Finally, a Ben-centric episode.
This is not my favorite episode, as I thought some of what transpired was too contrived and melodramatic.
But, I do think that what they're doing with Ben is simply trying to show that people can, in fact, change.
I don't really like the change--I truly wanted him to go with the smoke monster and to usurp the principal, but, alas, maybe that's why this episode works: that they are showing that even though someone like me desires Ben to stay evil that, in fact, maybe at his core, he has some good in him (little Ben WAS a nice kid whose father essentially psychologically modified him) and can do something that most of us cannot: change.
Cool that Ben and his father DID go to the island and with Dharma in the alternate universe. The alternate universe continues to remain relevant, intriguing, fascinating, and mysterious.
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One interesting concept that I've heard is that when someone (like Sayid) "fails" in the flash sideways they fall to Esau's side. When someone (like Ben) "succeeds" they go with Jacob.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily agree with that particular conclusion, but I sort of like the concept of the sideways-verse decisions determining/mirroring which side someone ends up on.
I only just got around to watching this. My friend (a cynic and harsh critic, haha) had told me it was so bad I shouldn't even watch it, but I actually really enjoyed it. I like Ben.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing Ben's dad. Looked like the same actor, no? Really good makeup job.
Ben has now heard the final thoughts of two of the many people he has killed. "I don't understand," and "I hope I'm wrong."
Loved Danielle.
"Cool that Ben and his father DID go to the island and with Dharma in the alternate universe." [Camp]
Of course they did!!! We saw them there!!! Remember, the two universes only branched off from each other at the moment of The Incident. (Or, uh, something like that.)
I think I'm going to try to read Paradise Lost over this break, and it's interesting to compare John Milton's (from what I hear) sympathetic and nuanced portrayal of Satan to the portrayal of Esau. He is supposedly evil incarnate, but.....
Loved Jack's act of great faith in his own invulnerability.
Ben pointed out to Lapidus how he ended up on the Island despite missing his flight. If the both universes were course-correcting, you'd expect them to actually converge, which would be a sort of elegant way of merging them. But I'm inclined to say that won't happen.
There's this recurring theme where, now that Jacob's dead, people are FREE. Richard, Ben, all the people in the temple....
So, what? Is freedom evil?
Ha, no.
But in the alternate universe, too -- people seem FREE.
Huh.