Lost Magic

The latest Lost, "Dead Is Dead," was all about Ben. But the issue referred to in the title intrigues me. Ben says it to Sun--the one thing that even the island can't do is bring Locke back to life.

It reminded me of how you figure out magic tricks. First you figure out what they could show if there really was magic. And since there's no magic, what is it they're covering up--that's where the trick is. If Locke couldn't be brought back to life, but seems to be, that's where the trick is. (Unless Ben is wrong--he certainly has been, just as he certainly lies. He even lied to Locke this episode when he said he expected him to come back to life after he murdered him.)

So maybe the Locke we're seeing isn't Locke. But I don't buy that. We've seen Christian, and now Alex, and others (perhaps Claire) come back from the dead in ghost form, but they seem to act differently from Locke. Locke seems to mostly be the same old Locke. (Though he was acting a bit arrogantly--in fact, I thought he was gonna get his comeuppance. Instead, at least for now, it looks like the island wants to protect him. Ghost Alex was pretty insistent that Ben not do the hat trick and kill him a third time. Clearly he's got work to do, and it's time for Ben to help, not to take over.)

So if Locke isn't a ghost, and couldn't come back to life, then here's the trick--he never left the Island. At least not some corporeal Locke. Perhaps he split in two (an old Star Trek trick) or perhaps when he moved the donkey wheel, the real Locke stayed on the island while some doppelganger went back.

The most popular theory seems to be this isn't really Locke, it's just the smoke monster, or even a smoke-animated Locke corpse. I hope it's not true, since I find this too pat and no fun. (Hey, maybe he left his brain functions behind, like Spock did). I admit this is all extremely speculative, and the most sensible explanation is still the island brought Locke back to life.

Anyway, the episode had plenty of surprises and a lot of island lore. I'm gonna do a recap, so not only will there be spoilers, this will be long.

The show starts with a man on a horse. (Kate saw a horse. Could it be related? Doubtful.) We're back in 1977, and it's Charles Widmore, unhappy that Richard saved young Ben Linus. This is the start of a beautiful rivalry. Ben remembers his dad, and doesn't want to go back to the Dharma people. Charles assures him he can serve the Others while hanging out with the DI.

Back to the present. Ben is shocked that Locke is alive, but still tries to claim he knew it would happen all along. No apology necessary for killing him, since things all worked out, just like Ben had hoped.

Ben also explains (I think he's telling the truth, but I'm not sure) he's come back to the island to be judged. Locke thinks this is a fine idea, and for the rest of the episode, he's pushing the reluctant Ben toward the Smoke Monster. (It's unclear from what Ben says what relation the Others had with Smokey. Locke is the only guy who happily faces the Smoke Monster, even though there was one time it grabbed onto him and tried to pull him to its underground lair. This was at the end of Season One, and most viewers assumed it wasn't a good thing. With what we know now, I have to wonder if Locke going along wouldn't have saved everyone a lot of trouble.)

Ben talks to Cesar, the unofficial leader of Hyrda island. Cesar notes Locke claims Ben killed him. This is a great scene, since we get to see Ben lie to Cesar about how crazy Locke is. We've seen Ben lie a lot before, but usually we're not sure if he's lying. Cesar found a gun at the Hydra station (was that what he was looking for?) and says he'll protect Ben. Poor Cesar.

Flashback to young adult Ben (with an even younger, more aggressive Ethan--the Others have him now) outside Rousseau's hut. We know what's about to happen. They'll take her baby. What we didn't know was this is a mission to kill Rousseau, but Ben can't do it. He makes sure she'll never try to find the Others (if she hears whispers, better run the other way--we still don't know what the whispers are), and he's gone with Alex. She'll capture Ben in the future and hand him over to Sayid, saying he's an Other. I guess she knows, even though she's a disturbed woman who only saw him in the dark for a minute or so under high stress conditions about fifteen years ago.

Ben and Locke hang out at Ben's old Hydra office. Ben is taking a picture of himself and Alex. Maybe for sentimentality, maybe to get rid of evidence. This is the scene where Locke is making sure Ben will go to the main island to be judged.

They get to the boat and Cesar tries to intervene. He's convinced Locke is kidnaping Ben. Cesar's ready to take action when it turns out Ben has his gun and shoots Cesar, dead (I think). A true shock. (It looked like Cesar would be a regular. Of course, being killed on Lost doesn't end your tenure.) As a topper, Ben tells Locke that's his apology.

They take the outrigger to the main island (beautiful scenery) and the surprises keep coming. Locke figures Ben feels guilty about causing the death of his daughter. (How does he know that? As Locke later notes, the tables have turned and now Locke is the one who gets it, while Ben has to ask questions.)

Flashback to Ben coming back to the Others' camp with baby Alex, but no notch on his gun. Widmore's not happy, and claims Ben isn't following what the island wants. (Ben did--or will do--something similar to Locke.) Richard watches. Ben tells him Rousseau is no threat and he won't kill the baby. He offers to let Charles do it, but he can't either. Is Widmore's grip on the island already starting to loosen? (I also started wondering just when and how did he develop a business and a family off the island.)

At the barracks, there's a light in Ben's old house--in Alex's room, in fact. I thought it was Christian again, but no, Ben checks it out and it's Sun, and Lapidus. They've been told by Christian to wait around for Locke, whom they know is dead. Look out the window, says Ben. Another cool moment.

Ben also gets to discover the old photo of the class of 1977--he didn't know the gang was there (apparently). Meanwhile, Lapidus decides to return to the Hydra island, where he figures his expertise and leadership is most needed. (Or maybe he's just spooked out by what he's seeing.) I like Frank, so I'm sorry to see him go.

