Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Water Cooler Talking Points - Lost

1. Where "Happy" and "Birthday" do not coexist - Flashbacks this week for Ben, who we learn was not born on the island, but outside of Portland as a preemie while his folks were on a hike. His mom dies after delivery, while one of the people who pull over to help Ben and his folks eventually gets Ben's dad a job on the island as a "work man," much to dad's dismay. He basically becomes a drunken lout, and blames Ben for killing his mom on one of his younger birthdays.

2. But she still looks good - This leads young Ben to run away, and as he's out on the sonic fence line, he sees his mom on the other side (this after briefly seeing her outside his bedroom window on a previous night). He goes to run across, but she tells him not to, that it's not his time. Ben returns on a later day with the codes to shut down the fence, where he crosses and meets a mysterious stranger (who we now know as Richard) who is one of the "hostiles."

3. Wait - there were other Others? - Apparently so, as this group of "hostiles" occasionally attacks the Dharma compound and workers. Young Ben asks the stranger if he can join, but Ben is told that it may take some time. Flash forward to an older Ben, now a work man himself, who (again on a birthday) joins his dad while making a delivery. The dad seems somewhat contrite about being an ass, and promises to try to remember Ben's birthday in the future. Ben says that's not going to happen, and he kills his dad with a canister of gas. Turns out that the rest of the people in the Dharma compound are killed the same way, thanks to the Hostiles, who meet up with Ben there afterwards. At least now know where he got the fratracidal task he gave to Locke and the faux gas plan when they bugged out.

4. And the Dharmites may have company - Speaking of Locke, he and present Ben go to see Jacob, who Ben claims he answers to (but not after Locke gets to give Mikhail a nice beat down when he questions Ben taking Locke to see Jacob). They get there, and Ben starts talking to an empty chair. Locke figures this is a joke or Ben is cracked, and he goes to leave. A non-Ben voice says "help me" to Locke, and he turns around. He argues with Ben, and turns on his flashlight. But Jacob doesn't like flashlights, and there's sudden chaos. Locke leaves, and Ben follows. On the way back to the Others' camp, Ben takes Locke by a pit which contains the bodies of the gassed Dharma folks, to show Locke where he came from. Ben then adds Locke to the pit by shooting him, and then asking Locke what Jacob said. Locke eventually tells him, and Ben leaves Locke to die.

Oh, Ben also talks about how either the "hostiles" or the Dharma folks had to be wiped out, as they couldn't live together. Another paralell to our current situation.

5. Meanwhile, back on the beach - Sawyer is back, and he plays the tape for Sayid, who plays it for Kate, and so on until a mutiny is brewing. When Jack and Juliet return they are beset by angry beach-dwellers. Juliet has them play the other side of the tape, which details the plot to take Sun. But it turns out Jack and Juliet have been planning for the Others' arrival, though the details aren't given. It suggests resistance. We'll see.

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