What Just Happened? Happened.
Benjamin Linus is easily the most fascinating character on Craphole Island - but part 2 of his segment of Craphole Origins: Benjamin Linus was both disappointing and brilliant at the same time: brilliant in its characterizations, relationships, and a few twists, but disappointing in its failure to do anything interesting with any of Ben’s flashbacks. Flashback 1: As OtherHoncho Charles Widmore rode in to Otherville, young Ben was awakening - but with short term amnesia being seemingly the only affect of his Temple Healing. We did not see a soul-sucked Ben - we saw the same scared, angry little boy we had seen previously, except now he had conveniently forgotten James LaFleur and his future-pals. This means Ben cannot be returned to DHARMA-ville until the Future Friends go back to the future (likely during a cataclysmic event known as “The Incident.”). How would DHARMA accept the returning, now-apparently-soulless young boy? Would Charles Widmore really use this kid as a sleeper agent? (Charles Widmore ordered the Purge by the way) How will this affect his relationship with Annie (his child-time love, whose story remains largely and strangely untold, although I gather we will figure out a good deal more about Annie before the season’s end. Although since young Ben cannot be returned before The Incident happens (or perhaps he is returned because the Incident happens, that relationship will have to wait until the next Ben-isode. Odds are that Annie died due to pregnancy? 110%)? Why doesn’t Roger Linus’ shock and guilt over what happened to his child change the way he behaves towards him (even moments before his untimely murder, Roger still resents and neglects Ben)? I almost hope the entire 2-hour season finale is devoted to Ben this year, but silly things like “other characters” might get in the way of that. Flashback 2: Floppy-haired Ben and protege Ethan Rom (nee Goodspeed) go to murder Danielle Rousseau, but end up stealing baby Alex. This was not the “rescuing a poor baby from an insane woman” that Ben had described (and which would make sense). This was a kidnapping a child from its distraught and paranoid mother (although she looked in no way insane, nor any danger to her child). Turns out Widmore ordered Rousseau’s murder - as “Jacob demanded” (except as Ben and ChristianGhost will do later on, what people say Jacob wants and what Jacob actually wants are usually never the same). Ben and Widmore face off (each with their respective awful hairpieces) and Ben has planted the seed of distrust amongst the Others about Widmore. This was post-Purge - yet the Others had not yet moved into DHARMA-ville. However, this entire sequence would have worked better if Rousseau was actually acting crazy and potentially dangerously towards Alex (maybe believing Alex was getting “sick”). My guess is that Alex is Ben’s replacement child for the one who died insane his dear Annie a few years earlier… Flashback 3: Ben - now a happy dad in DHARMA-ville, sees off Charles Widmore - who is being deported for leaving the island on occasion and having Penny off-island (a convenient and lame explanation. Given the timeframe and Widmore’s age, that means he was never in Penny’s life until she was about 20 year old, yet this has never been reflected in their - albeit strained - relationship. Also, we are intended to believe that Widmore built up Widmore Industries in a mere 12 or so years to the huge conglomerate corporate beast it has become? Even if he was building it up secretly on his off-island trysts, I can’t imagine it could have grown to its level so quickly). So why was Ben never expelled for his off-island doings? For one - Ben never had to deal with an underling Ben as Widmore did. The question comes up though - why can’t Widmore return? His expelling was done by people who sent him off in a sub. Given Ben (and Tom) frequent sub trips back and forth, this should hardly prove permanent. When the ISLAND makes you leave (via Frozen Donkey Wheel), then you’re gone for good. It didn’t make sense, and I don’t particularly expect Lost to clarify why this method of expellation prevents Widmore from returning. The Island Says It Is So, and so it is. Flashback 4: Ben doesn’t kill Penny because of baby Charlie Hume (soon Pace - I hope), but ruins Desmond’s groceries. Proper revenge for the killing of your daughter. An immense let-down, the build from the moment Ben promised Widmore (each heartless and cruel men - for the most part) through seeing the bloody Ben at the docks, what happened should have been momentous. But nothing really happened. Desmond beat up Ben a little - but threw him in the water and left it at that. The Desmond we thought we knew would have put Ben in a coma for shooting him and almost shooting his constant. Now I am uncertain about Desmond’s future on Craphole Island - he continues to have no motivation to return. The killing of Penny by Ben would have given him that in spades. Now why will Desmond return (which he must do, ‘cuz The Island Says It Is So)? Charles Widmore needs to convince Desmond that Ben is not through with Penny either by A. using his words (he is no Ben-esque manipulator wordsmith however) or B. by having Penny killed himself, but blaming it on Ben. Is Widmore above killing his own daughter to get back his Island (shades of Ben…)? Hell naw. Next Up: Theories, Egyptians, and Smoke Monsters
