Ben

I will do my best today (and tomorrow in the pre-EP post) to avoid the elephant in the room (i.e. the ridiculous number of significant plot spoilers already leaked for tomorrow’s finale) and stick to what I consider to be interesting analysis and rumor heading into tomorrow’s finale:

Doc Jensen’s “Who Is in the Coffin?” Odds-On Favorite is… Ben!

Ben
Jack said he was neither ”friend nor family” to the deceased: Lost’s biggest baddie fits. While it’s unlikely Ben’s passing would inspire Jack’s suicidal thoughts, the über-Other does represent McBeardy’s best shot at his dream of getting back to the Island. Sayid — Ben’s hitman for hire — would stay away lest the funeral might be a trap designed to kill him, too. 4 coffins

The big question that has been on everyone’s mind for an entire year - though Ben and Michael are probably the most plausible, I would probably lean towards Michael at this point - would definitely like to get your thoughts!

Death & Destruction - There is speculation that at least 1 and possibly 3 original characters will reach their demise tomorrow night - that is a relatively high body count even by Lost Season Finale standards - aside from Jin and the casket cadaver I am not really sure who these could be, nor do I care to speculate further. The real question is - if it were up to you, what 3 characters would you get rid of tomorrow night? Dark humor is appreciated!

Spectacular Smooches

Soooooooooo, if nothing else, tomorrow night you will see not only one, but two spectacular kisses during the finale! Who cares about smoke monsters, moving Islands and time travel anyway!

Lost is back in a major way tonight – death, destruction and mayhem have all been rumored and predicted. The title itself gives reference to a book by H.G. Wells that speculates on future events and the nature of war.

Spoiler Warning

ABC’s Official Show Description

“Locke’s camp comes under attack, and Jack tries to discover the identity of a body that has washed ashore.”

The episode will be Ben-centric, including what is supposed to be an awesome flash forward. I am interested to see if we find out what happened to Rousseau and obviously, who washes ashore. There are a ton of other questions to be answered since the last EP (like always), so hopefully these last 6 weeks will deliver!

Episode Preview

Some sneak peeks: Sneak Peek 1 | Sneak Peek 2 | Sneak Peek 3 | Sneak Peek 4

The hiatus blues have seriously kicked in after 8 fantastic episodes of Lost so far this season - now the wait starts again… Here are some interesting things happening in the Lost-world to keep your mind occupied (24 more days until Season 4 resumes!):

*Find815.com Part II - The Find815.com homepage was updated with the following message from Sam Thomas:

Not sleeping again.
Something’s still not right.

The reporters have stopped calling. Everyone is moving on. Flight 815 is a closed book for them. They think they have all the answers they need.

But I don’t…
S.T.

This could be an indication of a restart in the ARG - or a prelude to something we can expect at the conclusion of Season 4…

*The title of Episode 9 has been released by ABC - “The Shape of Things To Come”; there is also an episode description circulating out there that is a bit spoiler-esque, so I will leave it off of the blog until the EP preview in a few weeks - needless to say it looks to be awesome!

*Article in The Age about Season 4 - This article provides a pretty good recap of Season 4 thus far. I find the comment about Ben/Michael Emerson to be spot-on:

The greatest transformation, however, is happening with the nominal villain, Ben Linus (Michael Emerson). Lonely child, patricidal killer, manipulator and instigator of abduction and mass murder, he’s slowly evolving into the most important character on Lost. He creates confusion within confusion, but it’s increasingly unclear whether he’s a true believer or a malignant force.

Take “Meet Kevin Johnson” as the most recent example - where Ben once again flexes his truly unique manipulative powers - what a head case Michael must be now after that end-around!?!

Also, I would be interested in your thoughts about whether or not Ben was responsible for setting up Rousseau and Karl - and if not, then who do you think will ultimately be responsible for their (attempted) murders? There were some comments about this in the MKJ post - but I think it’s worth discussing a bit further.

DocH pointed out, rightfully so, the most subscribed to theory thus far:

Guess we won’t get the Rousseau FB after all (or Karl). Bet the target practice on the boat had the same shooters that dropped Danielle and Karl. HMMMMM? Karl and Danielle were the two that stood between Ben and Alex. How much do you want to bet that Ben is behind their deaths? You know… to get closer to Alex.

