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"The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" is the seventh episode of Season 5 of Lost and the 90th overall. It was originally broadcast on February 25, 2009. It revealed Locke's fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham.
Synopsis
Flashback
Tunisia
Locke lands in the Tunisian desert.
After turning the frozen wheel, Locke is transported to Tunisia in 2007. A surveillance camera watches him lying in the desert. He repeatedly calls for help towards the camera to no avail. At nightfall, he is recovered by a pickup truck that brings him to a field hospital. At the hospital he is given pills and treated by a doctor who sets his leg, after which Locke passes out from the pain. All the while Matthew Abaddon can be seen watching from across the room. When Locke wakes up, Charles Widmore is sitting by his hospital bed. Widmore tells Locke that he first met him on the island when he was 17. Intrigued by the fact that Locke looks no different now then when they originally met, he asks Locke how long it has been since he met Widmore. Lock replies that it has only been four days, yet its been 53 years for Widmore. Widmore explains that he was the leader of the Others before being exiled by Ben, hence why Locke should trust Widmore.
Widmore presents to Locke his ally: Matthew Abaddon.
Widmore assumes aloud that Locke was exiled by Ben as well, but Locke corrects him, saying that he left voluntarily, to bring his friends back to the Island.
A little later Widmore and Locke sit outside the hospital and Widmore tells Locke that he will help him find the Oceanic Six. Widmore gives him dossiers on their locations, as he has been keeping an extensive eye on them. He also offers Matthew Abaddon as a driver and introduces him to Locke. Widmore concludes their meeting by giving Locke a large amount of money, a mobile phone with which Widmore can be contacted by dialing 23 and finally a Canadian passport with the identity "Jeremy Bentham." Widmore explains that Bentham was a 19th century philosopher, and that Widmore chose the name to keep in theme with Locke's birth name. Locke is skeptical of Widmore's offers but accepts the help, and he and Abaddon drive off towards the airport to fly to Santo Domingo, to find Sayid.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Sayid is seen helping to construct a school as part of a charity called Build Our World. Locke approaches him and speaks with him, but Sayid refuses to return. He explains that Ben had manipulated him for two years into "protecting" the rest of the Oceanic Six, and it was only by leaving the Island that he got to finally marry Nadia, with whom he spent nine months, before her death. Sayid questions if the only reason that Locke wants to return to the Island is because he has nowhere else to go. Before leaving, Locke tells Sayid that he can be contacted under the name Jeremy Bentham, staying at the Westerfield Hotel in Los Angeles, just in case Sayid ever changes his mind. Sayid mentions that John can always come back to Santo Domingo to find him, just in case Locke ever wants to do any "real good" in the world.
New York, NY
Locke and Abaddon stop opposite a school in downtown New York. While waiting, Locke asks Abbadon to locate Helen for him. Abaddon asks if she is an old girlfriend, a question to which Locke doesn't reply. As the school bell rings, Locke asks Abaddon to help him out of the car. A group of students leaves the school, and amongst them we see Walt. Locke waves to Walt, who promptly leaves his friends and crosses the street to talk to Locke. Locke asks why Walt isn't surprised to see him, and Walt explains that he'd been having dreams of Locke in a suit on the island, surrounded by people who wanted to hurt him. Locke says that it is good that they are just dreams, to which Walt gives him a nervous and confused look. Walt also asks about his father, whom he suspects of returning to the Island after dropping out of contact for three years. Locke says that the last he had heard of Michael, he was on the freighter, but has a pitying look on his face as he knows of Michael's true fate. After Walt leaves, Abaddon asks why John didn't try to convince Walt to return. John answers by saying that Walt had been through enough, and that he only needs to convince one of the Oceanic Six to return, and after that the rest will follow. As the pair return to the car, Ben is revealed to have been watching them from across the street.
Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute
When John first rolls up to Hurley in his wheelchair, Hurley is seen drawing a picture of an Egyptian sphinx. Hurley, completely nonchalant, asks Locke why he is in a wheelchair, to which Locke replies that he fell down a hole. Hurley asks him if this is how he died, assuming Locke is dead as he has been having regular conversations with dead people. However, Hurley asks a nurse if he is talking to a man in a wheelchair, and she confirms it, letting Hurley believe Locke is alive. He asks him how he got off the Island, and Locke attempts to persuade Hurley to return to the Island. The attempt fails when Hurley sees Matthew Abaddon and panics, refusing to have any more to do with either of them, insisting that "that guy is evil."
