Lost: Season 5, Episode 12 "Dead is Dead" Review
"As long as the dead guy says there's a reason, well, then I guess everything's gonna be just peachy."
-Frank Lapidus
Widmore is eventually banished from the Island when it's revealed he had a daughter with a woman from the outside world. Ben takes charge of the Others. Just before boarding Ajira 316, Ben calls Widmore and tells him he is about to kill Penny (Sonya Walter). He shoots Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), but before he can shoot Penny, he sees her son and lowers his gun. Desmond beats the crap out of Ben and tosses him in the harbor.
On Hydra Island, Ben is stunned to see that Locke (Terry O'Quinn) is alive, but lies and says it was his plan all along to bring the dead Locke to the Island and have him brought back to life. Ben tells Locke he needs to be judged for his actions by the Monster and the two of them prepare to head for the main Island. Caesar (Saïd Taghmaoui) tries to stop them, but Ben steals his gun and kills Caesar.
Ben and Locke make it to the Barracks, where they find Sun (Yunjin Kim) and Lapidus (Jeff Fahey). They were told by Christian (John Terry) to wait at the Barracks for Locke and he would help them find Jin (Daniel Dae Kim). They are also stunned to see Locke is alive. Lapidus decides to return to the plane and discovers Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson) and several men have taken charge and have guns. When he can't answer the question, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" he is knocked out by Ilana.
Ben attempts to summon the Monster to judge him, but the Monster doesn't arrive. Locke suggests going to see the Monster and leads them to the outer wall of the Temple. Locke and Ben go beneath the wall and get separated. Ben finds the Monster, which shows him memories of him and Alex (Tania Raymonde). Eventually, an apparition of Alex appears and orders him to follow every instruction Locke gives him. Ben promises and the Monster lets him live.
What Works:
Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn are my favorite pairing of characters on the show. To have a whole episode dedicated to following these two around is utterly fantastic. Especially considering all of the differences in Locke's character. They even talk about how much of a role reversal this is and it's a lot of fun.
This episode was a blast to watch the first time I saw it because Locke was so different and confident. We didn't know why at the time, but it was different and exciting. On the rewatch, now we know that this was never the real John Locke and everything involving this character and the quest to see the Monster becomes much more interesting.
I love Ben lying and manipulating his way through the first half of this episode. Everything he says to Locke and Caesar on Hydra Island is a bunch of B.S. as only Ben can deliver it. Once they get to the main Island, everything changes and Ben is forced to come clean to Sun and Locke at different points. It's both fun and satisfying to watch Ben go through this emotional journey.
We get more of Frank Lapidus in this episode, and while he doesn't get a ton to do, I still enjoy every second he is on screen. Plus him getting knocked out by Ilana was a big twist I wasn't expecting.
Another small moment I loved is the death of Caesar. The guy was supposed to be a main character, but the actor ending up backing out, so they just killed him off. In the previous episodes, you can tell that Caesar was set up to be important. To have him nonchalantly killed off by Ben here is absolutely hilarious.
Finally, the judgement of Ben is very well done with an excellent performance from Tania Raymonde. This is another scene that works one way the first time you watch it, but hits much differently on the rewatch. Ben is being emotionally manipulated this time around and it is very effective.
What Sucks:
I got nothing for you.
Platinum Polar Bear:
The Platinum Polar Bear goes to the most competent character of the episode. For "Dead is Dead," this award goes to the Man in Black for his excellent manipulation of both Ben and Sun to get them on his side and follow his orders. This is the Man in Black's 4th time winning this award, which puts him in 9th place overall.
Verdict:
"Dead is Dead" is another excellent Ben episode. Michael Emerson, Terry O'Quinn, and Jeff Fahey are all fantastic, I love the role-reversal for Locke and Ben, and the emotional journey for Ben is very well done. Plus this is an episode that becomes even more interesting on the rewatch. It absolutely has got it going on.
10/10: Amazing
Comments
Post a Comment