WRITERS: Elizabeth Sarnoff & Drew Goddard DIRECTOR: Bobby Roth
CAST: Michael Emerson (Ben), Terry O'Quinn (Locke), Josh Holloway (Sawyer), Matthew Fox (Jack), Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Yunjin Kim (Sun), Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond), Daniel Dae Kim (Jin), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie), Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert), Marsha Thomason (Naomi), Tania Raymonde (Alex), Francois Chau (Dr Marvin Candle), Madeline Carroll (Annie), Samantha Mathis (Olivia), Doug Hutchison (Horace), Carrie Preston (Emily), Jon Gries (Roger Linus), Sterling Beaumon (Young Ben), Andrew Divoff (Mikhail) & M.C Gainey (Tom)
Locke returns to the Others' camp with his dead father, demanding his promised answers, Juliet is confronted about her secret tape recording and flashbacks reveal how Ben arrived on the island...I'm quivering with excitement. Lost delves deep into its extensive mythology with The Man Behind The Curtain, showing us the DHARMA Initiative's heydays on the island, Ben's tragic backstory, the downfall of DHARMA at the hands of the "hostiles" and Locke's quest for answers takes a stunning twist...
This is phenomenal stuff from a series many became dismissive of earlier in the season. How ridiculous that sounds now! All claims Lost had "jumped the shark" are null and void, as The Man Behind The Curtain is firm evidence that these storytellers know exactly what they're doing, and where they're going.
Numerous plot-points from earlier in the season are also referenced -- from skeletal Roger to Ben's white rabbit -- and, while Lost thankfully never gives straight answers, things really are beginning to gel together.
Michael Emerson takes centre stage as Ben Linus, who has been magnificent as the bug-eyed manipulator since his arrival as Henry Gale last year. Ben's finally afforded flashback material that shines light on the murkier corners of Lost's mythology. It was great fun seeing DHARMA working in their community, fending off the "hostile" natives of the island. It was even better to see the childbirth angle returned to via Ben's tragic history. Ben's mother died giving birth to him, something he's blamed for by his drunkard father (making him another character with daddy issues...)
Terry O'Quinn is always impressive and the chemistry he shares with Michael Emerson is one of Lost's trump cards. The two men's quiet battle for supremacy is great to see unfold, particularly in the wake of Locke's "rites of passage" killing of his father and his renewed tough-guy stance after beating Mikhail to a pulp.
The episode is rife with allusions and nuggets of gold for fans, particularly regarding Wizard Of Oz connotations (the episode's title) and references to Alice In Wonderland (Ben's rabbit leading him to "another world"). As usual, many questions pose themselves and lodge in your mind along the way: where is Ben's childhood sweetheart Annie now? Why hasn't Alpert aged since Ben was a kid? Why was Mikhail spared the "purge"? What was the strange ash circling Jacob's hut? Etc.
Of course, the engine of the story is Locke's mission to uncover the island's secrets, with Ben agreeing to take him to his oft-mentioned leader Jacob. I'm not going to ruin the surprise regarding Jacob's identity, but it's totally unpredictable, gleefully weird and such a key piece of fresh information you'll be trying to connect it to Lost's mysteries for hours after.
The Man Behind The Curtain is just the kind of episode fans are demanding these days. It both answers questions and throws up some new ones. I find it extraordinary that getting answers never disappoints me, and the new questions just spark renewed fervour in the show. The fact there are dozens of other moments I haven't even touched should tell you all you need to know. This is a neatly-structured and punchy script from Elizabeth Sarnoff and Drew Goddard, who are fast becoming one of the show's best writing duos.
I just can't see how you'd be disappointed here and The Man Behind The Curtain acts as a brilliant teaser for the season finale. Director Bobby Roth (usually to be found helming Prison Break) does a great job with the material, which is packed with tricky sequences and location shooting. I hope he returns.
It's a triumphant episode on practically every level. It even has cult X-Files villain Doug Hutchison in a small role, together with hottie Samantha Mathis as a cute teacher, who co-starred with Terry O'Quinn in the short-lived Harsh Realm TV series. This is a joyous highlight for Lost and a strong indicator that the show is firmly back on track. So keep the faith that may have wobbled earlier this season, as we're only half-way down the rabbit hole...
