Ben's activities during the finale

[No Button No More]

Why does Ben want Mikhail to kill the girls in the LG? Is it only so they don't talk about the jamming or is there more that they know?

Ben tells Alex "I can't let them leave" without anymore explanation. That Alex doesn't ask "Why can't they leave?" is no shocker.

Later Ben tells Jack that Naomi is "One of the bad guys" but that's a pretty weak arguement to convince Jack not to use the sat phone. How could Ben think that anything he says will be believe by Jack? Sure he thought that he could 'blackmail' Jack into bringing hime the phone with tthe threat of killing the hostages. But Ben saying "Why do you want to leave the island". Come on, with the constant threat of death on this island why would Ben even say that?

[HelpImLost]

Ben has fooled all the Others. He thinks he can talk his way in and out of everything, so he thought he could get Charlie to do whatever he told him. Didnt work out though.

He told Alex he cant let them leave because if they do, they can get back. If they can get back, they can send others, then Ben is out of a leadership job.

[Chickie]

If that is the case that they can get abck then why does Jack tell Kate that he takes the flight and hopes he crashes so he can get back?

I don't think anyone really knows where the island is thus why they have to keep everything a secret?

[LandPirate]

Why does Ben want Mikhail to kill the girls in the LG? Is it only so they don't talk about the jamming or is there more that they know?

Ben tells Alex "I can't let them leave" without anymore explanation. That Alex doesn't ask "Why can't they leave?" is no shocker.

Ben's motivation (or is Ben just a giant plot device?) is so convulated and shrouded in multiple layers of mystery, that at this point it is an exercise in futility to even attempt to logically figure out his reasoning. But Ben's order to kill the two women in the LG was particularly annoying because it was so clear cut... they had kept the secret about the transmission blocking and seemed to have followed his order strictly, so there was no reason to kill them to conceal the history of the transmission blocking. And they were gungho on the idea of killing Charlie. So I can see no reason to kill them.. "to hide what we have done". The only explaination I can think of is that by having Patchy kill them, he draws Patchy into his web of deception, and thus guarantee's Patchy's silence...but boy is that a stretch.

Ben's response to Alex was the biggest nonanswer LOL of the night for me, it was something like..Alex: "Why don't you just let them leave", Ben: "I can't let them leave". I think that that line was a consious response by TPTB to critisim that the characters don't ask questions.

[yoyoj06]

maybe because ben knows how strong mikhail is nad he views him as a threat so he tries to win his trust

[saladdays]

So I can see no reason to kill them.. "to hide what we have done". The only explaination I can think of is that by having Patchy kill them, he draws Patchy into his web of deception, and thus guarantee's Patchy's silence...but boy is that a stretch.

I don't think it's a stretch at all. Obviously Mikhail was starting to have serious doubts about whether he should continue to trust Ben. It has nothing to do with hiding what they did, and all to do with quelling Mikhail's dissent.

[Wamba]

I don't think it's a stretch at all. Obviously Mikhail was starting to have serious doubts about whether he should continue to trust Ben. It has nothing to do with hiding what they did, and all to do with quelling Mikhail's dissent.

I completely agree. This was my first reaction as to why he'd tell Mikhail - who was obviously doubting everything about Ben - to kill the two women.

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that Ben said it to regain Mikhail's trust after Mikhail being disappointed that he was tricked with the information that The Looking Glass was flooded and the two women who manned it were sent somewhere else.

It also gave Mikhail another chance to do showcase his ability to be without a doubt, certainly dead, yet still rise again! Show off! =P
What's more, I bet you he's probably still alive somehow despite letting go of the grenade a second before it went off!

[Des02]

I think he knows Mikhail is a loose cannon hince why he made his big announcement before entering his house. besides Ben the girls are the only ones who knew the communication code so he wants them dead so Mikhail doesn't clue in on what Ben is really doing and getting the girls on his side.

[Patrick]

I think Ben wanted them dead because they knew the code, and there was an imminent threat (charlie) that the jamming would be stopped.

[No Button No More]

BTW- Do we assume Mikhail is dead, again, or do we think he can recover from a close proximity grenade blast?

[chaos28]

I think Patrick's got the right of it here, and that's the conclussion I came to when watching the show. But it's also possible to did it to gain Mikhail's trust, I'll consent to that. Or both even. As for Mikhail, I'd bet on seeing him again. He survived a sonic barrier and a harpoon in the chest. I think he's a little more durable than the average human. For all we know, he's a native of the island.

[dankine]

He really should be dead, but who knows. The barrier has been explained away, satisfactorarily to me. The harpoon I agree on, it was placed pretty much directly over his heart.

[Wamba]

BTW- Do we assume Mikhail is dead, again, or do we think he can recover from a close proximity grenade blast?

At first, I thought he grasped the grenade until it exploded. But upon watching a second time, I noticed that he did in fact let go of it and push himself backwards, away from it.

It still did blow up mere incheses from him. But knowing this mofo, he's still alive somehow...

[No Button No More]

The barrier has been explained away, satisfactorarily to me.

What's this about a barrier?

[The Life of Riley]

What's this about a barrier?

The sonic fence around the Others' village, the cause of Mikhail's first "death."

[No Button No More]

The sonic fence around the Others' village, the cause of Mikhail's first "death."

Gotcha. He said it wasn't set for lethal, right?

[The Life of Riley]

Gotcha. He said it wasn't set for lethal, right?

Yep, that was his explanation. :)

[Susan B Anthony]

Ben's response to Alex was the biggest nonanswer LOL of the night for me, it was something like..Alex: "Why don't you just let them leave", Ben: "I can't let them leave". I think that that line was a consious response by TPTB to critisim that the characters don't ask questions.

That little conversation told us that Alex isn't in on Ben's plans and, despite living there her whole life, doesn't know the mysteries of the island.

I'm also starting to think that Ben doesn't know all the answers. He may be acting on faith in what Jacob tells him, and following orders without knowing the reasons behind them.

Ben went out to talk to Jack alone because he believed in his own ability to manipulate Jack as he has done before.

[Hodgepodge]

Moving to the Michael Emerson - Ben forum for further discussion.

[snivellusfriend]

Ben's response to Alex was the biggest nonanswer LOL of the night for me...

I interpreted that scene as Ben saying that it wasn't that he didn't want to let the Losties leave, but that he couldn't, as though he doesn't have any choice.