With less than 1 and 1/2 LOST seasons remaining, "Dead Is Dead" is exactly the kind of episode that I hope we'll be getting more often from now on: heavily focused on the island's history and mythology, but without also neglecting the character interactions. Though it is not quite in the league of "The Man Behind The Curtain" (maybe because the Smoke Monster is not quite as fascinating as Jacob), it just about matches the outstanding "The Shape Of Things To Come", and it is arguably the best episode of Season 5 so far, closely followed by "The Life And Death Of Jeremy Bentham". Much like TLADOJB, it adds more chapters to the long-running rivalry between Ben Linus and Charles Widmore, blurring the lines even further as to who is good and who is bad (or, more accurately, who is bad and who is worse). It also changes the dynamics in the relationship between Ben and Locke: Ben is now the confused one and Locke the confident one; Ben has the questions and Locke has the answers. If Terry O'Quinn's performance seems a little strange at first, it's because, no matter what he says to Sun, Locke is quite clearly NOT the man he used to be. This episode has a couple of well-timed little shocks, Desmond's brief return was definitely worth the wait (in what is probably the most satisfying moment of the season so far), and Ilana is rapidly becoming the current best female character on the show. ***1/2 out of 4.
8 Reviews
Ben's thick plot armour
kaczkahans26 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Ben has too much plot armour. It's getting ridiculous. John is alive and he still lets him do whatever he wants? Yeah, of course. When you don't think about that, the episode is very good. Penny didn't die as I expected but I think Desmond will come back to the island somehow. The smoke monster gets some new brilliant scenes. I'll substract 2 stars because of Ben's plot armour. Hopefully he will do as Alex said because otherwise I'll be very disappointed. I'm not saying that villains need to be killed too soon but if they are still alive
after having no credebility it's starts to become very annoying.
Return to the island
TheLittleSongbird8 August 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.
Season 4 was a solid season, with high points such as "The Beginning of the End", the three part finale and particularly "The Constant" and the only disappointments (though they were still decent) being "The Other Woman" and "Eggtown". "Because You Left" couldn't be a better way to start Season 5, definitely among the stronger 'Lost' season openers and one of the most confident and most settled. The episodes between that and this were also good to great, the weakest being a long way from low-points.
"Dead is Dead" is a great episode, albeit not one of the show's best, though the best since "LaFleur" after a slight previous three episode dip quality wise. It's taut and thought-provoking, providing new mysteries and questions as well as some answers here. The on-island events are tense, emotional and above all gripping.
On top of all that, it advances characters, shows plot progression rather than repeating itself or being filler. There are surprising moments and also illuminating ones. Seeing Locke again is always a pleasure and he is not wasted at all.
Also found "Dead is Dead" to be an episode full of entertainment value, edge of your seat tension and emotional moments. The more dialogue-driven parts is a case of it being thought-probing, relevant and adding a lot rather than slowing things down and rambling. The character dynamics, especially between Ben and Widmore and Ben and Locke, are surprising and with interesting perspectives and the little shocks do shock.
Can't fault the performances, particularly from Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn, the latter giving some of his best acting of the show.
Nor the stylishness and atmosphere of the visuals, nor the effectively understated and chilling use of music, taut writing and the tightly controlled direction.
Summing up, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Season 4 was a solid season, with high points such as "The Beginning of the End", the three part finale and particularly "The Constant" and the only disappointments (though they were still decent) being "The Other Woman" and "Eggtown". "Because You Left" couldn't be a better way to start Season 5, definitely among the stronger 'Lost' season openers and one of the most confident and most settled. The episodes between that and this were also good to great, the weakest being a long way from low-points.
"Dead is Dead" is a great episode, albeit not one of the show's best, though the best since "LaFleur" after a slight previous three episode dip quality wise. It's taut and thought-provoking, providing new mysteries and questions as well as some answers here. The on-island events are tense, emotional and above all gripping.
On top of all that, it advances characters, shows plot progression rather than repeating itself or being filler. There are surprising moments and also illuminating ones. Seeing Locke again is always a pleasure and he is not wasted at all.
Also found "Dead is Dead" to be an episode full of entertainment value, edge of your seat tension and emotional moments. The more dialogue-driven parts is a case of it being thought-probing, relevant and adding a lot rather than slowing things down and rambling. The character dynamics, especially between Ben and Widmore and Ben and Locke, are surprising and with interesting perspectives and the little shocks do shock.
Can't fault the performances, particularly from Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn, the latter giving some of his best acting of the show.
Nor the stylishness and atmosphere of the visuals, nor the effectively understated and chilling use of music, taut writing and the tightly controlled direction.
