The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham SE5 EP7

“Scuse me, but am I talking to a dude in a wheelchair right now?”

Since the beginning of this show, every single Locke episode, without fail, has made me a little misty. This one was no exception. Seeing Locke captive in that wheelchair again, waving to each of his old friends with that warm smile on his face and having them each dismiss him in turn as a lonely old loser—each one that is, except Walt—well, folks, it about broke my heart. An excellent, satisfying episode. And as a bonus, another fairly linear episode ala last week.

Locke is back Home
The opening shot is of the guy I knew would turn out to be somebody last week. His name is Cesar and he’s searching what looks like the Dharma/Other’s rec room. He finds some drawings, a flashlight and a gun. Then the chick who was escorting Sayid comes in. Her name is Alanna and she asks him what he found. Cesar lies and tosses her the flashlight. Alanna tells Cesar that they’ve found someone just standing in the water and wearing a suit and he wasn’t on the plane. They go back to the beach camp where they are introduced to Locke. He is alive and indeed, he is in his burial suit.

Locke asks Alanna if she has a passenger list. Since he was dead when he got on the plane, he has no way of knowing who actually made it back to the island. Wait till he sees there are 78 Hurley’s on the manifesto. “Nobody remembers you being on the plane,” Alanna says. They ask Locke what he remembers; does he remember getting on the plane. Locke doesn’t. But he does remember something. “You asked what I remembered,” Locke offers. “I remember dying.”

The life of Jeremy Bentham
Like Ben, Locke shows up in the Tunisian desert. He sees cameras and wires, but since his leg still broken, there is little he can do besides lay there. After dark, some locals in a pickup truck come and pick him up and take him to the hospital. It’s worth noting here that the locals picking up Locke are somewhat less hostile to Locke than they were to Ben. Locke arrives at the hospital, he’s delirious with pain and probably more than a little out of it what with teleporting off the island, laying in the desert for hours then swallowing those pills.

Locke sees Matthew Abbadan in the hospital just before he passes out from the Tunisian medical specialists delicately resting his leg. Just before he goes under, Locke focuses on the faces around him. Was the woman Nadia? It certainly looked like her.

Locke wakes up to find Charles Widmore sitting bedside, acting noticeably less vile than we are used to (could it simply be Desmond’s effect on him, or is he just acting to get information out of Locke?) Widmore is talking like he knows him, but Locke doesn’t recognize him. “Do I know you?” Locke asks. Widmore tells Locke that he met him when he was seventeen and that Locke hasn’t changed a bit since then. “How long ago was it that you walked into Richard’s camp?” Widmore wants to know. “Four days,” Locke replies. “I was their leader. I protected the island peacefully for years.” Widmore starts to compare notes with Locke, telling Locke that Ben banished him just as he banished Locke. “I wasn‘t banished, I chose to leave,” Locke explains, before realizing he’s said too much. “I understand you’re lying, John. I really do.” Widmore figures out that John is there to bring the Oceanic back and vows to help him in any way he can. “Why would you do that?” Locke wonders. “Because there’s a war coming,” Widmore explains. “If you’re not back on the island when that happens, the wrong side is going to win.”

Widmore then gives Locke money, Abbadan, an international phone, the whereabouts of the other Losties and a new ID. “You’re name is Jeremy Bentham. He was a British philosopher. Your parents had a sense of humor when they named you so why can’t I?” Locke accepts Widmore’s help, but he’s still leery. He remembers everything that Ben said, and everything that happened after the freighter arrived. “How do I know you’re not lying?” Locke wonders. “I didn’t try to kill you. Can you say the same of Ben?” “What about the mercs and the C4, Mr. Widmore?” An excellent question for which Widmore offers the following explanation: “I had to get Linus off of there so that you could take over. The island needs you, John. You’re special.”

Locke tells Widmore that Richard told him that he must die to bring them all back. Widmore doesn’t know why Alpert told him that and introduces him to Matthew Abbadon (again.) “Matthew will take you anywhere you need to go and protect you from anyone who intends to do you harm.” The Abbadan gets that wheel chair out and we’re cringing right along with Locke.

First Stop: Santo Domingo and Sayid
Sayid is working for some hippie dippy Habitat for Humanity outfit in the middle of the jungle. Locke shows up and makes his pitch: We have to go back. Sayid says no. “For 2 years I was manipulated by Ben into thinking that I was protecting everyone back on the island. So who is manipulating you?” Locke says no one and tells Sayid that he knows, deep in his heart that they were’nt supposed to leave. “If I hadn’t left the island, I would have missed the best 9 months of my life because I married the woman I loved.” “Where is she now?” Locke wonders. “She was murdered,” Sayid answers. “Why do you really need to go back?” Sayid asks. “Is it just because you have nowhere else to go?”

New York
Locke finally takes Abbadan up on his offer to look someone up for him. “Helen Norwood. She was living in Los Angeles.” And then, there’s Walt. “You don’t seem surprised to see me,” Locke says when Walt approaches. “I’ve been having dreams about you. You were on the island wearing a suit and you were surrounded by a lot of people. They wanted to hurt you.” “Well here I am,” Locke says. “Did my dad make it back to the island?” Walt wants to know. “Last I heard, he was on a freighter near the island.” Walt has to go and they part ways. Abbadan wants to know why Walt wasn’t invited. “The boy has been through enough,” Locke explains. “I thought everyone was supposed to go back,” Abbadan says. “And I thought you were supposed to be my driver,” Locke grumbles. “Besides, I only have to convince one and the others will come.”

Across the street, Ben is stalking.

