Benjamin Linus
First appearance	"One of Them" (as Henry Gale)
Centric episode(s)	"The Man Behind the Curtain" "The Shape of Things to Come" "Dead Is Dead"
Information
Name	Benjamin Linus
Age	40 (season 1-3) 43 (season 4-5)
(Former) profession	Leader of the Others
Portrayed by	Michael Emerson Sterling Beaumon (adolescent)

Benjamin "Ben" Linus is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Emerson on the ABC television series Lost. Ben was the leader of a group of island natives called the Others. He began as the main villain during seasons 2 and 3, but in subsequent seasons, becomes something of an uneasy ally to the protagonists; even so, however, throughout the series, he is persistently characterized by spontaneous coldblooded actions and the shroud of moral ambiguity. Other characters frequently describe him as loyal only to himself, though it is also often hinted that he may be driven by some higher purpose.

From the start of the plot, he organizes the capture of some of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, which crashes on the Island on September 22, 2004 as hostages so that he can convince Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), a doctor from the plane crash, to operate on him. Later, he allows another survivor, John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), to join the Others and eventually replace him as leader when Ben is transported away from the island after an attempt to prevent it being discovered by his arch-enemy Charles Widmore (Alan Dale), but later returns to the island by plane with the help of Eloise Hawking (Fionnula Flanagan). As with most characters on Lost, Ben's history is revealed through flashbacks and episodes set in other time periods which are revealed slowly as the series progresses.

Originally cast for three guest appearances in the second season, Emerson's role was expanded to the leader of the Others and he became a regular cast member from the third season onward. Ben's perfected ability to lie and manipulate has led to speculation of his true motives. Emerson's portrayal of Ben has garnered many positive reviews and resulted in a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Drama Series in 2007, 2008 and 2009, winning in 2009.

[edit] Arc

[edit] Prior to the crash

Flashbacks during "The Man Behind the Curtain" show Benjamin Linus being born in the woods outside of Portland, Oregon, to Roger (Jon Gries) and Emily Linus (Carrie Preston). Emily dies after giving birth to Ben. When Ben is young, he and his father move to the Island, after his dad is offered a job working for the Dharma Initiative. On the Island, Ben begins to see visions of his mother, while Roger starts drinking heavily and verbally abusing him. Ben develops a hatred for the Dharma Initiative and one day runs away from the Barracks. He comes across Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell), one of the Island natives known to the Initiative as the "Hostiles", in the jungle, who accepts Ben's request to join his group but tells him he needs to be very patient.^[1]

A young Ben arrives on the island.

Several episodes in the fifth season feature the young Ben. In "Namaste", Ben comes into contact with a captured Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews), who has been brought back in time from 2007. In the following episode, "He's Our You", Ben helps free Sayid under the impression that Sayid was sent by the Others to bring him to Richard. Sayid instead shoots Ben and leaves him for dead. Lacking a trained physician to treat Ben, James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway) turns to Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), who flatly refuses to help the boy who will become their tormentor. In a desperate effort to save Ben's life, Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer take Ben to Richard, who informs them that Ben will henceforth lose his innocence and always be one of the Others. He also loses the memory of the shooting.

In 1988, Charles Widmore, leader of the Others, sends Ben to kill Danielle Rousseau (Melissa Farman). However, when Ben learns Rousseau has a child, he kidnaps the baby Alex Rousseau, warning Rousseau to never come looking for the baby if she wants either of them to live.^[2] Four years after this, it is revealed in flashbacks that Ben kills his father with poison gas, then discovers every Dharma Initiative member dead, also from poison gas. Shortly after this event, he banishes Charles Widmore from the island and assumes his leadership role, as he is the only one who can allegedly interact with their real leader, Jacob, and communicate his will to the group.^[1] It was later revealed that Ben never met Jacob, at least until the season 5 finale.

Two days before the crash of Oceanic Flight 815, Ben discovers that he has a spinal tumor. After witnessing the crash, he sends Ethan Rom (William Mapother) and Goodwin Stanhope (Brett Cullen) to investigate. He chooses Goodwin in order to remove Ben's competition for the affections of Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell), a woman recruited to the island three years previously in order to help the Others with their fertility problems.^[3]

[edit] After the crash

In the season 3 episode "Exposé", Ben and Juliet enter a Dharma station, the Pearl, and watch Jack on a monitor. Ben tells Juliet that he will convince Jack to perform surgery on him.^[4] After Goodwin dies, Ben shows Juliet the corpse, so she knows that she is Ben's and will be on the Island forever.^[3]

In the season two episode "One of Them", Ben is caught in a trap set by Danielle Rousseau (Mira Furlan). He pretends to be Henry Gale, a man that crashed on the island while traveling via hot air balloon. She turns him over to Sayid, who takes him to the Swan Station, where he is held captive and interrogated.^[5] Ben is exposed as a fraud when the body of the real Henry Gale is found.