It’s possible Rousseau is still breathing - she has continued to find a way to survive on the Island for sometime (not quite as spectacularly as Patchy, but close). However, I’m not exactly sold on who the shooters were. Ben sent them off together, and I doubt he was crazy enough to do that had he not absolutely known Alex would be safe and the other two would be eliminated. So, what possibilities does that leave for the “who dunnit” in terms of trigger-pulling?

I have to say that the first four episodes of Season 4 have definitely delivered - we may not be getting all the answers we are looking for, but you can definitely feel that the storytelling is moving forward at a much more rapid pace than in past seasons. There was a lot of really great commentary associated with the episode post, and here are a few things that caught my eye:

*Could Miles Be Ben’s Man on the Boat?

-This is something I did not initially consider, but thanks to reader adriennez for bringing this to light. The exchange between Ben and Miles was extremely peculiar, as many of you noted in regards to the precise amount of money that Miles is looking for - $3.2 million:

Miles was the one who talked about using a secret code with Naomi when we first saw him…the whole “tell my sister I love her” thing. I think when Ben said “why $3.2 million, why not $3.3 or $3.4?”, that he was confirming whatever message Miles was trying to tell him. Mile also said that Ben had 3 days and Ben said that he needed a week, which Miles agreed to. I think this was more code talk.

I still think it is more likely that Michael is Ben’s man on the boat - but perhaps that is a unlikely scenario given that the freighties are probably well aware of the identities of those people who were on Flight 815. Something to consider…

*Is that really Claire’s Aaron?

-I am kind of torn on this one - Lindelof and Cuse typically chide the fandom for over thinking some of the stuff they blatantly put out there for us, but I am not 100% sold that the Aaron we saw in the future is Claire’s son. I’ll give you two scenarios I think are within the realm of possibility:

1) My too much time to think Scenario: Something bad happens to Claire and Aaron - Kate is pregnant with Sawyer’s child and ultimately names him Aaron in some weird homage to her Lost-mates. This could also explain why Jack has such a hard time seeing the child - because it is Sawyer’s and because in the future he knows that Claire/Aaron were related to him and he is having a hard time dealing with whatever happened to them. I know this is a bit far reaching…

2) My more plausible Scenario: Something bad happens to Claire and it ultimately has something to do with a decision that Jack made - or, Claire has to give Aaron up for some reason (either she is compelled to stay on the Island, or Aaron is taken from her for some reason). Jack laters finds out Claire was his sister and it makes things even worse. Kate takes custody of Aaron and Jack cannot get over what happened to Claire - hence his unwillingness to see the child.

*The Oceanic 6 (of 8)

-Many of you, like myself, found Jack’s testimony at Kate’s trial extremely interesting, partially because of his fabricated recollection of what happened, but more specifically that the the Oceanic 6 were the Oceanic 8 at some point - it will be interesting to see which characters they position as the two who did not make it (and, are these characters already gone, or will we see two major characters perish in the near term?).

Also, I do not think Aaron or Ben will be or should be considered one of the 6. Aaron was still in utero when the plane crashed (or conceived on the Island depending on which theory you subscribe to), but either way he would not have been listed on the manifest and therefore should be removed from consideration IMHO. We now know that Ben has the wherewithal to come and go as he pleases - and I am sure he finds a way to stay on his beloved Island.

*Kate’s Deal

-Stuck in California for 10 years? Sounds like foreshadowing to me, and at least we can fully understand why Kate was dismissive of Jack’s pleas to return to the Island at the end of Season 3. I imagine Kate will have a big decision to make at some point in the next couple of seasons - related to whether she will jeopardize her freedom to make an attempt to return to the Island.

Finally, I wanted to reiterate the need to be congenial in the comment section associated with the posts. Given the level of post-show activity we see, it can be difficult to thoroughly follow and read through hundreds of comments - the problem is further exacerbated by the timing delays that can be seen when a ton of people are trying to post at once. We have a lot of loyal readers who contribute and I would hate to see anyone alienated. Please try to follow the rules we have set forth:

*Read all comments before commenting. If something has already been said, there is no need to say it again.
*Stay on topic. If your comment is about last week’s episode it belongs in that comment thread. Search and find the right post.
*Be constructive, don’t complain about Lost unless you want to discuss your complaint.
*No spoilers or discussion of episode previews.
*Be kind and helpful.

I am looking forward to Thursday night!

There’s no shortage of media coverage surrounding tonight’s premiere. You would have to being living under the Black Rock to not know that Lost Season 4 debuts tonight. To tide us over for the rest of the day, since we are obviously too excited to focus on anything else, here’s a list of links to keep us busy while we wait. We thank all of our fellow Lost fans who sent some of these in.

