3.20 The Man Behind the Curtain

1. A pregnant woman is giving birth in the woods, her name is Emily, something is wrong, she has a boy, she says it hurts, bleeding, her husband says no one knows they're there, carries her and the baby, a road, Portland 32 miles, a car pulls over, a woman and a man stop to help them, he says they were hiking, that she's not due yet, they're going to bring them to the hospital, Emily says to call him Benjamin, then she dies. From Lostpedia
2. Ben is holding a carved doll, it's his birthday, Richard asks about bringing the tape to Juliet, Ben says he was supposed to do it yesterday, he's missing his recorder. From Lostpedia
3. "It's a birthday present. Mine just happens to be today. You do remember birthdays, don't you Richard?" Ben
4. Locke returns with his body, wants Ben to tell him everything he wants to know about the island, says to start at the beginning, Ben says it's not that simple, he's not their leader, Jacob is, he can't take him there, Richard doesn't know where he is, Ben says he was born on the island, one of the last that was, most people he brought there, Jacob talks to him, trust him, tells him what to do, no one else has seen him, Locke says he's lying, that he's the man behind the curtain, because his hand is shaking, that his people are stupid to believe him.
5. "I was born here on this Island. I'm one of the last that was. Most of these people you see—I brought them here. So Jacob talks to me, John. He tells me what to do, trusts me." Ben
6. "How convenient. You know what I think, Ben? I think there is no Jacob. I think your people are idiots if they believe you take orders from someone else. You are the man behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz. And you're a liar." Locke
7. Ben as a child, arrives at the island on the sub, walking on the dock, Pala Ferry, with his father, DHARMA vans, Namaste sign, the man from the car that tried to help Emily, Horace Goodspeed, doing his dad a favor, gave him a job, Ben doesn't say much, processing. From Lostpedia
8. "That's okay. I bet he will when he has something to say. Right, Ben?" Horace Goodspeed
9. Roger and Ben at Orientation, Dr. Marvin Candle, he says stay within the confines, barracks surrounded by high frequency sonar fence, to protect from the wildlife, study properties.
10. "Welcome to the Island. For your own comfort and safety, we ask that you stay within the confines of your new living quarters. Our Barracks are surrounded by a high frequency sonar fence, to protect us from the Island's abundant and diverse wildlife. You are now a member of the DHARMA Initiative. Every morning you will be given a new code which will allow you to cross outside the fence... there are properties on this Island that exist nowhere else on Earth. Our mission is to study these properties for the betterment of mankind and advancement of world peace. Most of you will be working on the main (inaudible), should you be assigned...(inaudible, possibly "to geological studies")" Dr. Marvin Candle
11. Annie introduces herself to Ben, gives him an Apollo bar, says they can have as many as they want, Roger Linus, Ben's father, is given a janitor uniform, Roger Work Man, Goodspeed said they were doing experiments changing the world.
12. Sawyer returns to camp, he tells Sayid about Locke and the tape.
13. Mikhail is back with the Others, says the pylons were not set to a lethal level, Ben says Locke is with them now, tells Ben about Naomi, encountered several of Locke's people in the jungle, injured woman parachuted onto the island, helicopter crash, her ship is 130 clicks west, had a radio phone, he assumes they brought her back to their camp, Ben says they're going there the day after tomorrow, Mikhail says they have to go now.
14. Locke says Ben is not going anywhere, that they're going to see Jacob, Ben says no, Mikhail questions Ben, Locke attacks Mikhail, Alex gives him a gun.
15. Ben is in school, the teacher, Olivia Goodspeed, doing their own volcanic reaction, says there is a volcano on the island that erupted, reaction a long time ago, gunshots ring out, an alarm goes off, she tells them to get in their positions, grabs a gun, says it's the hostiles. From Lostpedia
16. Roger argues with Horace Goodspeed, says he was driving back from The Flame, explosion, siren, drove into the middle of a shoot-out, Horace says they've been having skirmishes with the natives, says not sure who they are, Roger wants more money.
17. Ben is listening in on their conversations, has a pet bunny, Ben hears something, then he sees mom through the window in his room. From Lostpedia
18. Sawyer and Sayid looking for Juliet, Kate says she took off with Jack, that she told them everything about Naomi.
19. Ben says tells Locke that Jacob is real, and he will be angry, because he's a man who summons you, but Locke says there's a first time for everything.
20. "Something you should know, John, before we go. Whether or not you think he's the Wizard of Oz, I can assure you that Jacob is very, very real. And we're gonna go see him, and he's not gonna like it. In fact, I have a feeling he's going to be very...angry. And that's why my hand was shaking, because this is not a man you go and see. This is a man who summons you." Ben
21. Annie gives Ben dolls for his birthday, so they never have to be away form eachother, he returns home and dad is drunk, forgot his birthday, says he can't celebrate the day he killed his mom, she was only 7 months pregnant, they went on a hike, and he came early. From Lostpedia
22. "It's your birthday. Sorry I forgot. Kinda hard to celebrate on the day you killed your mom. She was just seven months pregnant. We went for a hike, but you had to come early. Now, she's gone. And I'm stuck here on this island...with you. Happy birthday, Ben." Roger
23. Ben runs away into the jungle, he hears the whispers, sees his mom at the sonar fence, she tells him not to approach her, that it's not time yet.
24. Ben and Locke walk upon what appears to be a circle of ash.
25. Sayid tells everyone about Naomi, Jack protecting Juliet, Sawyer plays the tape for everyone, Jack and Juliet return, Juliet says to play the other side of the tape, Ben says he's sending 3 teams to extract Kwon, the night after tomorrow, to mark the tents, Juliet says she told Jack everything after she took Sun to The Staff, Jack says he didn't tell anyone because he didn't have a plan yet.
26. Ben runs away, gets to the sonar fence, puts in code 54439, let's his bunny go through the pylons to make sure he doesn't die, he hears the whispers, Richard appears, asks if he's one of them, Ben says he left home, looking for his mom, she's dead, not on the island, that he saw her, she talked to him, she said that he couldn't go with her, tells him to go home, Ben says he hates it there, says take him, Richard tells Ben to think about it, to be patient. From Lostpedia
27. Ben and Locke arrive at Jacob's, a cabin, Ben says no flashlight, feels the same way about technology as Locke does, Ben gets a lantern, they enter the cabin, a room, painting on the wall, an empty rocking chair, jars on a shelf, nothing, no one is there, Ben appears to be having an imaginary conversation with himself, Locke thinks Ben is crazy, that he is Jacob, doesn't know anything about the island, putting on a show, Ben says he's too limited to see, that he know there's someone there, Locke thinks none of it is real, but then hears something, "Help me," is terrified, person appears, an eye, Locke flashes light on him, Jacob gets angry, Locke is terrified, runs out of the cabin. From Lostpedia
28. Locke thinks there is no Jacob, Ben asks what he said to him, Locke says it's time his people were told truth, that they're not going the way they came, Ben says he wanted to show him something first, tells him he wasn't born on the island.
29. Ben Work Man, older, has the doll Annie gave him, birthday again, Roger and Ben run supplies to The Pearl, dad says then go to the mesa, they can drink some beers, have some father and son time, Shambala plays in the car, Ben asks dad if he really blames him, dad says he'll try to remember his birthday next year, Ben keeps looking at his watch, says putting up with him took patience, puts on a gas mask, releases a canister, then kills father, returns to the barracks, everyone is dead, Horace Goodpseed, Richard and his people there, masks, guns, the hostiles, Ben says leave dad out there. From Lostpedia
30. "You know, I've missed her too. Maybe as much as you have. But the difference is, for as long as I can remember, I've had to put up with you. And doing that required a tremendous amount of patience." Ben
31. Ben takes Locke to a mass grave, where Ben came from, the DHARMA Initiative, seeking harmony, couldn't even co-exist with the island's inhabitants, the purge, Ben says he was one of the people who was smart enough to not end up in there, he shoots Locke, says because he heard Jacob, asks Locke what he said, Locke tells him that Jacob said help me, tells him that he hopes he can help him, leaves him for dead. From Lostpedia
32. "This is where I came from, John. These are my people. The DHARMA Initiative. They came here seeking harmony, but they couldn't even coexist with the Island's original inhabitants. And when it became clear that one side had to go, one side had to be purged, I did what I had to do. I was one of the people that was smart enough to make sure that I didn't end up in that ditch. Which makes me considerably smarter than you, John.