Michael Dawson (Harold Perrineau), a crash survivor whose son has been kidnapped by the Others, later sets Ben free.^[6] When Michael successfully brings Jack, Kate, and Sawyer to the pier, Ben gives him a boat so he can leave the Island with his son.^[7] Ben then takes Jack, Kate, and Sawyer to a smaller island nearby.^[8]

In the beginning of season three, Ben gives Juliet the task of interrogating Jack, while Kate and Sawyer are kept in cages.^[9] He admits to Jack about having a tumor on his spine, and asks him to remove it in order for him to leave the Island. During the surgery he wakes up, where Jack refuses to finish until Kate and Sawyer are safely away from the Others.^[10] After they escape, Ben's operation is finished.^[11] He returns to the Barracks with the rest of the Others, and Jack in tow.^[12]

When Locke comes to rescue Jack, he and Ben have a confrontation. Ben tells Locke of a "magic box" which can produce whatever someone wishes for and shows him his father, Anthony Cooper (Kevin Tighe), who they are holding captive and was brought to the Island because of the box.^[13] Ben offers Locke the opportunity to join the Others, but only if he kills Cooper; Ben knows he won't kill in cold blood, and so makes the offer as a way to humiliate Locke.^[14] Locke returns a few days later with Cooper's corpse, having used Sawyer to do the deed for him, so Ben takes him to meet Jacob. When Ben discovers Locke can hear Jacob, he shoots Locke and leaves him for dead.^[1] He returns to the Others' camp, and tells Richard, now his second-in-command, to lead the remaining Others to the Temple. Ben takes Alex with him as he attempts to prevent Jack from sending a radio message to a nearby freighter. He reunites Alex with her mother, and claims that if Jack contacts the freighter, every single person on the Island will die. Ben is beaten and taken hostage, and forced to watch as the freighter is contacted.^[15]

In the first episode of season four, "The Beginning of the End", the survivors divide into two groups. Those who believe the people from the freighter to be dangerous, Ben among them, join Locke and head to the Barracks.^[16] After Ben confesses the freighter crew has come to capture him, Miles Straume (Ken Leung), a medium from the freighter, makes a deal with Ben, asking for $3.2 million in exchange for reporting Ben as dead to Charles Widmore (Alan Dale), the man who sent the freighter. Ben agrees after Miles rebuffs his claims that such a small fortune is beyond him.^[17] Ben eventually gets his freedom when he tells Locke who sent the freighter.^[3]

Once free, Ben urges Alex, and her boyfriend and mother, to travel to the Temple, for protection from the people on the freighter. However, they are ambushed en route by mercenaries from the freighter and all but Alex are killed. Alex is taken hostage after revealing herself to be Ben's daughter.^[18] In "The Shape of Things to Come", Martin Keamy (Kevin Durand), the leader of the mercenaries, threatens to shoot Alex if Ben does not come forward; Ben staunchly denies any attachment to her, which results in her execution. Ben claims Widmore has "changed the rules", then summons the smoke monster to attack the mercenaries. He then leaves with Locke and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (Jorge Garcia) to communicate with Jacob.^[19] Locke enters Jacob's cabin alone, and returns stating they need to move the Island.^[20] They go to the Orchid, a Dharma station which allows them to do this. Ben sends Locke to become the new leader of the Others, then enters a secret level of the Orchid. He turns a large frozen wheel in the wall, which teleports the Island to a new location.^[21] Ben himself is transported to the Sahara Desert, specifically, Tunisia, which was formerly the ancient country of Carthage.^[19]

[edit] Return from exile

The flashforwards in "The Shape of Things to Come" show that Ben arrives in the Sahara Desert ten months ahead of when he left the Island.^[19] Ben finds Sayid at the funeral of his wife Nadia (Andrea Gabriel), and recruits Sayid as his personal assassin, telling him that Widmore ordered the assassination of his wife.^[19] Ben provides Sayid with a list of targets, all of which he successfully kills over the next three years. At one point, Ben infiltrates Widmore's penthouse apartment in London to inform him of his intention to kill his daughter, Penelope (Sonya Walger), as retribution for the death of Alex.^[19]

When John Locke leaves the island to bring the survivors back to the island, Ben tracks him down shortly before he commits suicide. After getting Locke to reveal what he knows about returning to the island, Ben kills him and stages it as a suicide. Ben visits Jack in the funeral home that houses Locke's body, telling Jack that he will help him return to the island, but the only way to get back is to bring everyone who had left it; that includes bringing the body of Locke with them. Ben boards Ajira Airways Flight 316 with the rest of the Oceanic Six and returns to the island. Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sayid are transported to 1977, while Sun and Ben remain in the present with a resurrected Locke. The plane crash lands on the Hydra Island, so Ben attempts to take a boat to the main island. Sun strikes him in the back of the head and takes the boat with Frank, so Ben is left in the care of the other survivors, including Locke.

