LOST: Dr. Linus

I guess hell just froze over. This episode actually made me want to hug Ben. His monologue to Ilana on the beach – about how he felt betrayed by Jacob, horribly guilty at killing him and failing to save Alex, etc. – was downright heartbreaking. Ditto Ilana's surprising response: "I'll have you." Whaaa?

This episode was all about Ben's redemption. In the Sideways world, he blackmailed the principal after finding out about a sex scandal – indirectly at Locke's suggestion, ironically – but decided to "do the right thing" when he learned his scheme could affect Alex's college acceptance. It was interesting, wasn't it, to see Ben's fatherly love come through, even though he's just Alex's European History teacher? (And I don't mean that in a gross way.) Think we'll see Rousseau pop up as her mom sometime?

The Sideways story, of course, was a sort of allegory for the Island word. Ben and Locke had both fought their way to the top on the Island, and for what? Ben finally seemed to realize if he just did something he'd never done before – told the truth – he could dig himself out of a hole (in this case, his own grave).

Meanwhile, we got some answers (finally!) – particularly concerning Richard. He took Jack and Hurley to his old stomping grounds, the Black Rock – all but confirming he arrived on the island as a slave, as Flocke said, "in chains." We also learned he was touched by Jacob and this is why he cannot age or kill himself. Jack, rather freakishly, put that theory to the test by lighting a stick of unstable dynamite like a cigar. Has he really morphed into a Man of Faith? Whatever his theory was, he was right – they didn't pull an Arzt and blow up. Is Jack crazy, or is Richard drawing a blank as to what's really happening? Or both?



Interesting tidbits:

-In the Sideways world, Ben and his father mention that they left the island when Ben was a boy. So it would seem the island sank at some point, since some people have been there before.

-Speaking of Ben's dad, how great is the writing? – On the island, he killed his dad by suffocating him in a gas-filled van. Off-island, he's providing oxygen to keep him alive. The daddy issues have really been turned around.

-Does Ben know what Richard said about those touched by Jacob being unable to kill themselves? If yes, that scene in "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" takes on a whole new meaning: Ben killed Locke because he knew Locke was not going to be able to kill himself.

-On that suicide topic, if Jack had jumped off that bridge in the Season Three finale, "Through the Looking Glass," would he have survived? And remember how Michael couldn't kill himself in Season Four? Does that mean he was touched by Jacob at some point too?

-Apparently the March 23 episode will be Richard-centric and will contain flashbacks. Just what I wanted: answers. B+