Santa Rosa
“Hello Hugo,” Locke says as he wheels up. Hurley is nonplussed. “So you didn’t make it, huh?” “Hugo, I’m not dead,” Locke insists. Hurley takes a poll of the other crazy people and they all agree that Locke is sitting there talking to him. Locke gives his pitch to go back and Hurley says that no one will go because they all have lives now. Then Hurley sees Abbadan standing by the car and begins a classic Hurley freak. Locke insists that Abbadan is OK and that he’s with him. “That dude is far from ok. He’s evil. He said he worked for Oceanic.” Hurley begins to back away with his “Lalalala I’m not listening” act and runs into the center.

“That’s 3 visits. You may want to step up your game, Mr. Locke, or we’re all in serious trouble.” Annoyed, Locke asks, “What exactly is it you do for Mr. Widmore, anyway.” “Oh, so you’re ready to talk about it now? You’re really not going to pretend you don’t remember that I was an orderly when you were hospitalized after your fall? That I was the one who told you to go on a walkabout which is how you ended up on the island in the first place?” Locke remembers. “I help people get to where they need to get to. That’s what I do for Mr. Widmore.”

Kate’s House
Locke is giving his pitch and Kate says no. “Don’t you care about them?” He asks her. Kate responds, “Have you ever been in love John? You know, I think about you sometimes. I think about how desperate you were to stay on that island. I think it was because you didn’t love anybody.” Which is awfully presumptuous and rude, but Locke answers anyway. “That’s not true—I loved someone. Once. Her name was Helen.” “What happened?” Kate asks. “I was angry. I was obsessed. It didn’t work out,” Locke admits. “And look how far you’ve come,” Kate retorts.

“Did you find Helen Norwood?” Locke asks Abbadan. He doesn’t buy it when Abbadan says he can’t find her.

At the Santa Monica grave of Helen Norwood
“What happened to her?” Locke wants to know. “A brain aneurism,” Abbadan tells him. “She loved me. We could have been together.” When Abbadan says that she still would be dead now, Locke wonders. “Helen is where she is supposed to be,” Abbadan tells him. “No matter what you do, your path leads back to the island. Widmore says you told him you had to die. Is that fate or a choice?”

Abbadan is loading the wheelchair in the trunk when shots ring out and blood spatters the back of the car. A few more shots and Abbadan is dead. Locke jumps up front and hits the gas. He blows a red light and gets into a nasty three-car crash.

At Jack’s Hospital
Locke awakens in hospital to see Jack sitting by his bed. “What are you doing here?” Jack accuses. When Locke starts giving the pitch to go back, points out to him that of all the gin joints in all the world, Locke walked into Jack’s, and tells Jack they were meant to go back to the island, Jack, obviously hopped up on pills and booze, starts shouting at him, “Destiny?!?!” He scoffs. “It’s not destiny, John. It’s probability.” “Somebody is trying to kill me,” Locke tells him. “They don’t want me to succeed because I’m important.” “Maybe you’re not important at all. Maybe you’re just a lonely old man that crashed on an island,” stoner jack retorts. Discouraged, Locke tries another tactic. “Your dad says hello.” Locke has figured out through process of elimination that Christian is Jack’s father. “My dad is dead!” Jack shouts. “We were never important! Leave me alone! And leave everyone else alone, too!”

End of the line
Despondent, Locke heads back to his fleabag hotel and prepares to hang himself with an electrical cord. He’s about to jump, when there is a knock on the door. It’s Ben. Ben admits to killing Abbadan, whom he insists would have eventually killed Locke due to the fact that he works for Widmore. “Whatever you said to Jack, it worked. He’s booked a flight,” Ben encourages. “Let me help you.” “There is no helping me,” Locke say. “I’m a failure.” Ben tells Locke how important he is, how special he is and how much work he has to do. Ben suggests that they go get Sun, but Locke says no, he made a promise to Jin not to bring her back. Ben talks Locke down, untying the cord. Sobbing, Locke tells Ben that there is a woman in Los Angeles that can help them. “Her name is Eloise Hawking.” A funny look comes over Ben’s face. “Do you know her?” Locke asks. “Yes I know her,” Ben answers as he walks up behind Locke with the electrical cord. “And viciously strangles him.

Ben sets it up so it looks like Locke killed himself. We see him busily wiping everything down. He takes Jin’s ring and says “I’ll miss you John. I really will.”

Locke back at Home
Locke tells Cesra about Dharma and explains that he spent 100 days on the island and knows a lot except when he left and how he got back. He is asking about the manifest, which Cesar is unable to locate. He tells Locke about the injured and Locke goes in to inspect. He sees Ben and Cesar sees the recogniztion in Locke’s face. “Do you know him?” Cesar asks. “Yes, Lock answers. “He’s the man who killed me.”

Thoughts on this episode
I had just about started liking Ben again after he talked Locke down. I haven’t been sure that Ben has the best interests of the island at heart for some time, now I am convinced of it. I’m not sure that Widmore is a good guy either. The only one I’m relatively positive is good is Locke.

So how does Locke come back to life? He was very clearly dead before he got back to the island. Does this mean that Christian Sheppard is not dead either? Is Locke like him now? I would guess both Locke and Christian are unable to leave the island, due to their island-induced altered undead states. But that state also brings them closer to the needs of the island, so I think that was in the plan all along. Perhaps Richard is an undead, too.

Also, the time frame that Locke is in appears to be different than the one Jack, Kate, Hurley and Jin are in, since these plane survivors are perusing the abandoned Dharma site with abandon and there are clearly no Dharma-ites around to stop them.

Ok, it’s very late and I didn’t see any previews for next week. Great episode.