After Locke returns to the car, he finally acknowledges that he recognizes Abaddon as the hospital orderly who originally told him to go on a walkabout. When Locke asks Abaddon what he really does for Widmore, Abaddon says his job is to "help people get to where they need to get to."
Los Angeles, CA
Kate refuses to return to the Island.
Locke is at Kate's house, who refuses to return in spite of the consequences to those still on the Island. Kate tells Locke that she believes the only reason he wanted to stay on the island was because he didn't love anybody. He disagrees, and talks about his relationship with Helen which, didn't work out because he was "angry and obsessed". Kate replies that he hasn't changed much. Locke leaves the house and promptly asks Abbadon about his quest to find Helen. Abaddon states that he hasn't found her, that perhaps she moved away or changed her name. Angrily, Locke questions him about this, as Abaddon had no trouble located all of the Oceanic Six in locations across the world.
Santa Monica, CA
A dead Abaddon is left on the street.
Locke and Abbadon are in a cemetary, before a stone memorializing Helen. Abbadon states that she died of a brain aneurysm. John laments that Helen loved him and if he had stayed, they would have been together. Abbadon states that it wouldn't change anything, she'd still be dead, but Locke seems unconvinced. Abbadon reasons that Helen is where she is supposed to be and that Locke is destined to end up on the island. Locke questions whether he believes that everything is predetermined and that he doesn't have a choice; Abbadon asks whether Richard Alpert's prediction that Locke must die is predetermined or whether it's a choice. Locke, confused, wonders aloud how it could possibly be his choice to die. As Abaddon is loading John's wheelchair into the car's trunk, he is shot four times by an unseen assailant. Locke climbs hurriedly into the driver's seat and escapes. Swerving dangerously down the street, Locke eventually crashes into two oncoming cars at an intersection and is knocked unconscious by the impact.
He wakes up in a hospital bed, with a disheveled Jack sitting next to him. Jack tells Locke that he was in a car accident and was brought to his hospital, but fails to see the event as anything more than a coincidence, much to Locke's dismay. Jack refuses to accept that it is their destiny to return and asks Locke to seriously question whether or not he is truly as "special" as he believes. Jack goes to leave but Locke stops him, telling him that his father says "Hi," having ruled Christian out as Sayid or Hurley's father. Jack states that Christian died three years ago in Australia. Locke implores Jack to come back with him, as he is the only one the others will follow. Jack angrily tells Locke to leave him and the other survivors alone and that none of them were ever "important".
Later, Locke writes his suicide note, addressed to Jack, in his room at the Westerfield Hotel and places the envelope in his pocket. He takes a length of extension cord, ties a noose, and is about to hang himself when there is a knock at the door. He ignores it, but after a few knocks and yells, the door is forced open by someone, who is revealed to be Ben. Ben begs him to stop, saying that he only wants to help John. Ben admits to shooting Matthew Abaddon, whom Ben considered to be very dangerous as an employee of Widmore, and whom was going to kill Locke if Ben hadn't gotten there first. Widmore, Ben claims, was using John to get back to the Island and is the reason that Ben moved it in the first place. Ben then unties the extension cord, telling Locke that he is important. Ben offers his help to a distraught Locke, who is convinced he is incapable of being a leader. Ben tells Locke that Jack booked a return ticket from LA to Sydney, which proves Jack's change of attitude.
As he helps Locke down, Ben tells Locke he has too much work to do to die and suggests contacting Sun. Locke says he promised Jin he wouldn't contact her, and shows Ben the wedding ring Jin gave him. Locke states that he knows what he must do next - he must contact a woman who lives in Los Angeles named Eloise Hawking. At the mention of her name, Ben is visibly startled. Locke asks if Ben knows the woman, and Ben quietly confirms their acquaintance. Suddenly, Ben strangles Locke with the discarded cord, eventually killing him. He later hangs Locke in a staged suicide and cleans the hotel room of his own fingerprints. As he leaves, he sees Jin's ring and takes it with him. Ben appears unaware of the suicide note in Locke's pocket.
At the Hydra
The camp gathers around the stranger.
Caesar is going through an office in the Hydra Station. He finds some papers that seemed to belong to Daniel Faraday, consisting of a map to the Tempest station and a page of his journal. He also finds several of Rousseau's maps and papers as well as a hidden shotgun, which he puts into a sack. Ilana then comes in and asks him if he's found anything, and he says no. When she presses him, he takes a flashlight out of the sack and tosses it to her, not mentioning the gun. She tells him that there is a man on the beach in a suit who was not on the plane. When they reach the beach, we see that the man, covered with a blanket, is John Locke.
