3.13 - The Man from Tallahassee

Title’s significance: Anthony Cooper is “the man from Tallahassee,” brought to the island and now a pawn in Ben’s machinations.

Recap: In his flashbacks, Locke gets a lead on his father’s location and follows him, learning that Anthony Cooper is getting married. When two detectives reveal that Anthony Cooper’s would-be son-in-law is dead, Locke knows his father killed him and confronts Cooper, who pushes Locke out of the window and paralyzes him. Upon encountering Jack in Othersville, Kate insists he’s been brainwashed and wants to rescue him, but Locke says Jack must have a good reason, so they agree to corner him when he’s alone. When Kate approaches Jack in his Others-shack, he asks her to leave because he’s being watched, but Others storm in and take Kate and Sayid prisoner; meanwhile, Locke breaks into Ben’s home and demands to see the submarine. Ben deduces that Locke wants to destroy the submarine and taunts Locke about his backstory. Jack confronts Prisoner Kate and reveals that he is buddy-buddy with The Others because they’re sending him home; he promises to come back for Kate. While Ben and Locke discuss the island’s healing factor, Sayid meets Alex, who doesn’t know the truth about her parentage. Ben speaks about a box that can deliver whatever you want, and Locke leaves to blow up the submarine – which he does. Knowing the submarine is about to blow up, Ben promises Jack he’ll free Kate and Sayid as soon as Jack leaves the island. Locke suggests that Ben manipulated him, and Ben reveals that he’s brought Locke’s father to the island.

Thoughts: This was a fantastic episode, due mostly in part to the banter between Locke and Ben and the fantastic acting exhibited by Terry O’Quinn in this episode. There’s no question that Locke and Ben are the two most fascinating characters on the show, with the most complex motives, and this episode marks the beginning of the tipping point on the scale of power between Locke and Ben. This is when the series really started to turn around for me, mostly because the writers put a new and heavier spotlight on the Locke/Ben dynamic, which is itself material enough for an entire series on its own.

Favorite moment: “No, John, unfortunately we don't have a code for ‘There's a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter's head.’ Although we obviously should.” That, or when Ben tells Locke that the island is powered by “two giant hamsters.”

Characters introduced (in order):

• PETER TALBOT, his mother’s being conned by Locke’s father
• RYAN PRYCE, militaristic Other

What we learned:

• Locke suffered from depression.
• Jack knows how to play the piano.
• Richard takes orders from Ben.
• Ben doesn’t know why Locke isn’t paralyzed anymore.
• Alex doesn’t know about her parentage.
• Locke’s back broke when his father pushed him out of an eighth-story window.

Questions:

• Why was Locke’s paralysis cured immediately, but Ben has been allowed to suffer?
• What’s the nature of the box that Ben describes to Locke?
• What is Richard Alpert’s role with The Others?
• Did Cooper kill Peter Talbot?
• What brought Cooper to the island – Ben, the magic box, or the island?

Things that are going to be important in Season Six:

• When Locke tells Ben that he’s a hypocrite and a Pharisee, is that just Locke talking, or is Locke at that moment serving as a mouthpiece for the island at large?