The Great 'Lost' Debate: The fate of Benjamin Linus
It's time for another "Lost" debate here at Zap2it, where my colleague Rick Porter and I discuss a pressing matter in the show's universe. One of us starts off a topic via email, the other responds, and after a few theories and more than a few insults later, I post the results here for you on the blog.
Before getting into today's debate, I want to make sure you all know about Rick's take on the first trailer with Season 6 footage that aired during "Desperate Housewives." I know this might be shocking to some of you, but I in fact do NOT watch "Desperate Housewives," so I missed the promo. Which is good, since I don't want to see a second of coverage before tomorrow night. But if you did see the promo, or simply want to know Rick's take on it, be sure to go check it out.
One final programming note: be sure to come participate in a live chat here on the blog February 2nd starting at 7:30 pm EST. I'll be chatting with fellow fans all the way through the hour-long recap hour. Should be a blast. All the details can be found here.
Finally: many of you follow me on Twitter. Just as many of you seem to loathe the service more than Nikki, Paulo, and Bai Ling combined. Either way, if you're curious about following my in-show reaction to each and every episode of the show this season, follow this account. I'm cleaving it off from the main account so I don't spoil anyone not on the East Coast.
OK, business out of the way. Let's have some fun. Today's topic: what will Ben Linus's ultimate legacy on "Lost" be?
Ryan McGee: So Rick: I thinking I'm going to like this little back-and-forth series. Last time out, we gave each other some food for thought in looking at Jack and Locke's potential roles in Season 6. Both will undoubtedly factor heavily into the show's themes of choice vs. destiny as the show winds down its narrative. This time around, let's look at my personal pick for All-Time Great "Lost" character, Benjamin Linus, and try to peer into his crystal ball for the final season.
To me, it's too simplistic to call Ben a villain. Clearly, both in execution and performance, the writers and Michael Emerson have crafted a character that goes beyond simple definitions. Some characters have clear arcs for Season 6, whether they are those of redemption, tragedy, or triumph. My first question to you: which way do you think Ben will go this season? He's on record as calling destiny a fickle...well, you know what. And Jacob didn't seem too impressed with him inside the statue. But have forces conspired to break him as kharmic retribution, or as a way to finally build him back up again?
Rick Porter: This is kinda fun, isn't it? Getting to nerd out on someone else's dime = good times.
As for Ben Freakin' Linus, I can't see how he doesn't start season 6 a broken man. Being no dummy, the realization of what he's done to Jacob -- and at whose behest -- will probably dawn on him pretty quickly. The fact that he allowed his emotions to get the better of him could also play a part in that downward spiral: For a guy who almost always is looking farther down the road, that's a pretty serious failure.
I'm starting to see him not as a villain and not really as a hero either, but mostly as a tragic figure. Here is a man who has worked his entire adult life for the goal of protecting the Island, only to be told, essentially, "Thanks, but we've decided to go in another direction." I'd want to shove someone in a fire too if it were me.
RM: But you could also look at Jacob's "What about you?" in another light. It's not that he's unimportant. It's that he's consistently done things for the wrong reasons. And, if your thinking that "whatever happened, happened" is true, then in some senses Ben Linus never had a CHANCE to achieve his potential after Sayid shot him and he was "healed" in the Temple.
While Ben always claimed to be working for the Island, I don't think such service lands you a tumor on your spine. That's the type of punishment you get for going off-track. Remember how last time out, we talked about Jack and Locke needing to work together more? Well, what if the tumor was Jacob's way of giving Ben one last shot at redemption? Imagine a scenario where instead of infiltration, The Others offer shelter and support from Day One.
Now THAT's something I'd be damn curious to see as a result of Jughead's detonation. How about you?
RP: Well now -- that is intriguing. And you make some excellent points about Ben having had his chances, but never quite doing things for the right reasons. In that interpretation, he's definitely a shining example of the adage that power corrupts.
I think, though, that a Jughead reset wouldn't necessarily have the result of Ben suddenly being accommodating to Island newcomers. The Others' history of antagonism dates back at least to the time when the bomb arrived there and Richard led young Widmore, Eloise et al in killing all the U.S. soldiers on the Island. I get the sense that even in a Jughead reset, the Dharma purge would still have happened. There's also the question of whether young Ben being around at the time of the Incident immediately affects adult Ben's behavior in the bowels of the statue ... and also, my head is starting to hurt from trying to divine all the time-line effects the Incident could have.
Which is off-point a bit, I know. I believe, though, that any redemption or vindication for Ben's actions thus far will have to be earned by means other than an alternate timeline being created.
RM: Or, as you and I have discussed before: we don't know how much memory will carry over should a reboot occur. Part of me loves the idea that we've already seen bits and traces of accumulated memory/experience from Jughead's detonation: Faraday crying at seeing the falsified wreckage of Oceanic 815 is an example you've noted, and I concur with that. People like Abaddon also seemed to have a sense of things to come that seemed...unnatural. Could it just be Lance Reddick's cryptic acting choices? Perhaps, but I'm hoping it's something else.
