The lists are not the only aspect of the Others’ behavior illuminated by understanding Ben’s schemes. The entire Others-Castaways War is an outgrowth of his personality. The big war started at the very end of the 1st season when the Others, led by Tom Friendly, kidnap Walt, shoot Sawyer, and blow up the survivor’s raft with Michael and Jin around it. Everyone survives, but Mr. Friendly’s line, “We’re going to have to take the boy,” is the catalyst for most of what happens next.[1]
Of course, there was Ethan’s attack on the survivors. But they are semi-convinced that Ethan acted alone. The unrevealing of Rousseau’s black smoke con actual prompts Charlie to declare there are no Others.[2] Nearly at the very moment the Others are kidnapping Walt, but the rest of the survivors won’t know that for sometime. The only one with an inkling is Rousseau. After she gives Aaron back to Charlie, she insists that the Others are coming for the boy. Even she probably doesn’t realize she had the wrong boy. There are two possible explanations for the Others’ kidnapping Walt. The first is that Ben already had his plan to use Walt to force Michael to betray the survivors. Second, Ben really did want Walt because he has a thing for kidnapping children. Notice that the Others’ under Widmore had no such policy. Widmore wanted Ben to exterminate baby Alex.[3] Widmore’s Others also still lived in the jungle. So it isn’t until Ben takes the Others into the island’s suburbs that Ben starts a family. Ben wants to take the Others’ legit. I think he hopes that as the Others become a stable community rather than a tribe the cycle of new leaders deposing old ones will stop and he’ll be left in charge.
Normally I insist that the Others’ are solely responsible for any violence in their clashes with the survivors. But in between Walt’s abduction and the capture of Jack, Kate and Sawyer, there are so moments when the survivors escalate things. Sawyer’s long con to steal the guns and medicine from Jack and Locke involves his faking an attack on Sun.[4] Nearly a month later, Sun still believes the Others attacked her right outside the survivors camp and that anything bad, like the death of Nikki and Paolo, might properly be attributed to the Others.[5] After Sun’ attack, more people, including Steve, sign up for Jack and Ana Lucia’s army to fight the Others.[6] This is only time the whole being an Other is all relative, Jacob’s adversary is right, humanity is doomed, etc. argument has some merit. The survivors, led by Jack, choose war over peace because of a crime the Others never actually committed. But they don’t go to war, partly because Sawyer stole the guns, even if he doesn’t admit to faking Sun’s attack. Peace remains until Ben comes into the survivor’s camp calling him Henry Gale.
Henry Gale remains a vague character during first few appearances but everything we see is consistent with Ben’s overall development. It doesn’t take long for Ben to exploit Locke’s gullibility. He asks Locke multiple times why Locke lets Jack make all the decisions[7]. As a result, Locke has one of his classic, not seen by anyone else tantrums.[8] Locke even brings in Ana Lucia into his hatch without Jack’s permission.[9] So we have to be careful that it’s just more manipulation when Ben calls Locke “one of the good guys” and says that Ben was coming for Locke when he got trapped in Rousseau’s net.[10] But in this case, I believe Ben.
Ben’s primary motivation is to stay in control of the island. To do that he first needs to surgery to remove the tumor on his spine. But Ben sees his illness as first and foremost a conspiracy to remove him as the leader. Locke’s accession to leader is part of that conspiracy. Because even though Locke doesn’t know it in 2004, he will eventually go back to 1954 and start the self-fulfilling prophecy that he is destined to be the Others’ leader. But Ben probably knows it. Daniel kept a very detailed journal of his travel through time that the Others came into possession of in 1977 and was later found in the Hydra Station by Caesar.[11] Ben is also seen writing in a journal.[12] Perhaps the Others are meticulous record keepers. Or it’s like that old joke: when you get kicked out as leader of the Others you write two letters for your eventual successor in times of emergency. The first letter says blame me. The second letter says everything that has happened in all recorded history and everything that will happen in the future.
Because Ben needed children and because he needed to see his potential successor John Locke and because Ben needed surgery, all the pieces came together for Michael to kill Ana Lucia and Libby. Yes, it was Michael’s decision. But he was the Others’ agent at that point. Ben was the always man behind the curtain who started the great Others-Castaway war that dominated the 3rd season.
[1] “Exodus”
[2] “Ma
[3] “Dead is Dead”
[4] “The Long Con”
[5] “Expose”
[6] “The Long Con”
[7] See “Maternity Leave”
[8] Id.
[9] “The Whole Truth”
[10] “Two for the Road”
[11] “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”
[12] “Through the Looking Glass”
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