Here’s what you need to know from this week’s episode of Lost, “Dr. Linus.”
1. Thanks a lot, Miles!
I’m sure he thought his secret was safe. Surely, no one would discover that Ben had stabbed Jacob to death inside the Jacob’s lair. But alas, due to Miles’s gift of communicating with the dead, the truth is revealed. Unfortunately for Ben, Ilana (one of Jacob’s bodyguards) hears the news and isn’t too happy with what she hears.
2. Mr. Linus’s Opus
Personally, this was my favorite non-island storyline so far this season. We meet Ben once again as a European History teacher at a high school, where Locke is a sub, and Arnzt is a science teacher. But wait. Alex Rousseau also attends the high school where Ben teaches. She’s part of his history club, and a model student.
We find out that her mom, Danielle, works two jobs to try and get Alex into a good college. I wish they had given us a glimpse of Danielle during these segments, but seeing all these characters like this was refreshing and fun to see.
Ben has aspirations to change things at his school and decides to take action (thanks to Locke’s support) to become principal. But when he tries to blackmail the current principal in order to get the job, he’s faced with a moral dilemma.
In the end, Ben’s principals win out and he does what’s best for one of his student’s (Alex) over his own desires. Truly not the Ben we’ve come to know on the island. Then again, we know he was “changed” as a kid after he was resurrected by the Others.
We also find out that Roger Linus, Ben’s dad, lives with him. He also has a different opinion of his son than he did on the island. We discover that they were on the island and part of the Dharma Initiative but only briefly. Roger comments that he wises they had stayed on the island; he can only imaging what great things his son would have done had they stayed.
3. A Grave Situation
Ilana makes Ben dig his own grave, which is next to the other dead castaways near the beach camp. As he digs, Miles stops by and reveals that he knows about Nikki and Paulo and the millions worth of diamonds that were buried with them when they were buried alive.
Later, “Locke” stops by to offer Ben control of the island and aides in his escape from Ilana. When she catches up with him, he explains why he killed Jacob and that he’s going to go with “Locke.” She asks why, he replies, ‘because nobody wants me.’ She tells him she wants him.
4. On the Road with Hurley, Jack, and Richard
Upon running into Richard in the jungle on their way back from the lighthouse to the temple, Jack and Hurley follow him to the Black Rock. Richard’s mission: to kill himself with Jack’s help. We discover that Richard has been “touched” by Jacob, which once was a blessing, but has since become a curse. We can assume that being “touched” turned Richard immortal, which is why he never ages. Is it possible he was a passenger or crew member on the Black Rock?
After he has Jack set a stick of dynamite on fire, Jack sticks around. He says that Jacob obviously wants him around so he wouldn’t allow him to be killed at this point. The fuse snuffs out before it reaches the end.
5. Who Says You Can Never Go Home Again?
A reunion on the beach. But what’s this? A periscope in the water off-shore. A sub? And who is that in the sub but Charles Widmore! Now what?
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A superb and fantastic episode, “Dr. Linus” is my favorite so far this season. Not only does it showcase the amazing acting talent of Michael Emerson, but it also provided us with answers to several questions, and moved the overall storyline along to a great cliffhanger. This is the Lost I’ve missed and am glad to see back again.
I’m glad that Ben wasn’t killed. The way the episode was promoted made it sound like Ben dies. After all, what else comes to mind when the words “meets his demise” are used? The nice thing was that even with this false advertising, this particular episode exceeded my expectations for this season. I definitely am back on board with Lost.
With only nine eps left (eleven if you count the two-hour series finale), one can only wait and wonder how they will wrap such an enigmatic and gripping series to the satisfaction of everyone. Can it be done? Will they be able to cover all their bases and ensure all who watch the final episode are happy with how it all ends? We’ll have to just wait and see.
What did you think of tonight’s episode? Leave a comment and let us know.
We’ll see you next week with a recap of episode 607: “Recon.”