After Ben regains consciousness and finds Locke to be alive, he is visibly surprised but able to convince John he knew that bringing him to the island would resurrect him, and that he stopped Locke's suicide attempt merely to gain information. He tells Locke that he was trying to reach the main island to be "judged" by the Monster, having broken the "rules" by returning to the island. Locke travels with Ben, taking a second boat. A fellow passenger, Caesar, attempts to stop them, so Ben shoots him in the chest with the shotgun Caeser had taken from the Dharma facilities shortly after crashing.

At the dock, Locke tells Ben he believes he wants to be judged not for returning to the Island, but for killing his daughter. Shocked, Ben does not respond. Arriving at Ben's house at the Barracks, they find Frank and Sun already there. After explaining to them that Locke has been resurrected, and that he did not expect such a thing, Ben enters the secret passage behind his bookcase. The room is shown to be little more than a small tunnel with a corked hole at the end, which Ben uncorks and speaks into to summon the monster. Ben waits outside for the Monster, but it does not come; John, knowing the location of its lair, heads to the Temple with Ben and Sun. Frank heads back to Hydra Island.

Ben and Locke enter a series of tunnels beneath the Temple while Sun waits outside the entrance. Before entering, Ben asks Sun to find Desmond and tell him that he is sorry, if she ever gets off the island. Ben admits to John that Alex's death is what he has returned to be judged for. Suddenly, he falls through the floor, and Locke leaves to get something that he can pull him up with. The room that Ben falls into is covered in hieroglyphics, and at its front holds an image of an encounter between a lightning shaped creature and another figure resembling the Egyptian god Anubis. The Monster flows out of a grate below the picture and surrounds Ben, showing flashes of decisions he made in his life involving Alex. It flows back into the monument without harming Ben. Moments later, Alex appears and pushes Ben against a wall. She says she knows Ben is planning to kill Locke again, and if he does she will hunt him down and destroy him. She orders him to follow Locke and do whatever he asks, then disappears. Ben is visibly shaken by the experience. On returning to the hole in the roof, John throws down a vine and asks him what happened; Ben replies shakily, "It let me live..."

Upon returning to the Others' camp, John gathers the group together and announces that he is taking them to see Jacob.^[22] Richard agrees to lead them to see Jacob. As they are walking, John tells Ben that he plans to kill Jacob. Ben is stunned by this revelation but does not tell Richard about it. When John later asks Ben why he did not tell Richard, Ben relates his experience with the Monster and his promise to do whatever John asks. John then tells Ben that he wants Ben to be the one to kill Jacob. Ben is clearly uncomfortable with this, but John points out that Ben owes Jacob no loyalty: despite Ben's years of service to Jacob, whom he has never seen, he mysteriously contracted cancer and watched as his daughter was murdered.^[23] Richard leads them to the base of the statue, where Jacob lives. Ben and John both enter despite Richard's protest. Within, they are met by Jacob. Jacob greets John and observes that he had found his loophole; this Locke is not really John Locke, but another man in his form who is trying to kill Jacob. Ben confronts Jacob about why he never revealed himself at any time during Ben's tenure as leader. Ben relates his loyalty and service to Jacob, without reward or recognition, and concludes with the question, "What about me?" Jacob dismissively replies, "What about you?" Infuriated, Ben stabs Jacob twice. Jacob falls, and chokes out the words "They're coming." The fake John shoves Jacob into a fire burning in the middle of the room.

