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5. Locke forgives Ben
Happy Independence Day to my American friends, and Happy Fourth of July to everybody else (hey, it’s still the date….)
As I had noted all season long, one of the true pleasures of the sideways world was seeing how certain relationships played out when the island was no longer a variable. And the result was most interesting with John Locke, ironically enough. Despite the fact that the island gave him a new lease on life – a feeling of significance and meaning –he was able to develop healthy, beneficial relationships with Jack and Ben (the two people had the most antagonizing relationship with on the island) in the universe in which this place didn’t exist. And I have to say, it was surprisingly nice seeing Locke create a casual “work friendship” with Ben. Without that sideways world development, this fantastic scene might have been a lot harder to accept. Nonetheless, this was an extremely necessary moment, as it finalized the redemption of Benjamin Linus.
Everything about this scene played out perfectly. I thought it was appropriate that Locke was the one who initiated the conversation, because it accentuated Ben’s shame over what he had done. And it was just like Locke to ignore the 800 pound elephant in the room, instead opting to keep the conversation light and cordial. I really don’t think Locke needed to hear the apology for his own peace of mind. Simply having a civil discussion was enough for him to be able to “move on.” Ben, on the other hand, needed to rinse out his dirty laundry – and his delivery was impeccable. I loved the way his voice shook when he apologized. And I thought it was great how he said he was sorry “for what I did to you,” as if Ben couldn’t even bring himself to verbally admit that he had killed him.
And finally, I personally appreciated Locke’s brief but subtle acceptance that he wasn’t special, at least not in the sense that he had always thought. When he asked Ben, “What did I have?” I think he was admitting that, in the grand scheme of things, he may not have been as special as he once thought. But at the same time, Ben was right when he said that Locke was special but he wasn’t. At the end of the day, Locke was the Others’ preferred leader, and Ben was seemingly always the backup plan. And once Locke arrived on the island, there was a contingent of high powered Others officials (like Alpert) who wanted to put him in power. So Ben’s insecurity wasn’t unfounded.
And while it’s been noted by pretty much everybody else already, I enjoyed the fact that Ben urged Locke to get out of his wheelchair for a different reason. If there was one thing that did make Locke special – or at least create the impression that he’s special – it’s that he suddenly had the ability to walk when he arrived on the island (a stark contrast to Ben, whose life was threatened by a spinal ailment). So for Ben to proverbially “push” Locke out of his chair so he can walk on his own two legs is significant. It shows how much Ben has grown.
By the way, for some reason, part of me loves the fact that at this point Locke is now aware that he’s in some sort of afterlife and that the world he’s in isn’t actually real. Yet he still takes the time to pay the taxi fare. That’s pretty decent.
Happy Independence Day to my American friends, and Happy Fourth of July to everybody else (hey, it’s still the date….)
As I had noted all season long, one of the true pleasures of the sideways world was seeing how certain relationships played out when the island was no longer a variable. And the result was most interesting with John Locke, ironically enough. Despite the fact that the island gave him a new lease on life – a feeling of significance and meaning –he was able to develop healthy, beneficial relationships with Jack and Ben (the two people had the most antagonizing relationship with on the island) in the universe in which this place didn’t exist. And I have to say, it was surprisingly nice seeing Locke create a casual “work friendship” with Ben. Without that sideways world development, this fantastic scene might have been a lot harder to accept. Nonetheless, this was an extremely necessary moment, as it finalized the redemption of Benjamin Linus.
Everything about this scene played out perfectly. I thought it was appropriate that Locke was the one who initiated the conversation, because it accentuated Ben’s shame over what he had done. And it was just like Locke to ignore the 800 pound elephant in the room, instead opting to keep the conversation light and cordial. I really don’t think Locke needed to hear the apology for his own peace of mind. Simply having a civil discussion was enough for him to be able to “move on.” Ben, on the other hand, needed to rinse out his dirty laundry – and his delivery was impeccable. I loved the way his voice shook when he apologized. And I thought it was great how he said he was sorry “for what I did to you,” as if Ben couldn’t even bring himself to verbally admit that he had killed him.
And finally, I personally appreciated Locke’s brief but subtle acceptance that he wasn’t special, at least not in the sense that he had always thought. When he asked Ben, “What did I have?” I think he was admitting that, in the grand scheme of things, he may not have been as special as he once thought. But at the same time, Ben was right when he said that Locke was special but he wasn’t. At the end of the day, Locke was the Others’ preferred leader, and Ben was seemingly always the backup plan. And once Locke arrived on the island, there was a contingent of high powered Others officials (like Alpert) who wanted to put him in power. So Ben’s insecurity wasn’t unfounded.
And while it’s been noted by pretty much everybody else already, I enjoyed the fact that Ben urged Locke to get out of his wheelchair for a different reason. If there was one thing that did make Locke special – or at least create the impression that he’s special – it’s that he suddenly had the ability to walk when he arrived on the island (a stark contrast to Ben, whose life was threatened by a spinal ailment). So for Ben to proverbially “push” Locke out of his chair so he can walk on his own two legs is significant. It shows how much Ben has grown.
By the way, for some reason, part of me loves the fact that at this point Locke is now aware that he’s in some sort of afterlife and that the world he’s in isn’t actually real. Yet he still takes the time to pay the taxi fare. That’s pretty decent.
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