"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham"

Written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
Directed by Jack Bender


In which the story of John Locke's life following his departure from the island is revealed, as well as the events following the return of the Oceanic Six...

Status Report - Final Analysis




Status Report
It's now abundantly clear why the producers chose to air "316" before this installment. Arranging the episodes as produced would have been too jarring, particularly in terms of the framing events set after the Ajira crash. It just wouldn’t have made much sense. It doesn't erase some of the other problems with the previous episode, but it does confirm that the rearrangement was the right choice.

If the previous episode failed to deliver on the promises of the long build to the return to the island, then this episode is its polar opposite. This episode managed to tell John Locke's story with a keen eye to continuity, yet at the end, there was a delicious and lethal twist, defying expectation. (This is precisely what was missing from "316", where the story seldom deviated from its anticipated course.)

Revelations abound from the first minute of the episode, where it is revealed that the return to the island (including the small satellite island where the Others used to live, apparently) has resurrected John Locke. He doesn't appear to be anyone other than himself, so this could lay to rest the "possession" theory. How John Locke was brought back to life is a matter to be revealed, just as it remains to be seen if he has the same otherworldly abilities as Christian Shepherd and Claire.

The resurrection could also be a function of leadership of the Others. Ben mentioned, in his off-island confrontation with Widmore, that the two of them were unable to kill each other. This could be more than just some arcane rule between them; it could be tied to the island itself. Richard appears to be immortal, after all, and he appeared to be the leader of the Others back in 1954. (Could every leader be asked to perform a sacrifice? And was Ben's sacrifice the Purge?)

At any rate, the opening sheds light on source of the Ajira canoes back in "The Little Prince", and who the mysterious shooters from the other canoe might have been. While the remaining survivors from the Oceanic Tribe are still unstuck in time, and the returning Oceanic Six members appear to have joined them, Locke and Ben are now in 2008 with the Ajira Tribe. This sets up an interesting three-way conflict on the island. Richard is still protecting the remaining Others, who have a questionable relationship with the Oceanic Tribe, who is probably going to be seen as "others" by the new Ajira Tribe. Nothing like a little healthy competition!

Most of the episode focuses on John Locke's time off the island. Locke has always struggled with his sense of destiny, and no matter how often he's told that he's important, his own insecurities and doubts get in the way. It's not enough for him to believe in himself; he needs others to believe in his importance and his belief in the island. This is exemplified by his endless struggle with Jack. As the poster boy for strident denial, Locke wants to convince Jack more than anyone.

But before Locke has his moment with Jack, his resolve is tested and he is found wanting, time and again. It begins with his decision to trust Charles Widmore on his word, despite knowing full well that Widmore's desire to find the island is not a good thing. Locke even brings up the small matter of sending an execution squad to the island. While it's clear that Widmore wanted Ben out of a personal grudge, he wants to take back control of the island even more. Tricking Locke into revealing the way back to the island is just par for the Widmore course.

It's great to have confirmation that Matthew Abaddon has been working for Widmore all along. One can also assume that Widmore's knowledge of Charlotte's research and investigation into Ben's presence off the island led to his decision to monitor the "exit". There's even the hint that the Oceanic crash was engineered by Widmore himself. It may simply be more manipulation designed to prop up Locke's sense of destiny, but it does fit the long-standing theory that the Oceanic crash was intentional.

All of this plot is actually tangential to the true story, which is the slow but steady desolation of John Locke. He begins his mission to bring back the Oceanic Six with passion, and it quickly falls apart around him. Sayid is probably the most gentle with Locke. He tries to explain that he's lost everything he ever cared for because of the island, and he wants to do something good and useful with his life. (The fact that he's also probably hiding from the authorities doesn't hurt.) He offers Locke the same, but Locke is still bothered by the refusal to believe.

The wound is compounded when he looks up Walt, and he lacks the resolve to demand that the young man return to the island, particularly in light of Michael's fate. It's good to see Locke remember Walt, but it makes sense; Locke has seen Walt in here and there in a vision-esque form (perhaps Cerberus or Jacob?). Walt's warning was certainly ominous, and that may have put Locke off whatever game he had.

Hurley, despite seeing things that aren't necessarily there, sees quite clearly that Locke is being manipulated by Widmore and Abaddon. Kate, however, cuts to the heart of the matter by attacking Locke's psychological need to return to the island. Kate exposes part of the equation: Locke has nothing and no one in the world that he loves, and he's transferring all of that need and lack to the island itself. After all, Locke has nothing that brings him fulfillment. From Kate's point of view, for whom fulfillment has often been sought in another person, it's a logical conclusion.

All of which does little more than underscore what Locke is beginning to realize: that everyone he talks to has found something they can't bear to lose off the island. This all culminates in his encounter with Jack. Jack is literally his last chance, and he pulls out all the stops. Ironically, this becomes the turning point for Jack, who has already been on the brink for quite some time. But Locke doesn't see that; he only experiences yet another failure.

More to the point, Jack slams Locke for believing that he's special or destined for something more. That sort of thinking is the antithesis of everything that Jack believes, so much of what he says is transference, based on Jack's weakening resistance. But those earlier rejections have been adding up, and Locke takes everything that Jack says to heart.

If all of this ended with Locke's suicide, it would fit the continuity and would explain Jack's personal reaction to Locke's death. But that's when the episode delivers its most unexpected twist. Ben stops Locke from committing suicide out of a belief that he can convince Locke to do the right thing in opposition to Widmore. His assurances to Locke sound very sincere, though it's clear that he wants to use Locke for his own purposes.

Things change dramatically when Locke mentions that he won't go to Sun because of his promise to Jin. Considering all the warnings that all of the Oceanic Six had to return to the island, it's not hard to understand why Locke's promise was such a non-starter for Ben. The promise was clearly a signal to Ben that Locke could not be allowed to live. The fact that he already knew Eloise Hawking suggests as well that Ben knew someone would have to serve as "proxy" for Christian Shepherd (which makes it even more telling that Christian was the one who told Locke he would need to be a sacrifice, doesn’t it?).

Perhaps it was simply a matter of interference. Ben knew that everyone would have to go back, and that Locke wouldn't be willing to make that happen. Thus Ben could use Locke's death to his advantage. Alternatively, he may have taken all the information about Richard saying Locke was supposed to die, along with Locke's promises, and taken action accordingly (in essence, correcting his mistake of stopping Locke in the first place). Ben takes such a clinical approach to being "one of the good guys" that killing Locke is hardly out of the question, especially if he believes it very likely that John will be resurrected.

Now that most of the Oceanic Tribe has returned to the island, the true motives of Ilana and Caesar are open to debate. They appear to be working together, so the logical conclusion is that they were assigned to accompany the Oceanic Six by Widmore. At the same time, they don't trust each other, or Caesar wouldn't have lied about the gun. Since the Ajira Tribe is clearly going to be important in the future, their story has plenty of time to unfold.

But for now, they will need to contend with a John Locke who has returned from the dead, and is very well aware of it. And as such, the man who doubted himself so much during his mission to bring back the Oceanic Six can now feel justified in his sense of destiny. This should be a major turning point for Locke, which will hopefully be reflected in his future dealings with Ben and the rest of the gang.

Final Analysis
Overall, this episode filled in more of the gaps in the overall continuity while also providing an excellent character study. This is one of those perfect examples of a dense "Lost" episode: the more you dig, the better it all fits together. This is clearly an important chapter in the season arc, and should result in one character in particular gaining a sense of inner strength.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4

Final Rating: 9/10





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