(Prev) Let’s Get Biblical

LOST: “The Man Behind the Curtain”, a Ben-centric episode.
Tonight. 10/9c.

A warning: This post is a little long. But there are some really interesting things to know before you watch tonight, that I think any fan (from the casual observer to the dateless wonder) would be well-served to know.

And also, let me warn (and simultaneously shock) you by noting that I am not now, or have I ever been, a biblical scholar. I went to church youth groups and Confirmation, but as a child was much more fascinated by thoughts such as, “How is poop made?”, “Why did Kelly leave Zach for Jeff, the frat-tastic manager of The Max (played by the reprehensible Patrick Muldoon. Total ass face.)?” and “Why does my mother refer to me as ‘the happy accident?’” But this post includes a few biblical references and parallels, most of which I have gleaned from reliable religious sources such as Wikipedia and my own shaky memory. So no e-mails pointing out flaws in my biblical minutia, unless they are offensive to you, in which case let me know and I'll take care of it. Enjoy!

Jacob’s Ladder Unfolds
Tonight promises the unveiling of the most highly-anticipated mystery man in recent LOST history: Jacob. Often simply referred to as “him”, Jacob's identity, importance and role on the island all seem to be of central importance. The Others’ cryptic references to this man have led viewers to recklessly speculate about his identity and purpose (I'm guilty of this too -- just check the Bonus Tracks).

Background.
Let’s look at what we know (and don’t know) so far.

• During his life-or-death chess game with Ben’s back surgery, Jack arouses the ire of a few Others, who angrily pout that “Shepherd wasn’t even on Jacob’s list.” What is it with these people and lists? Obviously Jacob’s list differs from the one Ms. Klugh gave Michael as part of the deal for Walt, as that list explicitly called for the good (?) doctor.
• Several Others have spoken of Jacob in terms of extreme adoration. “He is a great man, but not a forgiving man” as Ben put it. Mikhail (Patchy) called him "magnificent." And the New York Times said, "A non-stop family thrill ride from beginning to end!" Okay, not the last one. But the sheer fear and reverence that the rest of the Others hold toward Jacob would indicate that he is a man of great power, such as when Tom called Ethan out for going against “his” wishes during his exploits with Claire (in an episode that should’ve, in my opinion, been called, “(Messed Up) Adventures in Babysitting”).
• In the brainwashing video that Karl was watching in the mysterious Room 23, the quote, “God loves you as he loved Jacob,” a sentiment that Karl regurgitated to Sawyer and Kate around the time of Sawyer’s pull-up-a-backwards-chair-and-have-a-man-to-man-after-school-special-chat with the young, star-crossed lover.

Oh My Dear God.
The latter fact provides me a segue to get into some God Talk. The character of Jacob in the bible has many interesting potential parallels with the Jacob we barely know on the Island. The following cross-references of biblical and Island factoids are taken from Lostpedia, and I have added my thoughts below each.

Jacob is literally translated in Hebrew as "holds the heel," and is a play on words that means "trickster" or "deceiver."
Fairly self-explanatory, this Island is built on a solid foundation of trickery and deception.

Esau was the firstborn, but Jacob conned him into selling his birthright.
Again, fairly obvious. The theme of “conning” is prevalent in this show. If you don’t believe me, you didn’t see last week’s episode – which happened to feature, the longest, sickest, most convoluted con in history. Furthermore, much of the conflict between Jacob and Esau came as they both sought their father's approval. Let's not even get into the daddy issues some of our favorite characters have ("Has anyone seen my kidney?")

Esau was an outdoorsman/hunter while Jacob was studious, reserved, and "dwelled in tents."
Hey, I know a group of people who seem to worship a guy named Jacob. And they sooo dwell in tents!

According to the Book of Malachi, God "loved Jacob but hated his brother Esau" (Malachi 1:1-3). This is the only time God specifically says he "loves" an individual in the Hebrew books.
Again, in the brainwashing film, the idea of “God loving Jacob” is present, and it’s obviously a strong enough element that it sticks with Karl (by the way, Karl? That name's about as biblical as “Duane”. My advance apologies to anyone named Duane who stumbles upon this blog. But come on. Duane? "And God so loved Duane.")

