Looking Back at Lost - Jeremy Bentham
A Glimpse Into Locke's Past Presents Questions for the Future
The image of plane wreckage early in the episode served to remind the audience of Lost’s first season, and the rest of this installment followed suit with its flashback-based structure. After a brief introduction to two new characters — Caesar and Ilana — and the revelation that John Locke was alive, the majority of the episode turned to a lengthy flashback that filled in the blanks about Locke’s time off the island.
The Keys to Locke
“The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” presented some of the reoccurring motifs that surround its title character. Once again, Locke’s legs failed him and he was confined to a wheelchair, illustrating the island’s role as his crutch. Off the island, Locke is merely a sad, lonely man. On the island, however, he is a strong, confident leader — someone special.
Locke has always had an intense desire to be special, from his submission to the repeated abuses of his father to his selection as the new leader of the Others, and that desire was especially apparent in this episode. Jack attempted to cut Locke down by claiming that he was never special, and both Widmore and Ben tried to win his allegiance by telling him that he was vitally important to the island.
Lesser of Two Evils?
As Ben and Widmore pleaded their cases, it became more difficult for the audience to decide whom to believe. Can either one of them be trusted? Is one of them on the side of the castaways, or are they both fighting against a third, yet unseen player who truly has the best interests of the island at heart?
Even though he has always been portrayed as an enemy, Widmore did make a good point when he said he has never tried to kill Locke, and that point was further underscored when Ben did just that at the end of the episode. However, neither of these men should be judged solely on their actions when their motivations remain so shrouded in mystery. The audience still has much to learn about Ben and Widmore — and their relationship with each other.
More Questions
Although it’s clear that Locke wanted to go back to the island, some of his motivations in this episode remained ambiguous. When he tried to kill himself, was he doing it because he had truly given up? Or was this his last attempt to save the island, a desperate action inspired by Richard Alpert’s statement that he would have to die?
Now that Locke is alive again, perhaps he can help to answer that question — and some others. How did he come back to life? Did the same thing happen to Christian Shephard when Fight 815 crashed? And did Ben know that Locke would return when he killed him and decided to bring his back?
The rest of this season should also provide further information about Caesar and Ilana, as well as the circumstances behind Flight 316’s landing on the island. And now that the Oceanic Six have returned and viewers know what happened to Locke, Lost can once again move forward to answer some questions while undoubtedly creating a multitude of new ones.
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