Benjamin Linus The Follower. That statement just doesn't make sense to me. At the end of the new episode "Dead is Dead," a spectral Alex threatened Ben to follow John Locke or be destroyed. Ben said yes but can we really believe him?
"Dead is Dead" was the conclusion to last season's gripping "The Shape of Things to Come," in which Ben watched his daughter Alex being killed at the hands of the ruthless Keamy. A lot has happened since then, but it was nice to bring a close to that story line. Ben's revenge against Widmore for the death of his daughter became an introspective journey and he came to the conclusion that is was his own fault for Alex's death. He saved her life from Widmore before and could have done it again, but Ben became too corrupt and too confident in his manipulative ways. Just as Charles Widmore had become.
Did this episode actually bring about a real change in Ben? Would the show be the same without the love-to-hate bad guy proclaiming to be a good guy puppet master? I, for one, wont hold my breath. Ben does not like the new John Locke (now with Swagger) and despite dead Alex's threats, I think Ben is still going to try and overthrow Locke. I want to believe otherwise, but how many times can you be burned by Ben?
What is up with new character Ilana and the mysterious question, "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" It appears to obviously be referencing the 4-Toed statue that we have been waiting to see. Why does she seem to know what it is all about? Seems to be a "Are you one of us" code. People have speculated that she is in the same vein as Richard Alpert, a 3,000 year old immortal of sorts. After watching the episode a second time, the scene between Ben and Ilana gives the impression that she is actually working for Ben. At first glance, it seems like a friendly convo, but we all know Ben doesn't just have normal conversations. Perhaps it was a little check up to see how their "plan" was going? Also, why would Ben kill Ceasar? Was it for Locke? No way. He scoped out Ceasar and found out he had a gun. This made Ceasar a threat to Ben's plans, so Ben took him out. Whatever is going on with Ilana and crew is definitely going to have to do with this upcoming war.
"Dead is Dead" was another riveting emotional episode. The scene with Penny and Ben as he attempted to kill her was one of the most suspenseful scenes in the entire series. The relief that she wasn't killed and that Penny and Desmond could still live happily ever after was one of the greatest reliefs in the show's history. Last but not least: To have John Locke finally confident and back to his Season One self is so awesome and I can't wait to see where they go with Locke the Leader.