Feb 25 2009
Almost-live blogging of 5×07 The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham
The real Jeremy Bentham, 1748-1832
Blogging during commercials:
9:02 The man and woman from the plane! I knew they weren’t just redshirts — I knew they would have a bigger role. But where are they? Oh, they’re on the Island. This isn’t a flashback after all.
Locke’s alive! The only way we could have been unspoiled for that revelation is if we had been on remote tropical islands ourselves, ones without television or internet.
9:16 Very quick shot of the pick-up truck’s license plate — couldn’t see the numbers — were they “the” numbers?
Ow! No anesthesia in the desert! That looked very painful.
Did I just see Abaddon peeking out of the corner?
Widmore! This is one crazy desert hospital!
Widmore wants the Lost-ies to go back, presumably to help him in his war against Ben. But Ben wants the Lost-ies to go back too. Why?
9:28 Locke to Widmore, referring to Widmore’s killer-and-dynamite-laden freighter: “That doesn’t exactly scream trust.”
Now there’s Abaddon, for real!
Walt! Or should I say Waaaaaaaaalt! He looks like he’s about 17 years old and six feet tall. Even considering that it’s now three years in the future, that still calls for a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief.
Locke to Abaddon: “I thought you were my driver.” Oh, how mistaken you were!
9:39 I loved Hurley’s reaction to Locke, how he was so blase, at first — just another dead guy that he was going to ignore — and how he then freaked out when he realized Locke really was there.
Kate looks so pretty. I’m loving the pace of this episode, how it’s jumping quickly from one place to another, fast enough to be exciting, but not too fast to follow.
Locke: “I loved somebody once.” So sad.
Abaddon dead! I didn’t see that coming. The car chase sequence was very exciting.
9:55 Wow. Double-fake out. First Locke didn’t die when I was sure he would, and then he did die when I was sure he wouldn’t.
Backtracking: Locke wakes up and sees Jack! “What are you doing here?” They have their usual destiny versus free will argument, but I don’t think that Jack’s heart is really in it this time, and when he calls Locke delusional, I don’t think he really believes it.
Locke’s suicide, foreshadowed (or would that be backshadowed?) by the suicide note last week.
But wait, there’s Ben! Emerson is in top form — very good at conveying two meanings with a single line.
Locke knows of Eloise Hawking. How? Ben freaks out, kills Locke! Wow. Did NOT see that coming!
Ben is truly evil.
10:06 Locke’s shadow looming on the wall, like something out of a Hitchcock movie.
Ben: “I’ll miss you John.”
Back on the Island. Locke to Caesar: “The timing would just confuse you.” Ha ha ha, that’s the understatement of the century!
Locke: “I think I might know how I came to be here.” Well, that makes one of us!
Ben on the bed. Locke: “He’s the man who killed me.” Great line to end the episode.
That was amazing. Loved it. Best episode of the season.
****
I have an announcement: I’ve started a second LOST blog, to supplement this one. I’m just setting it up now — the paint’s still wet and the furniture is all outside in the van — but I’d love for you to take a sneak peek: For a Reason blog
Picture of the real Jeremy Bentham from detail of an oil painting by H.W. Pickersgill, 1829, via Wikipedia, in the public domain
Okay, I’m trying to think how Locke knows Eloise…was that in the folder from Widmore, maybe? Or did Widmore tell him about her? I can’t keep it all straight…heh…
I love that we both mentioned that last line. It was sooo good. And I loved, too, “The timing would only confuse you”…hee. Locke is so good with that dry delivery…
I’m wondering if Ben is going to be surprised to see Locke alive? I’d thought in earlier episodes that it might be all part of his grand island-weirdness plan, but the way he said goodbye to John at the end made me think he thought it was final. Hmmm…curiouser and curiouser…
That. That was my Lost again. I think I now understand why they switched the episodes around. Seeing Locke write his suicide note when you already know what it is, was creepy.
I didn’t quite get why Ben was trying to talk Locke out of killing himself, then all of a sudden turned homicidal. The only thing I can think of is that he needed to find out if Locke knew about Eloise, and once he knew that, he killed him.
It was so cool to see Walt again. So grown up.
@V, I don’t think they told us how Locke knew Eloise. I think that is unresolved mystery # 1,348,892.
The last line was perfect. Also, when he said “The timing would only confuse you,” I thought he was talking directly to me — ha ha.
@laneerg, I agree — I liked the episodes being in the order they showed them.
I thought that Ben sincerely meant to keep Locke alive all along (for reasons of his own) *until* Locke mentioned Eloise’s name. As for why that would set him off? I guess that’s unresolved mystery # 1,348, 893.