Summary
In the jungle we meet Emily and Roger. Emily has gone
into early labor and gives birth to a baby boy. Unfortunately,
there are complications and Emily is losing a lot of blood.
Roger carries them both out of the jungle to a nearby highway.
A sign places them 32 miles outside Portland. Another couple
stops to help, but Emily dies just after asking Roger to
name the baby Benjamin.
We cut to Benjamin today, or Ben, as we've come to know
him. It's his birthday, and he's holding a crude wooden
doll that he says was given to him as a birthday present.
Richard comes in and asks if Ben wants him to deliver the
tape recorder with Ben's instructions for Juliet. Ben thought
Richard had already delivered it. He seems a little panicked
and goes to find Tom to ask about the recorder.
Tom is
distracted by the sight of Locke walking into their camp
with Locke's father's body slung over his shoulder. Locke
reminds Ben that he promised to tell Locke everything he
wanted to know about the island if Locke killed his father.
"So start at the beginning."
In Ben's tent, Ben tells Locke it isn't as simple as just
telling him what he wants to know. Ben says that even he
answers to someone else, Jacob. Locke then wants to be
taken to Jacob. Ben says he can't do that. Locke then suggests
that he'll get someone else, Richard, to take him. Ben
insists that Richard doesn't know where Jacob is. In fact,
Ben is the only one who knows where Jacob is. He's the
only one that Jacob talks to because he's one of the last
people on the island that was born there. Most of the others
were brought there by him.
Locke doesn't believe that there is a Jacob. He thinks
that Ben is the man behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz.
He thinks that Ben's people are idiots to believe that
Ben takes orders from someone they've never seen or heard.
Flash back. Roger and Ben get welcomed to the island by
Horace Goodspeed. Horace was part of the couple that stopped
to help Roger and Emily, and he's gotten Roger a job with
the Dharma Initiative. The setting is the housing complex
the Others recently abandoned.
In the processing center, an orientation video plays.
Marvin Candle tells the new arrivals about the sonar fence
that protects the housing area from the islands "diverse
wildlife." Every morning, a new code is given out to allow
people to pass outside the fence. Candle goes on to mention
that the island has properties that are found
nowhere
else
on
Earth,
and
the
Initiative's
goal is the betterment of mankind and the advancement of
world peace.
Ben meets Annie, a girl his age. She offers him an Apollo
candy bar, which he accepts, but he doesn't speak to her.
Roger gets upset when he's handed a work man's uniform
(making
him
the "Roger
Work
Man" Hurley
found
in
the van he restarted). Roger thought he was coming to
the island to do something important, not be a janitor.
On the beach, Sawyer has made it back from his adventure
with Locke. He finds Sayid and shows him the tape recorder
that Locke gave him.
In the jungle Mikhail runs to the Others' new camp yelling
for Ben. Ben notes that Mikhail isn't as dead as he was
led to believe. Mikhail says that the pylons weren't set
to a lethal level. He's none to happy to see Locke in their
camp, as Locke was the one who pushed him into the fence.
Ben says that Locke is with them now.
Mikhail tells Ben about Naomi, her ship and her radio
phone. Ben says that they'll deal with her the day after
tomorrow, when they're already planning on raiding the
beach camp. Mikhail insists it cannot wait that long. Locke
interrupts, saying that Ben isn't going anywhere other
than to take him to Jacob. The Others all take notice of
this. Ben looks none too pleased at Locke's pronouncement.
Mikhail implores Ben to tell him that Locke is mistaken.
Ben tells Locke that he has to deal with the newcomer first.
Mikhail asks why Ben is explaining himself to Locke. Locke
attacks Mikhail, beating him unconscious. Ben calls to
Tom and Richard to intervene, but they make no move to
restrain Locke. Locke asks Ben, "so when do we leave?"
Ben and Locke get some water to bring on their trip. Alex
shows up. She's heard that they're going to see Jacob.
She hands Locke a hand gun, telling him he'll need it.
Ben isn't happy with his daughter, but says nothing. Alex
tells him "happy birthday" before heading off.
