‘Lost’: We’re (Not) All in the Same Gang

Last night, we discovered that, with the exception of Ben, the Others are not leftovers from the Dharma Initiative but actually natives of and recruits to the island. Ben only joined the Others after he killed — who else?— his regulation-beer-guzzling father. Meanwhile, Richard and the rest of the Others gassed everyone in the Dharma territory! So who’s really running this operation?

Theory # 1 Definitely not Ben. Ben is sort of like the Catholic Pope — he’s totally useless. He claims to be the right-hand man of the Almighty (in this case, the invisible Jacob) when really he’s just pretending to know what the guy is saying. But Locke, a man who seems much more interested in bringing the truth to the people, hears Jacob whisper “Help me.� Naturally, this frosts Ben, so he shoots Locke, leaving him for dead. Does Jacob want help because he feels like his Word is being perverted by the Others under Ben’s leadership?

Theory # 2 Richard is a key figure. The guy hasn’t aged a day since bumping into little freckle-faced Ben back in the seventies. Is he Jacob’s archangel? Last week he went behind Ben’s back and informed Locke that the Others were tired of Ben’s fertility antics and suggested that Locke might be the one to remind them of their true purpose (whatever that is).

Theory # 3 The Hanso corporation. Somehow, it doesn’t seem likely that their involvement on the island ended with that massacre. Maybe Jacob isn’t a god at all but — like Jacob Marley — the ghost of a former Hanso board member, trapped in limbo as punishment for his greed and colonialist impulses! … Yeah, we admit, that’s kind of silly, but the writers do like their Dickens.

Next week: The revolution begins as the camp squares off against the Others. Rumor is there will be turncoats and five people will die. Charlie, your days of noodling on the guitar and burping Baby Aaron are numbered, friend.