Summary: Flashbacks show Ben take Alex from Rousseau and object to Widmore's demands to kill her. Eventually Ben grows up and gets Widmore banished for breaking the rules and making a family off the island. Ben takes over as leader. After Ben leaves Eloise, he finds Penny and Desmond and tries to kill Penny but isn't able to bring himself to do it. Desmond beats up Ben and throws him in the water. In the present, Locke decides to go with Ben, who plans to be judged by the smoke monster for getting Alex killed. Caesar tries to stop them but Ben kills him. Ben and Locke go to the barracks where they find Sun and Lapidus. Lapidus goes back to the other island, but he's knocked out by Ilana who has taken control. Locke starts having sudden realizations of knowledge and he takes Ben to the temple to be judged. Ben goes under the temple and is judged by the smoke monster. His life is spared, but he's told to obey Locke and never betray him again.
The Good: This episode was huge and it did a lot of things really well. Ben's story in this episode is excellent. The death of Alex last season was a massive moment for the character, and is one of season 4's most memorable moments in my opinion. It's so great to see "Lost" explore the impact that Alex's death had on Ben outside of the simple Hollywood approach of grief and revenge. So many TV shows and movies simplify dealing with a loved one's death in this way. Ben's guilt is shown to us really well throughout the episode. The flashbacks center around Ben's relationship with Alex, and he frequently thinks back to her in the present. The episode builds and builds to that tremendous climax when Ben finally sees Alex again and the scene delivers hugely (see: Best Moment). We can tell based off of Ben's face that his guilt over letting Alex die will ensure that he keeps his promise to obey every word Locke says. Having Ben feel such intense guilt for what he did humanizes him really well, and it reminds me that even though this man is a ruthless and manipulative murderer, he is still a human being with struggles and fears and conflicts. Ben has to be one of the best villains ever conceived in television because we are still somehow able to understand him and everything he does and even sympathize with him. What's so satisfying about this episode is how it forces Ben into the back seat. In every one of Ben and Locke's conversations before, Ben always looked to be in control. But that's changed now. I have no idea what death has done to Locke (see: The Unknown), but he's changed and become far more confident now. Seeing this new version of Locke is incredible, and he almost feels like an entirely new character. He's so mysterious and enigmatic, and I can't wait to get the next Locke-centric episode to really find out what's going on with him. It's fascinating to watch how the Ben/Locke dynamic has changed. Suddenly Locke seems to be almost entirely in control of their conversations and he knows everything whereas Ben knows nothing. The juxtaposition between the past and present in this relationship is excellent, and I loved how the episode drew attention to it ("that's what it felt like to be me"). The dialogue between Ben and Locke is top-notch as always, and the superb writing and acting in this episode hits the same highs as "The Man From Tallahassee". There are so many delightful lines, and many moments where I laughed out loud. But there were also some genuinely terrifying moments, my favourite being when Ben admits to Sun that he didn't expect Locke to revive and that he's terrified by the fact that Locke is walking around normally again. Seeing Ben so shaken throughout the episode makes Locke's resurrection feel like a monumental moment, and it excites me for more scenes between the two of them. Caesar's death early in the episode surprised me because I was sure that he would be a more important character. I'm completely fine with it though. Watching Ben manipulate and kill this poor guy for the sake of getting back in Locke's good book was a really nicely executed story. It's Ben doing what he does best in an attempt to regain control, and yet it doesn't work and Locke still plows forward, filled with confidence. Plus watching Ben play the oblivious bystander is absolutely hilarious. One particular moment in this episode that I loved was when Ben declared to Sun that "something is going to come out of that jungle. Something I can't control" while anticipating the smoke monster's appearance. And then Locke walks out. It's a delightful moment that highlights the change in the Locke/Ben dynamic, and is one of my favourite parts of the episode. Again, the dialogue and writing in this episode was excellent, and easily its strongest aspect. The Bad: This season has been missing something in its episodes to prevent them from hitting the highs of previous seasons. There has been too much emphasis on plot and mystery and that makes it pretty difficult to follow along and understand the stakes sometimes. This episode was hurt the most by this problem. Ben being "judged" by the smoke monster left me with far too many questions, and I think that diminished the emotional impact of the episode. Instead of focusing on the heart of the episode with Ben's guilt over what happened with Alex, or with the Ben/Locke dynamic, I spent far too much time contemplating the