Michael Emerson was only supposed to appear as Henry Gale for a few episodes in the second season of Lost, but impressed the producers so much that they retooled the sinister leader of the mysterious islands natives to fit him. Polite and mannered, Ben is a consummate liar and manipulator, inscrutable and drier than sand in the sun. Maintaining wheels within wheels and lies nested inside lies, and juggling the whole convoluted mess with ease, hes the perfect antagonist for a show like Lost, which tries to do something very similar with its own narrative for six whole seasons. Appallingly ruthless, morally murky and callously coldblooded, often petty and cruel, Linus is focused on two things: maintaining his position of power, and protecting the island. When those two things come into conflict, there are sparks but self-interest wins out, until his moment of clarity when he realises that he himself has been manipulated into murdering Jacob. Its a masterclass performance in the role of a lifetime. Benjamin Linus is first the central antagonist, then a major protagonist, and finally achieves a measure of redemption in the climactic episodes of the final season, becoming what? The hero? Not quite, but close. Now thats a character arc. But here's a reminder of the old, fiendish Ben... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwTH4SCr-do
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