Flash back. Ben sits in school. The lesson is on making
a model volcano. Annie asks if a similar eruption is what
happened on that island. The teacher says it was, but a
long time ago. She pours water into the top of their model
volcano and it begins to erupt. Moments later, the ground
begins to shake, then an alarm sounds. The teacher tells
the students to get into their positions and asks Annie
to lock the back door. The students gather on the floor
against the wall. Annie tells Ben it's the hostiles. Dharma
employees can be see outside running about. The sounds
of gunfire and explosions can be heard.
That night, Ben hears his father argue with Horace. Roger
was driving back from the Flame station when the gunfight
erupted. Horace tells Roger that they're having skirmishes
with the natives. Natives isn't really a good term for
the hostiles, but they're not exactly sure who they are.
Roger, who's been drinking, tells Horace that he wants
hazard pay. Horace reminds him that he did him a favor
by getting
him
a job,
and that
Ben is getting a quality education. Roger doesn't care
about Ben's education. He tells Horace to get out of his
house. Ben turns from the conversation and momentarily
sees his mother staring at him through the window.
Sayid and Sawyer go to Juliet's tent, but she's not there.
Kate tells them that Juliet and Jack took off shortly after
Kate told Jack about Naomi. Sayid isn't happy that Kate
let Jack in on the secret. Kate defends Jack and Sayid
tells Sawyer to play the tape.
Ben and Locke finish packing for their hike. Ben insists
that Jacob is real, and he's likely going to be quite angry
that they've come to see him. Ben tells Locke, "this is
not a man you go and see. This is a man that summons you."
That's why his hand was shaking. Locke is undeterred, and
the two men head off to find Jacob. The rest of the Others
watch as they leave.
Flash back. It's Ben's birthday. Annie gives him a present.
It's two wooden dolls, one boy and one girl. Annie tells
Ben that the dolls represent the two of them and takes
the boy doll for herself. "Now we never have to be away
from each other."
That night, Ben comes home to find his father drunk and
asleep on the couch. Roger wakes, sees the present, and
half-heartedly apologizes for forgetting Ben's birthday.
Roger tells Ben, "it's kind of hard to celebrate on the
day you killed your mom." He blames Ben for coming two
months early. "Now, she's gone, and I'm stuck here on this
island with you."
Ben runs off into the jungle until he
reaches the fence where he stops. He starts to hear whispers,
then sees him mother on the other side of the fence. He
starts to run towards her, but she tells him to stop. He
calls to her, but she tells him it's not time yet, then
she wanders off into the jungle.
Locke and Ben trek through the jungle at night. Ben pauses
at a line of gray powder that crosses their path, then
steps over it. Locke notices the powder, feels it and smells
it, but Ben doesn't address it and Locke doesn't ask.
On the beach, the lostaways, minus Jack and Juliet and
plus Naomi, discuss their situation. Naomi has apparently
just told them that the world thinks they're all dead.
Sayid tells them that they have bigger concerns, namely
Jack and Juliet. Sun insists that Jack would never do anything
to hurt them, and she thinks that Juliet is a good person.
To refute that, Sawyer plays the tape.
Jack and Juliet
walk up and hear the end of the recording. Jack asks
where they got the tape. Jack's in an odd position to be
asking questions. Juliet has Sawyer turn the tape over
and listen to the other side. It's Ben's instructions,
informing her that they're sending teams to take Sun and
anyone else she thinks is pregnant. Juliet told Jack what
was going on after she saw Sun's baby on the ultrasound.
Jack didn't fill anyone else in because he hadn't figured
out what to do. Now, apparently, he has.
Flash back. Ben seems to be running away from home. He
goes to the fence with that day's code, turns the fence
off, and heads into the jungle. Once in the jungle, he
starts to hear whispers again. He runs through the jungle
screaming for his mother. Instead of finding her, he runs
into one of the hostiles, Richard. He ends up telling Richard
about seeing his dead mother on the island, and that he's
looking for her. Richard suggests that he get back to his
people. Ben says he hates it with them and asks to go with
Richard. Richard tells him that maybe that can happen,
but Ben will have to be very, very patient.