Potential Spoiler Warning

• USA TODAY gives tonight’s episode 4 out of 4 stars in their review: ‘Lost’ rescues a TV season that’s adrift.
  

  Returning with a heart-stopping, perfectly pitched episode that fulfills all the promise of last season’s stunner of a finale, Lost is an oasis in a strike-parched TV desert.

• AOL Television did a “‘Lost’ A to Z Guide” - 26 reasons why season 4 will be pretty interesting. Thanks Andie
• ToeKnee found a few preview articles that are worth repeating here: ‘Lost’ finds new ways to intrigue from the Boston Globe and one from nj.com here: Sepinwall on TV: ‘Lost’ season four review
• Here’s a video interview with Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) on redlasso.com from this morning on the CW 11 New York Morning Show
• This interview with Michael Emerson (Ben) is a good one. He describes the character of Ben here:
  

  He’s certainly an antagonist. He certainly makes things happen. He provokes behavior in the part of others and his methods are mysterious and frightening. We fear Ben because we fear the unknown. If his agenda were more clear, we might feel differently about him. I think a day will come, and maybe I flatter myself here, when we see more clearly what his sight is, who his enemies are, and we may decide he’s a more heroic character than we thought previously

• Finally, you can listen to a podcast interview Matthew Fox from Australian radio station Triple M. It’s broken into 3 parts. Thanks Jason

Enjoy, see you all in the comments tonight!

In the sixth installment, we get a glimpse of a conversation between Juliet and Ben, regarding Walt, who is obviously being held in Room 23. The dialogue here is fascinating, because you can definitely get a sense that the majority of the Others are frightened by Walt’s unique abilities, as Ben gives reference to Jacob as well:

JULIET: This is your responsibility. You were the one who wanted him here.

BEN: Jacob wanted him here. He’s important. He’s special.

JULIET: He’s dangerous.

BEN: He’s just a kid Juliet. He’s a child.

JULIET: He’s just a child? Come see.

We then get to see a pile of dead birds, which Walt presumably caused via his abilities. The sets up for Season 4 nicely, as we got a glimpse of Walt during the finale, but obviously will see much more of him during the story arch this season. I think it will be interesting to see where he aligns himself within the framework of the show (the obvious answer is with Locke, but we’ll see). If you have yet to see this mobisode, you can find it here.

Though it has not yet been posted on ABC.com, the third mobisode can be found here. In my opinion, this is the most interesting thus far, given the characters involved (Jack and Ben), the setting (a chess match), and the dialogue, as noted below:

Ben - It’s been a long time since I had anybody with a little skill to play against. I don’t suppose there’s anything I could do to convince you to stick around. Relax Jack. Just an idle question. We have a deal. I fully intend to honor it.
Jack - Intend to, or you will?
Ben - It’s not entirely up to me. If the island doesn’t want you to leave, it won’t let you.
Jack - What the, the island’s going to sink the sub?
Ben - No. No. I promise you I won’t do anything to prevent you from getting home. But if you do leave this place, the day may come when you want to return.
Jack - Never.
Ben - I’ve learned never to say never. And if that day comes, I hope you remember this conversation.
Ben - Was a nice try though.

Obviously, this conversation turns out to be prophetic in two very obvious ways. One, though the Island does not physically sink the ship, Locke does, and we all know that Locke has some mysterious bond with the Island itself. Further, at the end of Season 3 we all remember Jack in his miserable, addicted state-of-mind, constantly jumping on flights hoping for another crash, and then finally, desperately pleading with Kate that they had to go back to the Island.

*Also, here is an interesting article from the New York Times that depicts why these particular mobisodes (if that is what you call them) might be a good case study in how Hollywood should deal with the WGA.

In an interview Mr. Cuse said that while it took five months to reach an agreement, he believes the “Missing Pieces” deal could serve as a template for resolving at least some of the dispute over payment for online use of material.

“I think it is a pretty good model,” he said last week. “What it shows is that there is basically room for a partnership between writers and the studios in a new medium. It’s where I wish we were headed instead of being stuck in this standoff.”

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A couple of things worth pointing out, some of which are spoiler-esque (nothing too, too bad IMO):

Warning, Possible Spoilers!!

