Preview: The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

It will be as simple as the TiVo description: “Locke’s fateful journey off the island as Jeremy Bentham is revealed.”

It will likely be as consequential as any episode we’ve seen.

It will answer the questions that keep Charlie awake at night, looking out his window to see if someone is standing outside (someone is there, Charlie…be afraid…).

It will fill in more missing pieces than I have time to mention in this preview.

I will now stop trying to be poetic.

Rock. And. Roll. Time for Lost!

TONIGHT IS FINALLY HERE!!
Tonight’s episode, “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham,” will likely begin at a time and place we’ve seen: after Locke’s fall-into-the-well, after Christian’s cryptic instructions, and after Locke’s stabilization of the off-axis donkey wheel. Locke has a series of goals:
(1) Convince the O6 to go back the island.
(2) Die. (Cue single tear…)

Okay, let’s talk about the most basic question: Where and when will Locke be time-and-space-catapulted? Our only Donkey-Wheel-Moving experience to this point threw Ben to Tunisia, not to mention one year forward in time. If you are trust Mrs. Hawking, the Lamp Post station (the one under the church) was built upon a pocket of electromagnetic activity, which is somehow connected to other such pockets around the globe. SO where are these locations? Some think that Tunisia (simply because Ben ended up there) is one of the locations. Some think that Issac of Uluru’s home in Australia (the guy Bernard took Rose to for healing) is a pocket.

Mrs. Hawking's map with the 'pockets' marked.

Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if a location near Portland, OR, ends up being a pocket. After all, the subs going to the island were launched from there, and it also serves as a hub of activity for Dharma and Hanso, including a base of the suspiciously unconspicuous Mittelos Biosciences and Heriat Aviation.

The skyline of Portland, Oregon. Freaking beautiful.

Seems to me a pocket in England would also fit into the Lost story quite nicely (possibly at Oxford, where Daniel experimented?). Finally, you have to wonder if Los Angeles is on this list, too. We know LA is important – lots of important people are there, and many important storyline-altering situations have gone down within the city limits.

So Locke stabilizes the donkey wheel and catapults to…well, my first guess is Portland (for no particular reason). My second guess is the same place Ben went - the Tunisian desert. My third guess is at Issac of Uluru's house. My fourth guess is Charlie's backyard in Lincoln, NE. When? Well, I’m going to guess sometime within a month of the O6’s return to the island on Arija 316. It gets a little tricky here, but if we can agree that, in realtime, the island is/would be in early 2005 (sure, there have been 15 time shifts…don’t get me started)…I think the donkey wheel movement moves him to late 2007 – let’s say December – because of the timestamp (“Three Years Ago”) that was on screen at the beginning of “The Lie”.

Confused yet?
Okay, so it is December 2007. He needs to visit the O6, but we also know he sees a few other people in the process. This list of people, and their locations at that point (if known), is as follows:







• Jack Shepherd: Jack has a really awful beard and is hooked on oxycodone. He is in LA.

• Kate Austen: Kate is still playing house (and looking hot, according to Charlie) with Aaron in LA.

• Aaron (Littelton) Austen: Aaron is 3.5 years old, living with his hot Fake-Mom, Kate, in LA.

• Hugo “Hurley” Reyes: I’m pretty sure Locke visits Hurley while he is still in the Santa Rosa Mental Institution, per the conversation that he has with Walt when Walt comes to visit. So Hurley is at Santa Rosa, which is in LA.

• Sun Kwon: We have not heard any reference to a Locke visit with Sun. I’m not entirely sure if it happens because Locke would have given her Jin’s wedding ring during such a meeting like he promised, right? Well, Sun is a world traveler at this point in her life, so Locke could probably have met with her anywhere.

• Sayid Jarrah: We also have not heard any reference to a Locke visit with Sayid. Sayid is also bouncing around the world like an Iraqi Carmen Sandiego with a cache of weapons – Locke could probably meet him wherever.

• Walt Lloyd: Teenager Walt is living with the cute Grandma Lloyd in New York City. We know Locke visits him because the visit causes Walt to travel to LA with Grandma to visit Hurley.

• Benjamin Linus: Ben explained to us that, although Locke does not visit him, he does visit Locke. And if you’ve seen the previews for this week’s episode, you’ve seen that it looks like Ben is with Locke when Locke hangs himself. Sweet. Lord. I don’t know if I can handle this….

Okay, I know Locke is crafty, but how is he going to pull this off?
Well, that’s a great question. I think Locke is going to play an Ace of Spades for each individual – and Lord knows he has a few Aces of Spadeses…hahaha:

• Jack: It is pretty easy to make Jack feel guilty. I mean, his life repeats itself over and over again: guilt, which leads to “fixing” someone/something, which leads to ultimate disappointment (but that’s for another blog), which leads to guilt,…etc. I think Locke is going to play on that by convincing Jack that his departure caused such (drama and) danger…that he HAS to come back and fix it. While Jack might not show he agrees initially, I bet Jack will be Locke’s easiest sell.