Jacob was later given the name "Israel," which means "Struggled with God," with an implication of prevailing.
The struggle of man vs. god (or science vs. faith) has reared its contentious head a number of times in this show, specifically between Jack and Locke. It has also been hinted at as a major cog in Ben’s paradigm.

Rachel was apparently barren, but later amazingly gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin after failing to become pregnant for years. She died whilst giving birth to Benjamin.
I couldn’t make this stuff up. Again, if you can’t catch that parallel, you need to do some serious self-examination.

And finally…
In Jewish history, the tribe of Benjamin's women and children were all killed, and the remaining members of the tribe could not longer proliferate. The historical solution they came up with was to kill the men from another sub-tribe and take their women and children.
Are you shittin’ me?


Okay. Take a minute. That was a lot to take in. Ready? Okay. The inner conspiracy theorist inside all of us must be having the day of his/her life. There are some eerily resonant and relevant ties between the biblical Jacob and things we know about the Island. If the writers hadn’t repeatedly squelched the “They’re all dead and in heaven/hell/purgatory” theory, I would be promoting it like it was going out of style.

The Ladder.
One more note on Jacob. His little ladder. In the bible, it served as a sort of conduit between the physical world and the spiritual one, upon which Jacob could see the angels ascending to heaven. And that, my friends, is an interesting historical interpretation of the Island: that it is, in fact, some sort of byway (or rip in the universe) that provides its inhabitants an up close and personal look at the afterlife. I. Have. Chills.

So, what does this all mean? I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole, for fear that tonight's episode will pick apart any theory I could spout out right now. If you want a CRAZY theory, here's one. But honestly, I wouldn’t even want to be right about anything tonight, lest we spoil the epic nature of this episode. I just wanted to arm you with some knowledge to get you thinking, and it might be some good stuff to have in your back pocket as you watch tonight.


We Are So Not in Kansas Anymore
Tonight’s episode is titled, “The Man Behind the Curtain,” a reference to the Wizard of Oz.
In that story, the man behind the curtain is the man who has pulled the cloak of fantasy over the main characters, presenting them with a world that didn't exactly "exist". Again, at the risk of pointing out an obvious parallel, could tonight begin an unraveling of the delicate fabric of deceit that coats island? Is Ben’s undoing imminent now that Locke has fulfilled his destiny? And where, if anywhere, will this essential crack in the foundation occur?

The writers have a penchant for weaving their favorite literary themes and titles into this show. Sawyer’s Book Club usually featured the con man reading some obscure work of literary significance that - upon further research (by those more obsessive than I) - had some similarities to and clarifications of what was happening on the Island. And a favorite work of at least a few of these writers: The Wizard of Oz. Remember Ben’s cover story when he was captured? He said he was Henry Gale, and that he had crashed his hot air balloon on the Island – a clear nod to Wizard of Oz. (Oddly, a man named Henry Gale [not Ben] did crash on the island in a hot-air balloon; something that’s never been explained, but was awesome. Ben's lie, if you remember, was exposed by Sayid on one of his “I Want The Truth, and Yes, I CAN Handle The Truth” missions, where he found Henry Gale's driver's license, and the real Henry Gale looked a little different than Ben.

But enough mythology, let’s talk about the actual show. Tonight we focus on Ben, in a story that will most likely be told to us as it is told to Locke, by Ben. Ben owes Locke answers, and as Locke receives them, so will we. I can honestly say I have not been this excited about an episode…probably ever. Seriously. I don’t want to over-hype things (when have I ever done that), but tonight’s offering will likely be a watershed moment in the history of the show. There is a perfect storm brewing: our first flashback of an Other (unless you count Juliet, and I don’t), the revelations of Island secrets, the unveiling of the hallowed Jacob and the promise of some incredible moments between Locke and Ben: the duo with undeniably the best on-screen interplay on all of television. Strap yourselves in, friends. This one’s so good, I couldn’t bring myself to speculate as much as usual. Tonight is a night to sit back and enjoy, and let the best show on television tell us a wonderful story.


Haiku Time
Let’s get answers, from
The Man Behind The Curtain
Like "Where the hell's Walt?!".


I promise I have a life,
Charlie.