The next day, Ilana walks up to Locke and offers him a mango. Locke takes a bite and says that it is the best mango he has ever had. Locke points to two outrigger canoes by the shore and asks if they belong to her. Ilana says that the canoes were already there, and that there had been a third one, but the pilot and "a woman" left in one of them during the night. Ilana then asks why Locke is dressed up so nice, and Locke surmises that he was to be buried in that suit. Locke says that he doesn't remember being on the plane, but he does remember dying, to which Ilana looks at him strangely.
Locke visits Caesar in the office in The Hydra. He explains briefly about the DHARMA Initiative, whose logo appears on the document Caesar is reading. Caesar questions Locke's knowledge of this, and Locke replies that he has been on the Island before, for over 100 days. Caesar, confused but curious, asks Locke if he can explain what he witnessed on the plane, describing how he was sitting next to a man who disappeared during the flash of light, and that other survivors of the crash also reported seeing passengers disappear. Realizing from his description that Caesar is talking about Hurley, Locke responds that he now has a better idea of how he came to be on the Island.
Locke asks whether everyone apart from the people who disappeared are accounted for. Caesar says that they are, other than those who were injured in the crash. He leads Locke to a makeshift infirmary where the injured passengers are resting. Locke moves between them, closely looking at each person. He seems disappointed, until he comes to the last of the injured, who is revealed to be Ben and who Locke identifies as "the man who killed me."
Trivia
General
- Locke gets the power cord he was going to use to kill himself from Angel's Hardware.
Production notes
- Daniel, Desmond, Jin, Juliet, Miles, Sawyer and Sun do not appear in this episode.
- William Blanchette is credited as Aaron, but does not appear in this episode.
- John Terry was credited as Christian Shephard in the press release for this episode, but is not listed in the actual credits, and appears only in stock footage from "This Place Is Death" at the beginning of Locke's flashbacks.
- This episode was originally intended to air as episode 5x06, but was switched with "316".
- According to DarkUFO, the opening scene of this episode was originally intended to be the opening scene of "Because You Left". [1]
Bloopers and continuity errors
- Widmore's surveillance photo of Sayid shows Sayid working on the exact same house in the exact same spot he is still working on when Locke comes to see him. Considering the time it takes Locke to travel from Tunisia to Santo Domingo, Sayid should have at least made some progress.
- It could have been a second house he was working on.
- When Abaddon is driving Locke to the airport, the passing traffic includes the truck that rescued Locke from the desert.
- In "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2" Walt tells Hurley that he was visited by Jeremy Bentham. However, when Locke meets Walt in New York City, he never mentions that he is travelling under the name Jeremy Bentham. Unless there was another off-Island meeting between Walt and Locke, this is a continuity error.
- When Locke and Walt meet in New York City, they are standing on the corner of "W 67th St." and "8th Ave" but these streets do not intersect. Above W59th street, all avenues are renamed and are no longer referred to by their numbers. The 8th Ave street sign should have read "Central Park West", and it boarders entirely on Central Park along the south east side with no buildings. 9th Ave is "Columbus Avenue". Also, the subway sign at least in part reads "Columbus" - the closest subway is the Lincoln Center subway on Broadway which is half a block away from W67th and Columbus (9th Ave) - the Columbus Circle subway is 8 blocks south on "W 59th St." aka "Central Park West".
- In "There's No Place Like Home, Part 2", Jack stated that Locke had a) told him Ben was off the island, b) that "some very bad things happened" after Jack left the island, c) that those bad things were Jack's fault because he left, d) that the only way he could protect Kate and Aaron was by returning to the island, and e) that if Jack and the rest of the Oceanic Six didn't return to the island, the people they left behind would die. Locke said none of those things. Unless there was another off-island meeting between Jack and Locke, this is a continuity error.
- Locke doesn't recognize Charles Widmore at the beginning of the episode, but in The Other Woman, Ben showed Locke a video of a modern Charles Widmore.
- It's possible Locke may have forgotten since he only saw the VHS tape of Widmore for only a minute. Also it probably never even crossed his mind that Widmore would actually approach him.
- Santa Rosa Mental Health Institute is located in Santa Rosa. This cannot be possible, because Santa Rosa is located in Northern California, whereas the place is supposed to be in Southern California.
