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Benjamin Linus developed several relationships over the course of the series.



Alex

Alex and Ben
First Episode: "Dead Is Dead"
Origin: Ben kidnapped Alex when Widmore ordered him to kill her mother.
Since Then: Ben raised Alex as his daughter. He protected her excessively, fearing her becoming pregnant. She rebelled and said she hated him. Keamy held her hostage, and when Ben called his bluff, Keamy shot her. The guilt haunted Ben for the rest of his life and beyond.
5x125 AlexBenSwing


Danielle

Ben and Danielle
First Episode: "Dead Is Dead"
Origin: Ben kidnapped Alex when Widmore ordered him to kill Danielle.
Since Then: Danielle found Ben in one of her traps years later. She did not reveal whether she recognized him, be she was certain that he was one of the Others. She shot him with a crossbow and turned him over to Sayid for interrogation. When she reunited with Alex some weeks later, she struck Ben to shut him up. In the flash sideways, the two seemed to share a romantic attraction.
4x01 ShutUpBenLines



Goodwin

Ben vs Goodwin
First Episode: "The Other Woman"
Origin: When Juliet began to have an affair with Goodwin, Ben started to become jealous of him.
Since Then: On the day of the crash, Ben sent out Goodwin to act as a spy, hoping that something would go wrong and he would be hurt, or worse. This happened, and Goodwin was killed by Ana Lucia.
4x06 BenJulietOverGoodwin


Eloise

Ben and Eloise
First Episode: "The Lie"
Origin: Eloise led the Others when Ben first made contact with them through Richard.
Since Then: Eloise likely left the island soon after Ben's healing in the Temple; she gave birth to Daniel on the mainland. Ben left the island over the years though, and they two may have met regularly. Ben did not, however, appear to know that she was Daniel's mother. By 2007, the two knew each other well, and they worked together to return the Oceanic 6 to the Island. Eloise treated Ben as a subordinate in ordering him around, and she condescendingly dismissed his statements to others as likely lies. Ben considered Jack's private talk with Mrs. Hawking as an honor. Eloise later visited Desmond after Ben shot him, and she laughd in horror at Penny's belief that she was Ben's mother.
Hawkingben


Ethan

Ben and Ethan
First Episode: "Dead Is Dead"
Origin: The two of them grew up in the DHARMA Initiative before joining the Others.
Since Then: While still in the Initiative, Ben regularly visited the Others and doing numerous errands for them. He eventually let Ethan in on the secret, and the younger boy accompanied him on his trips to the Hostiles' camp. Ethan was present when Ben kidnapped Alex. After the Purge, both of them joined the Others. Ethan presumably told Ben about Locke's mysterious appearance and disappearance via time travel. When Oceanic 815 crashed on the Island, Ben sent him to the beach camp to pose as a survivor and produce list of survivor names. After his death, Ben remembered him as a "gifted surgeon".
5x12 Ben Ethan


Hurley

Ben and Hurley
First Episode: "The Beginning of the End"
Origin: Both went with Locke when the survivors' camp split up into two groups.
Since Then: When Hurley escaped the island, Sayid convinced him to mistrust Ben. When Ben came to Hurley's house, Hurley turned himself into the police, confessing to murder rather than ally with Ben. Hurley objected to Ben flying on Ajira 316 with him. But when Hurley became the island's protector, he asked Ben to advise him. After death, Hurley and Ben said that they had worked well together, and that Hurley had been a great "Number 1", and Ben had been a great "Number 2".
4x11-Chocolat


Ilana

Ben vs. Ilana
Origin: After losing his daughter and position of power in the name of Jacob, Ben stabbed him to death. ("The Incident, Part 2")
Prize: None; Ilana wanted revenge on Ben for killing her father figure.
Fuel: Ben was convinced by the Man in Black, in the form of Locke, to kill Jacob. After doing so, he lied to Ilana, claiming the Man in Black killed Jacob. Suspicious, she asked Miles to investigate by communicating with Jacob's spirit through his ashes, and Miles determined Ben was responsible. Enraged, Ilana had Ben dig his own grave with the intent to kill him. After being freed by the Man in Black, Ben had an intense confrontation with Ilana where he explained his reasons for killing Jacob.
Resolved: Seemingly. Ilana tearfully forgave Ben and invited him to join her group instead of the Man in Black's.
6x07 MoveYouMurderer



Jacob

Ben and Jacob
First Episode: "The Man Behind the Curtain"
Origin: As the Others' leader, Ben had to follow Jacob's rules.
Since Then: Ben spent many years trying to serve the island though he never actually met Jacob. He pretended to speak with Jacob and often used his name to justify his actions. When the two finally did meet, Ben stabbed him to death for the years of neglect.
5x17 DyingInBen'sArms