Summing up, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
"I came back to the island to be judged"
itsgillian_w25 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Am I the only one who thinks that Ben genuinely is a good guy? Hello? Anybody? Michael Emerson has brought his acting to the next level. If that is possible with such an amazing actor. Dead Is Dead is another great episode that shows us how Ben came to be one of the Others. It's great to see Tania Raymonde again as Alex in the final Temple scene. From the good opening to the fantastic ending. Ben is part of a bigger game plan for the island. We find out more about the rules between Ben and Widmore (and it's excellent to see Michael Emerson and Alan Dale acting together again).
Dead is Dead is another excellent Ben episode, and continues to prove that this is the best season so far.
Dead is Dead is another excellent Ben episode, and continues to prove that this is the best season so far.
The Most Forgivable Villain of Television
claudio_carvalho19 April 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Ben manipulates Caesar and kills him to protect Locke. Then they row to the island and arrive at Dharma village, where Ben will summon the smoke monster to judge him for the death of Alex. He recalls his relationship with Charles Widmore and the hostiles, and how he manipulated the group to banish the former leader from the island. Further, he also recalls what he did to Desmond.
After watching "Dead Is Dead" I concluded that Ben Linus is the most forgivable villain of television. Many people have had the chance of killing Ben, including Danielle (when she captured him in a trap) and now the smoke monster and Alex, and he always escapes with no hard feelings from his victims. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Dead is Dead"
After watching "Dead Is Dead" I concluded that Ben Linus is the most forgivable villain of television. Many people have had the chance of killing Ben, including Danielle (when she captured him in a trap) and now the smoke monster and Alex, and he always escapes with no hard feelings from his victims. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Dead is Dead"
Excellent
ametaphysicalshark8 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
"Dead is Dead" was not a very emotionally stimulating episode for me, I think because Ben is ultimately a relatively thin character. Michael Emerson is unbelievably brilliant, but the character's motivations and ideals are relatively thin in comparison to the extraordinarily vivid and wonderful characterization of most of the characters on "Lost". I could watch Ben talk to Widmore or get beat up by Desmond on repeat for days on end, but I find nothing emotionally compelling about his struggle with guilt over his actions, especially when it's come to the point that I don't trust Ben on anything he says to anyone, considering he's lying 99.99% of the time. Maybe it's just me.
This kept "Dead is Dead" from being a real favorite but overall I found the episode to be a massive improvement over the last two and quite rewarding for the fannish side of me. Getting to see how Ben took Alex, getting to see what went down with Penny, just lots payoff for stuff going way back and payoff for recent 'mysteries'. I'm waiting for those who are savvier about mythology to dissect the fantastic temple basement hieroglyphics, it seems Smokey is related to Anubis somehow. Interesting stuff anyhow.
The script by Brian K. Vaughan and Elizabeth Sarnoff is tight and well-paced with everything gelling quite nicely overall, the only scene which felt off is the actual judgment scene. Don't mind it in concept, the visual aspect of it kind of let it down, and I thought Alex showing up as a manifestation just to tell Ben 'yo, you better not kill Locke or I'll pop a cap in yo ass' was kind of cheap, and ruined what could have been a really fantastic emotional moment. Also, what is in the shadow of the statue? Lapidus was great in this episode, but he's great in everything.
Most of the episode is two masterful actors- Emerson and O'Quinn- riffing off each other. They're absolutely phenomenal in this episode both of them, but especially O'Quinn. Locke in season 5 is just as cool and intriguing as he was in season 1 and you can tell O'Quinn is having a hell of a lot of fun with this material. Two great performances make the episode excellent, but it still has enough good stuff in it that it would've been good otherwise, and it certainly does have a bunch of fun mythology stuff for fans to chew on for a week. Also, I think we can put to rest the notion that "Lost" was going to have a scientific explanation.
This kept "Dead is Dead" from being a real favorite but overall I found the episode to be a massive improvement over the last two and quite rewarding for the fannish side of me. Getting to see how Ben took Alex, getting to see what went down with Penny, just lots payoff for stuff going way back and payoff for recent 'mysteries'. I'm waiting for those who are savvier about mythology to dissect the fantastic temple basement hieroglyphics, it seems Smokey is related to Anubis somehow. Interesting stuff anyhow.
The script by Brian K. Vaughan and Elizabeth Sarnoff is tight and well-paced with everything gelling quite nicely overall, the only scene which felt off is the actual judgment scene. Don't mind it in concept, the visual aspect of it kind of let it down, and I thought Alex showing up as a manifestation just to tell Ben 'yo, you better not kill Locke or I'll pop a cap in yo ass' was kind of cheap, and ruined what could have been a really fantastic emotional moment. Also, what is in the shadow of the statue? Lapidus was great in this episode, but he's great in everything.
