Lost has always explored the theme of redemption. Since the first episode, it was clear that the island was going to serve as a clean slate for many of the characters. Early on, we saw that Kate was able to forget her past as a fugitive, Locke got a second chance to walk, Sawyer was able to put his conning behind him, and Sayid no longer was forced to torture. I don’t have to remind you that the show has also shown us that redemption is a hard thing. Sayid fell back into torture fairly easily, Sawyer continued to lie to just about anyone, and given any chance, Kate ran away.
After five seasons of teasing change and redemption, however, I think that we are going to see many of the characters complete their transformations. I also think that these growths in character are going to play into the end game of the series. With most of the characters we have come to know being “candidates” to take over as protector of the island, I think that they will have to prove that they have changed from the “questionable” people that they were before the crash in order to fulfill their destinies, whatever they may be.
Sadly, it appears that redemption is not suited to all the characters. With two teams forming, I think that some of these folks are going to be staying bad for good. Claire has clearly been brainwashed by Smokey, and after three years, I can’t imagine that she’s going to snap out of it or see the light all of a sudden. Likewise, Sayid certainly seems resigned to his fate after the events of “Sundown.” I’m upset that Sayid has seemingly given up on his fight to become a better person, instead succumbing to temptation and allying himself with the Smoke Monster. Of course, that assumes that the Smoke Monster is, indeed, on the side of evil. Heck, I’m not even convinced that we should be thinking about Jacob and Smokey as representations of good and evil. I’m hoping it will have a little more depth than that.
I was a little surprised this week to see the redemption of Ben. Since he has been introduced in season three, he has done nothing but lie, manipulate, and kill. He has really become a pathetic character — ousted from power, left with no friends, the only thing he ever cared about destroyed by his own actions. So many times we have seen Ben as the leopard who can’t change his spots. Whenever given the opportunity, he would opt for lies. That’s why I was surprised at the end of last week’s episode when he decided to remain on Jacob’s side when Ilana offered him the chance. After all, Smokey was offering Ben what he always wanted — leadership of the island after everyone else left. I think it came down to an emotional choice, with Ben feeling like he could actually find some genuine human connection with Ilana’s group. Of course, watching him look on longingly as the beach crew reunited with Jack and Hurley puts that whole theory in question. Ben has truly become a sad, sad man.
It will be interesting to see if the other characters can find redemption before the end of the series. In particular, I will be looking at Sawyer. His character has come a long way, from defensive, lying con man, to something of a hero. He sacrificed himself at the end of season four, so that the helicopter could make it to the freighter, and he led the remaining survivors through their harrowing trip through time. He is going through a bit of a rough patch now, having lost Juliet at the beginning of the season. I’m very curious to find out if he will stay in Smokey’s camp, or if he will have a change of heart. Perhaps we will find out tomorrow, as this week’s episode “Recon” will be focusing on Mr. Ford.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Mar 15, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
Ben’s not done being Ben yet, is my guess.
I think Claire can come back. They have not used the brother Jack card yet, so I imagine that could do it somehow.
I tink Claire is gone. I think Sawyer will do something selfish, because he really loved Juliet. I guess he will work against Smokey if there is a choice for him to gain something and screw Smokey over at the same time. You know… doing something Con-Man style. And I think he’ll be the new protector of the Island, not Jack. Maybe Kate will even stay with him, who knows.
