Lost: Season 6, Episode 7 Review: Dr. Linus

Dr. Linus

Original Airdate: March 9, 2010

Writers: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz

Director: Mario Van Peebles

Ben’s story since “The Shape of Things to Come” has involved him reevaluating his values. Seeing the only person he truly loved get gunned down before his eyes was more than enough for him to wonder if all he’s done for the island was worth it. It lead him to lash out, having Sayid kill a bunch of guys and killing Locke personally as a last ditch effort to reunite the Oceanic 6. Despite all that he lost and what he did, he felt unappreciated and ignored by the man he served (which if Miles’ claim that Jacob still believed in Ben up to dying is true, was a serious misunderstanding) and in that frustration came the war. So Ben has a lot to atone for, and that growing burden becomes a key issue in this episode. Clearly, LA X Ben’s lecture on Napoleon was pretty spot on for himself and this episode is all about his “greatest test”. After the dark turn last week, here is the other side to a bad man and if he’ll seek redemption. In fact, it’s appropriate Ben be the one to see Sayid, who he’s partially responsible for turning dark, over the pool in the last episode. Seeing that darkness informs much his choices and perhaps the remainder of his arc.

In the strongest flash sideways to date, LA X Ben faces a moral dilemma: should he choose to advance his career and possibly help the struggling school by forcing the philandering principal out or stay quiet and ensure Alex gets a recommendation for Yale from said principal? LA X Ben has the same ambitions 815 Ben has, but instead of belief in an island he believes in taking care of his students. However, as with those on Jacob’s side, LA X Ben puts Alex over his ambitions, giving her the future 815 Ben didn’t when he had to choose between protecting himself and his daughter.

A valid argument against LA X Ben backing down is the fact that Reynolds has no bargaining chip against Ben. Ben has the e-mails and more than enough proof to bring him down and keep him from not destroying Alex’s future. However, the episode is all about proving that Ben is capable of redemption, and not playing dirtier for the sake of someone he cares about is a strong indicator of that. Arzt could use it later though.

Things are also better between Ben & his father. Roger, who ironically is being kept alive by gas Ben gives him in this reality, is more open with his regrets that he didn’t do enough to ensure a better future for his son. He also says the island was still there when they left, so if Jughead sunk the island, it took enough time for them to reunite and leave.

Back on the island, Ben’s biggest lie about Jacob comes out when Miles reads Jacob’s ashes, leaving Ben to face serious consequences. He faces a tough judge in Ilana, who doesn’t go too far from being deadly serious, especially regarding a man she considered like a father. As punishment, she tethers him and forces him at gunpoint to dig his grave. Since Ben didn’t aggressively stop the reading or hurt anyone to avoid this punishment, he may be ready to accept judgment for what he’s done.

As Ben finishes digging, Johnny shows up and offers him a deal: he’s free of Ilana’s bondage, and when he leaves with his people, Ben will get control of the island. Again, this adds to Johnny’s lies. When trying to get Sawyer on board, he dismisses the island as just a rock, but here he claims it’s still important to protect. Of course, each version is meant to sway their listener, and further points to Johnny being a bad guy.

Free, Ben high tails it to the jungle, where he comes across the rifle placed for him. He confronts Ilana and the burdens he’s been carrying spill out. This is definitely stuff Emmy reels are made for, and while people can criticize these moments for baiting, Emerson destroys in this scene. He continues to deserve all the praise he gets for giving Ben so many layers. Ben isn’t an easy character to sympathize with, but his case for redemption is convincing: no matter how well he redeems himself, it can never take back those he betrayed and lost and that knowledge has broken him.

Elsewhere Jack & Hurley, the latter of whom clearly doesn’t want to return to the ravished Temple, encounter the disheveled Richard roaming the jungle. It is an interesting direction for Richard, who previously has always been cool and in control. However, after Jacob’s death he is left without direction and wondering if his decades in service of the island were for nothing and that without said purpose he is ready to die.

Richard’s comment that those touched by Jacob can’t kill themselves puts several past events in a new context. Both Jack & Locke were stopped from killing themselves off island, and Michael’s multiple attempts in “Meet Kevin Johnson” were attributed to the island not being done with him. We haven’t seen Jacob touch Michael, but it can be assumed that it happened off camera, which explains how no measure he took worked until he was told he could go. This will probably be the closest we get to a definitive answer and I’m OK with that. Magic to some degree will answer most of these questions, but there is some reason behind a wizard like Jacob’s giving people a gift by his touch that it makes it better than a deus ex machina.

Jack completes his transformation to leader of faith in his confrontation with Richard over the dynamite. After seeing that Jacob had been watching him, he now believes he had bigger plans for Jack than getting Arzted. It’s a refreshing change from the non-involved lovelorn Jack who needed to man up last year, and necessary if he’s going to be the man Jacob needs in the war.

The nice reunion on the beach is quickly undercut with the shocking return of Widmore to the island. He hasn’t been mentioned since last season, and his absence this year was noticeable, even if they wanted to set up this twist (still cool though). It may be safe to assume Widmore is the person Jacob wanted to bring to the island, but why?

Recalling one of Lost’s influences, The Stand, the people on the island are split into two factions: Team Johnny & Team Jacob. Unfortunately Team Jacob is seriously outnumbered, outgunned and doesn’t have someone who can turn into a giant cloud of smoke and lay dozens to waste. Again, I’m inclined to think the good guys side with Jacob. While Jacob has manipulated, Johnny is giving out false promises everywhere to get people on his side. Also going into the big showdown, Randall Flagg’s team was the dominant side as well (Flagg has also been referred to as “The Man in Black”).

In the odds and ends of the episode, it’s revealed Frank slept late and missed piloting 815 (I still hope there’s time for his flashback), Sun now knows she’s a candidate and the favorite miscellaneous bit, the “shout out” to everyone’s least favorite redshirts Nikki & Paolo. Miles apparently dug up the grave, something no one else seemed to notice, and took those 8 million dollar MacGuffins for himself. There’s probably not going to be any blowback for this, but it’s just one of those callbacks for the hardcore fans.

Michael Emerson once again proves to be one of the finest actors working on TV. Of course, it helps that he gets such great material to work with. As the last episode darkly showed Sayid forsaking redemption, it was nice to see a character try so hard to claim it, even if no rewards would reclaim what he lost.

Overall Score: 9/10