Most of the episode is two masterful actors- Emerson and O'Quinn- riffing off each other. They're absolutely phenomenal in this episode both of them, but especially O'Quinn. Locke in season 5 is just as cool and intriguing as he was in season 1 and you can tell O'Quinn is having a hell of a lot of fun with this material. Two great performances make the episode excellent, but it still has enough good stuff in it that it would've been good otherwise, and it certainly does have a bunch of fun mythology stuff for fans to chew on for a week. Also, I think we can put to rest the notion that "Lost" was going to have a scientific explanation.
A little something something.
killdestroy9 April 2009
From minute one of episode one of the first season Lost has made us ask questions. Will these people survive? How are they going to cope with the crash? What tha heck is that howling thing in the jungle? Oh my god it ate the pilot! Oh damn, they fixed the radio, they might get hopes of rescue. Crazyfrenchladysaiswhat?! Oh how well did Charlie put it? "Where are we?".
But the show made it clear for me that it's not really the mysteries that make me go to other countries and spend ridiculous amounts of money on full season box sets. It's not the anticipation of finally finding out what that black thing is that makes me shed a tear or two out of compassion for one of those fictional characters.
The mysteries are only something to go along with the real stuff of Lost and that would be the amazing way that the creators weave their way into making those greatest-television-writing-in-years type of characters. The little something something of lost is in the little things. Like J. Locke playing Risk in his spare time at work. Or J. Shepherd's first dialogue with Sarah when she was lying on the table about to be operated on "But you're invited, OK?". And it goes further! Not only are the main characters extremely appealing, but so are some of the minor characters. I kept re-watching the scene where Sayid is sitting down chained to the floor when his previous torture victim told him about some cat she found(damn fine acting by that woman, damn fine, kudos). Or, in the same episode, the fact that John doesn't take a "no" for an answer and keeps trying to beat the chess game even though he was told it was "impossible".
Throughout five season (except for a minor setback in season three), the writers of Lost failed to disappoint. The gave something to cry about and something to laugh at and also something to hold my DVDs and think of them as something precious. But now, it seems as though someone decided to give out answers to everyone who ever asked.
In the end of season one Danielle takes them to the black rock and mentions a place where one of her crew lost his arm. So now we know how that happened.
We now know what exactly was it that made the french lady go insane. But that's the thing, I don't think any of us really wanted to know any of this stuff. And the creators of Lost are so eager to paint a very clear picture of the island that they forgot all about the good stuff. It's as if I'm reading a cold, just-the-facts kind of history book. But I liked it when we didn't know so much because that's the way life is and it gave us time to concentrate on someone's black horse or another person's resurrected father or some dude's food that seems to be stalking him and talking to him through a Korean dude dressed as a chicken.
What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that the show has lost it's subtlety. Giev it back plxktnxb.
Have a cluckity cluck cluck day.
But the show made it clear for me that it's not really the mysteries that make me go to other countries and spend ridiculous amounts of money on full season box sets. It's not the anticipation of finally finding out what that black thing is that makes me shed a tear or two out of compassion for one of those fictional characters.
The mysteries are only something to go along with the real stuff of Lost and that would be the amazing way that the creators weave their way into making those greatest-television-writing-in-years type of characters. The little something something of lost is in the little things. Like J. Locke playing Risk in his spare time at work. Or J. Shepherd's first dialogue with Sarah when she was lying on the table about to be operated on "But you're invited, OK?". And it goes further! Not only are the main characters extremely appealing, but so are some of the minor characters. I kept re-watching the scene where Sayid is sitting down chained to the floor when his previous torture victim told him about some cat she found(damn fine acting by that woman, damn fine, kudos). Or, in the same episode, the fact that John doesn't take a "no" for an answer and keeps trying to beat the chess game even though he was told it was "impossible".
Throughout five season (except for a minor setback in season three), the writers of Lost failed to disappoint. The gave something to cry about and something to laugh at and also something to hold my DVDs and think of them as something precious. But now, it seems as though someone decided to give out answers to everyone who ever asked.
In the end of season one Danielle takes them to the black rock and mentions a place where one of her crew lost his arm. So now we know how that happened.
We now know what exactly was it that made the french lady go insane. But that's the thing, I don't think any of us really wanted to know any of this stuff. And the creators of Lost are so eager to paint a very clear picture of the island that they forgot all about the good stuff. It's as if I'm reading a cold, just-the-facts kind of history book. But I liked it when we didn't know so much because that's the way life is and it gave us time to concentrate on someone's black horse or another person's resurrected father or some dude's food that seems to be stalking him and talking to him through a Korean dude dressed as a chicken.
What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that the show has lost it's subtlety. Giev it back plxktnxb.
Have a cluckity cluck cluck day.
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