Season 5, Episode 6: "The life and death of Jeremy Bentham"
Great episode! Okay, my thoughts are going to be very random this week and not very organized, as I've only got about 30 minutes here to write this before Chase needs to eat! (those of you with newborns will understand, this cycle repeats every 3 hours!)
Alrighty, then. A few weeks ago I talked about reincarnation (remember the anagram from the side of the van that I mentioned!) - and I wrote how everyone who crashed on the island had a metaphoric "reincarnation" - they were given new life after a past filled with sin. They were reborn, so to speak, after their bouts with drug addiction, running from the law, adultery, alcoholism, etc. Each one of them was allowed a "new life" on the island. Now, we see that John Locke has been "reborn" on the island, in a more literal sense this time. He was killed, yet returning to the island allowed him new life. I figured this might happen now that we know the island has these different time warps - and that's why Richard Alpert allowed him to leave and told him he would have to die - because he knew that when he returned he would be returning to the "past" - and therefore would be alive again.
I'm also wondering about the whole reincarnation thing if Jack's father - Christian Shephard - was "reincarnated" on the island because he was "special" and the island wanted him? In both plane crashes, the person in the coffin was "reborn" again on the island. Is this coincidence or Fate? Was Christian Shephard meant to be brought to the island so that he could have new life again? We learned in this episode that Matthew Abaddon (who worked for Widmore) made things happen so that people can get where they need to be. We already know that he was responsible for making sure Locke was on the original 815 flight, because he knew that flight would crash on the island (now we know that they had the coordinates and knew that it would fly over the island). So, I am wondering if Abaddon also was responsible for making sure that Jack and his father's coffin were also on that plane, because they were meant to be on the island themselves? I have written many times in the past that I think each of the survivors of 815 were all brought to the island because they were meant to be there (which is why they all are "supposed" to come back now). For what reasons, I don't know, but I am beginning to wonder if Widmore/Abaddon had something to do with making sure each of them were on that plane in the first place.
At the cemetery when Locke was visiting Helen's grave, he says he wishes things had been different and that he could have been with her. Abaddon tells him that no, nothing would have changed and she still would have died anyway. This goes along with the whole theory of Fate. From the time he was born, Locke was meant to go to the island and become the leader. Nothing he did in his life could have changed that. So, now when he returns to the real world, all of these events that happen still cannot change that. When he is trying to convince everyone to come back, he gets into this horrible car accident and just happens to land in Jack's hospital. Jack doesn't seem to belive it is fate, but Locke does. This could be another meaning of the note that Locke wrote to Jack "I wish you had believed me." - He could have been referring to the fact that Locke thought it was Fate that he was brought to him. This could have been what convinced Jack to go back to the island - maybe now he does believe in fate after all? He finally BELIEVES Locke.
Speaking of which, I am trying to figure out the timeline in which we have seen Jack over these "flash-forwards." The first time we saw him, he had just seen Jeremy Bentham's obituary and he tried to kill himself. He has a full-grown beard, he is an alcoholic, addicted to painkillers, and Kate refuses to speak to him. When he finally meets up with Kate at the airport and shows her the obituary, he tells her they have to go back. He also tells her that he has been flying around the world, just hoping and praying that the plane crashes. He is in a very dark place. We know this happens just after reading Locke's obituary. However, in this episode, when we see Locke die, he had just recently visited Jack to try and convince him to go back to the island. However at that point, Jack was clean-shaven, did not appear to be an alcoholic or having any problems. He was still working at the hospital. And he wanted nothing to do with the island. So what happened in between the time that Locke visited him, and the time that Locke died? Something happened that changed Jack's mind - making him want to go back to the island?
So let's talk about Locke's death. First he was going to kill himself. We already saw several other instances where he could NOT die. First, on the island, as he was trying to leave, he fell down the well hole, yet lived. Then, back in the real world, he fled the cemetary after Abaddon was killed and got in a horrible car crash, surely which would have killed anyone else, yet he barely had a scratch on him. (It was almost like when Michael was trying to kill himself and never could do it, because the ISLAND was not done with him yet. He couldn't kill himself.) So, even though Locke was planning on hanging himself, I don't think it would have worked anyway - Ben knocking at the door was almost Fate's way of not allowing him to kill himself. I am a little confused about Ben killing him though - at first he seemed like he truly was there to help him - I'm wondering if he was waiting for Locke to give up the information about Eloise Hawking before making his move to kill him? OR, was he really going to help him, but then something about that new information caused Ben to make a rash decision and kill him? I don't know, but either way, I do think that Ben wants to go back to the island because HE wants to be the leader again. Speaking of Ben...
