Television Review: The Man Behind the Curtain (Lost, S3X20, 2007)

The Man Behind the Curtain (S03E20)

Airdate: 9 May 2007

Written by: Elitzabeth Sarnoff & Drew Goddard
Directed by: Bobby Roth

Running Time: 42 minutes

Following the somewhat satisfactory closure of Sawyer’s narrative arc in the preceding episode, The Man Behind the Curtain—the first instalment of Lost to be broadcast after the creators formally announced that 2010 would serve as the series' conclusion—returns the show to its all-too-familiar and sometimes exasperating habit of dispensing long-sought answers only to accompany them with a fresh barrage of baffling questions. This episode serves as a pivotal character study, focusing on Benjamin Linus, and while it undoubtedly delivers on the promise of exposition, it does so in a manner that fundamentally alters the tone of the series, transforming the mythology into something significantly more sinister. By peeling back the layers of the Island's history and Ben’s own past, the narrative gives away crucial information, yet it simultaneously deepens the mystery surrounding the central enigmas of the show.

The episode is centred on Ben, a character who had previously received relatively scant treatment compared to other protagonists. The narrative is anchored in a complex series of flashbacks that commence on 19 December 1964, situated somewhere in Oregon, near Portland. It is here that the tragedy of the Linus family is born. Emily Linus (Carrie Preston) is seven months pregnant and goes on a hiking trip with her husband, Roger (Jon Gries). The excursion ends in tragedy as Emily goes into premature labour and dies giving birth to a son who will eventually be named Benjamin. Roger, in a state of profound grief and shock, is on his way to the hospital when he is assisted by Horace Godspeed (Doug Hutchinson), and his partner, Olivia (Samantha Mathis). The episode then cuts to the 1970s, where Roger is a fresh recruit of the Dharma Initiative on the Island. He has brought his thirteen-year-old son, Ben (Sterling Beaumon) to live and work with him, unaware of the darkness that awaits them.

Almost immediately upon their arrival, Roger is disappointed, as the Dharma Initiative has assigned him the menial job of "work man" or janitor, a far cry from the exciting scientific work he had anticipated. Young Ben, despite befriending Annie (Madeline Carroll), a young girl from his class, is equally unhappy. His discontent, however, stems primarily from his father’s bitter alcoholism. Roger subconsciously blames his son for Emily’s death and habitually forgets Ben’s birthday, a cruel oversight that fuels the boy’s resentment. Young Ben also observes that the Dharma Initiative settlement is in a state of conflict with mysterious "Hostiles." Guided by the spectral visions of his late mother, he ventures out of the settlement by circumventing the sonic barrier pylons and enters the jungle, where he encounters Richard Alpert. Ben expresses his desire to leave his people, but Alpert, sensing the boy's potential, advises him to be very patient, setting the stage for decades of manipulation and loyalty.

Years later, Ben is, much like his father, employed as a "work man." On 19 December 1992, Roger has once again forgotten his son’s birthday. As a form of penance, he suggests that Ben join him in the van while delivering beer supplies to the Pearl Station, hoping to enjoy some "father-son time." During the trip, Ben suddenly dons a gas mask and opens a canister of poison gas that kills his father. He then leaves the van and returns to the settlement—the future "Barracks"—where everyone, including Horace, has succumbed to the same poison gas. He witnesses the "Hostiles," led by Richard, arriving and begins removing their masks. It is then revealed that Ben was in cahoots with the "Hostiles," now known as the Others, the entire time.

Back in the present day, Ben's authority over the Others' camp is challenged by the apparently unexpected arrival of John Locke, who has been, as Ben had demanded, carrying his father's dead body. Mikhail, who has arrived at the camp to report to Ben, attempts to attack Locke but is viciously beaten by Locke. Ben’s attempts to stop the violence by ordering Richard or Tom to intervene fall on deaf ears. With no other choice, Ben is compelled to do as promised and begins telling Locke all of the Island's secrets, including bringing him to encounter Jacob, Ben’s mysterious superior and near-mythical boss.

Ben, who is very reluctant and terrified of the prospect of meeting Jacob, brings Locke to an isolated cabin situated in the middle of the jungle. There, Locke sees Ben appearing to talk with "Jacob," who happens to be an empty chair. Locke is initially ready to disregard "Jacob" as nothing more than a clever psychological trick inspired by The Wizard of Oz, were it not for a brief, otherworldly voice calling him "help me" and the cabin suddenly becoming the site of poltergeist phenomena. Locke remains sceptical, however, and Ben volunteers to bring him to another location that is supposed to change his mind. That location happens to be a ditch containing the remains of Dharma Initiative employees killed in the 1992 "Purge." Ben uses this opportunity to shoot Locke, who falls into the ditch. After asking him what Jacob has asked him, Ben leaves him in the ditch to die.

A side subplot deals with Sawyer returning to the beach with a tape recorder and warning the other Losties about Juliet's treachery and an upcoming raid by the Others. When Juliet is confronted, she is flanked by Jack, who reveals that he knew about the raid all along and that Juliet had actually warned him. Jack reveals that he had hatched a plan of his own, further complicating the dynamic between the islanders.

Written by Elizabeth Sarnoff and Drew Goddard, The Man Behind the Curtain is one of the darkest episodes of the series to date. It establishes patricide as a major motive at this stage of the season, with Locke claiming his father and Ben actually killing his own. The idyllic past of the Island is revealed to be a history of conflict and violence that culminates in the spectacular genocide of the Dharma Initiative. Ben is revealed to be a treacherous sociopath whose coldness and ruthlessness have been brewing for decades due to his dysfunctional father. Even one of the previously most uplifting scenes of the season—Hurley and the Losties driving the Dharma van for fun in the episode Tricia Tanaka Is Dead—is given a much darker context, as it is revealed that the van was site of cruel and cynical act of patricide.

The episode frustratingly turns many of the things viewers had taken for granted about the Others upside-down. Ben was, until this point, considered the undisputed leader, but his authority is not only openly disobeyed but is also revealed to stem from a decades-old encounter with Richard, who has apparently never aged and might be the real boss. Furthermore, the question of whether Jacob truly exists is never answered, leaving viewers with various alternatives: Jacob being Ben's deliberate invention to ascertain his authority, or the actual product of Ben's mental illness. Director Bobby Roth does not help matters with a brief glimpse of an actual dark figure in the cabin, which was spotted by more perceptive viewers and led to intense Internet speculation following the premiere.

The episode ends with another huge cliffhanger—Locke being gravely injured and left to die. By this point, Lost had accustomed viewers to expect major characters to perish in sudden and unexpected ways, so Locke's departure, even occurring a few weeks before the Season 3 finale, was not out of the question. The episode's cast is unusual, involving somewhat familiar faces of Doug Hutchison and Samantha Mathis in small and almost unnoticeable roles, while Carrie Preston, who is Mike Emerson's real-life wife, plays Ben's mother. Emerson had lobbied producers hard to have Preston, a huge Lost fan, in the series, even for a brief time. Ultimately, "The Man Behind the Curtain" succeeds in being a gripping character study that recontextualises the entire history of the Island, even if it leaves the audience more confused than ever about what lies ahead.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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