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ljones41 · 4 months

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"LOST" Retrospect: "Who Ordered the Dharma Initiative Purge?"

Years ago, I had a written an article that speculated on which character from the ABC series, "LOST", was responsible for an incident called "the Dharma Purge". After a few re-watches of the series, I wrote this revision of the ARTICLE.

"LOST" RETROSPECTIVE: "WHO ORDERED THE DHARMA INITIATIVE PURGE?"

Seven years ago, I had written this article about a major incident on the ABC television series, "LOST". This incident happened to focus on the murders or "Purge" of the scientific research organization known as the Dharma Initiative. It happened on December 19, 1992; nearly twelve years before the series began and before the crash of Oceanic Airlines 815 flight.

In the Season Five episode, (5.10) "He's Our You", Oceanic Flight 815 survivor and later, time traveler Sayid Jarrah tried to murder young Ben Linus in 1977. In the following episode, another Oceanic time traveler, Dr. Jack Shephard, refused to treat the badly wounded Ben, who was near death. Eventually, two other time traveling castaways, James "Sawyer" Ford and Kate Austen, had taken Ben to the Others aka the Hostiles aka the Natives, a group of island inhabitants who served as its protectors on the behalf of the main protector Jacob, for treatment via Dr. Juliet Burke's instructions. Within a decade-and-a-half, Ben ended up ousting future billionaire Charles Widmore as leader of the Others.

Ever since the series had first aired, many fans had been uncertain of when Ben's tenure as the Others' leader had began - before or after the Purge. As I had stated earlier, the Purge occurred in December 1992, on the same day as Ben's birthday and during the same month as the Others' rejection of Widmore as their leader. Many fans and television critics had automatically assumed Ben had ordered the Purge. I have heard comments that compared Ben to Adolf Hitler. I have also heard comments that compared Ben��s younger self to a "young Hitler". Many people have claimed that it was Ben who had ordered the deaths of the Dharma Initiative members. However, I have my doubts.

During Seasons Three and Four, Ben had offered contradicting comments on whether or not he had ordered the Dharma Initiative Purge. In (3.23) "Through the Looking Glass", he had claimed responsibility of the Purge to Jack:

"Not so long ago, Jack. I made a decision that took the lives of over forty people in a single day"

Unfortunately, Ben had contradicted this claim in two other episodes. In the Season Three episode, (3.20) "The Man Behind the Curtain", he had said this to Oceanic survivor John Locke, while he displayed the remains of Dharma members at a mass grave:

"This is where I came from, John. These are my people. The Dharma Initiative. They came here seeking harmony, but they couldn't even co-exist with the Island's original inhabitants. And when it became clear that one side had to go, one side had to be purged, I did what I had to do. I was one of the people that was smart enough to make sure that I didn't end up in that ditch. Which makes me considerably smarter than you, John."

Ben never claimed responsibility for ordering the Purge to Locke. He had confessed to participating in the Purge. That same episode made it clear that his participation involved killing his abusive father, Dharma Initiative worker, Roger Linus. In fact, Ben also made the same thing clear in the Season Four episode, (4.11) "Cabin Fever", when he had the following conversation with another Oceanic castaway, Hugo "Hurley" Reyes:

HURLEY: So... This is where you shot Locke and left him for dead, huh? BEN: Yes, Hugo, I was standing right where you are now when I pulled the trigger. Should have realized at the time that it was pointless, but... I really wasn't thinking clearly. [Hurley steps back a little] HURLEY: Is that why you killed all these people, too? BEN: I didn't kill them. HURLEY: Well, if the Others didn't wipe out the Dharma Initiative -- BEN: They did wipe them out, Hugo, but it wasn't my decision. HURLEY: Then whose was it? BEN: Their leader's. HURLEY: But I thought you were their leader. BEN: Not always.

Interesting. He had admitted to trying to kill Locke in "The Man Behind the Curtain". But he denied being the one who had ordered the Purge. Also, Ben had been truthful when he told Hurley that he had not always been the Others' leader. The series had featured three other leaders - the ageless Richard Alpert (who eventually became the future leaders' advisor), Eloise Hawking and Widmore. Although some fans remain convinced that Ben had ordered the Purge, there are a good number of fans who hold Widmore responsible.

