Lost 6.07. Dr. Linus

[selenak]

*squints*

Was that just canon woobification I saw, or justified character angst/sort-of-redemption?

*can't decide*

Anyway. Other than the episode refusing to cater to my priorities by giving Reboot!Ben and Reboot!Locke only one scene together, I loved the Rebootverse in this one. As opposed to Sayid and in tandem with everyone else so far, Ben's life sans Jacob is definitely a happier one. He might be stuck with an unpleasant, small-minded boss, but his actual job is one he enjoys, he has a functional relationship with Roger-not-an-abusive-alcoholic-anymore, and best of all, he has a good relationship with Alex who as his student instead of his daughter respects and likes him. I could see the the Reboot!Ben-schemes-for-the-headmaster-position plot coming (and loved that Reboot!Locke was the one to inspire him, even if that was the only time we saw him, hmph), but what I didn't see coming but should have was that Reboot!Ben would also be put in a position where he gets to choose between Alex and the island becoming headmaster. And chooses Alex. (Nice fake-out with the name sign on the headmaster's desk, btw.) Awwww.

Sidenote: of course, I'm also happy by the fact Danielle Rousseau is alive and well in the Rebootverse, though I hope we get an explanation how she and her daughter ended up in Los Angeles.

You know, thinking back to kid!Ben last season, I can see that. Ben as a child already had figured out some ways to manipulate events (see the way he breaks Sayid out of jail), but he wasn't yet so single minded and control-obsessed that he couldn't relate to people any other way. Reboot!Ben sees the blackmail possibilities at once when Alex lets slip the information about the headmaster, but he doesn't derive his entire sense of self out of being the special one behind the scenes, he has more than one relationship in his life, including the one with Alex, and so he's able to make different choices (and compromise, see him using his leverage to get his history club back, if not the top job).

Ben talking about Elba and Napoleon is one of the heavy hints Lost does, like his speech about St. Thomas towards Jack last season. Napoleon choosing to return to France and try to become Emperor again is of course what doomed him (and got a lot more people killed). St. Helena being a far worse exile than Elba. Reboot!Ben seems to be content to stay on Elba instead; Prime!Ben went back to France, err, the island, and experienced his Waterloo in the form of his encounter with Jacob and Smokey.

Which brings me to the Prime timeline. Am I or am I not buying Ben's breakdown in front of Ilana? Hmmmm. Mostly I do, I think, because he really has lost everything that ever meant anything to him, his position on the island, Alex, Richard was ready to trade him in for Locke three seasons ago already, Locke who was rival and sort of friend in one person turns out to have been killed for nothing, Jacob rejected him, killing Jacob didn't help, either, he hadn't been able to go through with his revenging-Alex plan even before Desmond knocked him out because he saw Penny with her child, so really, yes, breakdown time. Otoh, Repentant!Ben is not what this story needs, we want him active and plotting, so I hope the arrival of Charles Widmore will galvanize him into action again.

Incidentally, I'm glad Ben didn't kill Ilana because what this show does NOT need is another dead woman.

Continuity alert: Miles uses his talent to find out about the diamonds in Nikki's and Paolo's graves. And here I thought we'd never hear about them again. :)

Jack playing Russian Roullette with Richard: guys, your existential crisis is so not my priority on this show. Though Richard's boat references are interesting. If he arrived with this ship before becoming immortal, though, he's far younger than I took him for. (The Latin last season seemed to hint he was originally Roman.)

I'm a relentless optimist sometimes: so when Jacob touches you, you become immortal? Whom does this bring to mind, hmmmmm?