The Shape of Things to Come

Lost - Episode 4.09

Benjamin Linus is probably one of the most compelling characters I've had to pleasure to watch on television. A good villain can be fun to watch, but a great villain has depth. A great villain can make you feel some degree of empathy for why they do what they do or when they display some form of compassion towards someone that they genuinely love. Also, it never hurts to have an actor or actress that can act the hell out of the role. Examples that come to mind are Tony Soprano (The Sopranos), Dukat (DS9), Scorpius (Farscape), Baltar and Cain (BSG).

Ever since Ben first appeared on Lost and shocked the series' ailing second season back to life, the little man has continued to prove himself a force to be reckoned with. This guy has the uncanny ability to see the whole picture, keep two or three steps ahead of everyone else, and manipulate anyone to his benefit. He does all these things and continues to maintain that he's the good guy.

With this episode, we finally get to see Benjamin Linus care about something and feel loss. We've seen Ben display affection towards Juliette, but that can be attributed to his obsession with her and a desire to control her. His feelings for his adopted daughter, Alex, have always seemed genuine; never more so than with the circumstances of this hour.

It all comes to a head when Keamy threatens to shoot Alex unless Ben surrenders. Of course Ben can't give himself up. He knows that they'll kill her anyway, along with Losties that are holed up with him in the house. What happens next is both heartbreaking and mesmerizing, and actor Michael Emerson plays out the scene perfectly. As Keamy counts down the last seconds Ben has to surrender, Linus tells him that Alex isn't really his daughter and that she means nothing to him. It's sad that Alex has to hear these words, but Ben is actually speaking to himself in preparation for the inevitable. Then Keamy shoots Alex. The result is a few moments of Ben standing there completely gobsmacked.

When he finally comes to his senses, Ben becomes all action. He ducks into a secret room in the house, seemingly abandoning the Losties. When he finally returns there's a look of determination in his eyes that let's us know that "it's on now". As if to portray Ben's emotional state, the smoke monster/security system erupts out of nowhere and attacks Keamy and his soldiers. As the Losties run off into the jungle for cover, Ben calming walks over to his daughter's body and silently says good-bye.

In this episode's flash-forward, Ben wakes up in a parka in the middle of the Sahara Desert. When confronted by men with guns, he displays physical prowess that matches his intellectual aptitude. This little guy is a badass. These scenes from the future result in his recruitment of Sayid (we get to see more of his post-island life) as an assassin, as well as Ben's face to face with Charles Widmore, the man responsible for the raid on the island. Ben tells him that since Widmore changed the rules and Alex was killed, that he's going to kill Widmore's daughter (Desmond's girlfriend, Penelope).

Another character that was interesting to watch this episode was Sawyer. This character has grown from a self-centered con man into a leader that cares for his friends. When Keamy's men are assaulting the settlement, Sawyer runs through a hail of bullets and explosions to rescue Claire. When Locke makes it clear that Hurley is leaving with him and Ben, Sawyer threatens to shoot them. Hurley, not wanting any bloodshed on his behalf, tells Sawyer that he'll go with Locke. They part with Sawyer declaring that if any harm comes to Hurley, he'll kill Locke.

Daniel Faraday is another character that has been rather compelling this season. While he's attached to the Widmore crew, he has displayed a level of sympathy for the Losties. He's being pulled in two directions due to his seemingly decent nature and the fact that he has been hired by Widmore's organization to do a certain job. When he's caught in a lie near the conclusion of the show, he fesses up quickly. Also, Jeremy Davies is such a good actor that you see the internal struggle on his face.

Best Scene of the Episode: Ben's showdown with Keamy and the outcome. Unfortunately, one of the results was the death of Alex (play by the lovely Tania Raymonde).

Big Question: Well, Lost is riddled with questions, but for this episode I'll ask only one. What's Jacob going to do that Ben's so sure will save them all?

MVP Award: Michael Emerson. He's always strong whenever he's on the screen, but when given an entire episode as the focus, he takes it to a whole new level.

9 out of 10