Lost (TV Series) The Man Behind the Curtain (2007) User Reviews

Spoilers Below

[SciFiHorrorFem · 10/10 · 10 May 2007]

Lost is making me crazier each week and I'm Loving It! LoL I really enjoyed finding out more about Ben's life and to find out that he really wasn't born on the island was just another confirmation that Ben is a liar! It was cool to get to see a glimpse of Jacob and hear him say "Help me!" as Locke was turning to leave Jacob's home. Seeing Doug Hutchison on TV again was great. He is a guy I love to hate in most productions in which I've seen him. Samantha Mathis and he both had too short a time on the show, along with John Gries and the beautiful young girl who played Annie (Madeline Carroll) and the young man who played young Ben (Sterling Beaumon). Seeing The Others and especially Richard Alpert when Ben was a child, then Richard not aging in all that time was strange, but strange is GREAT on LOST! I was glad to see and/or hear (in Hurley's case, I only heard him, but I might not have been paying enough attention?) the LOSTies back on the beach still and that Jack and Juliet finally told them all what is going to happen in a couple of days and that they're all preparing for the invasion of The Others. The possible loss of Locke is bugging me, but I'm sure the island will heal him or Jack will find him and help him or Something!

Please! *sigh* All I can say is, I Love LOST! Namaste!

Is Locke Lost?

[mdsanders · 9/10 · 10 May 2007]

Okay, so maybe I've been watching way too much TV lately, but I was really upset when Locke got shot by that lunatic Ben last night. Earlier in this same episode, I found myself literally cheering when Locke beat the crap out of Mikhail.

I don't know why, but I identify with John Locke's character. He really seems to be the "everyman" of this show. Before he came to the island Locke was a broken man, both physically and emotionally.As the Lost story continues to unfold, Locke has emerged a changed man. In many ways becoming the opposite of what he once was. Locke usually doesn't take crap from anyone, he tells the unvarnished truth, and he's always searching for truth (and maybe this is what really endears me to his character).

I for one hope that Locke's journey of transformation has not yet come to end.

Masterpiece

[gridoon2024 · 10/10 · 22 March 2009]

It is an art for a TV series to give you just enough to keep you going, but not too much to put you ahead of it. It is also an art to balance between the supernatural and the pragmatic, the "I'm sorry that you're too limited to see" possibility and the "You're putting on a show for me?" possibility. "The Man Behind The Curtain" is an episode that shows that the writers/directors/actors of LOST have mastered those arts. From the twist in the opening flashback (hey! they're not on the island!) to the council at the beach camp and from the visit to Jacob's cabin (a scene that gives me shivers just thinking about it) to the shocking DHARMA Initiative purge (complete with an incredibly moving music score), "The Man Behind The Curtain" rises to heights that most 2-hour movies cannot even approach. Young Ben's story is compelling, and the actor playing the role could not have been better cast. And Richard Alpert's "ageless" appearance confirms that he will become one of the series' most important - and enigmatic - characters as the story progresses. This is the best Season 3 episode since the equally mind-bending "Flashes Before Your Eyes". **** out of 4.

Locke, SPOILER!?!

[xcal321 · 10/10 · 9 May 2007]

This episode was crazy perfect. Flash backs from Ben's birth and then life on the island filled some holes as well as opened others. There was developments about what happened to the Dharma initiative, they are all killed by some island faction.

Then in a wicked twist which might lead to the end of Locke, as Ben shoots him causing him to fall into the pit of skeletons of the original Dharma initiative.

He mutters his last words, "Help me", a repetition of "Jacob" in the hut after a supernatural seeming confrontation between an empty chair and Locke.

It was crazy.

The Wizard of Oz

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 10 May 2007]

On the day of his birthday, Ben recalls important parts of his life. When he was born, his mother Olivia, pregnant of seven months, was hiking with his father Roger, dying after the delivery in the woods nearby Portland. Years later, when he was a boy, his unemployed father moved to the island with him accepting a job offer, but becoming a frustrated man with a simple position of worker in the project Dharma. His drunkard father blamed him for the death of his mother; the young Ben has visions of Olivia and decides to leave the compound, meeting the hostiles. Years later, the grown-up Ben kills his dysfunctional father with gas while the hostiles kill the staff of Dharma Initiative, and Ben becomes their leader. Locke brings the body of his father and meets Ben and The Others in their camp. Ben brings Locke to meet Jacob, his superior and leader that knows the secrets of the island and after the weird reunion, he show the ditch where the remains of Dharma people is dumped. Meanwhile, Sawyer shows the tape to Sayid and the other survivors exposing the betrayal of Juliet. When Jack and Juliet arrives, the situation becomes tense.

"The Man Behind the Curtain" is certainly the most intriguing episode of "Lost". The mystery of Jacob is impressive, and it does not seem to be another trick of Ben. Are the "ghosts" in the island (Jacob, Dave, Emily) real or fruit of the imagination of lonely and stressed survivors? Locke ends the episode in a terrible situation, and I do not see any expectation how he can survive, but I hope the writer finds a twist to save and heal one of the best (maybe the more complex) characters of "Lost". Jack seems to have been submitted to a brain wash in the period he stayed with The Others with his attitudes. Ben is really an evil, despicable, Machiavellian and manipulative character, a treacherous and insensitive man, using any means to reach his objectives. In the confrontation between the survivors and The Others, I hope that Sayid and Sawyer be able to plot an effective defense system for their camp. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 12 April 2013, I saw this episode again on DVD.