Thanks to a flashback in the Season Five episode called (5.12) "Dead Is Dead" - viewers learned that Widmore had definitely been the leader of the Others back in 1988. And in another Season Four episode called (4.09) "The Shape of Things to Come", viewers learned in a flash forward scene set in London that Ben had taken the leadership of the Others away from Widmore:

WIDMORE: I know who you are, boy. What you are. I know that everything you have you took from me. So... Once again I ask you: Why are you here? BEN: I'm here, Charles, to tell you that I'm going to kill your daughter. Penelope, is it? And once she's gone... once she's dead... then you'll understand how I feel. And you'll wish you hadn't changed the rules. [Widmore shifts in his bed.] WIDMORE: You'll never find her. [Ben turns to leave.] WIDMORE: That island's mine, Benjamin. It always was. It will be again.

I found it interesting that Widmore had regarded the island as "his". And there were other aspects of Widmore that I found interesting. The Season Five episode, (5.03) "Jughead", had revealed Widmore as a member of the Others, as far back as 1954 (when he was seventeen years-old). As one of the Others, Widmore (along with Richard and Hawking) had participated in a previous purge - that of U.S. Army personnel, who had brought a hydrogen bomb nicknamed "Jughead" with them to the island. On other occasions, Widmore had this inclination to kill anyone he deemed a threat to the island's secrecy. He killed a fellow Other to prevent the latter from leading Locke, Sawyer and Juliet to Richard's location in 1954. The 1988 flashback from "Dead Is Dead" revealed Ben's refusal to kill Danielle Rousseau and her baby, Alex. Instead, he claimed Alex as his child and threatened Danielle to stay away. This decision had angered Widmore, who had expected Ben to kill both. Why were Danielle and Alex's deaths that important to Widmore? Ironically, Widmore finally got his way regarding Danielle and Alex, thanks to Martin Keamy, the mercenary he had sent to the island to snatch Ben in Season Four.

So, when did Ben Linus replace Charles Widmore as leader of the Others? Before December 19, 1992? Or after? The photograph below from "The Man Behind the Curtain" hints that Ben had remained a worker for the DHARMA Initiative during that period, despite joining the Others sometime in the 1980s:

But had Ben assumed leadership of the Others by then? If not, does that mean Charles Widmore was still leading the Others in December 1992? Both the LOSTPEDIA and the WIKIPEDIA sites claimed that Richard Alpert had led the Others' purge against the Dharma Initiative in 1992. But neither site made it clear who had ordered the Purge. And "Dead Is Dead" never gave a clear date on Widmore's exile.

One would assume my choice for the man responsible for ordering the Purge would be Widmore. And you would be right. There seemed a good deal of evidence making him responsible. He had already participated in an earlier purge back in 1954. Ben had revealed time and again his willingness to use violence - even kill those he deemed a threat to himself or for emotional reasons. But the series had also revealed Widmore's willingness to do the same and especially kill in the name of protecting the island. And that included ordering Ben to kill an emotionally unstable Danielle Rousseau and her infant child. Widmore had also sent the murderous Martin Keamy to the island in late Season Three-Season Four to snatch Ben. He had claimed to Locke in (5.07) "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" that he had done so to give Locke the opportunity to become the Others' new leader. Yet, his words to Locke contradicted his words to Ben in London, when he had claimed the island as "his". This scene had occurred nearly a year or more after the events of Season Four.

There is also the matter of whether Keamy had another agenda - namely to kill any of the Oceanic survivors that remained. In "Cabin Fever" he had demanded Sayid reveal the number of other Oceanic survivors and their location. Fortunately, the latter had refused. In a confrontation with the freighter's Captain Gault, Keamy revealed his intentions to "torch" the island. Some claimed that this had been Keamy's angry reaction to his men being attacked by the Smoke Monster. Yet, in (4.08) "Meet Kevin Johnson", Ben had accused the freighter crew of plans to snatch him and kill the island's inhabitants. The only freighter personnel in the room - spiritualist Miles Straume - had remained unusually silent. In the following episode, (4.09) "The Shape of Things to Come", Miles claimed that Keamy and his men were around to serve as security guards for a captured Ben. But there was the revelation that Widmore had set up a false location for the missing Oceanic 815 plane - with a plane wreck and dead bodies included. This is merely an assumption of mine, but I believe Widmore had sent Keamy to not only snatch Ben, but kill the remaining Oceanic survivors as well to maintain the narrative. I found a good deal of clues that led me to suspect Widmore had ordered the Dharma Purge.