Jack

Ben vs. Jack
Origin: Sayid returning from the balloon, with proof Ben was lying about his identity.
Prize: Free will. Ben is an effective conman who has been directly and indirectly acting to manipulate Jack. Jack is both smart and stubborn, and despises being controlled.
Fuel: Jack took Ben prisoner and locked him in the vault, where he lied about his identity, even under torture from Sayid ("One of Them"). During his captivity, Ben manipulated Locke to widen the rift between Locke and Jack ("Lockdown"). After Ben's escape, Jack believed that Ben shot Libby, Ana Lucia, and Michael, until Michael confessed. Shortly after, Ben took Jack, Kate, and Sawyer prisoner after his escape and locked them up separately on Hydra Island ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1"). He revealed to Jack that he had a tumor on his spine and that he wanted Jack to operate on it, to which Jack consented ("The Cost of Living"). During the surgery, Jack punctured Ben's kidney to make him a hostage and give Kate time to escape. ("I Do") Jack did eventually sew up the puncture and finish the operation successfully. ("Not in Portland"). Jack and Ben confronted each other once more when Jack was going to the radio tower. His hatred was so strong, that he would kill him once they got off of the island so Ben would know he failed ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1"). Ben afterwards continuously ridicules Jack once Jack finds out that something about the situation isn't right. Ben leaves with Locke and goes back to the Barracks, since they share the same views on the people coming to the Island ("The Beginning of the End"). It is later revealed that Ben strongly spites Jack due to the fact that he has won Juliet's affections over, and he has so far been unsuccessful ("The Other Woman"). Three years after Jack left the Island, Ben comes to him a Hoffs Dawler Funeral Home when Jack breaks into in the middle of the night. He tells him that Jack has gotten dark thoughts and asked if "he" told him that Ben had left the Island. Ben tells him that the only way to go back to the Island is to get everyone who has left the Island and then the Island would let him return. Ben also says that he needs to carry the body of John Locke back to the Island, also known as Jeremy Bentham. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
Resolved: Yes. Ben and Jack maintain a successful partnership in their efforts to return the Oceanic 6 to the Island ("The Little Prince"). While a brief tension erupts after Ben has Kate's legal custody of Aaron threatened ("This Place Is Death"), all appears to be forgiven on board Ajira 316. During the flight, Jack turns to Ben for console after reading Locke's suicide note. Ben assures Jack that it wasn't his fault. ("316"). Upon returning to the Island, Ben ultimately joins Hugo in aiding Jack's final mission to restore the light to the Island. Jack succeeds, and dies with Ben as an ally ("The End").
BandJack



Juliet

Ben vs. Juliet
Origin: Ben wanted Juliet to be his mate, but she wouldn't be his. So he made sure that Goodwin (Juliet's lover) was killed.
Prize: Juliet's freedom ("Not in Portland")
Fuel: Throughout Juliet's time at the Barracks, Ben desperately wanted her to be his, but Goodwin stood in the way ("The Other Woman"). Juliet, initially recruited to work there for 6 months, is forced to stay there for 3 years since Ben will not let her leave the Island since the pregnancy problem still exists ("One of Us"). Juliet held a meeting of a book club at her house, and didn't invite Ben. She also chose a book for the meeting that the whole group knew he wouldn't enjoy, Stephen King's Carrie ("A Tale of Two Cities"). When the plane crashes, Ben sends Goodwin to the Tail Section to infiltrate them, which Ben hoped would result in his death and did. He cooked Juliet a dinner one night and she asked why Goodwin couldn't come back, which agitated Ben. Ben finally shows Juliet Goodwin's corpse, and he said that Juliet belonged to him and that she will never leave the Island ("The Other Woman"). Months later, when Jack momentarily broke free in the Hydra, he held Juliet hostage with a broken shard of pottery at her throat, for which Ben showed no concern. When Jack forced open a door that flooded the room, Ben closed the door on Juliet to save himself ("A Tale of Two Cities"). Days later, Juliet apparently foiled Ben's plans to break Jack by leaving an x-ray of Ben's tumor where Jack would obviously see it. She then conspired with Jack to kill Ben ("The Cost of Living"). With Ben on the surgery recovery table, Juliet was tried for her attempt to have Ben killed by Jack during the spinal operation. Just as her conviction and subsequent execution seemed imminent, the bed-ridden Ben sent a note to the trial that Juliet be spared but "marked" for her crime ("Stranger in a Strange Land"). Juliet remarked on a recorder (although turned off) that she hates him ("D.O.C.").
Resolved: No, although, when 'Child Ben's' life was in danger, Juliet went against the people she was friends with for 3 years to save him, even knowing he would become the monster he is.
CueCard3



Kate

Ben and Kate
First Episode: "A Tale of Two Cities"
Origin: Ben ordered Kate kidnapped to manipulate Jack
Since Then: Ben shared breakfast with Kate, mocking her affections for Sawyer. He monitored her in the cages over the next few day, and watched her and Sawyer have sex. They next met as the survivors trekked to the radio tower. Both lived in the Barracks with Locke for some time, and Kate broke Miles into Ben's room. Ben later had to honor an agreement Kate had made with Richard and let the survivors fly to the freighter.