I don't think Ben was supposed to go back to the island. Locke came back for the Oceanic Six, and when Eloise Hawking tells them all how to get back, we just assume Ben is one of them because he was the one who tells them they have to go see Eloise in order to find out how to get back. Now we know that he got that information from Locke before killing him. When leaving the island, he did not know about Eloise or that one COULD go back. Because he was not supposed to go back. I don't think the island wants him back. We learned that when the other people on the plane (flight 316) saw this bright white light, several people on the flight "vanished." Obviously we know that was Hurley, Jack, Kate, etc. - the members of the Oceanic Six who were supposed to go back to the island - they disappeared from the plane and somehow were brought back to the island when the plane flew over the correct coordinates. However, notice that Ben did not "vanish" with them. He was one of the "injured ones" that Cesar takes Locke to see. If Ben was supposed to come back, wouldn't he have "vanished" with the rest of them?
Both Widmore and Ben came to Locke and told him that the other one was bad. Both said they were trying to protect the others, and that they want to help Locke get back to the island so that he can lead. Obviously one of them is lying. Widmore told Locke of the "war" that is to come. This may actually be the war that already happened between Dharma and the "hostiles" - when Ben took over as leader and killed everyone off. This is why Widmore wants him dead, to prevent him from returning to the island and taking over again. I think that Widmore knows about the time-travel-flashes, and that is why he doesn't want Ben to go back, because he knows that he could go back to a past-time (before the "war"). If Widmore really is trying to help Locke, it could be so that he could return to the "past" on the island, before Ben takes over and therefore preventing Ben from ever taking over. This could also be the reason Ben killed Locke - he thinks if Locke is dead, he can return to the island and take over as leader. He wants to go back to the "past" and change the outcome of the future.
Last thing I want to mention...the "new" survivors (of Flight 316) - what is up with them? They don't seem too concerned about the fact they just crashed their plane (not the mayhem we saw with the 815 survivors). They also seem to know their way around pretty well and don't seem all that surprised when they discover the old Dharma station. It is almost like they were looking for something. Cesar was definitely looking for something when he was interrupted by the girl. I am wondering if Widmore/Matthew Abaddon got these people on the plane because they knew it was going to crash there. Remember also that Cesar was the guy in the airport standing in line behind Jack and offered his condolences about his friend (Locke). Not a coincidence. There is obviously some connection there. Maybe Widmore sent him to go after Ben? Or were they sent for Locke? (Remember Walt told him that he had "dreams" about him, back on the island wearing a suit and the people around him wanted to kill him.) Either way, some kind of "war" is going to ensue (just as Widmore said) -but the question is if this war will take place in the present time (or future), OR if this is the war that already happened in the past...and they can now change the outcome?
That's it for now. Sorry this is written so poorly and unorganized. Hopefully my thoughts weren't too scrambled and this actually made sense!
Oh, and my prediction for next week is that the person Sawyer sees is going to be his ex (Cassidy), the mother of his baby.
posted by Stacey @ 11:57 AM
13 comments
13 Comments:
Great post Stacey! Interesting prediction about the person Sawyer sees next week. I guess most people would think, oh he sees Kate. But what a twist it would be if it were to be Cassidy!
No Stacey, it was organized! But I think that Jack was not clean shaven while talking to Locke in the hospital. He had scruff and looked a little stressed (I remember because I said to my daughter "oh, look, he's starting his downfall."
What I think is weird about the timing thing is that in Locke's time it has only been 4 days since the island was moved (telling widmore in Tunisia) but the oceanic 6 have been home for 3 years (Jack yelling at locke that they've been back for 3 years and have moved on.) Interesting...
hey stace, i read a lot of lost stuff, and this is one of the better posts i've read about the episode. i think your points are spot on, especially noticing that ben didn't disappear with the others from the flight. i think you're right, he's not supposed to be there, and that's why he wasn't zapped away to the past.
