Season 3 Episodes

Episode 20

The Man Behind The Curtain

The flashback begins deep within the woods, with a woman named Emily in painful labor. Her husband, Roger, carries her out of the woods and onto the shoulder of a busy highway - somewhere outside of Portland in the 1960s. A man named Horace is driving by and stops to help. The woman gives birth but then dies quietly. Her baby is a boy. As she breathes her last breaths, she whispers "call him Benjamin."

At the Others' makeshift camp, Ben is arguing with Richard about his tape recorder with instructions for Juliet - it was never delivered to the medical station. Before they can discuss it further, though, Locke shows up in their camp, carrying the corpse of his father. He demands to know everything about the island. When Ben explains that he is not in charge - Jacob is - Locke demands to see Jacob.

In the flashback, a young Ben and his father, Roger, arrive on the island. They are greeted by Horace - the man who stopped to help Ben's dying mother - and the organization that he seems to lead: The Dharma Initiative. While Ben watches instructional videos and meets a girl named Annie, Roger is given a jump suit and told he will be employed as a "Work Man" - a glorified janitor.

At the Others' camp, Mikhail arrives and tells Ben that a stranger has landed at the survivor's beach camp - and she has a phone of some kind. Ben is surprised. Locke interrupts, demanding to be taken to Jacob, and Mikhail is appalled. Locke jumps forward and viciously beats up Mikhail. None of the Others step in to stop Locke.

In the flashback, young Ben sits in a science class in school. Suddenly, the doors are locked and Dharma employees rush out with guns. Ben is told that there is an attack happening from the "Hostiles" but that they will be okay.

On the island, Ben and Locke are en route to meet Jacob. Suddenly, Ben's daughter Alex slips out of the woods and hands Locke a gun, saying he will need it if he is going to meet Jacob. Alex tells her father "Happy Birthday." Locke and Ben get to Jacob's house, a decrepit shack in the woods surrounded by a ring of grey powder.

In the flashback, young Ben wakes up one night after his father and Horace have a loud argument. Ben steps outside and sees what appears to be his mother - or an apparition of - behind the sonic fence that separates Dharma from the Hostiles. Later, after his father has blamed him for Ben's mother's death, Ben decides that he is going to try to sneak outside the fence and look for his mother.

At the survivors' beachfront camp, Sawyer and Sayid are figuring out what to do with the stolen audiotape when Jack and Juliette show up. Jack asks where they got it. As Sawyer begins to confront Juliette, she tells them to flip the tape over. They do, and they hit play - the tape details the Others' plan to kidnap the pregnant women. Jack explains that he and Juliette were thinking of a plan to defeat the Others.

In the flashback, Young Ben sneaks out through the sonic fence and starts calling for his mother. Out of the woods, a figure steps forward - it's Richard, looking the exact same age as he does in present day. Ben asks him if he's a hostile, and Richard laughs. Ben tells Richard he wants to go with him. Richard says that Ben can join his group - but he must be very patient.

At Jacob's house, Ben brings Locke inside but tells him to turn off his flashlight - Jacob hates technology. Ben leads Locke in and points at a seemingly empty chair, saying "this is Jacob." Locke is disgusted, as Ben seems to be talking to thin air, having an argument with an empty chair. Locke turns to leave when he hears a deep voice croak "help me.." Locke initially thinks Ben said the words, but Ben denies it. Ben is amazed that Locke could hear Jacob - he couldn't. Locke turns on his flashlight, and suddenly, the house begins to rattle and things are getting thrown off the walls. An oil lamp explodes, starting a fire which then extinguishes on its own. Locke is shaken around and appears to catch a glimpse of a figure in the chair - a ghost-like silhouette of a man. Locke and Ben run out of the house and Locke asks Ben what that was. Ben simply says "That was Jacob."

In the flashback, an older Ben rides in a Dharma van with his father, who drives him up to a mountaintop. Ben mentions to his father that he has forgotten Ben's birthday again. His father is drunk and barely repentant. Ben slips on a gas mask and releases poison gas into the van, killing his shocked father. Ben returns to the Dharma camp and finds all of them lying dead, having been poisoned as well. Ben looks out at all the carnage as Richard and his group of 'hostiles' emerge from the surrounding woods, carrying guns and wearing gas masks. They have killed off the Dharma people and are beginning to move the bodies.

On the island, it is the morning after Locke met Jacob. Ben leads Locke to a secluded area, telling Locke that he wants to show him something. Ben also says that he lied about something - he wasn't actually born on this island at all. He was brought there when he was young, and found the idealistic Dharma Initiative struggling to co-exist with the outside Hostiles. One side had to go. Ben sided with the Hostiles and did what he had to do. Locke realizes that Ben has brought him to a mass grave, filled with the corpses of the Dharma Initiative. Locke turns to Ben, but Ben pulls a gun and shoots Locke in the side, knocking him into the grave.

Locke winces in pain and horror as Ben frantically begs Locke to explain to him what Jacob said to him. Locke tells him Jacob said "help me." Ben says that Locke better hope that Jacob helps HIM, and then turns to leave.