Welcome to another edition of TV or Not TV where my head is once again left spinning from the night before.

Last night, just like every Wednesday night, I continued my romance with the television show LOST. I am still amazed at just how powerful this season is. I know I shouldn’t be surprised since this is in essence the act that immediately preceeds the final chapter in this story, however last season had some slow points so I keep expecting to hit one this season. It hasn’t happened yet. I’m not sure it is going to.

I will warn you now that I will be freely discussing what occured in last night’s episode of LOST, so if you haven’t yet watched the show than I would strongly encourage you to return once you have.

This episode, titled Dead is Dead, was another episode where we saw more into the past of Benjamin Linus. There was a whole lot else that went on in this episode, but it is these flashbacks that have given me the most food for thought because of what they revealed.

Back in The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham I was left wondering how much of the tale told to John Locke by former Islander Charles Widmore was true. Widmore claimed that he had a camera where John had appeared because it is the exit point, the same place that he himself had appeared years ago when Ben had tricked him into leaving the Island. At that time I had my doubts, mostly because in the episode The Shape of Things to Come there was no camera present when Ben appeared on this same spot. When I first saw the camera it was my suspicion that Widmore had some how back tracked Ben‘s steps to find the spot where Ben had appeared (which shouldn’t be too hard since Ben left two dead bodies there) and set up the camera so he could watch for another person to show up that might help him get back to the Island. After it was revealed last night that Widmore did, in fact, NOT leave the Island via trickery or deception as he had previously indicated I think my original speculation may be closer to the truth than what Locke was told by Widmore.

Last night it was also revealed to us exactly how Ben became so banged up prior to boarding Ajira flight 316. Many have speculated that this happened in pursuit of completing his promise to Widmore that he would kill Widmore‘s daughter in retaliation for the death of his own daughter Alex, which turned out to be right on the money. In this revelation a few more important facts, for me anyway, were revealed…. ones that got my mind working. While on the phone to gloat about his impending actions Ben tips his hand to Widmore that he would be returning to the Island that day. Widmore points out that the Island will not let him return if it doesn’t want him to, just as he has tried for nearly 20 years. Not a very thrilling conversation, and not something that really seems to reveal a lot, not when you look at the facts alone. If you couple these comments, however, with later actions in the episode I think we can get a bigger picture.

In The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham we see that Widmore has been keeping tabs on the Oceanic 6. I would think it is also a safe assumption that he may have been trying to keep tabs on Ben. We also know from the episode Jughead that he knows the whereabouts of Eloise Hawking. This may mean that Hawking could be sharing information with Widmore, or that simply by following all of these people and their activities Widmore could know that they booked travel on Ajira flight 316. Where am I going with this? Let me tell you.

I think there may be a possibility that the bounty hunter, Ilana, and maybe other people on the plane could have been on the Widmore payroll. Near the end of last night’s episode we see pilot Frank Lapidus return to the site of the Ajira 316 crash. There he finds Ilana and another crash survivor continuing the securing of the large metal canister that, earlier, she indicated was something they just “needed to move.” I’m sure a man of Widmore‘s wealth and resources could arrange for weaponry to be packed in the cargo hold of a plane, and what better way to try to find the Island without detection than to send in an undercover group in the hopes they survive getting there? The fact that Ilana seemed to have some type of pass-phrase that she asked to Lapidus (“What lies in the shadow of the statue?”) would really seemed to imply that she’s under orders/control of someone and was looking to verify that Lapidus was as well, making me think that maybe this is a code the Widmore people were given to use to identify each other once they got to where they were going.

This guess is nothing but a speculative guess. It could be that our good old friend the Smoke Monster took a trip over to the second island and worked the same mojo he did on the French Scientists that we saw back in This Place is Death and they are now all “infected” or doing the Island’s bidding. It could be that Ilana is also just taking charge of a group of people now that someone seemingly with them (Ben) killed someone else with them (Caesar) before fleeing to the main Island. That pass-phrase however makes me think the latter is not that likely.

Setting aside all of my crazy theories, it was very interesting to see in last night’s episode how the tables have really been turned on Ben. It was made very clear to him, by episodes end, that he is no longer the architect of the Island’s bidding and he darned well better get in line and follow John Locke. It was also interesting to see how the Smoke Monster made Ben reflect on the life of his daughter, and seemingly let him live because he truly had regret for his actions.  This regret, and admission of his own guilt, seems to be the redeeming quality. Back in season 3’s episode The Cost of Living we saw how Mr. Eko was not as fortunate when facing judgment by the Smoke Monster because when told to confess his sins he instead stated he had not choosen the life he was given, he was not sorry for the things he had done, and that he believed he did his best with what was given to him.  No regret, no guilt, no redemption.

One last observation: Did anyone else feel like Ben‘s statement that, “It let me live” almost seemed to be filled with regret?

There you have it folks, the meandering thoughts that come to me after watching last night’s episode of LOST. Now that I’ve gotten them out of my head I am going to explore the Internet to see what other people thought as well.

Tune in next week and we’ll do it all again.

– Will Wilkins can’t wait for the 100th episode of LOST.

Comments: None