Spoilers ahead
Another great show, and a few more pieces of the puzzle fall into place!
Nearly the entire show was dedicated to what happened to John Locke after he left the island. Surprisingly enough, it turns out that there’s ONE exit point from the island back to the “regular” world (at least via the wheel) and Widmore was watching it. He even had his man, Abaddon, in place to watch to see who might get through.
After all this time of watching Widmore in other situations, it was really tough to believe that he might be telling Locke the truth. When he said he wanted to help John get back to the island, that threw a lot of my speculation out the window and pointed to one thing:
It’s a really, REALLY bad thing that Locke is back on the island.
The thing that completely iced it is that when Ben heard Locke say the name “Eloise Hawking”, Ben killed Locke after the sudden realization that he had made a pretty big mistake.
What sudden realization?
The only thing I can think of is that Ben someone (probably Hawking) told Ben that Locke had to be stopped from going back to the island, but Ben didn’t believe it. Up until that point, Ben had been going under the assumption that Locke was Jacob’s chosen new leader, and that Locke was very important. He believed this so strongly that he even turned that wheel, and sacrificed himself to keep Locke on the island. (In reality, it was Christian that told Locke that he needed to move the island… Ben wasn’t supposed to leave).
If Hawking told Ben that he wasn’t supposed to be the one that left the island (and Locke was suppoed to leave), that Locke wasn’t supposed to be the leader, and possibly that Locke might even be dangerous to have on the island, Ben’s first reaction to this would be not to believe it. That’s normal human nature – make a big mistake, and not being to admit that you were wrong, until evidence presents itself that shows you were wrong. Ben couldn’t bring himself to believe he had been wrong about Locke.
Ben was probably told something like “if Locke tries to go see Hawking, that will be the proof you’ll need”. So, when Locke finally did say her name, that was the evidence that Ben needed to make him realize he was wrong, and that Locke was as dangerous as Ben had been warned. Ben went back to what he does best… do anything to protect the island, and that’s when he killed Locke.
Now, what the heck has been the deal with Ben getting everyone together, including Locke, to get everyone to go back? If Ben wanted to stop Locke, what possible reason would he have for keeping Locke’s body to go back? Well, I think that’s pretty self-explanatory after last week’s show. Locke went back because they needed to get everyone together as soon as they could. I don’t think Ben was counting out Locke coming back to life though. My question is… was it the island that brought Locke back… Or something else?
I do think it was interesting that the island chose all the Oceanic folks to beam down, while Ben was left to crash with the rest of them. Is he really hurt? Or is he biding his time while he figures out what to do? My guess is the latter.
Oh, and I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Abaddon. If Widmore was watching all the Oceanic folks, then there’s a pretty good chance that Abaddon’s body was on that plane too. Locke still owes Abaddon a favor, remember?
What did you think of the show? Do you like my theory? Have one (or two) of your own? Let’s hear ’em!
Linus probably knew that the island (or whatever) can bring people back to life, and therefore he most likely killed Locke because he knew that the latter might try to contact Hawking to get back to the island – which would be bad for Linus because that would basically be giving Widmore the ability to get to the Island, which he clearly does not have right now, and Hawking is Linus’ ace in the hole.
Didn’t Jack’s father tell Locke that he had to die, that it had to be a sacrifice? Locke was about to kill himself, doing just that, when Benjamin stopped him. Ben then killed John (for his own purposes?) meaning, it wasn’t a sacrifice, it was murder. This messes up the plan that Jack’s father had for the whole thing, right?
Kinda like someone preempting the sacrifice of a savior in order to damn the people who would have been saved? This would also support the idea you bring up that it is a very bad thing that Locke is back on the island, BUT only because it wasn’t a sacrifice.
Just an idea. I really don’t have any idea what’s going on :p
I don’t think Ben was supposed to go back, that is why he wasn’t beamed down. Also, he collected all the information that he used to persuade the Oceanic 6 to go back from Locke before he killed him. So maybe he knew that Locke had information he needed and once Locke gave him the next step, the next piece of the puzzle that Eloise was in LA, then he didn’t need him anymore. Also, is it possible that Ben feels competitive with John and wants him out of the picture so he can lead the group back to the island and be the leader again on the island?
It is important I think to remember that the Oceanic 6 weren’t just beamed down, but beamed back in time, to the Dharma initiative days. So Ben and Locke must not be meant to travel through time in the same way as the rest (they both turned the wheel). I don’t know how or when all of them will meet up again though. Should be interesting
Great news for all:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/40255
I think putting any stock into anything that comes out of Ben’s mouth is a form of insanity. The outcome is always the same. Dude lies. A lot! I believe we still don’t have enough information. We still don’t know who the Others are, their connection to the island. Ben’s motivations are sketchy because even though it seems to be about power, we do not know what the ultimate power really is…
You think there is a difference in John having to die versus John killing himself? Maybe the island, or whatever force, cannot resurrect those that take their own lives. That is why Ben stopped John from killing himself but still killed him.
Then there’s the conflicting items. Ben’s line “I really will miss you John” makes you believe he honestly thought that he would never see John alive again. BUT Ben makes a big deal out of making sure nothing happens to John’s body making you think he knows of the resurrecting powers of the island. One could argue that Ben knew killing John would officially end their friendship and that’s why he said that line.
Now I’m getting a headache.
Ben wasn’t beamed down because he was never brought to the island by a plane crash. I think Ben wanted Locke’s dead body on the plane because they had to recreate the situation as close as possible. Jack’s dad was dead and in a coffin in the original crash… remember that Jack had to give something of his dad’s to Locke’s body (his dad’s shoes).
Ben probably knows Locke wouldn’t stay dead. When Jack asked Ben if Locke was really dead, Ben like many times in the past skillfully avoided giving an answer.
The war that coming could be between Widmore and Ben, but who’s side will when if Locke is present on the island?
My theory for some time now has been based on the old Twilight Zone episode entitled “Five Characters In Search Of An Exit”. As one watches that show wondering how such disparate entities came to be together in what seems to be a circular prison with no doors or windows it is finally revealed the “characters” are dolls dropped into a good will barrel that have come to life that Christmas Eve.
So it is with Lost. In the episode “316” Desmond screams to Jack that “this is all a game and you we are just the pieces” . I have long thought we are watching characters in a video game which is why they can die and come back. When Faraday was in the tunnel and stopped the excavators from breaking through the wall, I think he instinctively knew that there was an entire other world on that side that he dare not break into. Desmonds “ability” to see the various ways Charlie would die seems more to be “memories” that character has from the video game having been played many times before. The “moving” of the island was just an attempt to reset the game. Now, what kind of game? I don’t know. The numbers Hurley used to win the lottery…do they correspond to the Oceanic 6? Probably, but again, I don’ know how. Am I way off base? I don’t know but post some further thoughts. I’m open to suggestions.