more quickly when Sayid turned up in 1977 and shot young Ben, and then Kate and Sawyer turned to the Others to save him. I think that kicked off a big part of the Monster's plan to kill Jacob - it was all about getting Ben into the right position.


By December 2004, Ben was seriously messed up. He had killed for Jacob, but apparently never seen or talked to him. Now he felt Jacob was favoring Locke, by helping John walk while Ben was confined to a wheelchair. When Jacob seemed to speak to Locke, Ben lost it entirely. I think when Christian appeared to John it was actually the Smoke Monster. After all his work supporting Jacob and the Island, it seemed to Ben that he was unworthy and out of favor. He decided he would turn the wheel and leave the Island forever. It seemed like it was the hardest decision Ben had ever made, and he looked up with tears in his eyes saying, "I hope you're happy Jacob."

But now, Dr. Linus says in his lecture that, "Exile wasn't the worst of his fate. What was truly devastating to him was the loss of his power." Without that, "he might just as well have been dead." It seems that power may really be what Ben is all about. And this episode featured some great interplay between the flash story and the Island action, as both Bens struggled with feelings of powerlessness.

Ben X felt controlled by a principal who didn't view education with the same importance. He tried to make a power play, but in the end he was outmaneuvered. Meanwhile Island Ben was literally dragged along and chained to a tree. The Smoke Monster presented Ben with an opportunity to join his side, but Ben preferred to stay at the beach camp. Was this the redemption of Benjamin Linus? He seemed to have learned a lesson about living without power - or did he? Ben's power has always been lies, and no matter what he always has a plan. Did he choose to stay with the Losties with the hope he can one day regain the upper hand? We'll see.


Jack was relegated to a rare B story appearance this week, along with Hurley providing some great comic relief, and Richard Alpert. Even though viewers have seen that Richard doesn't know very much after all, it seemed like an opportunity for Jack to ask some big questions. But Jack was reminding me of the mainstream media - demanding answers and then letting Richard get away with vague slippery responses. I loved the bit with the dynamite though. It was like Jack was testing Jacob, as Jacob has been testing them. Great exchange between Richard and Jack over the rapidly shortening dynamite fuse - "That's quite a risk you're taking Jack." "Yes." "What if you're wrong?" "I'm not." *fizzle*


Richard was just begging for someone to follow (what's with these Other sheep?) so he hooks up with Jack and Hurley to head back to the old beach camp from season one. This made for an odd reunion scene. Last time Sun was with Jack she hated him - convinced he and Kate were responsible for Jin's death. The only people who know Alpert are Ben and Ilana and they both sort of ignore him, and of course they have their own weird things going on. Anyway, it made for one of those happy slo-mo beach montages from season one that I talked about last week. And wasn't the final framing interesting? A group, with two men standing alone at either side - one in white and one in black.


Then it was revealed that the "someone" Jacob said was coming is likely Charles Widmore. This will be very interesting to see, because it seems the Widmore/Ben feud had taken a back burner, after seeming so important in season four. Is Widmore going to turn out to be on Jacob's side in the end? Or when he told Locke that if he didn't return to the Island the "wrong side will win" was he showing his support for the Man in Black?

Next week "Recon" should give us our first glimpse of Sawyer's sideways life. What will Sawyer do in a world where Locke's father never conned his parents? Will he even be...a good guy? On the Island, we should see him with Locke's camp, which could make for some interesting tension between the Island story and the flash sideways. Plus, ABC promises that the time for questions is over!