Here are our picks for Benjamin Linus’ most selfish moments in Lost. First known as Henry Gale, we learn throughout the series that Ben uses this alias to hide the fact that he is actually the leader of the “Others” who infiltrated the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815.
By definition, everything below is a SPOILER.
Is there a doctor in the room? (Beginning of S03)
Ben, suffering from a severe cancerous tumor, needs an operation. So he calls on surgeon Jack Shepard, who has just arrived on the island. However, the latter refuses to operate on Ben, who has been lying to him since the first meeting. In order to convince Jack to undergo surgery, the leader of the Others decides to manipulate him, using his guilt over the idea of not saving the patient, kidnapping and then mistreating Kate and Sawyer in order to pressure the doctor.
Dharma Genocide (S03E20)
While Ben is still young, he helps the natives of the island, then led by Richard Alpert, get rid of the DHARMA Initiative. The latter were on the island to conduct experiments, namely on electromagnetism. They are mostly gassed and only a few of its members survive, like Ethan or Ben. It calmly and coldly attends the death of the father gassed in the car. After members of DHARMA were killed, Ben was given the opportunity to join “The Others” and eventually become their leader.
A Daughter Taken from Her Mother (S03E23)
Long before the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 arrived, Bence Charles Widmore, then the leader of the Others, ordered the killing of Daniel Russo, who was stranded on the island. Almost on a whim, Ben, noticing that she is the mother of the little girl, Alex, takes the baby away and threatens Daniel, advising him never to try to find her and the baby. He will raise Alex as his daughter and hide from her that her mother is on the island.
Jealous of Everything (S03E20)
John Locke managed to communicate with Jacob, the “Island Overseer”, something Ben had never experienced despite his lifelong devotion to the cause. Jealous, he takes John to the graveyard of DHARMA Initiative members and shoots him without remorse. After asking him what Jacob told him, he leaves him to draw blood into a pit from which he cannot climb. Charming! However, after a visit from young Walt, Loki finds the strength to survive and climbs out of the pit to stop Jack and the other survivors from leaving the island.
Farewell Alex (S04E09)
Cam, the leader of the mercenary army, must retrieve Benny under the name of Charles Widmore. In order to convince him to come out of hiding, he threatens to kill his adopted son, Alex. Benny, who believes he can always outmaneuver the killer and is sure the island won’t let him through, stands his ground and refuses to give up, even saying so to change Cam’s mind that Alex means nothing to him. He will die with a bullet to the head and Ben will never recover.
The Death of John Locke (S05E07)
Because he needs to know how to get back to the island, Ben saves the life of John Locke, who was about to commit suicide after he failed to convince the survivors of Flight 815 to return to the island. Then, when he realizes that it is Eloise Hawkins who will bring the survivors back to the island, and that upon her return Loki will be one of the serious candidates to replace Jacob, Ben strangles his rival. He takes on the role of Loki on his own to reunite Jack, Kate, Jin, Sun, and the others to return to the island with Eloise.
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