Great Episode

[cd9652a · 9/10 · 10 May 2007]

Great episode of Lost. This was refreshing since we get to see flashbacks from Ben. Interesting to see that he tends to lie at times such as by saying that he has always lived on the island which is false. Jacob seems to exist and can be seen & heard only by Ben just as Hurley could only see and hear Dave.

Also it seems that Richard Alpert does not age. Either that or the production made a pathetic attempt at making him look younger. If this is the case then it would have been better to have young Ben meet up with a younger looking Tom instead. As for Locke, he gets shot at the end but since injuries are healed quickly on the island he shall probably live though I don't understand why Kate's policeman died from his injuries at beginning of 1st season. Maybe he was not on the list.

What are you watching?

[kingsx_64 · 9/10 · 5 August 2022]

Review after review of people saying how great Locke is?

Wtf are you watching? Yes, the character is great. But Locke is NOT a good guy. He is NOT a hero. How many people have been killed for his quest? How many people does he use to get what HE wants? Every episode. Like the last one. He makes Sawyer kill his father, then takes the credit. 2 episodes ago, he blows up the submarine killing everyone's only chance to get off the island, because HE wants to stay. Boone died because Locke used him for another quest of his. Everything is always about Locke.

Sorry folks, you need to stop sticking up for this horrible character. Stop defending his self centered actions. Maybe look up what the writers knew that you don't seem to comprehend. Locke was never supposed to be a hero. Or the good guy. Does that make for a great character? Great drama? Yes. But thinking he ids the good guy doesn't say much for your morals. Jack should have killed him the second he admitted to blowing up the submarine I know I would have.. Get your head out of your ..., and stop defending a guy simply because he killed a boar. Big whoopie.

Iconic

[ametaphysicalshark · 21 December 2008]

"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.

Pay attention to the man behind the curtain

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 23 May 2018]

When 'Lost' was in its prime, it was must-watch television. Remember first watching it, found it remarkably easy to get into, was hooked from the start and was on Season 3 by the end of one week. The general consensus is that the final season is a disappointment and cannot disagree.

Alongside "Not in Portland", "Flashes Before Your Eyes", "Enter 77", "The Man from Tallahassee", "One of Us" and "The Brig", "The Man Behind the Curtain" for me is one of the best Season 3 episodes up to this point of the season. Also feel that it is one of the best of Season 3 in general, one of the best episodes of 'Lost' up to this point and among the best of the show in general. Every aspect of "The Man Behind the Curtain" is brilliant and with all the trademarks for a 'Lost' classic.

The episode has pretty much everything that 'Lost' is all about. It's taut and thought-provoking, also providing some answers and surprises, with an edge-of-your-seat tension and a lot of emotion.

On top of all that, it advances characters, shows plot progression rather than repeating itself or being filler and there is some nice foreshadowing and a few shocking revelations. Ben's story is enthralling, with a superb mix of edge-of-your-seat tension and emotional impact. There is plenty of tension, fun and emotion everywhere else in the episode, the betrayal of Juliet and the events centred around it being the most intriguing.

Can't fault the performances, particularly from Michael Emerson, showing why he was one of the best and most consistent actors on 'Lost', and Sterling Beaumon as an intensely moving young Ben.

Nor the stylishness and atmosphere of the visuals, nor the effective use of music, taut writing and the tightly controlled direction (one of the best of the season and perhaps of the show).

In summary, brilliant and classic 'Lost'. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Gruesome Easter Egg in 'The Man Behind the Curtain'

[eddietorbalinda · 10/10 · 27 September 2021]

The Jonestown Massacre of 1978

There is a brief shot of dead people lying about the Dharmaville compound after Ben kills them with poisonous gas. The imagery of bodies strewn about the compound is a spooky reference to photos and camera footage from the Jonestown Massacre of 1978.

There are parallels between Dharmaville and Jonestown, as well. Both can be considered cults escaping the constraints of social pressure in order to pursue a more idyllic, enlightened lifestyle. "The Dharma Initiative" ran Dharmaville. "The People's Temple Agricultural Project" ran Jonestown. Both "The Dharma Initiative" and "The People's Temple Agricultural Project" contain religious elements in their names. Both Dharmaville and Jonestown had a cult like reverence for their leader. Dharmaville during the Others occupation had Ben, a manipulative schemer who claimed to have a personal relationship with the island 'deity' Jacob. Jonestown had Jim Jones, a manipulative schemer who claimed his cult status through more traditional religious beliefs.

Wait, Ben kills his dad by doing what?!?

[BruceWayne3 · 7/10 · 1 November 2020]

Ben is in the van with his dad, then out of no where he pulls out a gas mask and his dad just sits there?!? Doesn't react like, son wtf are you doing ??? Come on Weak