Episode 89 Donald and Alex are Lost Dr. Linus
March 9, 2010 by Donald Mikhail and Charlotte
Filed under Most Recent, Tv and Film
Lost is moving right along! We are one hour closer to the end, Donald and Alex from It only Ends Once tackle this weeks episode…the good and the bad and the somewhat ugly. Leave your thoughts on Dr. Linus here or call me at 206-984-1289.
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Best episode of the season so far. Jack reminded me of Locke, man of faith. Richard gives us a reveal, when Jacob touches you, you can’t kill yourself and if i remembered correctly maybe don’t die. Maybe that’s why some losties can not kill themselves. Awesome Ben monolouge, he just want somebody to want him. Richard thinks he is cursed and told Hurley not to listen to Jacob, interesting. Illana is here to protect candidates. AWESOME.
Along with the polarity we’ve grown to know and love — destiny/free will — another seems to be on clear display recently: selfishness vs. selflessness. In both timelines, Ben could have pursued the selfish path and grasped for power. Instead, in both he chooses the more selfless course: Dr. Linus elects to “take care of the kids,” specifically Alex; Island Ben follows Ilana back to camp and his best chance at belonging and redemption. In so doing, Island Ben is the first to resist the temptations of Flocke (at least on the second go round). Sawyer, Claire, and Sayid appear to have all given in to their most selfish desires in their bargaining with Flocke. Best episode of the season (so far).
An amazing episode! Fantastic off island story (the way it should be done) and loads of answers on island. It was a killer episode.
Too bad Ben found his redemption in the flash sideways, because with Ben and Alex being total strangers in this time line, hot action. Alex has my vote in the Hot Awards.
(and if you think me crass, remember Shannon and Boone were step-siblings; which is grosser)
Loved Jack’ thuming his nose at fate during his dynamite dialog with Richard. Richard’s cobolt guyliner is rather accentuated in the dim glow of the fuze light, I half expected Jack to take a walk on the wild side of the Island. Really thinking that the whole ‘can’t kill yourself’ is the first sign of self aware characters awakening inside the story. Maybe the whole ‘course correction’ is another aspect of self aware characters ‘trapped’ in their storylines as written? I know it’s crazy but I think these represent cracks in the fourth wall and that more will follow. I really enjoyed the flash sideways with Dr Linus and am very thankful to Roger ‘workman’ Linus for his verification of the post evacuation (caused by Jughead?) timeline. It looks like one of the most dismissed (roger comes off as illiterate, drunk, trailer trash) characters on Lost has given us one of the biggest reveal this season.
Mr badd
http://baddlosttheories.blogspot.com/
I thought this was a wonderful episode. The book we saw on the beach is very much related to the story of Ben, it was “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok. One part of that story is about a father who chooses not to speak a word to his son for many years, in order to teach him humility and get him to open his heart to the people around him. That sounds like how Jacob treated Ben all those years on the island. I think Jacob’s plans for people can seem confusing and infuriating to the people he touched, but are based on perceptive knowledge about what each person’s character needs to experience in order to overcome their flaws.
I see the flash sideways giving us some insight into how Ben Linus became the leader of the others. X-reality Ben realizes that power was not necessary for him to have meaning in life, in the Island reality Ben felt only power could give him meaning.
Maybe this flash sideways shows that Jacob never intended Ben to be the leader. From what we have seen I don’t think Jacob would care about Widmore’s indiscretions, but perhaps his followers would. Ben manipulated Widmore to leave by promising to keep his off island deeds a secret to the Others. Since Widmore left of his own free will Jacob reluctantly dealt with him, but would never appear to him directly.
The cryptic messages delivered to him through Richard were all just attempts to see if Ben would evolve, or selfishley cling to his power. Richard was totally unaware of this motive. Jacob would only hand him slips of paper withuot any explanation, only assurances to Richard that this was his purpose and a very important duty. Up until his death Jabob held out hope that Ben could change.
Ironically Ben could change, but he needed to face the consequences of killing Jacob to do this.
WOW….by far the BEST episode of the season!!!
Michael Emerson blew me away, this guy is the best villan on TV…when the character Ben came to the show he took LOST to another level…great performance.
FLocke keeps making promises, telling people what they “WANT” to hear! He promised Ben that he would be the ‘Island Keeper’…the power seat!
Ben finally turned down POWER in both worlds!!!! When he sacrifaced for Alex.
Very moving indeed. I shed a very tears for Ben, he has been ‘played’ like lotto. And when everybody came together in the end NOBODY gave Ben a hug!
Poor Ben.