But here's the good news: the time for speculation's over. The season's about to begin. And surely, the first episode will clear everything up. Because the season premieres of "Lost" do nothing except answer question after question, right? Right? Rick, why are you pointing at me and laughing?
What are your thoughts, fair reader? Will Ben end up a hero, a villain, or something else entirely? Leave your thoughts below!
Ryan invites you to join the hundreds already in Zap2It's Guide to Lost Facebook group.
Photo credit: ABC
As far as Benjamin Linus is concerned, I was always in the camp of "He's misunderstood, and goes to extremes at times, but his loyalty to the Island and Jacob is paramount", and that in the end, his story would be more heroic than villainous. After Season 5, I have to back off from that view. Knowing that he has never heard or seen Jacob in over 3 decades of service to him, I don't know if he can ever get past being ignored for so long. And if he can't get past Jacob saying "What about you?", he's locked into the villian's role, and his death will be celebrated, not mourned.
Off topic, I know, but a quick take on spoilers. I hate it when media is ruined for me. Someone told me about the twist in Fight Club as soon as they saw the movie. Without that ignorance, the movie lost a key element. I also knew exactly what Bruce Willis' character was before seeing The Sixth Sense. With Lost, I've done a decent job of avoiding spoilers. My wife watches Desperate Housewives every Sunday, and as soon as I realized that there was new footage in the Lost commercial, I muted the TV, closed my eyes, and had her fast forward past it. I am of a different mind when it comes to pre-air footage, assuming it's definitely real Lost, and not some dumb fanfic. I've seen the preview that some AT&T customers won the right to see, and I did watch a bootleg of the first part of S6E1. In my mind, as long as it's authentic, and starts at the beginning of the season, it's not really a spoiler. You're just like the people at the premiere party over the weekend. You're getting to watch the first episode before everyone else. Now, as for the bootleg footage. Filmed with cell phone, I am assuming, was clever. I would've thought ABC was smart enough to know that if they didn't check phones at the door, someone or several someones would do that. Video was a 4/10, but Sound was a 0/10. That's why I stopped after one YouTube sized chunk of action. If anything, I'm more excited than before, but the sound was too horrendous to continue. So for a little bit tomorrow night, I'll know where we're going. After that, I'll be along for the ride with everyone else.
Thank you so much Ryan for maintaining a spoiler-free zone. It is the only place I feel safe as we get closer and closer to the premiere. Thank you also for keeping us going right through the off-season. It's been a great ride. See you on the other side of hydrogen bomb :)
OMG its almost here!!!!!!!!!!!
I think, in the end, Ben will not be good or bad but simply flawed; he's only human, exposed to more supernatural and powerful forces than an average person would be equipped to deal with. And with no clear line of communication with the ones pulling the strings, he did the best he could to interperet how best to serve the Island which, as we know, he failed miserably at.
Ben may end up being another cog in the machine of Jacob's grand plan, but he was given a CHOICE in that room under the Statue and made the decision to do the deed anyway. So now, he HAS to redeem himself, and I would not be surprised if that means sacrificing himself, Annie, or both as one final selfless act in service of the Island.
Moses smell the roses! Less than 12 hours!
My personal take is that Ben will only get redemption by forgiving his father, which I think would be incredibly difficult even for a saint. And I think once he forgives his father, he could forgive Jacob, who essentially treated him the same way Roger did. Jacob was the father figure Ben wanted, and instead of being loving and caring and supportive, he neglected Ben the same way Roger did. I think that's part of the reason why he got the tumor on his spine - at that point he was already doubting and questioning Jacob's plan, and Jacob's existence.
Speaking as someone who has only been watching Lost since the Writer's Strike and has had to catch up with EVERYTHING through reruns all over the place, I think ultimately Ben is tragic.
He has done evil things but he's done them for what he thought were justifiable reasons. I don't think he'll ever get over the loss of his daughter, which is what I THINK made him kill Jacob, and in the end, anybody who is misguided enough to live their life at the behest of someone else; to do the things he's done, AND to be as intelligent as he is, is going to end up tragically.
I hope I'm not simplifying too much, considering I'm a latecomer, but I felt sorry for him when he realized he had done all this without ever even seeing Jacob.
My thanks also for the spoiler-free zone.
I'm just hoping someone kills Ben this season. And not Sayid halfway, or Locke in a box but coming back to life, dead. I don't see him as anything more than a villain and his ultimate demise cannot come soon enough.
I'm hoping Ben's knowledge of island lore will mean he can redeem himself for his previous misdeeds by battling on the side of our losties.
I'd love to have some Ben perspective flashbacks on his interactions with the cast that highlight his reasons - right back to letting Ethan hang Charlie for instance.
And I'd like to add my voice to those thanking Ryan for such a great site and keeping me occupied in the off-season. Being in England I know it's going to be hard to resist spoilers or even viewing online content of the first episode after tonight - it airs over here at 9pm on Friday! - but I'll have to try.
Ryan,
How can you live tweet and write a live blog simultaneously?
Dude, you must have fast fingers!