After watching the series more than once, I find it increasingly difficult to hold Ben responsible for the Purge. His actions against the Oceanic castaways had featured spying, kidnapping, harassment, threats and manipulation. He rarely resorted to murder - aside from his attempt to kill Locke and his order to kill Sayid, Jin Kwon and Bernard Nader during the events in the Season Three finale, (3.23) "Through the Looking Glass, Part 2". If Ben was truly capable of ordering the Purge, he would have wiped out (or tried) the Oceanic survivors after getting Jack to remove the tumor from his spine. The man had proved incapable of following Widmore's orders to kill Danielle and Alex.

In the end, viewers know that Charles Widmore had been the leader of the Others in 1988-89, when he had ordered Ben Linus to kill Danielle Rosseau and her infant daughter. Viewers know that Ben had refused. Viewers also know that Richard Alpert had led a group of Others in the Purge against the U.S. Army in 1954. He also led the Others' purge against the Dharma Initiative on December 19, 1992. On that same date, Ben killed his father, Roger Linus, in a similar manner – by toxic gas. And viewers know that Ben had eventually replaced Widmore and exiled the latter off the island. Personally, I suspect Widmore had ordered the Purge against Dharma. But I suspect it was an order he had not issued lightly, given the number of years the Others had been in conflict with the Dharma Initiative.

But I cannot say with any authority that Widmore had ordered the Dharma Initiative Purge. If we only knew exactly when Widmore had been exiled, perhaps this mystery of the Purge will finally be cleared.

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unforgivablego · 1 year

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Just some interesting experiments…

#they like holding hands #aziraphale #crowley #bentley #curtain #niatruc #rucniat #crowley and aziraphale #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens season two #good omens season 2 #good omens series #neil gaiman #neil gaiman meme #michael sheen #david tennant

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minimanic · 5 months

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everyone look at my beautiful daughter

#after months of trial and error i finally manged to attach her to the wall #i still want to do a bunch of embroidered bead work along the bottom of her shawl thingy but that will also be easier now #she's a series of experiments in a trench coat (repurposed curtain)#but still #eyes squick #eye horror

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theology101 · 4 months

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Roger Maxson is the most important man in Fallout American History

So tonight, as we break bread together, let us forge together something new. Something strong. Something we can be proud of. Something we can build upon. We'll preserve what's best of what's come before and use it. And one day, we will reclaim what was lost. Let us forge a Brotherhood of Steel.

I love great man history. It is entirely inaccurate and a horrible way to represent trends, war, geo-political power, and the thousands of little pieces that all make up 'history.' Great Man History swipes that all away and instead makes history a Biography, where the steps made by an individual would reverberate for eons to come. In real life, the amount of people who could possibly defined as 'Great Men' is minuscule (by my count, its 5) and its usage in chronicling history is dubious if not non-existent

But for storytelling? Hot DOG that gets my blood pumping!

Roger Maxson was a man on the Brink. His commanding officer, Colonel Robert Spindel had just committed suicide, leaving Maxson in command of the entire military brigade established at Mariposa - 1,500-3,200 soldiers, all of whom had to deal with the fact that their government willingly committed horrors against not only humans, but also American citizens. He was able to gather the families of his men, probably doubling their population numbers, and then watched as a week and a day after assuming command, Roger Maxson watched as nuclear flame wiped clean the entire surface.

This was not like Ellen Santiago on the East Coast, a military leader looking for some hope, some direction. This was a man who had declared independence from his country, had the Rose colored glasses ripped from his eyes and watched as consumerism and imperialism consumed the entire world. Mariposa was a military base... and also a corporate research center. Maxson would have been well aware of the economic situation prior to the war and would most likely have come to the conclusion that America was responsible for its own death.