We get some scenes with Locke and Sun. This is one of the things I like about big casts. Locke spends a lot of time with folks like Jack and Sayid and Boone, and Sun with Jin and Kate and Michael, but the two don't acknowledge each other that often, so it's fun too seem them together. Locke, with his new-found confidence, tells Sun she can't leave or she'll never see Jin again, and he even has some ideas about how to join them, though he'll save that for later, since the first order of business is getting Ben judged. Sun puts up with it--either she's very patient or she realizes she has no choice.

We see the full summoning the monster treatment. Ben's gotta open some heavy doors, go down some stairs and poll the plug on some dirty waterhole till it drains. Apparently that'll do it. He also says "I'll be outside." Does Smokey need directions?

Another flashback. The Others are in the barracks and Ben is playing with Alex on the swingset. Today's a big day. Ben is seeing Charles off. I thought he'd tricked him some other way, but apparently he was able to force Widmore off because he broke so many rules, going off the island so often and having a kid with a mainland woman. They talk about Ben's daughter dying if the island wants it, and Ben being forced off some day if the island wants him. I don't know if Charles knows what he's saying or is just angry. Certainly this is a central event in their extremely serious feud.

Back to Sun and Ben (another rare pair). This is the scene where Ben makes it clear to Sun that Locke was dead, and admits he had no idea Locke would come back to life--that you can't come back from the dead. Even Ben is spooked.

No monster--apparently Smokey has other plans. Instead, Locke shows up (leading some to speculate Locke is Smokey) and leads the two to the monster. Before they do, Locke has to reassure her he's still the same Locke. I'm pretty sure he believes it. I'd like to think that, too.

Now we get the flashback we've been waiting for. It's the day of the Ajira flight. Ben calls Charles from the dock to taunt him. He spots Penny and is ready to kill her. (Thanks, Faraday, says Desmond, for making me go on a long trip that's about to get my wife killed.) To be continued.

Locke takes the two to the Temple, as we sort of expected. Except that's actually the wall of the Temple, since outsiders shouldn't even look at the Others' Temple.

But they don't go inside. They go in the pit underneath--the one where Rouseau's guy was pulled in by the monster and had his arm torn off. That's where Locke wants to go. Yep, he knows what he's doing. (Compare this to his earlier search for Jacob's cabin.)

Ben and Locke get some ever-present torches (the two things no one runs out of on this island are torches and guns) and go underground. The monster can't be far away. Ben knows his number might be up, so before he enters, he says to Sun to find Desmond and tell him "I'm sorry."

Flashback to part 2 of the dock scene. Desmond spots Ben and Ben quickly shoots him. He gets all Princess Bride and explains to Penny why she must die. Then little Charlie pops up and Ben, like with Rousseau before, can't do it. His pause is long enough for Desmond to get back up, beat him senseless, and toss him in the water (just as we knew he would, as we saw the aftermath half a season back). I didn't think Ben would kill Penny, simply because, for all the fans are willing to take, I think the producers know they wouldn't stand for that. I suppose that's why they had the come-on line about apologizing to Desmond--to heighten the tension and make us think maybe he did do it. As it is, however, you wonder why he'd bother to bring it up. As I read in one of my favorite comments ever, what's he apologizing for--"I'm sorry I bled all over your fists"?

But before the big finish, we get Lapidus back at Hydra. Ilana's got a gun, and is asking a mysterious question: "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" Sounds like code. I think we know what the statue is, but the rest? The shock is she (and not Cesar, I guess) was undercover. She wasn't just a mercenary hired to get Sayid, she was searching for the island. For Widmore? Is she (and her cohorts) an Other? Well, she made it to where she was going. And she and her people are trying to open a crate. (In fact, they were trying to at the beginning of the show when they had a conversation with Ben that suggested they don't know each other.) What's in it? Locke's coffin? Weapons? Widmore? The statue's missing toe? Jughead 2? Ankhs filled with heroin? She knocks out Lapidus (the nicest, most competent guy ever on the show, and someone who doesn't have any answers) and she's going to take an outrigger to the main island. (I assume she'll be one of the people shooting at Juliet, Sawyer, et all when they take one of the outriggers while they flash in and out.)

Now, the payoff, and it's maybe the spookiest we've ever seen on Lost. Ben falls through the floor underneath the Temple, into a chamber, and while Locke goes to find something to get him out, Ben finds what looks like an altar where there are those Egyptian symbols on the wall, including one that looks like a representation of the Smoke Monster. The smoke comes out of holes in the floor and envelopes Ben. It starts to judge him. (Sometimes Smokey judges you, sometimes it just kicks your ass.)

Fans have used freeze frames in the past and seen figures in the smoke, relating to the character it's judging. Ben starts seeing scenes from his life dealing with Alex, particularly the horrible moment (which he's already admitted to Locke) when rather than be captured by the freighter people, he allows his daughter to die.

The smoke clears away and there's Alex, big as life. Except she's a ghost (or whatever you'd call her) and she's pissed (and powerful--for a ghost she packs a wallop). Speaking for the Island/Temple/Smoke Monster, she slams Ben against the wall and says she knows Ben is planning to kill Locke again. Ben always thinks killing Locke will solve his problems. She says he better do exactly what Locke tells him. (Ghost Christian didn't have much use for Ben either, nor, for that matter, did Jacob seem to like him that much--seems like the island's got it in for Ben. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool Smokey.)

Alex disappears, Locke reappears (could there be a connection there?). And Ben has survived--which was by no means a done deal, considering how this show works.

A good episode. We also only have one more story to tell about the Ajira's passengers--Hurley's. But we also have The Incident to see before the season end, and I'm sure we'll get some Faraday.