Questions:

1. Does Richard Alpert have a birthday?
2. Why is Ben the only one that can talk to Jacob?
3. What happened to Annie? Is she still alive?
4. Who takes a 7 month pregnant woman hiking?
5. Why did Ben see his mother on the island?
6. What is the circle of ash? Why is it there?
7. Why doesn't Richard Alpert age?
8. Did Ben and Richard have contact from the time they met in the jungle to the time of the purge? How?
9. Who is Jacob? Why is he in the cabin? Why doesn't he like technology?
10. Why does Locke hear Jacob say "Help me?"
11. When was the purge?
12. Did Ben become the leader immediately after the purge?

Favorites:

1. "Work man? What is this? Work man? I'm a janitor?!" Roger
2. Richard, Tom and the Others' faces when Locke says he's going to see Jacob.
3. "You know, you didn't have to beat Mikhail senseless to make your point, John." Ben
4. "Well, I guess there's a first time for everything." Locke
5. "Jacob? I'm here with John Locke. We're coming in now." Ben
6. "Jacob. This is John. Aren't you going to say hello, John?" Ben
7. "Jacob! He's sitting right here, in this chair! [Looks at the chair] Yes, I know, but he insisted." Ben "What is this?" Locke "You wanted the secrets of the Island? Well, here they are. This is the man who can answer every single.... [Stops, pauses while looking at the chair] I am not. He made me bring him here—do you think that that was my—sorry, may I finish? Jacob, please, I can't hear him if you're gonna talk over what he's saying—" Ben
8. "What's the problem now? You're usually Chatty Cathy in the morning." Roger

Notes:

1. The whispers, from DarkUFO: (Center) Your hope is here. There ain’t no turning around. Sounds like “turn to that screen.” Don’t forget him. Is anyone awake? We should take him. (Right) What’s happening? If we go over there we might be able to see him, but I don’t know. Did you hear about him. Is anyone on? (Left) Sounds like “disobeys you,” because the moment’s bad/rare. That’s what I mean. It’s heavy. Don’t worry. Sounds like “I looked through them.”
2. Both Locke and Ben have had their fathers killed in order to become the leader of the Others; their mothers are both named Emily, and have both exclaimed "call him..(your name here)," right after giving birth to them.
3. Ben's mom is Michael Emerson's real-life wife, Carrie Preston.
   
4. This episode scares the hell out of me.
5. Skeletor is Ben's daddy!