Recurring themes
| Recurring themes |
|---|
| Animals • Black and white • Character connections • Children • Coincidence • Death • Deceptions and cons • Dreams • Economics • Electromagnetism • Eyes • Fate versus free will • Games • Good and bad people • Imprisonment • Isolation • Leadership • Life and death • Literary works • Mirrors • Missing body parts • Nicknames • The Numbers • Pairings • Parapsychology • Parent issues • Pregnancies • Psychology • Rain • Redemption • Relationships • Religion • Revenge • Salvation • Secrets |
- There is a close up of Locke's eyes when he wakes up in Tunisia. (Eyes)
- Ben kills Abaddon and Locke. (Life and death)
- It is discovered that Helen is dead. (Life and death)
- John remembers dying and points Ben as his killer. (Life and death) (character connections)
- The pills that the Tunisian doctor gives to John are black and white. (Black and White)
- Walt says that he has been having dreams about Locke. (Dreams)
- Abaddon mentions that he was an orderly when Locke was in the hospital before. (Character connections)
- Locke is involved in a car accident. (Car accidents)
- Widmore says that if Locke ever needs to contact him, all he has to do is dial 23 on the phone that he was given. (Numbers)
- The date on the LIFE magazine cover is April (4) 19, 1954. (The Numbers)
- Jeremy Bentham is born on 15 Feb. 48, his Passport number is 150000001314. (The Numbers)
- Caesar deceives Ilana about gun he finds, saying that it was a flashlight. (Deceptions and Cons)
- The Tunisian license plate shown contains "342" and "6346". (The Numbers)
- Helen's tombstone puts her date of death on April 8, 2006 (2+0+0+6=8). (The Numbers)
- Locke tells Widmore it has been 4 days since Locke met 17-year-old Widmore on the island. (The Numbers) (Time)
- Abbadon is shot four times. (The Numbers)
- Hurley calls Abbadon evil. (Good and bad people)
- Abaddon tells Locke that no matter what he did or will do, he will go back to the island. (Fate versus Free Will)
- After his accident, Locke awakes at same hospital that Jack works at. (character connections)
- Ben kills Locke after convincing him not to commit suicide, then stages it to look like a suicide. (Life and Death) (Crimes) (Deceptions and Cons)
- Locke believes it was Faith that brought him to Jack, Jack believes in probability. (Science versus faith) (Rivalries)
- Locke returns from the dead. (Life and death) (Rebirth)
- Locke tells Jack that Christian sent a greeting, upsetting Jack a great deal (but Jack doesn't admit he saw his father on the Island himself after the crash). (Parent issues)
- Each city that Locke and Abaddon travel to--with the exception of New York City-- references saints or angels: Santo Domingo, Santa Monica, Santa Rosa, and Los Angeles. (Religion)
- Walt goes to a school on the corner of 8th Ave and W 67th St when Locke visits him in New York. (The Numbers)
- Locke is strangled to death, just like his father. (Parent issues) (Life and death)
- Despite Widmore's promise that he would keep Locke alive and his statment in the beginning of the episode that he had no intentions to die, he dies just as Richard and Christian told him that would happen. (Fate versus Free Will)
- Locke is put back in a wheelchair (Imprisonment)
Storyline analysis
| Storyline analysis |
|---|
| A-Missions • Crimes • Economics • Leadership • O-Missions • Relationships • F-Missions • Rivalries • S-Missions |
- Ben shoots and kills Matthew Abaddon. (Crimes)
- Ben strangles Locke to death. (Crimes)
- Jack berates Locke for his "delusions" of being "special." (Rivalries)
- Kate asks Locke if he's ever been in love, and he tells her about his relationship with Helen. (Relationships)
- Widmore explains that Ben exiled him from the island. (Rivalries)
- Caesar is seen as the leader of the survivors of flight 316. (Leadership)
- Widmore was the leader of "his" people. (Leadership)
Cultural references
| Cultural references (direct references only) |
|---|
| Art • Automobiles • Games • History • Literary works • Movies and TV • Music • Philosophy • Religion and ideologies • Science |
- He's Evil: When Hurley sees Abaddon standing next to the car, he yells "He's evil". He's Evil by The Kinks was Charlie's favorite song.
- Life: Caesar finds the April 19, 1954 issue of Life magazine, featuring a cover story about hydrogen bomb testing. This magazine is contemporary with the on-Island events of Jughead.