I think it’s nice that Ben reacted the way he did. Sayid was already the one who acted insane-bad “The Last Stand” style, it was nice that Ben was one of the people who still seek redemption. I don’t see a reason for the people who have been “touched” not to remain “evil”. I mean we are discussing right now whether somebody is evil or not. Considering people who were touched by either UnLocke or Jacob, we really have to assume that Jacob is good and UnLocke is bad because of the actions of the people who were touched. Claire is clearly insane as was Rousseau, who also only survived because she was touched. I mean after what the black guy with the axe in his chest said she must be alive again, right? She wasn’t killed by the mercenaries then because, you know, she can’t die. Claire was touched by Smokey and killed people, Sayid now did the same. Which really makes me wonder about Locke. If he was touched by Smokey, why didn’t he turn evil? Was he touched by Jacob? He wasn’t killed by Ben by the way, which also redeems Ben in a way – because Locke couldn’t be killed as soon as he had been touched. Which also makes me wonder about Richard. Sayid could only be killed if he took his own life via taking the poinson, Alpert on the other hand can’t kill himself. Isn’t that screwing with the rules? Or can Jacob only touch people in a bad way (sorry no pun intended) so they can off themselves, and Jacob touches people so they can’t? Doesn’t mean that Jacob’s touch is just as bad? People can’t leave no matter how much they want to? On the other hand what’s the big problem if you live forever AND can leave the island? And why can Smokey NOW leave the island? Only because Jacob is dead?
So many questions :-) I really do hope they have some good explanations about all this because it doesn’t all seem to be that coherent. I mean it’s still interesting because the stories are differnt every week but I remember how frustrating it was back when I was ten or so watching my grandpa and uncles play cards and him telling me I would learn the rules just by watching them play (which was the biggest load of BS I ever heard – somebody in school later on taught me how to play but that’s another story). Lost currently is like watching others play a game of cards you don’t know the rules to and I can really understand why so many people don’t watch this show anymore considering the amount of frustration I “enjoyed” back then and they must feel now when they see Lost on TV. It really is a good looking “game” but you can get really annoyed really fast because you don’t “get it” :-)
Aaaah too much! Can’t think!
How about this: Off Island – Kate and Sawyer end up together, On Island – Kate and Jack. That way everyone is annoyed.
Love it.
Done! :-)
Regarding Sayid and the poison – he was not given the poison to take voluntarily, Jack had to give it to him therefore Jack would ultimately be killing Sayid.
Which is also why Dogen couldn’t give him the poison himself – he can’t kill candidates, lest bad things happen to him or his son.
And we saw how well that all turned out for Dogen!
Yeah but that’s BS. Jack didn’t know that there was poison in the pill so he wasn’t actively killing Sayid. And on the other hand Jack didn’t force the pill on Sayid either. Giving somebody a pill to take isn’t actively killing someone, it’s providing a means.
I mean would you consider someone shooting themselves with a gun the same when the person handing them the gun said “Here’s a gun, it’s not loaded”? That’s not even third degree murder.
Anyway I get what you are trying to tell me. If Sayid would take a dagger now and plunge it in his heart, it wouldn’t kill him, but if Jack gave him the dagger to do it it would.
Again, that’s complete BS but the idea behind it all is that you have to be killed by proxy like Jacob.
Whether he knew it or not, Jack was being used to kill Sayid by Dogen in the way that Smokey used Ben to kill Jacob. Yes, Ben knew the knife would kill Jacob but I think it’s the principle that Ben and Jack were being used by others to carry out the dirty work their manipulators could not do themselves for whatever reason. And I’m sure Jack suspected that there was something funny about the pill which is why he refused to give it to Sayid. Jack would have killed Sayid had he given him the pill whether he knew it or not. I don’t think there has to be any complicity on the part of the person doing the killing. Dogen could have just told Jack (or Kate or Hurley, etc.) the pill was a vitamin and Jack would have given it to Sayid and Sayid would have died because Jack was used at the method of delivery. As long as Dogen himself didn’t administer the poison, it didn’t matter how Sayid got it, who gave it to him, or if that person knew it was poison.
My shot in the dark: James “Sawyer” Ford ends up being the protector of the island and in return he gets Juliet back.
My choice to call the thing that looks like Locke, but isn’t: NonJohn
My prediction for Ben: He’ll end up finding salvation and redeem himself.
Don’t ask me to explain my reasons behind these, they’re just guesses without much thought put to them. It’s kind of how I live my life!
Hey it’s a guess you don’t have to justify it :-)
I like your choices.
Thanks. I’m usually wrong. That’s what my wife says. ;o)