Ben Linus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ben
Michael Emerson as Ben
First appearance	"One of Them"
Information
Name	Benjamin Linus
Status	With the Others
Profession	De facto leader of The Others
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".

Contents 1 Fictional character biography 1.1 Prior to the crash 1.2 After the crash 2 Trivia 3 References

[edit] Fictional character biography

[edit] Prior to the crash

Ben Linus, one of the Others, claims to have lived on the island his entire life. He lives in a hidden, isolated community on the opposite side of the island to the main characters, a settlement which has many modern amenities like electricity and water. He appears to be the de facto leader of the Others, although Juliet claims that the Others make their decisions as a group. Ben obviously holds a position of authority among the Others although it is implied that there is someone, "a brilliant man", even more powerful than he. He is a former member of the Others' book club, and it is noted that he dislikes Stephen King novels ("A Tale of Two Cities"), although he later (in the show's timeline; we learn of his dislike in a flashback) specifically requests a Stephen King novel when he is a prisoner in the Swan station.

Two days before the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, Ben discovers he has a spinal tumor. After he witnesses the crash, he commands Goodwin to investigate the tail portion, and Ethan to investigate the fuselage. The revelation that a spinal surgeon, Jack Shephard, crashed on the island two days after Ben learned that he is dying of a spinal tumor gives him hope that his life can be saved. In "Exposé", Ben and Juliet monitor Jack in the Pearl and Ben reveals that he plans to have Jack and other islanders brought to him, where he will discover where Jack's emotional investment lies and coerce him into being his spinal surgeon.

[edit] After the crash

In a flashback from "Exposé", along the timeline of "The Hunting Party", Ben and Juliet enter the Pearl station, where they watch Jack from one of the monitors. He tells Juliet that he plans to kidnap him, to which she asks how he will achieve this. He explains that he already has Michael in captivity, and that he will get Jack to perform surgery on him by using his methods of persuasion. He explains to Juliet that he will find out about an emotional struggle in his life and exploit it; he also says that this is how he always persuades someone to do something for him. They leave shortly after, leaving behind a radio that is picked up by Paulo soon after.

Ben first appears onscreen when he is captured by Danielle Rousseau and brought to the castaways. Danielle is very adamant in telling Sayid that he is one of the Others, but he claims that he is a castaway on the island and that his name is "Henry Gale". His name is later revealed to be "Ben" ("A Tale of Two Cities"). Locke and Sayid confine Ben in the armory of the Swan Station. His presence is generally kept a secret from the other castaways, although at one point Ben is visited by Mr. Eko ("Maternity Leave"); Mr. Eko asks his forgiveness for killing two of the Others who had tried to kidnap him. Sayid, believing that Ben is one of the Others, interrogates and tortures him. Ben insists that he is the wealthy former owner of a company that mined for non-metallic minerals. He also claims that he and his wife, Jennifer, are from Minnesota, and that they crashed into the northern shore of the Island while traveling by hot air balloon. According to Ben, the two hid in caves until she fell ill and died from a fever. He says that he buried her body in the jungle, and that he has forgotten the location of the burial site ("One of Them").

While imprisoned, Ben strives to exploit existing tensions among his captors. For example, noticing friction between Locke and Jack, Ben makes a comment to Locke about Jack calling all the shots, which upsets Locke and deepens the rift between Locke and Jack. After refusing to tell Jack, Locke, or Sayid the location of his wife's gravesite, he secretly tells Ana Lucia that he buried his wife near the crash site of their balloon ("The Whole Truth"), and draws her a map to that location. She keeps the map secret from Jack and Locke and quietly leaves with a search party. Ben later taunts Jack and Locke, revealing that Ana Lucia has left the camp to follow his map. He says that, if he were "one of these people you consider your enemies", he would draw a map to a secluded location where "a bunch of my people" would ambush the search party and then use them to trade for his freedom (adding that it is a good thing he is not one of them).

Later, the hatch goes into lockdown mode and Locke releases Ben so that he can help (promising Ben protection in exchange for his assistance). When Locke is pinned under a heavy security door, he tells Ben about the computer, the countdown, and the code numbers. Ben climbs through the ceiling, bypassing the security doors to get to the computer and enter the code. He returns to help the injured Locke, and reports that he successfully entered the code. Locke is grateful that Ben does not abandon him. However, moments later, Jack, Kate, Charlie, Sayid, and Ana Lucia arrive. Their search party found the balloon and the grave, just as Ben had described ("Lockdown"). However, Sayid, still skeptical of Ben's story, had investigated the gravesite further and discovered a dead man buried with a photo ID identifying himself as Henry Gale. Ben unsuccessfully attempts to explain the holes in his story ("Dave"), and panics when Sayid presses him to reveal the truth about the Others. Ben reacts with terror, saying that "He" will kill him if he reveals anything, implying that there is someone even higher up than himself in the hierarchy of the Others. Ben later refers to this mysterious character again later on saying that "He" is a great man and a brilliant man but "does not take failure well." Ben taunts Locke by asserting that he never entered the numbers or pushed the button while Locke was pinned under the door, and that the timer went back to 108 minutes on its own. He states that the Hatch means nothing to the Others and that the button is a "joke". Jack decides to attempt to trade Ben for Michael's son Walt ("S.O.S."), despite Ben's assertion that the Others will never give up Walt. Later, Ben refuses to speak to anyone, and stops taking food and water.

Ben soon escapes from his captors. He attacks Ana Lucia, who comes to visit him, in retaliation for the Others she had previously killed ("Two for the Road"). He is subdued by Locke, and Ana Lucia later returns to the hatch with a gun, intending to kill Ben. However, Michael, under secret instructions from the Others, convinces her to give him the gun. He then kills her and Libby, who comes upon the scene, before shooting himself in the shoulder and releasing Ben from the storage closet. Afterward, Locke and Eko are unable to track Ben; he makes a clean escape and returns to the Others ("?"). He resumes a leadership position among them ("Live Together, Die Alone") and keeps the promise that the Others had made to Michael, allowing him to escape on a boat with Walt (telling him that "we're the good guys").