I brought up Great Man history so let me plug one of those Great Men - Charlemagne. If you were gonna be boring about (IE an actual historian), you would look at how the Franks had been rising in local power for decades, and that Charlemagne used the foundation made by his grandfather and the relationship with Rome that had been fostered since the Merovingians to make the largest military powerhouse seen in the West since the fall of Rome. But if you were gonna be BASED AS FUCK (a bad historian but a good storyteller) you would write about how Charlemagne's personal brilliance and skill won the day. And the latter is exactly what Charlemagne would want you to think - so he had his legends made. Codifed centuries later as Chanson de geste, Charlemagne spent the majority of his time as Holy Roman Emperor myth-making about himself. Establishing epics, wondrous stories, and poems. Becoming more than himself and instead being Pater Europae

Roger Maxson: We need to do something bold. We can't just stay the US Army. What's going to happen, and this is only a matter of time, is some general, or some goddamned politician is going to exit a Vault and start ordering us around. And worse they'll order some grunt to start the whole damned cycle again. Another wave of nuclear death. And if that's not enough they'll do it again. You know they will, Lizzy. It ends with us. We won't let them.

Elizabeth Taggerdy: I... I understand. But a Brotherhood? Knights? I'm supposed to call you, what, Elder?

Roger Maxson: Words have power, Lizzy. They build identity. They take on a meaning if you keep using them, even if it didn't exist to begin with. It was the Knights and Scribes after the fall of Rome that protected what was left of Western civilization. So we are the new Knights and our role is similar. But we'll need more than names. We'll need new traditions, our own, well, mythology. Something people can believe to their core.

Elizabeth Taggerdy: Is this necessary?

Roger Maxson: What else can I do? Declare myself President? Make you a Senator? Look around. Something's killing us more than the rads and freaks out there. Depression. People have lost everyone. Every goddam soul. Wives, kids, loved ones, heck even the mailman. We need to replace it with something otherwise people's souls will wither. We'll be little more than walking dead men.

This quick move paid dividents to the Brotherhood as a whole and the Maxson family as a rule. America was a corrupt, bloated institution that would lead to its own death and cannibalization - so Maxson changed it. A cult of personality, a subculture independent from what came before it, a pseudo-monarchical meritocratic collectivistic state. Bound by their tenets and their Leader

Roger Maxson was a visionary, a man who knew that he had to become more than a man, had to become a symbol. And in fact, so did his entire Brotherhood. That what saved them from the ennui of the Enclave and NCR - they're something new, with their God King looking down at them. And it is this same legend and mythology that will allow for their unification under Arthur Maxson as the new High Elder. Two centuries later, people are still willing to join, fight, and sacrifice for the ideals of the Brotherhood and for the Name of Maxson, and with the adaption of some of Lyon's (and honestly, Roger Maxson's) strategies of recruitment, Arthur has ensured that they will keep going too.

If Maxson had instead simply become "Colonel Maxson of the US Army Remnant" I can guarantee he would be forgotten. But Roger Maxson, first High Elder, will be a name that never dies

#brotherhood of steel #fallout brotherhood of steel #fallout bos #Maxson #Elder Maxson #Roger Maxson #fallout #fallout 2 #fallout new vegas #fallout 76 #fallout discourse #fallout amazon #fallout tv series #fallout tv show #Fallout Politics #Ngl i hated the appalachian chapter of the brotherhood #but i love the private messages from Roger #its a peak behind the curtain #of this god king

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tprings-hair · 6 months

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I'm sorry I just cannot believe that 3x22 the savage curtain introduced the dilemma of spock having to choose between following the actual personification of vulcan history and philosophy, or kirk, and then resolved it so quickly that it was barely even a source of stress for either of them. the answer was kirk, btw. in case that wasn't obvious.

SURAK: I will not harm others, Captain.

SPOCK: His convictions are most profound in this matter, Captain.

KIRK: So are mine, Spock. If I believed that there was a peaceful way out of this --

SURAK: The risk will be mine alone. If I fail, you lose nothing. After all, I'm no warrior.

SPOCK: The captain knows that I have fought at his side before and will do so now, if need be. However, I too, am a Vulcan, bred to peace. Let him attempt it.

spock is saying, let him do as he sees fit. let him follow his own principles. and let me stay by your side. kirk tells him to gather weapons in case surak fails, and spock does. he is casting aside the philosophy he was raised with in favour of war, and he's doing it for kirk.

KIRK: Your Surak is a brave man.

SPOCK: Men of peace usually are, Captain. On Vulcan, he is revered as the father of our civilisation. The father image holds much meaning for us.