Ben and Locke reach a cabin and Ben pronounces, "we're
here." Ben has Locke turn off his flashlight because Jacob
doesn't like technology. Ben lights a lantern. He asks
Locke if he's sure this is what he wants. It is. Ben call
to Jacob telling him that he's there with Locke and they're
coming
in. Ben opens the door and the two men go inside. Ben introduces
Locke to an empty chair. Ben insists that Jacob is sitting
in the chair and starts to have a conversation with "Jacob."
He tells Locke that Jacob is the man that can answer all
his questions about the island.
Locke thinks Ben is either crazy or putting on a show
to cover up the fact that Ben doesn't actually know anything
about the island. Locke starts to leave, but he hears a
voice saying, "help me." Locke turns back, thinking
it was Ben. Ben insists he didn't say anything. Locke turns
on his flashlight and shines it in Ben's face. Things in
the cabin start to rattle around. The chair Jacob was supposedly
in begins to rock. A jar flies past Locke's head. The lantern
falls and starts a small fire. Ben grabs the chair and
tells Jacob, "that's enough, you've had your fun," then
seems to get knocked across the room. For just a moment,
we see someone sitting in the chair, then Locke runs from
the cabin. Moments later, Ben emerges from the cabin. Locke
asks him, "what was that?" Ben replies, "that
was Jacob."
The next day, as Ben and Locke make their way trough the
jungle, Ben asks Locke what he heard Jacob say. Locke says
it wasn't Jacob, it was Ben. He thinks Ben is a fraud despite
the show at the cabin, and he intends to tell the Others
about it. Locke has also noticed that they aren't going
back the way they came. Ben is taking them on a side trip.
Ben admits that some of the things he's told Locke (and
everyone else) aren't true. For example, he wasn't born
on the island. Locke asks where Ben came from. That's what
Ben wants to show him.
Flash back. A fully grown Ben has a Work Man uniform of
his own. He takes the doll that Annie gave him and puts
it into his satchel. He helps his father load beer into
a Dharma van. It's his birthday again. Roger has forgotten
again. He suggests that after they do their work they go
up to the mesa and have a few beers, spend some father
and son time. Ben says he'd like that.
The van stops and Roger pops open a beer. Ben asks if
Roger really blames him for Emily's death. Roger doesn't
deny it, saying, "what do I know?" Ben checks his watch.
It's 4:00. Roger asks if he has a date, then tells Ben
that, if it'll make him feel better, he'll do his best
to remember Ben's birthday the next year. Ben tells him
he doesn't think that's going to happen. He tells Roger
that putting up with him has taken a tremendous amount
of patience, then says, "goodbye, Dad," and puts on a gas
mask. He pulls out a gas canister and sets it off, killing
his father.
Ben returns to the Dharma barracks, still wearing his
gas mask. All the Dharma people have been gassed, too,
including Horace. Richard and the other hostiles come into
the camp and remove their gas masks. Richard asks Ben if
he'd like them to go get Roger's body, but Ben tells him
to leave him out there. We see the hostiles start to cary
away the Dharma people's bodies.
And where did those bodies end up? In a pit, which is
where Ben has led Locke. Ben tells Locke that the people
in the pit are his people, the Dharma Initiative. He ridicules
the Dharma people because they preached seeking harmony
yet couldn't coexist with the islands original inhabitants.
Ben says that when it became clear that one side had to
be purged, he did what he had to do. He was one of the
people who was smart enough not to end up in the pit...
unlike Locke. Ben then pulls a gun and shoots Locke. Locke
falls into the pit, shot in the abdomen but still conscious.
Ben asks Locke what Jacob said to him. Locke asks why
Ben shot him. Ben replies that it's because he heard Jacob,
then asks his question again. Locke tells him that Jacob
said, "help me." Ben says he hopes Jacob helps Locke, then
Ben walks away, leaving Locke in the pit.
Return to top