• Kate: Six simple letters…S-A-W-Y-E-R.

Gratuitous Photograph of Sawyer.

Locke knows that Kate loves Sawyer. Sawyer is in danger. Blah blah blah. Kate will pretend like she doesn’t care, but she does. She is sort of like Jack – she probably won’t show that she believes him, but she does. Blah blah blah. Lame-o. Kate is in. So much so that she ‘eliminates’ Aaron from the equation…more on this shortly…

• Aaron: Well…uhh…Aaron is 3. He’s pretty trusting of anyone, including Asian Women with guns. Locke’s Ace of Spades for Aaron might as well be a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie (freaking delicious). Basically, I think Aaron is in the bag. (P.S. What the heck did Kate do with Aaron? Any theories out there? Is he with Grandma Littleton?)

• Sayid: The more I think about it, the more I think Sayid would probably kill Locke if he came near him. So I don’t there will be a visit. But if Locke had an Ace of Spades, he is going to mention Nadia…play on that emotion plus revenge directed towards Widmore, etc.

• Walt: Walt thinks his Dad is still alive. It is ridiculous that no one has told him that Dad blew up with the Kahana (and no matter what you say, I am certain Michael is dead even though we haven’t seen a body). Locke will tell Walt he is trying to save Dad. Pathetic. That really makes me mad.

But Maggie, you forgot about Ben.
Charlie, come on. I didn’t forget about Ben. He is too scary to forget. There is more to say about Ben than a “bullet’s worth”, so I’m moving on to a new section.

Okay. The Locke-Ben meeting brings about the many super huge big questions surrounding the relationship between Ben and Locke: working together or fighting against each other? Wanting the same thing or serving selfish desires/interests? On their own or with a team (Widmore, Christian, etc…)? Or, as it has been theorized for a year or so, are Locke and Ben brothers?

Okay, I guess I’ll address this last question first. I think the answer is: no, they are not brothers. We can agree on the fact that Ben and Locke were both born to someone named Emily, with Locke being born about five years before Ben (according to his Holiness, Lord Jeff Jensen). Even though Ben’s mother died shortly after his birth, I guess it is not entirely implausible that Ben and Locke are (half) brothers. (Go ahead and tell me here that it isn’t the same Emily because "Swoosie" visits Locke later in life and we know she is his real Mom…etc, etc…yeah, yeah, I know.)

Swoosie Kurtz (of "Sisters" fame), as Emily Locke

Well, I tend to believe that the “Emily” connection merely highlights the from-the-beginning similarities between Ben’s and Locke’s fates. Huh? Well, think of it as yet another example of their parallel lives, in the same way as Locke’s multiple opportunities to end up on a course to the island (through Alpert’s “Super-Secret-Special-School-For-Kids-Who-Pick-The-Compass” or the high school “Super-Secret-Special-Science-Program-On-A-Magical-Island-Whoops-Didn’t-Mean-To-Say-Magic-Island-Forget-I-Said-That”), synching up with Ben’s father’s Dharma Initiative relocation to the island. Locke denies/screws up multiple chances to get to the island amidst encouragement from multiple sources; Ben, meanwhile, gets dragged there by his deadbeat, alcoholic, abusive, “Workman” father.

Clearly, whichever entity is operating the island has preferred Locke’s presence from the beginning.

And that is why I don’t think they are brothers. (and…scene.)

Okay, so back to Ben and Locke. This might be a small clue: in the DVD commentary for Episode 20 of Season 3 (“The Man Behind the Curtain”), the producers describe Locke's relationship with Ben as being a multi-chapter showdown for who will be the “Master of the Island.” For this reason (and others), I think Ben and Locke…

(1) Want the same thing: control/communion with the island.

(2) Both know that bringing the O6 back to the island is a requirement to gaining that control/communion.

(3) Are “fighting” against the same power-that-be (i.e. Widmore).

(4) Will forgo an opportunity to combine forces and officially beat said power once and for all…for completely and entirely selfish interests.

In my opinion, the linchpin in this scenario is the fact that Ben knows more of this reality than Locke. Locke is following Christian’s simple instructions (1. Turn wheel; 2. Bring them back), but other than “preserving the island/saving everyone,” he doesn’t understand why he needs to follow through. Ben, on the other hand, knows almost everything. And it appears he is poised to take Locke out of the game (“Here, John, use this cord to hang yourself…”)to claim victory. But what he might not realize is that Locke’s inevitable return to the island will throw Ben’s whole plan out of whack…because Locke is going to reincarnate and live again, much like Christian Shepherd has done.

Did that make any sense?
Meh. Sorta. I guess. But I really have no idea.