*Kristin Dos Santos of E!Online had a couple of interesting items related to Season 4 -

Wendell in Miami: The “radio silence” is killing me! Do you have anything at all to report on Lost?
That makes two of us! I can only tell you that Robin Weigert, who plays Juliet’s cancer-kickin’ (or did she?) sister, Rachel, has a gut feeling she’s going to be back on the show. Robin told me during a visit to her new show, Life, that although nothing has been set in stone: “I think that character will definitely be back at some point, as I think will all of the flashback characters, because there will inevitably be a point when people reconnect. We’ve seen a flash-forward which shows some folks have made it off the island, reconnect with their loved ones. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

Dos Santos goes on to also comment about the potential (most say inevitable) writer’s strike and how that could effect Lost for this season:

The good news is that the Lost writers didn’t take much of a break at all between seasons, and production started in July as usual, despite the delayed season-premiere launch date. So, if the strike does go down, Lost might be one of the few shows we’ll still be seeing after the other series’ eps run dry.

So, good news for us Lost fans, bad news for most other shows…

*As many of you already know, actor Fisher Stevens is joining Lost as the character Minkowski, who we last heard speaking with Jack at the end of Season 3 on Naomi’s phone.

*Variety.com has an article about Lost, featuring an interview with Lindelof and Cuse, that provides pretty good insight into the long wait we are all up against for Season 4, as well as the thought process of the producers and writers related to the finite number of episodes left and how they go about planning the remainder of the show.

One particular line I found interesting alludes to Ben originally only being scheduled to be in 3 episodes of Season 2, but that Emerson’s performance was so powerful his role has grown to where it is now. That has to make writing for a show like Lost extremely difficult. Obviously Cuse and Lindelof know in general where things are going and how they end, but the canvas must really be open in terms of how they get there.

-Jeff Jensen of EW.com recently posted an interesting theory related to a special ability that Ben might possess, an interview with actor/director/Lost fan Kevin Smith and some other info related to our favorite show:

Like Desmond, Ben receives flashes of the future, too. Of course, while Old Bug Eyes has been on The Island longer, and has actively cultivated a deeper rapport with The Island (or is that just Jacob?), Big Bad Ben has banked many, many, many more flashes than the formerly Hatched-trapped Scot.

Jensen goes on to further support the theory, but I do think that it could at least provide the rationalization for why Ben continues on in his current state of existence. It would also explain why he was so adamant about the demise of the Island which the people that are coming at the conclusion of Season 3 represent.

Related to the other reference of The Island and Jacob above, I have also noted this theory found on Dark UFO, which suggests they may be one in the same. I think the prospect of Jacob being a manifestation and communicable form of the Island is more likely than he actually being a living/breathing person with supernatural abilities, specifically given Cuse’s recent comment about the depiction of Jacob in Season 4, etc.

I know there is still a lot of speculation in regards to the official air date for Season 4, and though there is still no “official” word, I am seeing reports that suggest it will remain on Wednesday night, with the time slot TBD. My understanding is that the date and time will be made official within the next few weeks, one way or the other, with the day either being Monday or Wednesday. Which would you prefer?

Here are the official nods for Lost:

Outstanding Directing for A Drama Series:

Lost • Through the Looking Glass • ABC • ABC Studios
Jack Bender, Director

Outstanding Single-camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series:

Lost • Through The Looking Glass • ABC • ABC Studios
Mark J, Editor
Christopher Nelson, A.C.E., Editor
Stephen Semel, Editor
Henk Van, Editor

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series:

Lost • A Tale Of Two Cities • ABC • ABC Studios
Thomas deGorter, Supervising Sound Editor
Paula Fairfield, M.P.S.E., Sound Editor
Lloyd Jay, Sound Editor
Alex Levy, Music Editor
Maciek Malish, M.P.S.E., Sound Editor
Cynthia Merril, Foley Artist
Carla Murray, M.P.S.E., Sound Editor
Doug Reed, Foley Artist
Joe Schultz, Sound Editor
Geordy Sincavage, Sound Editor

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series:

Lost • ABC • ABC Studios
Terry O’Quinn, Terry O’Quinn as John Locke
Lost • ABC • ABC Studios
Michael Emerson, Michael Emerson as Ben

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series:

Lost • Through The Looking Glass • ABC • ABC Studios
Carlton Cuse, Written by
Damon Lindelof, Written by

All nominations can be found here.

The next obvious question is not if Lost got the shaft again, but really what was the severity of it this year? Glaringly obvious to me is that Heroes got the nod for Outstanding Dramatic Series over Lost. What are your thoughts?