LOST Recap and Discussion: The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

I feel like every week's episode is my new favorite episode of the season, but Locke-centric episodes always deliver! Tonight's episode was awesome!!! Does anyone ever feel like watching LOST is a bit like scratching a mosquito bite? There's some relief but just more itchiness...or curiosity!!

Anyway, spoilers and speculation follow!
The episode opens with the man we met last week (expressing condolences to Jack on Locke's passing) entering a darkened room and rifling through some papers and looking around. We know this man was on Ajira flight 316 but at present, we don't necessarily know where he is. A woman enters, who was also on 316 and asks him if he's found anything. He answers in the negative, but she suspiciously asks what he put in his bag. He hands over a flashlight. (in typical LOST fashion, he does not relinquish his gun!)

"We found someone. A man" She announces. A man standing in the water, wearing a suit. Caesar wants to know if he was "one of the ones who disappeared." No, she says, he wasn't on the plane. They walk by the plane heading to the campfire. We see a man sitting at the fire in a cloak (recalling Obi-wan some have said, but he seemed so hunched over, I was thinking more like Yoda) "Hello" Caesar says. "What's your name?" And bam ladies and gents, John Locke pulls back his cloak and reveals himself. (I read on Dark UFO that this was the original opening scene for the season but they changed it. Interesting, huh?)

Daytime now, and new chick tries to get some information from Locke. (and he tries to get some info from her) He doesn't have much to say but does offer that he suspects he was in a suit for burial. "You asked me what I remember," he says, "I remember dying." Now, if it was me on this island, having just seen a bunch of people disappear and my pilot run off with a woman and one of the only boats (what woman????) and then I discovered a man standing in the water wearing a suit who no one remembers from the plane and he tells me that he remembers dying...well I wouldn't just walk away. But apparently new girl is suffering from "don't really need to know any answers about the craziness I find myself in" syndrome and she does just that.

Locke flashes back. He's in Tunisia still in pain and no one is around. Soon, some men come for him, they snatch him up with no regard to his injuries and take him away. The doctors quickly take care of him with a truly cringe worthy scene as they work on Locke's leg. Locke glimpses Matthew Abaddon. When Locke wakes up lo and behold it's Charles Widmore!! They reminisce a bit about that day Locke walked into the camp back on the island. Widmore explains he was exiled from the island by Ben. "Just as you were" he says. Oh I chose to get off that rock, Locke says. I know you're lying, Widmore says, here's everything you need to know about the Oceanic 6. Why are you helping me? Locke wants to know. Because there's a war coming, Widmore replies. Locke heads off with Widmore's info and friend Abaddon.

Locke goes to see Sayid first. Sayid is building houses in the Dominican Republic and seems more at peace than we've seen him in awhile. He refuses to go back to the island, and suggests Locke only wants to go back because he has nowhere else to go.

Locke then goes to see Walt. They have a nice little chat. Walt still has some prophetic dreams about Locke. Locke doesn't mention Walt going back to the island, but they part on friendly terms. Then Abaddon says..I thought you had to get them all back? Locke responds, "If I can get one, I'll get them all."

Locke goes to see Hurley next, who naturally thinks he's dead. Locke convinces him he's real and urges him to come back to the island. Hurley adds to the.."there's no reason to go back" He then shares the paranoia of Abaddon. "He's evil." Hurley says and he runs away.

Locke is a bit shaken by this encounter, I think, so he asks Abaddon, just what exactly do you do for Widmore? Abaddon and Locke reminisce now about how Abaddon told Locke to go on the walk-about and then he gives the answer, "I help people get to where they need to get to."

Locke goes to see Kate, who is very strange and accuses him of never loving anyone. Why? Because she's bitter to have lost Sawyer or because she's in love with Jack? So Locke shares that he did in fact love someone once, not that this conversation makes any sense. I really don't like Kate in this scene. I think she's rather cruel.

At this point, Abaddon takes Locke to Helen's grave and reiterates the LOST theme..."you can't change destiny" And they start talking about Locke's death again. Suddenly there's a shot! Abaddon has been killed! Locke takes off and crashes. Is he dead? No! He gets to talk to a very tormented Jack in hospital. Guess what? Jack doesn't want to go back to the island either!

Locke has lost all hope. He pens the suicide note we saw last week. He gets ready to commit suicide, but then good old Ben comes along. With a great amount of persuasion and gentleness, Ben convinces Locke that they can get everyone back to the island. He suggests starting with Sun. I can't, Locke explains, I promised Jin I wouldn't. "Jin's alive?" Ben says with sincere surprise. A promise is a promise, Ben agrees. We'll get them all together, Ben assures Locke, don't know what we'll do after that. Oh, I do! Locke says. We'll find Eloise Hawking! Oh really, Ben says? Don't need you anymore! And he kills Locke.

Locke doesn't stay dead as we know, and back on the island he goes to Caesar to get some questions answered. Through their conversation, he comes to realize the Oceanic 6 are back on the island. There are some injured people, though, Caesar adds. He leads Locke to the sickroom, where Locke lays eyes on Ben, the man who killed him.

Analysis
I was captivated throughout the episode, it was so satisfying to see more of Widmore, and catch glimpses of what happened while Locke was off the island. I think the war is what we're building up to and I'm interested to see how all that plays out. Despite Locke's low point (near suicide) I found him to be much more sympathetic than I have in awhile as he worked to bring the O6 back to the island. The pacing was excellent and the story balanced, apart from the minor problem of no one calling him Jeremy Bentham and Caesar and Ilana's relatively easy acceptance of all the strangeness.

For Discussion:

• It seems the Ajira flight landed on the smaller island.
• I was hoping Ben was dead, but it seems he's in the preview for next week.
• Why did Ben kill Locke instead of allowing him to kill suicide? Did he think was killing him for good? Or was he playing a known role in the greater scheme of things?
• Do the preview makers really think all I care about is seeing Sawyer and Kate reunite?
• Who's good? Widmore or Ben?
• Who was the woman who ran off with Lapidus? Sun?

Tell me everything you think!!! And visit the LOST Books Challenge Blog for more recaps.