Episode 4X09 -- Games Without Frontiers

(I apologize for the delay, but when I landed in the Sahara last time I hurt my back making things a bit slow to progress...)

Intro: If Looks Could Kill, They Probably Will

“The Shape of Things to Come” served up one of the most exciting and shocking episodes of LOST audiences have ever had to digest. It was also one of the darkest overall in its themes. This installment focused on Benjamin Linus, philanthropist, assumed leader of the Others and speaker of all things Jacob. However, this time the show revealed to us some sides of his personality we have yet to see, specifically pure fear, pure grief, and well, pure badass.

As mentioned in my last article on episode 8, “Ben can sometimes be the ultimate game-master in the way he manipulates those around him like a chess player with an almost perfect precision.” I was thrilled to see this episode continue with the idea of The Game, as I also stated, “…there are constant references to games…there seems to be a deeper meaning to the idea of play within the world of LOST that is only beginning to really unfold.”

Indeed, we have now learned there seems to be some set of rules that must be followed, and that can also be broken. Let’s review some of the game play our characters have gotten themselves into…

JEOPARDY!

From the moment Locke picks up the “Benphone” and hears the repeating “Code 14-J”, we are tipped-off to the possibility that things are about to turn violent. Suddenly everyone kicks into high gear, and we see one of the most horrified expressions on Ben’s faces yet – he is actually scared.

He is also prepared, and whips out a huge gun from beneath his piano bench. Again this reminds us that Ben has been “exactly where he wants to be”, as it appears he could have shot his way to freedom at any time. Sawyer is also quite surprised by this stash, and we get a little comic relief from his expressions after seeing Ben spring into action.

One last quesion: as Locke, Sawyer, and Ben made their way across the barracks, why didn’t they alert the rest of the camp? Couldn’t they have yelled out or something? I mean, the least they could have done is warned the passing red-shirts that we would later see shot, sadly, one after another.

RISK

It goes without saying there were many risks taken or not taken in this episode. Ben tells Locke that he is safe with him because the freighter militia won’t risk killing him. We see Hurley continue to strengthen his backbone as he risks getting his head blown off by Locke and Ben by helping Sawyer and Claire get to safety. Sawyer was even braver, running through the barracks like the greatest of action heroes, risking getting shot multiple times and then blown up in order to save Claire.

It was Ben, however, who took the biggest risk of all.

PRESS YOUR LUCK

Ben did not think that he would lose Alex, and truly believed that he had “everything under control”. He disowned Alex with the hopes that Keamy would spare her if he was convinced she did not mean anything to him. Ben thought that everyone was playing by the rules.

However, it seems Widmore no longer wants to play fair, and for the first time we learn there was something other than the Island that Ben really cared about. Alex was his daughter and he loved her, and as he later weeps over her dead body I think once more of the aspect of karma on the show. Considering his troubled childhood and how he murdered his own father, we can see the cycle has come back around.

But before he properly mourns, Ben gets the most intense look on his face, calmly storms across the room, and disappears into his Secret Closet of International Mysteries before Locke and Sawyer can even bat an eyelash.


SNAKES AND LADDERS

Behind door number one is an even more hidden door number two, and it looks like it’s been there for awhile. I love that it’s covered with different symbols and markings that resemble Egyptian hieroglyphs, Mesoamerican, and even Christian imagery. The show has hinted before at previous civilizations living on the island, and once more here is a clue we are dealing with a place that could be hundreds, if not thousands of years old. Perhaps it was created by the same people who built our favorite four-toed foot. We have also seen Egyptian hieroglyphs before, at the end of the countdown timer in the Swan Hatch prior to its destruction. It is important to note the translation of these glyphs is “Underworld”.

(Thanks to ODI for the screencap of the door)

Why would there be a secret ancient door in Ben’s house? My guess is that the barracks were built atop this place for a reason, most likely to keep it secret and only accessible by a select few. This could explain why the original inhabitants of the island were at odds with Dharma. If these “scientists” just came in, took over, and built their homes atop this seemingly special, perhaps sacred, or even DANGEROUS area, then a war might be justified.

The location of the barracks appears to be within some giant crater, which could be attributed to the volcanic history to the island. Or perhaps it was made by a meteor-type event, which then caused the electromagnetic properties we have often witnessed. What if the explosion released some power or force that then needed to be kept under wraps, so to say. The ancient doorway might have been created to access this power, worship it, and summon its assistance from its home in the Underworld when needed.


THE JOKER’S WILD

Of course I am referring to the Monster, because when Ben returns from the “glyph hatch”, the most incredible display of the big black smoke we have seen yet is not far behind him. Not only does the Monster shoot through the barracks like a speeding freight train from hell, but it also displays what appears to be some kind of electrical charge, as little streaks of lightning spark through it, and the sound of static can be heard.

Again, there seems to be a relationship to storms and the electromagnetic forces of the Island. It has been said the Monster is a kind of “security system”, protecting what, we are as of yet unsure. There are also references on the black-light map from the Swan Hatch to Cerberus, three-headed dog guardian of the Underworld from Greek mythology. In addition, the map also shows the letters “CV” in various places around the area of the Island shown, which we later learned stands for “Cerberus Vents”. With all of these factors added together, it sounds as if there is some type of underground tunnel system with access points that allow the Monster to come above ground and wreak its black havoc.

