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Lost 507: The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
I know I said I wasn't going to post about Lost any more because hardly anyone reads, but dude, this is a Locke ep, and it rocked.
I knew the guy in the suit was going to be Locke, but what surprised me was that he was corporeal, a solid and very Lockey Locke. He even ate a mango later. I wonder why he's himself, and Christian Shephard seems to be incorporeal. And just how did the Island revive him, or more accurately, recreate him, given the lack of blood and internal organs, brain damage, and embalming? Is there still a Locke corpse (and a Christian one) decaying somewhere?
But still: LOCKE IS BACK!
And every time the word "special" or "important" was used about him, I laughed, thinking of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
astrogirl2's Locke icon: "NO! I'm specialer!". Because he is!
This is going to be a bit scattershot, but here goes.
Observations
The exit point from the Island remains fixed in Tunisia despite the Island moving.
I still don't trust Widmore, even if he seems to be helping Locke. After all, he sent Keamy to kill everyone on the Island. I liked that he chose Locke's alias for those reasons--another philosopher--and it wasn't just the writers playing around with names. Speaking of which, why doesn't Cesar pronounce his name the proper Spanish way? Surely it's not really Caesar?
So now we know why Abaddon turned up at the hospital as an orderly and told Locke to go walkabout--Widmore sent him because, yep time loop, he knew he'd eventually be on the Island and I suppose he was making sure. Time travel explains a lot on the show.
Locke has a really lovely and infectious smile which made me realise how seldom we've seen it.
Walt is still connected to the Island, having prescient dreams about Locke. He had such an large role in S1, I wouldn't mind betting he'll be back.
Hurley is painting a picture of the Sphinx, and we know there's an Egyptian connection from all the hieroglyphs, esp on the temple. Interesting.
There's a lot of religious imagery in this ep and the last one which mentioned Doubting Thomas and having faith. In this one, Ben even kneels at Locke's feet. I really hope they're not taking that one too far.
I'm very happy that Locke didn't hang himself as 1) I have issues with showing that as a solution to anything (see LoM) and 2) it just seemed wrong for Locke's character, and 3) I felt it was the wrong way for Locke to die as a "sacrifice". It looks as if Ben only decided to kill Locke when he mentioned Eloise Hawking, but it can't have been to prevent them meeting as he wanted to take the Six to her. I think selenak has a good idea: that Ben knew that suicide wasn't the death the Island needed. It still seems odd that both Alpert and Christian told Locke he had to die. Abaddon too, I think. Actually, thinking about it, I believe Ben genuinely didn't want Locke to die--until he realised that Locke would be able to get back to the Island via Hawking, and he didn't want him to. Christian did warn Locke about Ben, and he already usurped Locke's role with the Wheel, and possibly Widmore's role as leader. OTOH he told Locke he was leader of the Others before he left.
Hurley and others were seen to disappear during the flash of light, so I assume the remaining Ajira lot are in the "present". In fact they have to be--or the future--as the Losties would have found the wreckage.
Lapidus did a good job of landing the plane as it seems fairly intact and there weren't many hurt.
From the Lostpedia: Abaddon is the angel of the abyss in Revelation, and the places he and Locke visit are all saint or angel names: Santos Domingo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles. I have no idea what this means but it's interesting.
Questions
So Sayid left Ben's employment a while back and went to the Dominican Republic. I wonder how and why he ended up breaking Hurley out. I'm sure we'll get these bits filled in.
There seems to be a timing problem. When Jack tells Kate about Locke's death a while back, he was a drunk and spending his time flying hoping to get back to the Island. But when he sees Locke in hospital, he's sober and doesn't seem at all receptive. When did he do all the flying? There doesn't seem to be much time between that and Locke's death.
Who disappeared from the plane in the flash? Did Sun and Sayid, being the ones the Island wanted, (I assume Sayid did or Ilana would still have him) and are they in the same time as Hurley, Jack, and Kate? I hope so, as I would like Sun to find Jin again, and not as an old man?
If the Island has remade Locke (and it has to have physically), will he now be unaging like Alpert?
Who is the woman with Frank Lapidus (the pilot)? I'm betting Sun as they were both connected with Jin and the freighter and they've gone to look for him.
A really excellent ep, and I can't wait for more.
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He even ate a mango later.
I loved the mango eating scene. Even before he said anything, it was obvious that, man the first mango you eat after you've been dead is the best. :)
But still: LOCKE IS BACK!
See? I told you! ;)
thinking of [info]astrogirl2's Locke icon: "NO! I'm specialer!". Because he is!
Hee! I got that icon after... Oh, which episode was it, where he and Ben were having their big old "Who's specialler?" debate? It amused me then, and it still amuses me now. *pets icon*
I still don't trust Widmore, even if he seems to be helping Locke.
This is probably wise. And he'd hardly be the first person to put one over on Locke, you know?
Speaking of which, why doesn't Cesar pronounce his name the proper Spanish way?
Yeah, that bugged the heck out of me, too.
Time travel explains a lot on the show.
Like I've been saying. :)
Locke has a really lovely and infectious smile
He really, really does. It was nice to see it. Even if Locke mostly wasn't having a very good time of things in this ep.