- who goes to their teachers house? how did the principal even know Ben liked Alex so much to use her as leverage? how was Alex even in LA? both parents were French and she just turns out to be a normal North American Honor Roll student? and lastly, why the F was she rocking a confederate flag on her backpack? some of these things seem like stretches.
the on-island stuff is so crucial and the writers seemed to abandon it for these goofy X-universe stories as a seasonal writing mechanism. the setting of the island and its history is waaaay more interesting than just “the characters”. it helped form who the characters are. i dont know, even if they do reconcile both timelines it seems like they bombed on what this should’a-could’a been for developing a rich, deep world that gives context to the characters theyre trying to focus on.
i also have a SUPER hard time with the X-universe concept in general. they think we’re suppose to buy that the characters have ‘innate flaws’ or innate traits that always develop. ill buy it if they tell a great story with it but theyre not. its really deterministic. so the philosophical questions that brings up is another headache.
*GONNNNG*
Hey Vato Dude! I love your show and the music you play-cool. Dr. Linus, great to see Ben finally coming to terms with his hurts and trying to move on.
I believe that was Jacob’s plan from the beginning. And it’s seams to be his plan for everyone… “Sometime in the back of a taxi other times they have to work it out.” I think that’s “part” of the game. I know Jacob is dead but his plan still is being carried out, like it didn’t even matter if he died. Remember he told MIB “I’ll be here,” like it really didn’t matter if MIB killed him, in fact Jacob knew he would be killed even though he was hopping he was wrong about Ben.
My crazy theory: Jacob knows ALL, Jacob might be angelic or some sort of god. MIB is NOT human, NEVER was human, Will NEVER be human… he hates humans, he hates the game. He only seams to manipulate them to get what he wants, and more over Jacob knows this… why, because he created MIB.
Side note: Kate will died but not because La Loca (Crazy Clair) killed her. She’ll die saving or sacrificing herself to make sure Clair gets back to Aaron.
-Ladas (that mean see you later or until we meet again)
Haven’t read the other comments so this may be repetitive – yes – Jacob has definately been involved in the LOSTies lives most of their lives – most likely pre-touch and the touch is not what brings them to the island – the definative proof of that is in Jack – at the lighthouse he sees a house that he hasn’t lived in since he was a child (I think is what he says)- but he wasn’t touched by Jacob until the surgery with the girl. Plus Jacob knows that Jack need’s to hear the words “You have what it takes” – something that he hasn’t believed since his father told him otherwise as a child (White Rabbit).
As far as the bomb’s effects? Remember that this is just a warhead – not the full jughead – 90% of the bomb’s “power” has been left behind in the tunnel – and that even proves that much more that Darlton haven’t done their homework if they are saying the bomb is the cause for the pregnancy issues. (Or for sinking the island for that matter!)
Aaron’s importance is to give Kate a story? That sucks – but if that’s the answer than so be it. I agree with Donald that the mystery is often more satisfying than the answer. Darlton seems to always present things as huge and then slowly demystify those huge things to a point where sometimes the answer is unsatisfactory.
Thanks for starting your podcast with that presentation.
As far as Ajira plane at Hydra. As I recall, in Namaste Lapidus had said that the instruments had failed right before they went down – while not impossible to repair I’m sure – it would definately take time to repair. (Maybe the time needed for team Jacob to organize?)
I think when Juliet hit the bomb there was an IMplosion similar to when Desmond turned the failsafe key. The electromagnetic anomaly absorbed the thermonuclear explosion, and most of the people still on the island never even knew the bomb was detonated. Ben reunited with his father and they left the island afterward. Perhaps Sayid taking apart Jughead led to a radiation leak from the remainder of the bomb, which was right under the Barracks.
After the incident, Pierre Chang knew that a nuclear explosion could be used as a failsafe if the electromagnetism built up again, so they built the hatch with a new nuclear device, buried in concrete.
I also see a strong similarity between Desmond’s experience after turning the failsafe key and what we are seeing now as flashsideways. He had that same deja vu that we have seen Jack and others display this season. Eventually though when he saw Charlie he started to remember, as I think the people in the flashsideways world soon will.
Just wanted to thank Hooray4 Hawking for the insight into “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok (One part of that story is about a father who chooses not to speak a word to his son for many years, in order to teach him humility).
I think this is great insight when combined with Mile’ reading of Jacob’s ashes, noting that Jacob “Didn’t want to die and was hoping he was wrong about you (Ben) right up until the moment you stabbed the knife into his heart”). Love the way the writers have us bouncing around like dharma ping pong balls, thinking Jacob is good, no Jacobe is dark, and the same with Ben. What a wonderful tapestry of characters and drama they have woven.
mr badd
http://baddlosttheories.blogspot.com/
In the Sideways timeline, the Island sunk in 1977 when Jughead was detonated. This was the catalyst that split off the Sideways timeline. We know Dharma went to the Island, because we saw Dharmaville on the sunk Island.
We learned in the last episode that Ben and his father were on the Island at some point. But in the “real” timeline, Young Ben and his father were still on the Island at the time of The Incident.
All that said, when did the timelines splinter?