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| Ben Linus | |
| 250px Michael Emerson as Ben Linus |
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| First appearance | "One of Them" |
|---|---|
| Centric episode(s) |
"The Man Behind the Curtain" |
| Information | |
| Name | Benjamin Linus |
| Age | Late Forties |
| (Former) profession | The Others' Leader |
| Portrayed by | Michael Emerson |
Benjamin "Ben" Linus is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Michael Emerson. He is the de facto antagonist and leader of the group known as "the Others." During the second season he was known by the alias "Henry Gale." In the second season, the character was a recurring guest although for the third season his status was elevated to main cast.
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Fictional character history
Prior to the events of season 3
Most of Ben's backstory is shown in the episode "The Man Behind the Curtain". He was born prematurely thirty-two miles outside of Portland, Oregon. He later moves to the island when his father, Roger, is offered a job by DHARMA Initiative member Horace Goodspeed who helped deliver Ben.[1]
Roger father works as a janitor on the Island, which engrages him slightly, and turns to abusing Ben, including blaming him for his mother's death. One one of his birthdays, which was forgotten by Roger, Ben sees a vision of his mother. Ben tries several times to find her, and encounters a "Hostile", Richard Alpert instead and defects to his cause. The culmination of his tenure with the DHARMA Initiative is during another of his birthdays, when the Hostiles use chemical warfare to exterminate the Initiative.[1]
thumb|left|150px|right|Ben watches Oceanic Flight 815 crash.
Ben holds a position of authority among the Others, as he is the only of the few who can interact with "Jacob", a figure of authority with the Others.[1] Two days before the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, Ben discovers he has a spinal tumor. He witnesses the crash, and commands Goodwin to investigate the tail portion, and Ethan to investigate the fuselage, the latter discovering that a spinal surgeon, Jack Shephard, is among them.[2] He plans to use the emotional weaknesses in the survivors to convince Jack to operate on him.[3]
Ben travels to the survivors' camp and is caught in one of Danielle Rousseau's traps. He assumes the identity of Henry Gale, originally from Minnesota. He is taken prisoner and secretly kept in the armory of the hatch. He further claims his innocence by drawing a map to a crashed balloon, which Sayid Jarrah follows to find the balloon, and a passport belonging to an deceased African-American man of the same name. After being exposed, he goes on a hunger strike. Ben is eventually freed by Michael Dawson, in return for his son, and cooperation in the kidnap of Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Hurley. He upholds his bargain, and takes Jack, Kate, and Sawyer with the Others.
Season 3
In the episode "A Tale of Two Cities", he tasks Juliet Burke with interrogating Jack while he and Kate have breakfast. Other the next couple of weeks, Ben holds the upper hand against the survivors while he waits for his surgery. During his surgery, Jack holds him hostage in return for the escape of Kate and Sawyer.
After his surgery, his scar becomes infected, and spends the remainder of the season with difficulty walking. During this time, he convinces John Locke, who had come to rescue Jack, to defect. He does this by showing Locke Anthony Cooper, Locke's father, and requests that Locke kills him,. While at first Locke is reluctant, he returns to the Others' encampment several days later, and Ben takes him to Jacob.
The night after their visit, Ben shoots Jacob, causing him to fall into the DHARMA mass grave. When he returns to the encampment, he plans to deal with the pregnancy of survivors Sun-Hwa Kwon and Kate Austen, pregnancy being a subject of interest to the others, and the arrival of Naomi Dorrit on the Island. He splits the Others into three groups: one consists of ten people, who plan to kidnap the pregnant women, one consists of most of the remainder, who he asks to hide, and the final group consists of only him and his adopted daughter Alex. He makes a beeline towards the survivors to dissuade them from calling from rescue, but is unsuccessful, and is taken prisoner once again.
Season 4 and future
At the beginning of the season, Ben continues to be held captive by the survivors. When the survivors split into two factions, Ben joins Locke's group. He is kept alive only by his knowledge of Naomi's associates due to having a spy on their boat.
In "The Economist", Sayid Jarrah aims for the home of the Others, the Barracks, and finds a secret room in Ben's house. In the room, there are several fake passports, one of which gives him the alias "Dean Moriarty". Ben himself is still a prisoner, and when Locke tells Sayid Ben has a spy on the boat, Sayid responds that he would rather sell his soul than trust Ben. The episode's flashforwards, however, show Sayid working for Ben, hired as an assassin against Ben's opponents.
Conception
Michael Emerson was originally contracted to appear in just three episodes of Lost but the producers were so impressed by him that they contracted him for a further five episodes, before making him a regular cast member for the third season.[4] In his appearances in the second season, he used the alias "Henry Gale", a direct reference to Dorothy Gale's uncle Henry in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The use of the hot air balloon in the show's narrative is another literary parallel.[5][6]
Michael Emerson has stated that "I have full sympathy [for Ben]. I believe he has a mission and an agenda that he hasn’t shared with us yet. The survival of the earth may depend on Ben’s work, so it justifies his ruthless behavior. Maybe I’m just fantasizing or deluding myself."[7]
References
- ^ a b c "The Man Behind the Curtain." Lost, ABC. May 9, 2007. Episode 20, season 3.
- ^ "The Cost of Living." Lost, ABC. November 1, 2006. Episode 5, season 3.
- ^ "Exposé." Lost, ABC. March 28, 2007. Episode 14, season 3.
- ^ Ryan, Suzanne (August 4, 2006). Back to the land of the 'Lost'. The Boston Globe. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/29/america/NA_FEA_A-E_TV_US_Lost_Returns.php
- ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR2006092602034.html
- ^ ‘Lost’: What Can Ben Tell Us About Season Four? - Vulture - Entertainment & Culture Blog - New York Magazine
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| Production | DVD releases • Episode list • Music • Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 4 |
| Main characters | Ana Lucia • Ben • Boone • Charlie • Charlotte • Claire • Daniel • Desmond • Hurley • Jack • Jin • Juliet Kate • Libby • Locke • Michael • Miles • Mr. Eko • Nikki • Paulo • Sawyer • Sayid • Shannon • Sun • Walt |
| Supporting characters | Alex • Bernard • Christian • Ethan • Rose • Rousseau • Tom |
| Groups | Dharma Initiative • Hanso Foundation • Oceanic Airlines • The Others |
| Miscellaneous | Awards • Find 815 • Lost Experience • Lost: Missing Pieces • Lost: Via Domus • Mythology |