[edit] Personality

Ben has an impeccable ability to lie and manipulate the people around him, even when he is at a physical disadvantage.^[24] He claims to have been born on the Island,^[9] leading to him being thought of as a miracle by the Others, as pregnant women die on the island;^[25] but later confesses to Locke that he was lying.^[1] He unsuccessfully tries to convince the survivors that he is Henry Gale,^[26] although succeeds in manipulating Locke to turn against Jack whilst held prisoner under this guise.^[27] While he claims he will not sacrifice innocent lives in order to accomplish his goals,^[18] he has been shown to do quite the opposite. In the third season finale, Ben is informed by Tom (M. C. Gainey), an Other, that they have captured three of the crash survivors: Sayid Jarrah, Bernard Nadler (Sam Anderson), and Jin-Soo Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim). When Tom tells Ben they are unwilling to reveal any information about the rest of the survivors, Ben quickly replies "Shoot Kwon... You want them to answer questions, kill Kwon - do it now".^[15] Conversely, Ben refuses to allow his spy on the freighter to destroy it long before it reaches the Island, as he would not kill anyone that "did not deserve to die".^[18] Furthermore, when Locke confronts Ben about causing the freighter to explode, Ben coldly replies, "So?"^[21]

Ben's unclear motives have led to speculation about his possible status as a villain. Ben Rawson-Jones from Digital Spy describes Ben as a "supposed villain", pondering "Could he really have been the good guy all along" following the fourth season episode "The Shape of Things to Come".^[29] Actor Michael Emerson suspects where Ben's loyalties lie will always be ambiguous, making this a "wonderful role".^[30] He is rarely shown losing control of his emotions, but when he does, it is done in a big and childish way.^[31] Emerson explains "He's cold because any trace of warmth makes him vulnerable to his enemies".^[32] Ben is also known for his commitment to the island and doing whatever is necessary to protect it.^[33] He has no qualms with Locke attempting to kill Naomi (Marsha Thomason) and even Jack after the survivors begin to call the freighter.^[15] He undertakes the risky and unpredictable step of moving the Island to prevent the freighter crew, and thus Charles Widmore, from finding it.^[21] He always has a plan and is described by Kevin Thompson from The Palm Beach Post as a "know-it-all",^[34] which another reviewer thinks is because "[Ben] talks quietly, in a menacingly measured drawl... with lots of pauses and emphases".^[35]

[edit] Development

Michael Emerson was cast on the show following winning an Emmy in The Practice

In 2001, American actor Michael Emerson won an Emmy award for his guest appearance as serial killer William Hinks on The Practice.^[32] The Lost producers liked his work on The Practice, so they were keen to cast Emerson in the role of Ben, then known as "Henry Gale", as they thought he would fit the character well.^[36] He was originally contracted to appear in just three episodes of Lost,^[37] making his first appearance midway through the second season, in episode "One of Them". The producers were so impressed by him that they contracted him for a further five episodes, citing the scene at the end of "The Whole Truth" where Ben asks for milk as the moment they knew he was a "keeper".^[32] He was then made a part of the regular cast from the third season.^[38] Had Emerson not worked out during his initial appearances a different actor would have been cast for the leader of the Others, but it was always intended that the survivors would have the leader right under their noses and not realise it.^[37] During one episode of the Official Lost Podcast, the producers stated they always knew Ben would be the "Big Bad".^[39] Emerson had no idea of his character's importance during his second season recurring role. He was told nothing about Ben's backstory and would only receive scripts at the last minute.^[40] He enjoys how the ambiguity of Ben's motives allows him to "paint it the way [he] please[s]".^[30] Sterling Beaumon was cast to play Ben in the flashbacks of episode "The Man Behind the Curtain".^[1] Emerson's wife Carrie Preston was cast as Ben's mother following Emerson telling people at parties that she was desperate for a part on the show.^[40]

Referring to the scene in the third season where Ben seemingly fits Sawyer with a lethal pacemaker, Emerson comments "Sadistic may be the word, but he doesn't seem to take much relish in it. He's just sort of detached, he looks at it coldly. I sometimes feel like everything to him is a sort of scientific experiment and he is interested in a dispassionate way in how the experiment runs its course. I think some day if we ever find out what his parentage is, that his parents were people of science".^[41] Elizabeth Mitchell, who plays Juliet, did not think it was a "huge surprise for Juliet that Ben had feelings for [Juliet], but I still think it was... it was horrifying under the circumstances". She also thought "[Juliet has] this kind of wonderful mind, and I think that Ben probably has a tremendous respect for that. It's not because Juliet is so enticing, it's just the fact that she's got this amazing mind, she has this amazing, you know, intelligence, and I think that's what intrigues him, that's what draws him into her".^[31] During season four the producers deliberately left it ambiguous as to whether Ben was a part of the Oceanic 6 (six survivors of the plane crash that make it off the Island) after he appeared in one of Sayid's flashforwards.^[42]

