![[MyIS]Tim](data:image/svg+xml;base64,CgkJCTxzdmcgeG1sbnM9J2h0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnJyB2aWV3Qm94PScwIDAgNTAgNTAnPgoJCQkJPHJlY3Qgd2lkdGg9JzEwMCUnIGhlaWdodD0nMTAwJScgZmlsbD0nIzdhODNlNycgLz4KCQkJCTx0ZXh0IHg9JzUwJScgeT0nNTAlJyBmaWxsPSd3aGl0ZScgZm9udC13ZWlnaHQ9J2JvbGQnIGZvbnQtZmFtaWx5PSdBcmlhbCcgZm9udC1zaXplPSczMDAlJyBkb21pbmFudC1iYXNlbGluZT0nY2VudHJhbCcgdGV4dC1hbmNob3I9J21pZGRsZSc+WzwvdGV4dD4KCQkJPC9zdmc+CgkJ "[MyIS]Tim")
This just in from the G4:
2.) Now, we move towards the mid-point of the season, which we will call "The Hunt for Red Widmore." It's certainly not the first submarine to grace the island. (And possibly not the last.) Many have suspected that Widmore was the man who Jacob was trying to guide towards the island in Lighthouse. However, the banished billionaire didn't appear to be schlepping supplies for Doctors Without Borders. Rather, he seemed like he came to finish the job his mercenaries failed to do of wiping s**t off the map! So, that leaves us with the lingering question: Did Jacob bring Widmore to the Island? Or have Jacob's real guest(s) still yet to arrive. (Desmond and Penny would be my guess.)
5.) Besides the surreal nature of Ben being best friends with Arzt (a character whose memorably explosive death predates Ben's first appearance by a whole season,) the flash-sideways Ben story excellently illustrated what was happening in Ben's soul. In fact, so much so, that it almost seemed redundant when Ben-Prime started his confession about the fears of losing his power. (However, it was very necessary.) It will be interesting to see if this newly-found good Samaritan philosophy will stick with Ben, but I personally think it's permanent. That is not to say that we shouldn't expect him to cease making morally questionable choices. However, if you think about it, just as Jack became the new Locke, Ben has just swapped spots with Sayid in the Lost lineup of character archetypes. Sayid used to be the guy with an evil streak and horrible past, but ultimately fought for good. Now, he seems to be full-blown evil and not concerned with who he has to kill to get his own personal wishes. Conversely, Ben, who used to be the full-blown evil guy, has now taken his place as the good guy with an evil streak.
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Source...
When it comes to Ben-centric episodes of Lost, we have grown accustomed to fascinating, groundbreaking moments. There are some weeks where we demand "answers." This week, however, was an exception. We got no answers, but rather, what we got was an extremely deep, well-layered episode that not only gave us what may be the definitive glimpse into the mind of this legendary character, but also turned the tables on the entire show. The game has changed in more ways than just the obvious revelation in the episode's closing moments.
Just as last night, I'll be riding solo on behalf of TheFeed while the GDC coverage continues.
1.) Some may not have caught on to this, but what may have been the most important event in the show since the crash of Oceanic 815 occurred last night. "The Others" are officially disbanded. I'm not just talking about Smokey's little "Other-caust" last week, I mean that in the most definitive sense, "The Others," as a group, no longer exist. Sure, there may be strays who were smart enough to evacuate the Temple after Sayid's warning, but Richard and Ben, the only remnants of their leadership, have joined the Losties at the original beach, and a merger of factions happened right before our very eyes. There is no more Jacob...only Jack. No more Others...just a group of Losties, all in the same boat.
2.) Now, we move towards the mid-point of the season, which we will call "The Hunt for Red Widmore." It's certainly not the first submarine to grace the island. (And possibly not the last.) Many have suspected that Widmore was the man who Jacob was trying to guide towards the island in Lighthouse. However, the banished billionaire didn't appear to be schlepping supplies for Doctors Without Borders. Rather, he seemed like he came to finish the job his mercenaries failed to do of wiping s**t off the map! So, that leaves us with the lingering question: Did Jacob bring Widmore to the Island? Or have Jacob's real guest(s) still yet to arrive. (Desmond and Penny would be my guess.)3.) In last night's preview post, I wondered if Ben would pick revenge or redemption. In a way, I was kind of surprised that he picked the latter. However, when you look at the grand story that's taking shape, it does seem to be a bit crowded with villains. (With Smokey, the "heel-turn" of Sayid, and now with Widmore back in the mix.) While it would have been cool to see him return to full glory as the manipulative, Machiavellian sociopath that we all know and love, it seems like the bad guy gallery is more than stacked with competition that's higher on the food chain. Ben was always a phenomenal character, but now he reaches even new heights. What other character in the history of entertainment could openly perpetrate murders, genocide, kidnappings, child-theft, and the topper...deicide, yet still come across as a likeable guy with whom we feel sympathetic?
4.) Wow. After Jack smashed that mirror the other week, we knew he had reached some kind of epiphany. However, we had no idea how much broken glass could cause such a 180 degree turn in Jack's cynical "Doubting Thomas" demeanor. I've always been an advocate of catharsis theory, but did it have to come at the expense of Jacob's stuff? Why can't he just do what normal people do?: Pop in GTA IV, ride around Liberty City on your hog, and shoot people in the face with a sawed-off shotgun? (There's got to be a 360 somewhere on that island!) Anyway, in a remarkable turn, it seems that Jack has become the new John Locke. Except, this "Locke" finally has answers and there's no stopping him. To be able to talk down, of all people, Richard Alpert off his proverbial ledge, to converting him to a full-fledged Jack-follower speaks volumes about what he's become. And it's pretty damn formidable. Smokey better watch his ash. (Ha! You see what I did there?...)
5.) Besides the surreal nature of Ben being best friends with Arzt (a character whose memorably explosive death predates Ben's first appearance by a whole season,) the flash-sideways Ben story excellently illustrated what was happening in Ben's soul. In fact, so much so, that it almost seemed redundant when Ben-Prime started his confession about the fears of losing his power. (However, it was very necessary.) It will be interesting to see if this newly-found good Samaritan philosophy will stick with Ben, but I personally think it's permanent. That is not to say that we shouldn't expect him to cease making morally questionable choices. However, if you think about it, just as Jack became the new Locke, Ben has just swapped spots with Sayid in the Lost lineup of character archetypes. Sayid used to be the guy with an evil streak and horrible past, but ultimately fought for good. Now, he seems to be full-blown evil and not concerned with who he has to kill to get his own personal wishes. Conversely, Ben, who used to be the full-blown evil guy, has now taken his place as the good guy with an evil streak.What's your take on last night's episode?