“He Changed the Rules”
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By thelonious
- “He Changed the Rules”
- Created: Apr 25, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 4.9: The Shape of Things to Come
- Status: Current
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I believe the reason Ben has been so calm under tight situations, i.e. locked up as Henry Gale, locked up again in Locke’s (Ben’s) basement and put at gunpoint many times is because he knows something (a lot) about the island and the responsibility it gives to its “visitors” . Just like Michael, he knows he won’t die until his work is finished and so this makes him invincible in a way.
Now, when Keamy killed Alex, Ben sat in disbelief for half a minute and the first thing he said was “He changed the rules” I believe he knew what work the island had in store for Alex, which wasn’t completed yet, and so he felt safe bargaining with her life. When the First Law of Compulsory Island Work was broken, Ben realized that his life was now in danger too. Before this, I think Jacob has let Ben know who is supposed to do what. Jacob told him Locke’s purpose and so he knew when he shot him at the Dharma mass grave that Walt would save him, the island would heal him, and the whole ordeal would test Locke’s faith to the highest degree and finally convince him of his role on the island. Jacob told Ben Walt’s purpose, this is why they had to kidnap him and…well i don’t think we know much about what went on when Walt went a.w.o.l. in season 2(i can’t wait for a Walt-centric episode) but Ben knew that, in the end, the kid could safely leave or had to leave the island. I think he knows everybody’s personal purposes on the island and he doesn’t care whether most of them live or die because the majority of them play small roles. But one way he can know that Locke wouldn’t die in the grave or Michael wouldn’t shoot himself in New York is because he knows the ending. Jacob told him everyone’s purpose not directly but by showing him or telling him the ending. And in this ending Alex was there but Jacob has changed the rules. Maybe Jacob needed to stress the seriousness of the threat of the invaders on the island or something else, but the message certainly got to Ben. he immediately set out for Jacob’s cabin to maybe, see why the rules have changed.(possibly because the freighties were never supposed to reach the island, thanks Jack). To sum it up, i think it was a round about way of saying there is a predetermined future of the island but it is subject to human freewill. Jack called the freighter and created an obstacle for reaching this future but i think the will of the island is greater than, but still finite and fallible, the freewill of man. Ben’s job has been to make sure the people involved end up choosing for themselves the right path. But when Jacob changed the rules, altered the future of the island, Ben had to take drastic steps to save it all. I think, without time-travel!, he will have to kill Penelope before she finds the island (or hires people to find the island) and stop the freighties from ever coming, thus saving Alex’s life, thus saving the island’s future as he foresaw it before Jacob changed the rules.
Not bad +1
ok +1
First Jacob did not change the rules. At the end of the episode Ben is talking to Widmore and tells him that he(widmore) changed the rules. Second I would bet money we do not see Walt again(maybe a smoke monster version again, but not Walt). The scene with Walt looking out the window at his father shows that they really did not want to get to close to him because he looks completely different now. I totally think your right about Ben knowing the outcome, I just think he had it wrong on how to get to the outcome. As far as “Rules” are concerned, I think one of the rules was you cannot hurt, or go after parts of each others family. and that is why widmore says to Ben you killed her..cause Ben admitted that she was not really a family member. I know that does not sound really plausible but it is as close as I can get for an explanation for the “Rules”. Most of the rest sounds very logical
I am not sure as yet,who Ben was referring to when saying “He changed the rules !”….
I think that the ‘he’ could be Charles Widmore,and that is why he went to pay him a visit. He wanted to confront him about Alex,and tell him that he wasn’t there to kill him, ( because he knows he can’t ) but to let him know that he was now, going to find Penny and kill her. Eye for an Eye ! New rules?
It seems that everytime a new episode is shown, there is always some new revelation ! Could the black and white stones represent Widmore vs. Ben for control of the island? Has this always been the case , and are we now just,beginning to see that mystery unravel ???
Thats the number one rule when you are at war. Even the mafia uses that rule. You can’t go after each others family.
“I think that the ‘he’ could be Charles Widmore,and that is why he went to pay him a visit. ”
That’s just silly. It did not matter what Widmore wanted, whether he wanted to use Alex, whether he gave instructions to Keamu to kill her if necessary. Ben was calm about her, because he was sure that “Island/Jacob won’t let it happen”.
So yeah it’s pretty much obvious who is “he” Ben’s talking about.
I don’t think Jacob changed the rules, Ben was referring to Widmore when he said that and he paid him a visit letting him know the game is now moving to a new level. There must have been some degree of respect between the two that formed part of the rules where certain measures are a no no as they affect the Island’s fate. In that meeting between the two, it was suggested that neither of them could kill each other either so there are rules of engagement in this battle for the Island but I don’t think they are Jacob’s rules. Certain characters have a purpose for the Island, but the Island is not able to stop man’s free will, that I agree on.
It was pretty clear that Charles changed the rules…NOT Jacob. So, unless you are claiming that Charles is Jacob (which I don’t think is very plausible) then I’m not sure this about your theory.
It sounds like Ben and Widmore are playing their own game of Risk. It seems to me the only person that could change the rules is the one overseeing the “game”. If Widmore did something above the rules wouldn’t Ben say “he cheated”. I believe the rules were changed by Jacob or someone yet unknown to us. The future always has a way for course correcting, so I do not believe Jack or anyone else could have caused the incident on the island to take place. I am not sure who could have the power to actually alter the future. Evidently whomever the “He” Ben referred to does and I for one can’t wait to se who it is.
Widmore is the one who changed the rules, that’s pretty clear after: ‘You changed the rules’. ‘Cause that’s what ben says to widmore in the last scene.
And Sandamtodd, give credit next time you steal my theory for a post in someone else’s.
@RealSayyid, As you were direct at quoting me …
“So yeah it’s pretty much obvious who is “he” Ben’s talking about.”
I was merely stating that I am not sure? Are you saying that you are?
thanks for the intelligent feedback everyone. i still think the “He” is Jacob because if it was Widmore, and he changed the rules by breaking an agreement to not hurt the other’s family members, Ben would be mad but i don’t think he would be surprised. Widmore seems like a vicious man and by killing Alex he would only be playing dirty and who doesn’t expect him to do that? Ben looked more like some fundamental law on the island was broken. like something impossible happened.
I like your observations. +1
I have a theory with an explanation for this “invincibility.”
http://lost-theories.com/theories/2008/apr/01/novikov-self-consistency-princ/
I think you’re mistaken. Charles is a rich, white guy. Therefore, he “misinterpretted the rules”…