Lost
Episode 507The Life and Death of Jeremy BenthamThe life and death of Jeremy Bentham was not nearly as exciting as I hoped it would be, although I think that it’s really fitting that the time Locke spent off the island was in a wheelchair.
This week’s episode returns to the usual flashback formula, with the Ajira passengers on the island. Cesar seems to have firmly established himself as leader, and is quickly informed that someone has been found – someone who was not on the plane. And yes, that someone turns out to be a very much alive John Locke.
In his flashback, we see Locke turn the DW and end up in Tunisia, as did Ben before him. Only this time, it seems that someone has been watching and waiting. It’s Widmore, who seems ridiculously incredulous that’s it’s been only 4 days since Locke met him. For some reason, this just doesn’t sit well with me. But I’ll get to that later.
Anyway, Widmore presents him with Matthew Abbadon and the whereabouts of the Oceanic Six. Widmore also tells him that he was, at one point, the leader of the Others and that Ben ousted him. He tells Locke that war is going to break out and that Locke needs to be on the island to fight that war.
So, Locke goes off to each of his fellow Losties to try and convince them to return. First a visit to Sayid, Hurley and Kate, all of whom turn him down flat. Surprisingly, he also pays a visit to Walt – just to say hello it seems. Walt mentions that he’s been having dreams about Locke, and after a few more pleasantries they say goodbye.
Locke insists that Abbadon (who’s been acting as chauffeur and general finder-outer) find his long lost love Helen. Sadly for Locke, Helen’s passed away a few years ago. At the cemetery, someone shoots and kills Abbadon. Locke drives away and is involved in an accident.
When he awakes, Jack is at his bedside. Unsurprisingly, Jack refuses to go back to the island but seems really upset when Locke tells him that his father said hello. Locke is back in his hotel room feeling a terrible failure and writes out the suicide note for Jack. He setups everything so that he could hang himself, and is about to do it… when suddenly Ben busts into his room and convinces him not to kill himself.
Ben talks him down from the table and seems to genuinely want to help Locke. But then Locke mentions that Jin’s alive and that he’s promised Jin not to go to Sun. Then he mentions Mrs. Hawkings. And that’s when the whopper happens – Ben uses a piece of cord and kills Locke!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh boy.
He sets it up so that it looks like Locke killed himself and says to Locke’s body just before he exits the room “I’ll really miss you, John”
Back on the island, Locke learns that some of the passengers form the plane just disappeared while still in flight. He also learns that the passenger manifesto was stolen by the pilot and “some woman” who made off in one of the canoes. Finally, he learns that some passengers where injured, and amongst them he finds Ben Linus.
Well, well.
Key points are:
• I suppose the most important thing here is that Ben killed Locke. Why?? Why would he save him and then kill him?!?!?! When Locke mentions that Jin’s alive, you can see something shift in Ben’s face. What is it that makes him change his mind??? By the time Locke mentions Mrs Hawkings, you can tell that Locke stood no chance.
One would have to assume that Ben is desperate to get back to the island and does whatever he must to go back. But here’s what bothers me. How long has he been aware that Mrs Hawkings knows how to get back to the island? Would he been aware that Locke’s body would also have to go back?? And let’s face it… if when he heard that Locke’s body would have to go back to the island, I’m pretty damned sure that somewhere, somehow he knew that there was a possibility that Locke would miraculously live again.
Argghhh!
Now, if Locke has been acting as a proxy for Christian Shepard, is it safe to assume that Christian Shepard is alive??
• Ok, Charles Widmore has been watching the exit point in the Tunisian desert. Since when has this been happening? Was he watching it when Ben appeared? Why start now??
He also seems quite amazed that it’s been 4 days (in Locke’s time) since they first met. That doesn’t ring true to me. Surely, if you have lived on the island a while and you were (as you say) the Other’s leader, you should know that time travel may be an option. And especially when it comes to John Locke. We can now understand the almost-reverence that the Others regarded Locke with.
I suppose at the end of it all, the question we need to be asking ourselves is who do we believe? Do we believe Ben Linus who has time and time again proven that he
cannot be trusted, under any circumstances? Or do we believe Charles Widmore, whose own daughter is in hiding from him and wants nothing to do with him.
Well, I’ve never trusted Ben Linus (even though I continue to admire his audacity) and I trust Widmore even less than I trust Ben. But sometimes I think I would trust Ben over Widmore. You know what they say – rather the devil you know than the devil you don’t!
What would have helped was if Locke didn’t just accept everything that Widmore told him, but asked a few questions. Like… What war? War between who? Why must Locke be there to fight??
• How did Widmore become the Other’s leader? He was just a brash, over confident 17 year old when Locke first meets him. How did be become their leader and how did Ben trick him into leaving? And where does Jacob fit into all this. I thought that Jacob was the leader and that Ben was just his “hands” (so to speak).
• Hands up if you are surprised that Locke is alive. Really? You’re surprised? Hmmm… Locke is far too important and a great character to kill off.
• Why didn’t Locke disappear with the Oceanic 6 people who did disappear? And who was the woman that ran off in the middle of the night with Frank? Sun?? And where’s Sayid?
• How is it that Cesar has so firmly established himself as the leader of the new survivors?? More and more questions.
Anyway, here is what we learnt this week• Ben killed John Locke
• Ben killed Matthew Abbadon
• Locke is alive on the island
• Locke is an utter fool when it comes to Ben Linus. That’s the 2nd time Ben tried to kill him (and succeeded too)
New Questions this week• Why did Ben kill Locke?
• Why was Charles Widmore helping Locke?
• Who exactly is Cesar?
• How is Locke alive once again?
Interesting Trivia (from this site)• Widmore's surveillance photo of Sayid shows Sayid working on the exact same house in the exact same spot he is still working on when Locke comes to see him. Considering the time it takes Locke to travel from Tunisia to Santo Domingo, one would expect Sayid would have made some progress. (heh heh)
• The newspaper that Charles Widmore shows Locke is a copy of the fictitious London Daily Tribune. Dated January 14th 2005, the return of the Oceanic Six dominates the front page. Stories on a car crash and the Dollar/Euro exchange rate also feature.
• Caesar finds an edition of LIFE-magazine dated April 19, 1954. The title story is "The awesome fireball - color pictures of hydrogen test".
• This episode and "316" were written at the same time by executive producers Lindelof and Cuse. "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" was originally meant to be aired first, but the order was switched because Lindelof thought it would be "cool".
• When Locke visits Hurley at the Santa Rosa Mental Institute, Hurley is seen painting a picture presumably of the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt. Ironically, the word "sphinx" derives from Greek and translates as "strangler".
Screencaps (all screencaps from
this site)
Sayid
Jeremy's Passport
Killing Abbadon
Injured Ben