- Creature from the Black Lagoon: As Caesar flips through the Life magazine, a photograph from the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon is seen on one of the pages. It depicts the Creature (known as the Gill-man) holding a woman it its arms. This woman is Julie Adams, who plays Amelia on Lost.
Hurley's painting
- Sphinx: When Locke visits Hurley at the Santa Rosa Mental Institute, Hurley is seen painting a picture presumably of the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt. Interestingly enough, the word "sphinx" derives from Greek and translates as "strangler," alluding to Ben's future strangling of Locke.
Literary techniques
- Both Ben Linus and Charles Widmore have people watching all of the Oceanic plane crash survivors off the Island. (Irony)
- Both Linus and Widmore are attempting to protect the Island from the other but both want Locke to lead it. (Irony)
- Both Linus and Widmore are attempting to get the Oceanic Six back to the Island. (Irony)
- Locke tells Jack, "We have to go back." (Regularly Spoken Phrases)
- Ben tells John he cannot die because he has too much "work to do." (Regularly Spoken Phrases)
- Locke is back on the mainland, and back in a wheelchair. (Irony)
- Abaddon is killed while in a cemetery. (Irony)
- Widmore mentions that Locke is "Special". (Regularly Spoken Phrases)
- Hurley has become so used to his visions of dead people, that he is more surprised when he finds out that Locke is really alive. (Irony)
- Locke survives a massive car accident and is talked off an attempt of suicide, but he's finally murdered. (Irony)
| Literary techniques |
|---|
| Comparative: Irony • Juxtaposition • Foreshadowing Plotting: Cliffhanger • Plot twist Stock characters: Archetype • Redshirt • Unseen character Story: Flashbacks • Flash-forwards • Flash sideways • Framing device • Regularly spoken phrases • Symbolism • Unreliable narrator |
Episode references
- Caesar finds Faraday's map to the Tempest and a page of his journal. ("The Constant") ("The Other Woman")
- Ben kills Locke exactly the same way Sawyer killed Locke's father, Anthony Cooper. ("The Brig")
- Locke wants to see Helen, whom he finds out has died. ("Orientation") ("Lockdown")
- Ben mentions that Jack has booked round trips from L.A. to Sydney. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
- Jack is growing his beard. ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
- Widmore mentions that he met Locke when he was seventeen years old. ("Jughead")
- Locke finds himself injured on his back in the desert in Tunisia. ("The Shape of Things to Come")
- Abbadon reminds Locke that he assisted him after his accident and suggested he go on walkabout. ("Walkabout") ("Cabin Fever")
- Flight 316 landed on the Hydra Island. ("A Tale of Two Cities")
- Ajira Flight 316 crashed on the Island ("316")
- Locke refers to Alpert telling him he was going to have to die. ("Because You Left")
- The 1954 LIFE Magazine cover mentions the Hydrogen bomb. ("Jughead")
- Hurley refers to his meeting with Abbadon at Santa Rosa. ("The Beginning of the End")
- Hurley refers to seeing/communicating with other dead people. ("The Beginning of the End") ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2") ("Because You Left")
- Locke refers to Christian telling him to say hi to his son. ("This Place Is Death")
- Locke writes his "suicide" note to Jack. ("316")
- Locke took off Christian's shoes. ("316")
- Locke mentions to Widmore that he sent the Freighter. ("The Other Woman")
- Sayid refers to his reuniting with Nadia and her death. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1") ("The Shape of Things to Come")
- Locke mentions to Walt that Michael was last seen on the Freighter. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
- Locke is able to walk again after he returned to the Island. ("Walkabout")
- The scene where Locke's broken leg is set is similar to the scene where Jack sets Boone's leg. ("Do No Harm")
Unanswered questions
| Unanswered questions |
|---|
|
- For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham/Theories
- How and why did John Locke return to life?
- What was Caesar looking for in the Hydra office?
- How did Ben's maps of the Island end up at the Hydra station?
- Where did Lapidus and the woman go on the boat?
- Who is this woman?
- Was the surveillance camera present at the "exit" when Ben left the Island in 2005?
- Why did Locke seemingly trust Ben again after the warning from Christian?
- Why did Ben kill Locke?
- Why were the canoes on the Hydra island?
- What is the meaning of Walt's dream?
- Who found Locke's suicide note?
- Did Caesar know Ilana prior to boarding the plane?
- Why didn't Locke, Ben and Frank disappear with the flash of light like Jack, Kate, and Hurley (and presumibly Sun and Sayid)?
External links
- ABC Medianet Press Release (2/9/09): Press Release