convoluted details that made up this plot (see: The Unknown). I assume most of this stuff will be answered, but even if it is, it doesn't fix how much of this episode I spent confused and frustrated by how little I understood of the main plot. I can't help but be disappointed with how the vagueness of the story took away from this episode, and others in this season. I was also let down by the flashbacks. Don't get me wrong, it was great to finally get background on Ben and Widmore as leaders of the others. But the story felt rushed. The flashbacks here had to tackle the Ben/Widmore stuff while also touching in on Ben's attempt to kill Penny. That's too much to tackle, and both storylines suffered as a result. The Ben/Widmore story felt particularly underwhelming. It was well-written and well-acted, but there was no heart to the story. Watching those scenes just felt like watching the writers check off a list of reveals to ensure that they get through everything that they need to. The emotional core to the story was missing, and things progressed so quickly that we were often being told details instead of being shown them. That's weak writing, and I think that it was a waste to cram the Ben/Widmore stuff into an already packed episode instead of giving it its own episode. I'm not a fan of how "Lost" handled Ben's attempt to kill Penny. The show tried too hard to make us think that Ben killed Penny to the point where it felt manipulative. Things like Ben telling Sun to apologize to Desmond feel so unnecessary, and they only exist to cheaply make us think that Ben killed Penny before the episode reveals that he actually didn't. It's a simple and flat story centered only around thrills, and this type of storytelling is well below what "Lost" is capable of. And to think that this weak story is the reason that the Widmore/Ben flashbacks were rushed. What a disappointment. I expected more from both flashback storylines and I was ultimately let down by what we were given. The Unknown: Richard says that Jacob wants him to save Ben. Is this true? Why? Does Jacob choose the next leader of the others? Is this why Richard stepped down? Because Jacob told him to? Why does Ben have to be judged? We've never seen anyone be judged before. Is this something the others regularly do? Why? Why does the smoke monster judge people? What is the purpose of it? Does the smoke monster reflect the will of the island or something like that? Or is it tied to Jacob somehow? How does this all add up? Why is there a system to summon the smoke monster in the barracks? Is this connected to the areas under the temple? I presume that the smoke monster lives down there. Why does it obey the others and help them? Was this area built by the others? Or the Dharma Initiative? Or was it built before then? Did the smoke monster cause Ben to have a vision of Alex? How did it do that? I recall in season 3 that the smoke monster was also potentially causing Eko to have visions of Yemi before it killed him. How and why does the smoke monster create these visions? If Alex is a manifestation of the smoke monster, then why does the smoke monster want Ben to obey Locke? How did Locke come back to life? Ben suggests that this is completely abnormal. So why is Locke back? How? And how does he know so many more things than before? How did he gain so much confidence suddenly? Was there really something hugely special about him all along? What is it? We also get confirmation from Ben that the whispers are linked to the others. How? What are the whispers? How do the others control them? What are the rules that Ben and Widmore keep talking about? I assumed they were an agreement between the two of them, as in they won't kill each other or each other's family. But now we're being told that the rules are obeyed by the others because it's against the rules for Ben to return to the island, just like it's against the rules for Widmore to have a family off the island. What are these rules? What's in the big box that Ilana and her men were carrying? Who are these people? Why did they ask Frank about the shadow of the statue? What does it mean? What's the answer? Is Desmond okay? He seemed to be fine, but he did just get shot by Ben. Maybe that's what Ben was apologizing for? Best Moment: Ben confronting the smoke monster. The sequence building up to this scene is mysterious and suspenseful, and seeing the smoke monster literally envelop Ben and haunt him with his past was frightening. The scene was dripping with mythology, and yet it also had a strong emotional core as Ben was forced to relive his daughter's death and feel that guilt once again. The ensuing confrontation with Alex was horrifying with how Ben was being threatened by his own dead daughter. Ben is shaken and changed by this moment, and I found that to be very compelling, and realistic. The whole sequence was a masterful mixture of suspense and emotion. Character of the Episode: Ben. Conclusion: This episode did a lot of things, and most of it I enjoyed greatly. The dialogue and writing was excellent, and I'm as invested in the characters, mystery and plot of the show as ever. But the disappointing flashbacks and the convoluted plot hurts this episode a lot, bringing down what could have been another outstanding episode of "Lost". Score: 69
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|