After Jack, Sawyer, and Kate are captured, Ben monitors the prisoners at a monitoring station, where all their actions are displayed on television screens. In "A Tale Of Two Cities" Ben has breakfast with Kate on the beach and assures her that the next two weeks on the island are going to be very unpleasent for her. Faced with Sawyer's generally unabated disobedience against his captors, Ben cons Sawyer into thinking that the Others have put a pacemaker into his chest that will cause his heart to explode if he reaches an active heartrate; Ben also threatens to do the same thing to Kate if Sawyer does not cooperate. He later admits the lie while showing Sawyer that the Hydra station, their current location, is actually on a second, smaller island (preventing the possibility of escape). He reveals to Jack that the Others are in contact with the outside world (showing Jack a clip of the Red Sox winning the World Series), and promises that Jack can go home, like Michael and Walt, if he cooperates. Ben is alarmed to discover that Colleen has been shot and wounded while stealing the castaways' sailboat, and urgently tells Juliet to operate on her ("Every Man for Himself"). Ben initially objects to Jack's participation in the surgery effort, but allows Jack to try. Jack subsequently discovers that Ben has a malignant tumor on his spine, a revelation that alters the power balance between the two men.

Ben's life was placed in the hands of Jack. After Jack began the surgery, he deliberately cut open Ben's kidney sac. ("I Do"). Jack explains to the Others that Ben only has an hour to live before he bleeds to death, and Jack refuses to stitch him up unless the Others let Kate go. "Not in Portland", Ben eventually comes out of his induced sleep, still in danger and aware of the current situation. He then asks to speak to Juliet. While Jack watches from the booth, he's unable to hear what they're saying, but it obviously affects Juliet greatly as she then goes off to help Kate and Sawyer escape. It's later revealed by Juliet that he told her that if she helped them escape, then she could finally leave the island. After they are finally safe, Kate calls Jack, who successfully completes the surgery.

In "Stranger in a Strange Land", Juliet is put into a holding cell awaiting trial in regards to her killing one of the Others while helping Kate and Sawyer escape. Ben's operation is completed, and he is stitched up. However, the wound becomes infected, and Juliet is released from custody to examine him. After much hesitation, Jack bursts into the room, after Alex frees him, and he examines the infection himself. He tells Ben that, if untreated, he will eventually become lame and never walk again. Ben agrees to cease Juliet's execution in exchange for Jack's services, and writes a note for Alex to give to Isabel, who is leading the verdict. However, so Juliet does not get away unpunished, Ben orders Isabel to "mark" her for her crime. Later, Ben and the Others decide to leave 'Alcatraz' island, taking Jack with them on their boat, and return to their own village.

In "The Man From Tallahassee", Ben is seen being wheeled out to Jack, shaking his hand, much to the despair of Kate, Sayid and Locke. After being taken back inside for a nap, he wakes to find himself at gunpoint by Locke. When Tom enters the room, telling him of Kate and Sayid's capture, Ben gives the order to separate and interrogate them. He also gives the order for Richard to get "the man from Tallahassee". Ben tells Locke that he knows he found the Flame station, and the accompanying C-4, and also that he knows he is considering destroying the submarine. When Locke tells him he knows nothing about him, Ben starts detailing different points of Locke's life, saying that he also knows how he became disabled. He then offers to share with Locke more of the island's secrets, if Locke agrees not to destroy the submarine. Ben soon questions Locke about the cause of his paralysis. When describing one of the island's secrets, he compares it to a box, knowing that Locke had worked in a box company before. He is then confronted by Jack and Juliet, reminding him that he would let them leave the island. Ben tells Jack that he will free Kate and Sayid after he leaves, and the two are then escorted to the submarine.

After Locke destroys the submarine he is captured and Ben visits him. Locke tells Ben that he knew he wanted him to blow it up. Ben explains that he allowed Locke to do so to avoid the power struggle that would emerge if Jack and Juliet were allowed to leave. Ben then leads Locke down a hallway, telling him that he knows he has a "communion" with the island. He takes Locke to a room where, gagged and bound to a chair, is Locke's father, Anthony Cooper.

[edit] Trivia

• 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 (making eight in total). In season 3, he is a regular cast member.^[1]
• Henry Gale is Dorothy’s Uncle Henry in the Wizard of Oz, but only named so in the 1937 film adaptation. “The Wizard" of Oz originally arrived in Oz by way of hot air balloon and was worshiped as a great wizard but in reality was a fraud. Before Oz, “The Wizard" was a traveling magician.
• Ben first appeared in eight episodes of season two (2.14-2.20, 2.23) as Henry Gale. In season three it was revealed that his full name was Benjamin 'Ben' Linus.

[edit] References

Lost
Production:	DVD releases • Episode list • Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Soundtrack
Main characters:	Ana Lucia • Ben • Boone • Charlie • Claire • Desmond • Hurley • Jack • Jin • Juliet • Kate Libby • Locke • Michael • Mr. Eko • Nikki • Paulo • Sawyer • Sayid • Shannon • Sun • Walt
Supporting characters:	Alex • Bernard • Christian • Cindy • Ethan • The Others • Pickett • Rose • Rousseau • Tom
Organizations:	DHARMA Initiative • Hanso Foundation • Oceanic Airlines
Elements:	Crossover list • DHARMA Initiative stations • Flight 815 • Mythology • Thematic motifs
Miscellaneous:	Gary Troup • In popular culture • Lost Experience • Rachel Blake • Video game