I should probably mention a blurb about the real Jeremy Bentham.
While I’m quite certain that Charlie and I addressed it at some point, I’ll now take a commercial break to recap the life and death of the real Jeremy Bentham.

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was an English political radical. He advocated for utilitarianism: “Act so as to produce the greatest good for the greatest number.” He was highly opposed to the theory of natural rights (a.k.a. universal, moral, inalienable rights…think U.S. Constitution), as tirelessly championed by (I’m so not kidding) philosopher John Locke. Bentham’s theories heavily influenced the work of the father of socialism, Robert Owen. In other areas, Bentham believed in individual and economic freedom, the separation of church and state, the freedom of expression, equal rights for women (woot!), the end of slavery, the abolition of physical punishment, and the right to divorce. Bentham is also considered the founder of University College London.

In my humble and uneducated opinion (I haven’t done much reading on the guy), Bentham’s post-mortem life is the most interesting of all.

[Note: If you are eating on something while reading this, I highly suggest you stop. Trust me.]

As requested in his will, Bentham’s body was preserved (gasp!) and stored (ugh!) in a wooden cabinet (huh?!), termed his “Auto-icon.” (BIZARRE!) Originally kept by his student (I just had an image of a preserved Dr. Ted Larson in Charlie’s living room…ha ha ha), it was acquired by University College London in 1850. To this day, Bentham’s Auto-icon is kept on public display (for real?) in the main building of the College. And beyond that, for the 100th and 150th anniversaries of the College, the Auto-icon was brought to the meeting of the College Council, where he was listed as “present but not voting.” Are. You. Kidding. Me.

Jeremy Bentham's preserved body-in-a-box.

The Auto-icon has always had a wax head, as Bentham's head was badly damaged in the preservation process (seriously, this is disgusting). His real head was displayed in the same case for many years, but became the target of repeated student pranks including being stolen on more than one occasion (wow, this takes student pranks to a new level). It is now locked away.

Gosh, I don’t know what else to say.

Guest starring tonight…
Oooh, tonight will be way fun in the area of guest stars. Some Maggie-and-Charlie-Favorites are poised to make appearances, including:

• Alan Dale as the ever-frightening Charles Widmore (Hmm. Does Widmore find out what Locke/Bentham is doing? Me thinks yes.)

• Lance Reddick as icy Matthew Abaddon (His eyes are piercing. It’s like he can see into my soul. Or kill me at any moment. Both are horrifying prospects.)

• William Blanchette as the adorable goober-who-loves-cartoons, Aaron (Okay, so I guess this answers my previous question…Aaron must be there at the Kate/Locke reunion. Wonder if Locke will give him a cookie. Or a lolly-pop. Or an Apollo Candy Bar!)

• John Terry as Daddy-Dearest Christian Shephard (Interesting…I guess we are going to ‘relive’ Locke’s exit from the island via the donkey wheel turn.)

• Malcolm David Kelley as pubescent Walt (How much do you want to bet that Charlie will comment on his ever-advancing age in his blog tomorrow? $20? You’re on.)

Dude! Come back tomorrow!
Last week, we had some impressive numbers in our comments section after Charlie’s review! Come join in the fun…Lord knows there will be things to discuss!

Namaste,
Maggie

A Bonus Theory, just because you’re special. (a.k.a. Maggie’s Mind is Wandering…)
In Season 1, when Locke was investigating the crash site of the Yemi’s drug plane, Locke’s legs stopped working. In Season 5, in the same location but during a different time period, Locke was shot and wounded by creepy Ethan.

An incapacitated Locke, watching Boone climb up to the drug plane...to his death.

Perhaps we should consider some connection between these two events.

Locke’s legs failed to work when he got near an area where (in the objective past) he was wounded in one leg. Following that line of logic, Locke’s legs only started to work when he reached the island, where, in the objective past (okay, I guess it would be Locke's subjective future…), his legs were working just fine. Now, I fully recognize this creates a bit of a circular logic issue, but maybe that's how the island works: it creates loopholes like that using various…uh…anomalies.

Okay, another example. In Season 1, Kate and Michael accompanied Locke on his first hunt for wild boar. One of boar charged them (remember when the boar came out from the bushes?). The three are knocked to the ground. Kate suffers a few scrapes, while Michael sports a leg wound from the boar tusk. At this very moment, Locke, once again, finds himself unable to move his legs. So, will Locke again be injured at the site of the boar attack sometime in the…past????

An incapacitated Locke in the middle of the boar hunt.

Then again, maybe Locke’s legs stopped working at those moments because, had he been able to move, he would have changed the future by his actions. So, the island acted to prevent course-changing. Or something like that…

I fully recognize this none may matter one bit. But….interesting, nonetheless?

(Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Stephan? Intermill? Kluver? Anyone there? Is this on? Hello?)