Off the island, Ben hired a lawyer to intimidate Kate, scaring her about losing Aaron and ultimately convincing her to return to the island. On the island, in 1977, Kate took young Ben to the Others to save his life. The two spent a short time together in 2007, and Kate helped free Ben from under a fallen tree.

3x01 DineWithMe



Locke

Ben vs. Locke
Origin: Ben likely first heard of Locke from Richard and Ethan, who'd met his time traveling self. He eventually learned Locke was on the island and had miraculously started to walk. He evidently ordered Cooper's kidnapping to use him against his son and soon trekked to the survivors' camp. Ben wound up a prisoner in the Swan, where he provoked Locke about his doubts and Jack's authority.
Prize: To be the Island's protector and leader of the Others
Fuel: Ben deceived Locke into thinking the Swan meaningless, shattering his faith. Then when Locke visited Ben at the Barracks, Ben manipulated him into destroying the submarine. Locke tried to join the Others, and Ben humiliated him by challenging him to kill his father. Though Ben knew he'd fail this task, Locke later appeared to succeed, and Ben reluctantly took him to Jacob's cabin, where Locke appeared to hear someone, though Ben never had. Ben then shot Locke and left him for dead. Locke recovered and led a new survivor faction, which Ben joined, once again Locke's prisoner. He manipulated his way to partial freedom and later took Locke to another trip to the cabin. Locke learned the Island had to move, and Ben decided to move it himself, leaving Locke in charge of the Others.

Locke later left the island himself, catching the eye of one of Ben's men. Ben tracked Locke, who now worked for Ben's rival Widmore, and killed his driver. He then visited Locke, learned some information from him and murdered him. He brought Locke's body to the island, where he appeared to resurrect, and Ben began following his every word despite misgivings, especially after his daughter commanded him to do so., Ben later learned this wasn't Locke at all but the monster incarnate. Ben delivered a eulogy at Locke's on-island funeral, apologizing for killing him.

Resolved: After death, Ben and Locke ended up working at the same school as teachers, and Locke suggested Ben try to become principal. A hit-and-run driver later attacked Locke, and Ben took him to the hospital and later attempted to apprehend the attacker. But he learned it was an attempt to awaken Locke, and he told Locke this, convincing him to undergo surgery. Once both had awoken, they had a final conversation, in which Locke forgave Ben.
5x07 GoodbyeOldFriend



Man in Black

Ben and the Man in Black
First Episode: "The Man Behind the Curtain"
Origin: The Man in Black may have impersonated Ben's mother to lure him into the jungle. Ben may also have first encountered him in his monster form.
Since Then: As leader, Ben believed he had the power to summon the monster. The Others went to it for judgment. After the Man in Black took Locke's form, he led Ben to the Temple and took Alex's form, demanding his obedience. He then convinced Ben to kill Jacob for him. Ben appeared to ally with him later on, offering to kill people for him.
6x01 ManipulatingOnceMore



Richard

Ben and Richard
First Episode: "The Man Behind the Curtain"
Origin: Ben stumbled upon Richard while searching for his mother's ghost.
Since Then: Richard didn't let Ben into the Others at first, urging him to be patient. A few years later, Richard healed him in the Temple. Ben worked with the Others while living with the DHARMA Initiative, and Ben and Richard together carried out the Purge. Ben became the Others' leader, and Richard brought him instructions from Jacob, including several lists. Richard also occasionally left the island for such errands as recruiting Juliet. After the survivors kidnapped Ben and attackers arrived from the freighter, Richard brought a group of Others to rescue him. Ben then left the island for a few years, then returned and inadvertently helped the Man in Black kill Jacob. Richard and Ben worked together for some days to keep the Man in Black on the island.
Birthdayben