Stacey,
I hadn't given thought to the fact that Ben didn't "vanish" with the rest of the group. Great, great point.
two questions...
did 316 crash on the other island, where Jack, Kate and Sawyer had been held captive? Cuz Locke is on the beach, looking out at another bigger island.
any ideas who the "woman" was that Lapides took off with in a canoe?
Great post and for only having 30 minutes, VERY organized! As for why Ben killed John, I think maybe it's because he knows that in order to return to the island, John has to die by "natural causes" (or murder) and cannot commit suicide because that's unforgivable in God's eyes (and possibly screwing with "fate"??). Clearly Ben knows what's ahead in the future and in order to return to the island, John has to be present, even though he knows that may mean he will have lost his reign of power.
Lots of good points from everybody! I love reading everyone else's comments because of course there are so many other point of views. And a lot are things that I don't even notice or think of.
I thought the comment about the time frame with Locke was a good one. That is true, he said it had only been 4 days since the island was moved, whereas it has been 3 years in "real" time. I still don't get this whole time thing.
R.K. - I didn't notice Locke looking out at another bigger island, so yeah that would make sense if they crashed on the other island - since we do know there are two islands there. Also because the Dharma "station" that Cesar was looking around in, doesn't look like any of the ones we have seen before (it had a desk, almost looked like an office) - I don't recall ever seeing that station before, so maybe it is on the other island???
Last poster - I am completely torn about Ben. On the one hand, I think he is evil and wanted to kill Locke for his own ulterior motive. He seems so cold (like when Jack asked him what would happen to the others on the plane and he said, "who cares?") - so part of me thinks he killed John for his own reasons. But then again, and I have said this many times in the past, part of me thinks that deep down he really is doing all this for some good reason. He has always said he is "one of the good guys" and I have always thought that at the very end of the series we will see that all along he was good and that he just had to do these evil things in order to protect the island, or the people. I do think Ben knows what the island is capable of (the time travel, and the fact that Locke had to die) and that maybe that's why he "had" to kill him, in order to "save" everyone else? I don't know. I think there's a lot more mystery to Ben and what his true motives are.
Ben is a lying manipulative user. I don't think he is good. but look at the real life Jeremy Bentham. He believed that the ends justified the means. In other words, if one person suffering meant that many other were happier, then it was ok to do make that person suffer for the sake of the greater good.
Jeremy Bentham would have no trouble using Jack, John, Kate, or even Aaron anyway possible to achieve a goal that was for the greater good.
The problem comes when you define the "greater good." It is not always clear. Perhaps Ben believes what he is doing is for the greater good. Perhaps he only cares that it is for his greater good.
I disagree with the "ends justifies the means" philosophy. I think that if one person chooses to suffer for the greater good, that is wonderful.
But a group choosing to make one person suffer so they can be better? Immoral.
Remember the scene from "The Dark Knight" with the two boats with bombs? Jeremy Bentham would have pushed the button. And I think the Lost writers are going to show us that Ben would have too.
Ben is evil. Sometimes ambiguous, and sometimes right, but always evil.
Excellent points. I agree with your statement that Ben believes what he is doing is for the greater good. The key word there being "believes."
I do think he is evil and I hate thinking that he could possibly ever be "good." But so much of the show has revolved around being part of "the good ones" that I keep thinking there's something more there with Ben (even though I don't want to think that because I HATE him!)
I like your Dark Knight reference, too. Good connection.
RK - The woman that left with Lepidus was probably Sun.
RK - The woman that left with Lepidus was probably Sun.
Stacey-
Amidst all the commentary, I haven't noticed... has anyone commented that by Locke travelling to the island in a coffin parallels how Christian Shephard travelled to the island?
Many of those on the plane we repeating how the original passengers came, i.e. - Sayid in handcuffs (like Kate), Hurley with a guitar (like Charlie)... and of course, Kate is pregnant with Jack's child (like Claire).
Hmmmmmmm.
R.K. - I think I remember that when Eloise told Jack about having to bring Locke's coffin on the plane, she explained that Locke was taking Christian Shepherd's place. She told Jack that they had to replicate as best as possible all the events, and then she told him that's why HE had to bring Locke's coffin, just like he did his father.
And what is this about Kate being pregnant with Jack's child???????? Is this some kind of spoiler? I have not heard this (and I don't read the spoilers anyway)
Post a Comment
<< Home