KIRK: You show emotion, Spock.

SPOCK: I deeply respect what he has accomplished.

KIRK: I hope he accomplishes something here, and soon.

kirk is complimenting surak, and I do think he genuinely means it, but the way he says it comes off like an apology. like he knows what spock just let go of for him, and he wants to make sure spock is okay.

spock says, men of peace, and he is not counting himself as one of them. I think that's what makes kirk look up like that. throughout the show, he does use violence, but outside extreme situations he does it sparingly and elegantly -- the nerve pinch, the simple side step of a punch -- and usually advocates for a more peaceful solution. now, he's admitting how he has changed. he values peace. but he can't call himself an instrument of it.

and now he's comparing surak to a father image. christian implications aside (and that is difficult with star trek sometimes), he is standing beside kirk in spite of surak's and his own vulcan father's teachings, too. he sharpens his spear and looks frustrated with himself. he shows emotion. and he doesn't deny it, either! he says sincerely that he respects surak's accomplishments, and kirk stares at him, because that's more emotion than he generally cares to show, especially after it's pointed out to him. (early in the episode, surak points out his emotion on seeing him, and spock begs forgiveness. he is no longer looking for that from surak. spock has made his choice.)

he's angry at himself. and as a peace offering, kirk says he hopes surak has managed to broker peace here and now. even though you can tell from his tone and the fact that he's still making his own weapon that he isn't optimistic.

(and all of this is putting aside the fact that surak is definitely a jesus figure and spock rejecting his philosophy and forgiveness for an imperfect man is another kind of huge character choice. this has to be pointed out.)

idk how they managed to air this in the 60s. but I'm very glad they did.

#star trek tos #emotional security #star trek #spock #james t kirk #jim kirk #meta #analysis #the savage curtain #3x22 the savage curtain #s3ep22 the savage curtain #tos #the original series #episode #surak

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locked-in-the-tomb · 2 months

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The Fate of Paul (a Locked Tomb Theory)

"Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed." — 1 Corinthians 15:50-51, NKJV

"Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." — 2 Kings 2:11, NKJV

"She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body. [...] As the first element of these demonstrations, they insist upon the fact that, out of filial love for his mother, Jesus Christ has willed that she be assumed into heaven." — Defining the Dogma of the Assumption

"Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." — Acts 1:9, NKJV

Paul has a problem. They are immortal, but their beloved Dulcinea is dead. In spite of that, both Camilla and Palamedes fully expected to get the chance to finally meet her—in person—after completing the Grand Lysis.

"Warden—will she know who we are, in the River?" "Oh, she's not stupid," said Palamedes lightly. "In the River—beyond the River—I truly believe we will see ourselves and each other as we really are." — Nona the Ninth, Chapter 28

How can this be?

To put it simply, I believe Paul will find a way to cross the River without dying.

To use biblical terminology, they will either ascend (of their own power) or be assumed (drawn by a higher power—Dulcinea?) into "heaven," which is to say, the world beyond the River—the side that Dulcinea and Abigail and Magnus and the terrible teens have reached.

"It's a river. There are two shores. If this ends well, you'll find that out." — Dulcinea, The Unwanted Guest

It's difficult to speculate at this point how they will cross or what will happen once they do because of how little we know about the true nature of the River or the two shores, which I take to mean either "the beyond" and the world of the living or "the beyond" and the world beneath the stoma, which we also have yet to see. I suspect the nature of the afterlife will be a major part of AtN (I believe we were promised Harrow harrowing hell? or is that a fan theory?).

Regardless, Paul, to us, is a dark horse. They are a new kind of lyctor and we have yet to really see what they are capable of. We do know that Pal, having spent eight months living in the River after the events of GtN, has an intimate knowledge of the workings of the River that few necromancers have ever achieved. I suspect this knowledge will play a role in how Paul finds their way to the other side, and to Dulcinea, at last.

#tlt #the locked tomb #dulcinea septimus #palamedes sextus #camilla hect #tlt theories #tlt meta #the locked tomb series #my posts #dying in tlt doesn't mean you're gone #it means you've gone backstage #waiting for curtain call #i do think every dead character will reappear somehow #btw no matter what i do i can't get that 8 in chapter 28 to turn orange lmao

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