Sawyer

Ben vs. Sawyer
Origin: Ben beat Sawyer and successfully conned him. Also Ben imprisoned Sawyer for a week.
Prize: Pride. Ben very much enjoys ridiculing Sawyer over his past and how Kate and Jack are far more suited for each other.
Fuel: Ben abducts Jack, Kate, and Sawyer at the Hydra Station. ("A Tale of Two Cities") At one point Ben beats Sawyer after Sawyer tries to electrocute him, eventually knocking him unconscious. He then cons Sawyer into thinking he has an artificial pace maker in him in order for Sawyer to behave. He also threatened to put one in Kate also if he told her. This of course turned out to be a con, and Sawyer hit Ben hard in the face over it. ("Every Man for Himself") Once Sawyer escapes, he is approached by Locke who asks him to kill Ben since Ben humiliated him. Sawyer says he wouldn't do so, but Locke says he'll change his mind once he finds out what he has to say. This turned out to be Cooper instead. ("The Brig") Sawyer joins Locke's group before the freighter arrives, which in turn makes him with Ben. ("The Beginning of the End") Ben keeps telling Sawyer that Kate will end up with Jack if she is rescued. Sawyer proceeds to beat Ben, and asks Locke if he could kill him, which Locke says no. Once Ben shoots Charlotte (she's wearing a bulletproof vest), Sawyer beats Ben again, and asks Locke if Locke wants to kill him or if he does, and Locke agrees to do it. They don't kill him once Ben reveals who Charlotte is though. ("Confirmed Dead")
Resolved: Yes. Despite a couple tumultuous encounters, mostly facilitated by Ben's on-and-off allegiance to the Man in Black, Sawyer and Ben appear to form a mutual respect in the end. Sawyer sacrifices his safety to free Ben from a fallen tree, after the Source is uncorked and the Island faces imminent destruction. Shortly after the tree is removed, Ben shares a final goodbye to Sawyer, telling him that if the island goes down, he will go down with it ("The End").
Sawyer ben



Sayid

Ben vs. Sayid
Origin: Sayid captured Ben in the Swan and tortures him.
Prize: Pride. Ben used Sayid as a hit man, casually firing him after he was of no more use. Also, Sayid has a moral objection to Ben's atrocities and has sought justice against him.
Fuel: Sayid is the first of the survivors to meet Ben and he proceeds to drag him into the Swan and torture him for information since he is almost sure Ben is an Other, despite him saying he's not. ("One of Them") Once Sayid confirms personally that Ben is not who he says he is, by finding the body of the person Ben was claiming to be (Henry Gale), Sayid almost kills Ben, but is saved by Ana Lucia. ("Dave") Ben eventually escapes from the Hatch. ("Two for the Road") Once the Oceanic 6 make it off of the Island, Sayid meets Nadia again and marries her, but she is supposedly killed by Ishmael Bakir. Ben goes to Nadia's funeral and tells Sayid this, and Sayid proceeds to kill Bakir a few days later. Sayid then agrees to work for Ben, since Ben claims that Charles Widmore ordered the assassination. ("The Shape of Things to Come") Sayid grows to hate Ben and feels that he has been deceived into assassinating for Ben. ("The Economist") Sayid eventually leaves Ben under unknown circumstances. Sayid goes to Hurley to get him out of Santa Rosa before Ben is able to get to him. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") Sayid warns Hurley to never trust Ben and do the opposite. ("Because You Left") This backfires when Ben goes to get Hurley, but Hurley then turns himself into the police so Ben couldn't get him. ("The Lie") Sayid also resents Ben classifying him as a killer by nature, dispite later acknowledging him to be right. Once in the past, he attempts to murder a 12 year old Ben ("He's Our You") and expresses no remorse for the crime afterwards ("Follow the Leader").
Resolved: No. Sayid nearly succeeded in killing Ben before Kate and Sawyer interfered. However, he took another opportunity to change the past when Jack told him about the plan to detonate the hydrogen bomb.
4x03 Ben helps Sayid



Sun

Ben and Sun
First Episode: "The Little Prince"
Origin: Sun blamed Ben for Jin's death
Since Then: Sun and Ben didn't interact at all during her first stay on the island. After escaping though, she somehow concluded he was responsible for Jin's death. She sought out Widmore to ally against their enemy, and he sent her a gun so she could shoot him. She found Ben at the LA marina and aimed the gun at him, but he convinced her Jin was alive. Back on the island, Sun began tracking Ben, but instead of following him, she knocked him out with an oar. They traveled together for some time, and Sun reluctantly accepted him as an ally.
5x05 GivingTheRing



Widmore

Ben vs. Widmore
Origin: Both claim the island as their own, and both have had some history together on the Island.
Prize: The island itself.
Fuel: Widmore lived on the Island as an Other and their rivalry began when Ben brings Alex into their camp. Widmore is mad because he told Ben to kill Alex but Ben decided not too. ("Dead Is Dead"). A war soon erupted triggered by Widmore's exile for fathering Penelope with an outsider, which is against the rules that the Others have. ("Dead Is Dead"). Ben is well aware that Widmore is searching for the island and that he is behind the freighter mission. ("Confirmed Dead"). Widmore claims that Ben has taken something from him that is not rightfully his. He is most likely refering to the island. Ben claims that Widmore changed the rules of their rivalry when Keamy executed Alex and declares his intention to kill Penny. Widmore and Ben then rise up the stakes on who can secure the Island first. ("The Shape of Things to Come").
Resolved: Yes. Ben killed Widmore.
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