I believe Ben went into that door to summon the Monster, and when he came back he was covered in some type of volcanic ash or soot. I might be taking a risk here, but when I think about all of the compounds and minerals that make up the earth, I want to also believe this substance is some kind of metallic ash that reacts with electromagnetism. This could be a clue as to what the Monster is made of, although there are still those mechanical sounds to explain, as well as its even stranger ability to “scan” someone’s memories and take the form of other things.


TRIVIAL PURSUIT

After the freighter crew meets the Monster’s wrath, Ben, Miles and our castaways are off to find Jacob’s cabin because at this point they could really use the advice. Well, some of them are. It is decided, with the help of guns, that Hurley will remain with the “whacko’s” Ben and Locke while the rest of the group returns to the beach.

Apparently, Ben seems to think there is some kind of pre-destined meeting at Jacob’s place, which is why it was so important that Locke survive the attack. Unfortunately, neither Ben nor Locke knows where it is. The cabin displays qualities that make it hard to find, such as not seeming to be in any fixed location in time or space. However, they do know that Hurley has seen it as well, and so they will now rely on him to find it.

Or more likely, it will find him.


CLUE

Back at the beach, the rest of the camp is trying to figure out who killed the freighter’s Doc Ray, with what, and where. Actually, I should say “when” since according to the last communication with the boat, the Doctor is fine. It is important that Dan reminds us, “when is relative” on the Island.

As I have mentioned before, I compare the Island to the center of a wheel, with the spokes extending outwards representing different points in time. And what do wheels do? They spin. There is great debate over whether or not the Island is in the past, present, or future. I say all of the above, as I think the Island is constantly in motion, which also makes it so difficult to discover.


OPERATION

I think someone needs to play with Jack…


MASTERMIND

We keep getting little clues that there is another type of time travel occurring within the LOST universe. To me, Ben’s sudden arrival in the Sahara Desert and Tunisia in 2005, his bit of “motion sickness”, and the winter coat with the name Halliwax on it (the Scientist from the Orchid Station Orientation Film), all points to the Orchid station as being related to, and possibly the source of this ability to no longer be “enslaved by time and space”.

During this time while off-island, Benjamin Linus is Dean Moriarty. Who would have guessed he would also seem to be so well known at the fancy Hotels?

Even more so, who would have guessed Dean Moriarty is also an action hero?

I was certainly in shock and awe.

While Ben is out and about, we learn the events that led up to the alliance between him and Sayid. How does Ben manage to recruit Sayid into killing for him? As he once told Juliet, “Same way I get anybody to do anything. I find out what he's emotionally invested in, and I exploit it.”

That investment would be the murderer of the love of Sayid’s life, Nadia. Once he guns the killer down, Sayid volunteers to continue assassinating Widmore’s people. Ben tries to convince him not to let his grief become anger in a very “Star Wars” moment, but then agrees to the idea. I could not help thinking of Alex’s summary of her Dad to Locke awhile ago where she told him, “He manipulates people. He makes you think it's your idea, but it's his.” Something told me I should not be completely buying into this story.

My thought was immediately confirmed as Ben walked away with his classic, creepy “it’s all going according to plan” smile.

CLOAK AND DAGGER

At some point not too long after Alex’s death, Ben also visits London and sneaks into Charles Widmore’s bedroom. We are left wondering so many things, like why it seems that they cannot kill each other. What are these nightmares Widmore is having? Why does Widmore tell Ben the Island is his and "always has been"? And what are the “rules” Ben claims that Widmore broke?

It is also interesting to note the lighting in the scene between the two adversaries. They are both shown with their faces half in the light, half in the dark. With so many references to black and white, opposites, and mirrors in LOST, I am starting to wonder if these two are somehow connected to each other in a larger, dare I say cosmic way.


BATTLESHIP

Just as I was looking at that painting of the Black Rock next to his bed and starting to get this weird feeling that Widmore has some deep history on the Island, I find fan-friend Bill packages it up nicely in his post “The Real Charles Widmore”:

“Exactly what is Widmore's connection to the island and when did he come to call it his own? Drawing a conclusion based on the clues we have right now I'd say that Widmore's real identity is… Magnus Hanso! Yes, the captain of the Black Rock. He found the island by accident, shipwrecked maybe, but eventually he mastered its secrets…”

I too, am on board with this ship. As I have mentioned before, I also believe that Charles has been manipulating Desmond through various parts of his life so that he gets to the Island and causes the events which lead to the Swan Hatch implosion…which leads to the Island becoming “visible”…which leads to the freighter finding it and parking itself off the coast…


WHEEL OF FORTUNE

At the end we are left to wonder if Ben will really murder Widmore’s daughter, Penny, or if Desmond will somehow intervene. Will the freighter be destroyed? It appears that in 2005, Widmore still has not found the Island. Are the castaways there to somehow protect its secrets from getting into the wrong hands? It is no longer a question of IF certain events have been manipulated, but rather by WHOM.

The rules have been broken, the stakes have been raised, and the wheel is now spinning out of control. Or is it? Will either man, Charles or Ben, be able to anticipate the shape of things to come in this war with no boundaries – these games without frontiers?

a.N



*I write about LOST because I love the challenge of deciphering the clues and adding the pieces together. My thoughts are based solely on the show, the LOST Experience, and random research, as I try to avoid spoilers, promos, and even future episode titles. I love to guess what is going on, but I also like to do so in a way that leaves some of the conclusions still up to you. I do not know the answers and am often wrong. Whatever the truth turns out to be, it has been the journey that has meant the most to me.*