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"Lost" The Man Behind the Curtain (2007)
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Overview
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TV Series:
Original Air Date:
9 May 2007
(Season 3, Episode 20)
Plot:
As Ben takes Locke to see Jacob and reveal the island's secrets, Ben's background on the island is exposed--as well as what happened to the Dharma Initiative. full summary | add synopsis
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Iconic
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Cast
(Episode Cast overview, first billed only) more
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Runtime:
43 min | Germany:41 min
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Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 more
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
'Carrie Preston', who plays Emily Linus (mother of Benjamin Linus) is in fact the real life wife of Michael Emerson who plays the older Benjamin Linus.
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Anachronisms: In one of Ben's flashbacks to his childhood, his father drinks DHARMA Initiative beer. The cans have wide mouth openings - but this type of can wasn't first manufactured until much more recently.
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Movie Connections:
References The Wizard of Oz (1939)
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Soundtrack:
Shambala
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"The Man Behind the Curtain" had a huge impact on "Lost" fans and sent the countless internet fan sites into a frenzy. I was one of the many who was completely taken by the episode and found it a worthy way to cover a number of significant events, make a number of important revelations, introduce us to Ben's history (and to say that this episode failed to deliver a character story with real depth would be nitpicking, the script had a lot to accomplish and is mostly satisfactory), and still provide one or two surprises. Upon further reflection the episode's still very, very good, but remains a triumph of imagery and an iconic success more than an episode that works on many levels, as the best episodes on "Lost" do.
And the iconic imagery is plentiful indeed. The dolls, the cabin scene, the period DHARMA scenes, the patricide, the mass DHARMA grave, Alpert's surprise appearance, and even more scenes and images remain burned into every "Lost" fan's memory, surely. The performances help the episode attain its iconic status; imagine if Michael Emerson didn't have that indescribable look on his face, behind the gas mask, during the purge. If he hadn't been so convincing in the cabin. Imagine if the child actor playing Ben hadn't been as genuinely talented as he is, and had over-acted. It's an episode with a ton of information, and for those who watch the show only for the mystery and mythology it is paradise.
On the other hand, the episode, while it is still great entertainment in my estimation, doesn't do much else other than attempt to blow your mind with every successive scene with some sort of revelation or intentional bit of iconography. It's good entertainment, but doesn't have a truly cohesive emotional base on which it builds on. All things considered it's probably as good as it could have been- perfect and mind-blowing on first viewing, and iconic and entertaining on repeat viewings. The trouble with this is that on repeat viewings I start thinking about my reaction the first time I saw it, while when I watch truly great episodes, such as the one that came just before, "The Brig", I never flash back to my reaction on first viewing, but am totally drawn into that world all over again. The episode's not disappointing however, only in relation to its reputation as a classic. Also, the direction by series newcomer Bobby Roth is poor.