LOST: Dissecting "Dr. Linus" (6x07)

With his life hanging in the balance, Benjamin Linus confessed to Ilana that he killed Jacob because he felt his island god had forsaken him. Years of following orders, of committing unspeakable acts in what he thought was Jacob's name, had finally worn Ben down. A little push from Smokey was the last straw.

Amazingly, this confession saved Ben's life. Ilana, who said Jacob was the closest thing she had to a father, seemed to understand why Ben did what he did. One has to wonder what Ilana has sacrificed for Jacob, and how often her devotion to him has been tested.

Meanwhile, the island's man of science, Jack Shephard, committed his most explicit act of faith, trusting that Jacob wouldn't let him and Richard die in the Black Rock. He was right, and now Jack, who has been truly lost since reading Jeremy Bentham's obituary, is ready to lead once again, ready to rebuild his life on the beach.

"Dr. Linus" realizes the full potential of this final season's premise, showing us the duality not only of Ben and his alternate life, but of Jack and his own instincts, of morality, and of faith, in all its forms. It is the deepest, most thought-provoking episode of the season.

We first see ALT-Ben giving a lecture on Napoleon's exile to the island of Elba ("able" spelled backwards, for whatever that's worth), explaining how the emperor's title meant nothing, and that he might as well have been dead. This parallels original Ben's feelings of powerlessness on the island, but also may foreshadow what's to come -- Smokey says he has chosen Ben to protect the island once he and his recruits leave it, but we know from his conversation with Sawyer that Smokey doesn't give a damn what happens to the island. If Ben had followed Smokey instead of Ilana, he surely would have been used as a pawn, again, and then left to rot.

Ben made what I think will ultimately be the right choice, even if I, like him, still have my doubts in Jacob. Sticking with Jack and Richard, and helping them unravel the mystery ahead, gives him the best chance at redemption, the best chance to matter.

ALT-Ben made the right choice, too. We saw a flash of the devious Ben as he and Dr. Arzt schemed to bring down their principal (William Atherton -- talk about perfect casting), but he sacrificed a chance to take power for the good of his favorite student, Alex Rousseau. Unknowingly, ALT-Ben repents for his doppelganger's transgressions.

(For a moment in that library scene, I feared that the alternate versions of Ben and his surrogate daughter would embark upon some kind of illicit relationship. Thankfully, back on the island, Ben revealed just how asexual a character he really is when he discovered the porno mag on the beach: "What some people will travel with," he scoffed.)

As Ben dug his own grave, Miles told him that Jacob did, in fact, care about him, that he hoped he had been wrong about Ben. Now it's time for Ben to prove him wrong.

It's time for Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and their army of writers to prove the naysayers wrong as well. Just as they talked to the audience through Jacob in "Lighthouse," Darlton address us again in this episode, recognizing that some of us have become impatient, and feel like pawns ourselves. Our faith may be shaken, but we have to trust that Darlton have our best interests in mind.

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Questions and answers

• Richard says he hasn't aged and cannot kill himself because Jacob touched him, gave him a "gift." If this is the same "gift" he gave to the candidates, it explains why Jack didn't leap off that bridge in L.A. ("Through the Looking Glass," 3x22), and why Locke needed Ben's "help" to die ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham," 5x07). It also suggests that Michael Dawson was a candidate at one point -- remember his off-island flashback ("Meet Kevin Johnson," 4x08), in which the gun he put to his head wouldn't fire?

• Ilana tells Sun there are six candidates left, but we already know that Candidate 4, Locke, has been crossed out. Is she counting both Sun and Jin, or is there another candidate Smokey doesn't know about? (Kate Austen, anyone?)

• Smokey and his recruits are headed to the Hydra Station. What's waiting for them there?

• Charles Widmore has returned to the island, but was Jacob talking about him when he told Hurley someone was coming?

• Our first mention of the island in the ALT-world comes courtesy of Roger Linus, who confirms that he and Ben were with the DHARMA Initiative in their timeline. This lends credence to the theory that these are indeed "flash-sideways," and not an epilogue of some sort. On a related note, Lapidus wonders how different his life would have been if he had piloted Oceanic 815 as scheduled. Ben rather ominously suggests it would have made no difference -- "The island got you anyway." Will it "get" the ALTies too?

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Easter eggs
• In "The Man Behind the Curtain" (3x20), Ben used a gas canister to kill his father. Tonight, ALT-Ben used an oxygen tank to keep his father alive.

• As the Losties begin to rebuild their beach camp, and Jack and Hurley have their joyous reunion with Sun, a wistful piano version of Michael Giacchino's theme from the Season 4 finale plays. That episode's title? "There's No Place Like Home."

• Miles finally gets his millions, thanks to Nikki and Paulo! But what good are 8 million dollars' worth of diamonds in the jungle of mystery?

• The credited writers of this episode, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, also wrote the screenplay for the forthcoming "Tron Legacy." As if I needed another reason to be excited for that movie!

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Best performance: Duh. You can send the tape to the Emmy voters right now. Michael Emerson outdid himself, especially in this week's ...

Best scene: Ben's confession to Ilana revealed the character at his most honest, most naked. It turns out that the cruel, manipulative, dethroned king really does need to be loved, not feared.

Best lines: Hurley asks Richard the questions we all have: "Is this like a Terminator thing? Are you a cyborg?" / "No, I'm not a cyborg." / "A vampire?!?"

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Next week: Sawyer returns after three weeks and takes center stage in "Recon."