Uncertainty has surrounded the future of Linus as the sixth and final season of Lost approaches in early 2010. Many including Michael Emerson himself speculate that Linus's actions throughout the series have been all part of some greater plan or hidden agenda for which all his ruthlessness will be justified. Contrary to this theory, others believe that Ben Linus's tale may parallel that of his namesake from Greek Mythology, Linus, son of Apollo and mortal Psamathe. Psamathe abandoned her son leaving him to be raised by shepherds, however after reaching maturity he was devoured by dogs. His death and the persecution of Psamathe by her father king of Argos led Apollo to plague the city with a pestilence which resulted in the death of all children before birth. The plague lasted until the king fled the city. This tale has clear parallels to both Benjamin Linus himself and to pieces of the mythology of Lost leading many to suspect that death hangs over Benjamin as death was inevitable Linus.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Critical reception

During the beginning of season three, Chris Carabott from IGN described Ben as "one of the best 'villains on television', due to his 'eerie manner' and 'methodical delivery'".^[43] Later in the season Carabott had a problem with Ben being so deceptive, as "anything he imparts must be taken with a grain of salt".^[44] Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly also noted this, saying "I don't trust Ben. I have no idea when he's lying and when he's telling the truth. The only thing I'm reasonably sure of is that everything he says is for the purpose of impacting a character — and the audience".^[45] Ben's father issues revealed towards the end of season three are described as "not the most original Lost character trait by any means but it is the thrust behind Ben's development into the genocidal maniac he eventually becomes".^[46] Following the penultimate episode of the season, Carabott stated "Even with his limited screen time, Michael Emerson's performance shines through and we hope that he survives the events of the finale because we love seeing his character every week."^[47] Erin Martell from TV Squad picked the Others as one of her season three highlights, partly due to the development of Ben, adding "I cannot even picture the final three seasons without Ben".^[48] Martell also gave six reasons to look forward to season four, one of which was Ben Linus.^[49]

Aubry D'Arminio of Entertainment Weekly describes "savvy Ben" as a "captivating minor character".^[50] Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly praised Emerson's acting in the beginning of season four, calling him "a genius in [the] role".^[51] Alan Sepinwall from The Star-Ledger worried that "the actor is so good and the character so popular that he's kept alive even though it makes all the heroes look like idiots".^[52] Following "Confirmed Dead", Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen felt "Isn't the whole business of Ben manipulating Locke with the promise of Island secrets getting just a little bit old?"^[53] SyFy Portal's Dan Compora said that "The more I hate Ben, the more I realize that Michael Emerson is just a very fine actor doing his job".^[24] Don Williams of BuddyTV said "consider my mind blown again", referring to the flashforward in "The Economist" where it is revealed that Sayid is working for Ben.^[54] Oscar Dahl of BuddyTV called Emerson an acting "god".^[55] Chris Carabott from IGN found one of the best moments of "Eggtown", was the power struggle between Locke and Ben, because "Their scenes together are amongst the best in the series and the one that opens "Eggtown" is a perfect display of how well Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn work together. O'Quinn captures Locke's uncertainty perfectly in the opening scene and it's always fun to watch Ben prey on any weakness of character."^[56] Kevin Thompson of The Palm Beach Post wrote that "with those big ol' eyes of his, [Emerson] could always say more with a lengthy stare than he could with twenty pages of dialogue.... [He has], once again, proved why he has become Lost's star as well as its heart and soul.... an Emmy should belong to [him]."^[34] Jennifer Godwin of E! wrote that "no one has ever done better work humanizing a supervillain."^[57] Matt Roush of TV Guide puts Ben in "The Shape of Things to Come" in the top 20 moments of the week, stating "Michael Emerson on Lost. It doesn't get better than that".^[58] Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy describes Emerson's performance as "fantastic", with "many layers of intrigue and humanity".^[29] John Kubicek of BuddyTV also found his performance "fantastic", adding "he nailed it".^[59] Critic Kelly Woo, from TV Squad, placed him on second on her list of "Seven new characters that worked", ranking just below Desmond Hume, also from Lost.^[60]

[edit] Awards

In 2006, Michael Emerson was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - TV Series, Miniseries or TV Film, but lost out to Ugly Betty's Tony Plana.^[61] Following the third season in 2007, Emerson was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Program, losing to Masi Oka from Heroes.^[62] He was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Drama Series but lost out to fellow Lost cast member Terry O'Quinn (Locke).^[63] Later in the year, he was nominated for Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - TV Series, Miniseries or TV film again, this time losing to David Zayas from Dexter.^[64] Emerson won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Program, beating fellow Lost actors Terry O'Quinn and Josh Holloway (Sawyer).^[65] Emerson was also nominated for the Teen Choice Award for Best Villain.^[66] In 2008, Emerson was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, but lost to Damages' Željko Ivanek, who has also appeared on Lost.^[67] In 2009, Emerson was nominated again for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, this time winning.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Benjamin Linus at Lostpedia