I think [info]selenak has a good idea: that Ben knew that suicide wasn't the death the Island needed.
I have no idea whether that's right or not, but it seems as plausible as anything to me. I am hoping we'll get an answer on that one eventually, though, as I'm deeply curious. I imagine we will.
Actually, thinking about it, I believe Ben genuinely didn't want Locke to die
It's so impossible to tell with Ben. The gentle tone he was taking before that seemed like an affectation to me... I don't think that really comes naturally to Ben. But afterward, when he said he was sorry... I actually do think that was sincere.
and the places he and Locke visit are all saint or angel names:
Ooh, interesting. I didn't catch that.
But when he sees Locke in hospital, he's sober and doesn't seem at all receptive. When did he do all the flying? There doesn't seem to be much time between that and Locke's death
He already looked pretty bad to me at that point, though. I think you can tell Jack's mental state by his facial hair, and he clearly hadn't shaved recently. And didn't Ben say that after that Jack went and bought a ticket to Australia? That was clearly the point where he started randomly flying around and hoping to crash. It's possible that it was all a very rapid downward spiral from there. But I'm really not sure about the timing, either. This ep. might have covered more time than it seemed to.
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We can discuss it anyway. :-)
It amused me then, and it still amuses me now.
I immediately thought of you. Did you laugh too?
The gentle tone he was taking before that seemed like an affectation to me...
I think he was really worried that Locke was going to jump. I mean, the guy was on his knees, and he looked really relieved. It may not be because he cares about Locke, but because Locke matters to the Island, but then he killed him. I think he wanted him to live till it seemed he was going back too. Though why would he mind, given that he left Locke there, and even made him a leader?
I didn't notice the angel/saint names, but someone on the Lostpedia did. Apparently Locke also tried to hang himself with cable from the Angel company or similar. Maybe once Locke is dead, he's an angel and never ages, like Alpert? I suppose we'll find out one day.
you can tell Jack's mental state by his facial hair
LOL, true!
And didn't Ben say that after that Jack went and bought a ticket to Australia?
Yeah, but I got the impression Jack had been travelling in hope for months, and the undertakers wouldn't have kept Locke that long. If no one claimed him, he'd be buried at the expense of whoever paid to have him prettied up and dressed. And I wonder who that was: Ben or Widmore?
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I don't remember whether I did or not, but I was definitely thinking with amusement of said icon. :)
I think he was really worried that Locke was going to jump.
That I don't disagree with, whatever his reasons. (And I do imagine they have more to do with the Island than they do with Locke personally, even if I do like to think that Ben might have eventually come to appreciate him a bit.)
I think he wanted him to live till it seemed he was going back too.
Hmm. That's not an interpretation that had occurred to me. It does fit with his behavior in the scene, yes, but it is difficult to understand what the motivation would be. He did seem to be resigned to the idea of Locke taking over as leader, and even facilitated it in the end. But, again, it's always hard to know exactly what's going on in Ben's twisty little mind. And it's double hard to speculate when we're missing information.
Yeah, but I got the impression Jack had been travelling in hope for months,
Yeah, the more I think about it, the more there does seem to be a bit of temporal oddness here, but unlike most of the temporal oddness in this show, I don't think it's deliberate.
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I'm sure Sun and Sayid disappeared in a flash, too, but it's interesting they weren't with the others when they woke up. (Then again, Jack wasn't directly with the others, either, though he was in shouting distance.) Something else - do you think Locke's coffin is still around? As he definitely didn't wake up in it. And as opposed to the original plane crash, this plane is intact so it's not like the luggage etc. was dispensed all over the place. Which means that the island whilst remaking Locke must have also transported him out of the coffin and the plane.
If Sun is the woman with Lapidus, she wouldn't have flashed away from the plane the way the others did, which would be odd, so my money is on the woman being the female marshal who was guarding Sayid.
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Yes, because the undertakers wouldn't hang on to Locke for long. It must have only been a few days at most.
Something else - do you think Locke's coffin is still around?
Good point! It could be in the freight compartment, and the passengers must have got into those, or soon will. I wouldn't even be surprised if dead Locke were still there as the Island might have started from scratch given the damage there must have been. But any sort of resurrection is pretty technologically amazing and miraculous, so maybe they just did a huge cellular regen on him.
I suppose we'll now see three timelines: Locke's, the 70s (it's the 70s they're in, right?), and the off-Island flashbacks to fill in the gaps.
If Sun is the woman with Lapidus, she wouldn't have flashed away from the plane the way the others did, which would be odd, so my money is on the woman being the female marshal who was guarding Sayid.
Good first point, and I did think of that too. I thought Ilana was the marshall though. [checks Lostpedia] Yep! Perhaps it's a new character we haven't met yet.
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Locke said it was the best mango he'd ever had.
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Except that I'm going to remember the mango. :)
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Do catch up! It may have got a bit slow a couple of years ago (and I always find Jack as boring as his name) but last season and this one are made of awesome.
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Oh, I totally forgot that Frank was the pilot until I read this - now his disappearing off with a canoe makes total sense. But surely Sun would have disappeared with the rest of them?
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