# Lost 3.20: "The Man Behind the Curtain" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398 "2007-05-09T15:10:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/221 "2007-05-11T14:37:35Z")
Questions: -Why did little Ben have to wait so long to join the Hostiles? -Where did the hostiles get the gas and gas masks? any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/222 "2007-05-11T16:30:16Z")
[QUOTE=Trion] So go ahead “Lost” guys. Work my user name into a future episode and we’ll know you’re out there. Thanks. 🙂 [sub]Hey, I thought of it first.[/sub] [/QUOTE] Well, they’ve been working my name into it from early on… 😉 Sayid, in episode 1.9, to Danielle, leaving the safety of her hideout: “What if it’s the Monstre?” ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/223 "2007-05-11T16:31:19Z")
[QUOTE=Farmwoman] Note to self: If I ever find myself sitting in a van with someone who dons a gas mask and reaches for a little can, I have to remember to open the car door and run away. [/QUOTE] 😃 To be fair, Roger was at least partially drunk, slow on the uptake, and thought his son was a meek little milquetoast… ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/224 "2007-05-11T17:39:27Z")
[QUOTE=Monstre] Well, they’ve been working my name into it from early on… 😉 [/QUOTE] I am so jealous! Can I touch your shirt? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/225 "2007-05-11T18:01:49Z")
Did anyone catch that Ben’s dad is Napoleon Dynamite’s uncle? I didn’t. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/226 "2007-05-11T18:27:56Z")
[QUOTE=Omi no Kami] I wonder if anyone else is concerned that Rousseau, the crazy woman who gets her rocks off by _planting concealed booby traps randomly in the jungle_ is now in possession of most of the island’s TNT? [/QUOTE] Eh, only Locke knows, and he’s “special” so he doesn’t need to worry. He’s bulletproof\*. -Joe [sub]\*Obviously, not literally.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/227 "2007-05-11T18:39:27Z")
[QUOTE=Trion] I am so jealous! Can I touch your shirt? [/QUOTE] Hands off the goods, junior! Or at least, you gotta buy me dinner first… > [@well he's back](#): > > -Why did little Ben have to wait so long to join the Hostiles? They didn’t actually reveal when Ben officially “joined” the Hostiles. He may very well have joined their side earlier on. He just had to be patient for when the time came to go live with them. I suppose he joined up, and they kept him living in the Dharma camp as a spy for a while. Perhaps a future Ben flashback will give us more? (I hope!) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/228 "2007-05-11T18:50:07Z")
[QUOTE=Omi no Kami] I wonder if anyone else is concerned that Rousseau, the crazy woman who gets her rocks off by _planting concealed booby traps randomly in the jungle_ is now in possession of most of the island’s TNT? [/QUOTE] As opposed to her having most of it already (remember who took them to the Black Rock in the first place). I’m just wondering how they have been so casual about moving the TNT ever since Arst’s speech & accidental demonstration about being careful with the stuff. Since then, the Losties moved it, Hurley moved a stick, Mr. Eco took a few sticks around. Now Danielle is carrying a box it took two of them to move at the end of season one. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/229 "2007-05-11T18:51:40Z")
[QUOTE=well he’s back] -Where did the hostiles get the gas and gas masks? [/QUOTE] I assumed that Ben liberated them from DHARMA supplies, but I’ve got no basis other than that DHARMA seems to have most of the supplies. The canisters don’t seem to have DHARMA logos on them. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/230 "2007-05-11T19:01:02Z")
[QUOTE=Mr. Miskatonic] I’m just wondering how they have been so casual about moving the TNT ever since Arst’s speech & accidental demonstration about being careful with the stuff. Since then, the Losties moved it, Hurley moved a stick, Mr. Eco took a few sticks around. Now Danielle is carrying a box it took two of them to move at the end of season one. [/QUOTE] Arzt was the sacrifice the island required. _sagenod_ ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/231 "2007-05-11T19:01:31Z")
Gas canister used by Ben: [The Purge | Lostpedia | Fandom](http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Image:Gas_grenade.jpg) Gas canister used on Kate: [Lostpedia | Fandom](http://www.lostpedia.com/wiki/Image:Teargas.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/232 "2007-05-11T19:16:05Z")
How long do rabbits live? Anyone think that Little Ben’s rabbit pal is the same as the “exploding heart rabbit” he presented to Sawyer? Could it be that the rabbit was used in longevity experiments that make everyone (like Richard) stay so young? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/233 "2007-05-11T19:28:56Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] How long do rabbits live? [/QUOTE] > [@](#): > > a pet rabbit’s average lifespan is 7-12 years. [Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lane/4033/rcare.html) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/234 "2007-05-11T20:00:57Z")
[QUOTE=Merijeek] At this point we have got to have had enough occurrences of “The Voices” to have some theories. So…anyone? -Joe [/QUOTE] Not a theory, per se, but you can read a transcript of The Whispers on Lostpedia. I haven’t checked for this epsiode, but I’ve read past transcripts. Nothing too meaningful, and some of the whispers are not in English. I sure hope they fill in Ben’s “lost years” when next they do his backstory again-- the time between his initial encounter with Richard and the gassing. Does anyone have any idea who gave Ben the deactivation code for the sonic fence? I guess it could be that he stole it himself. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/235 "2007-05-11T20:02:33Z")
[QUOTE=Monstre] Well, they’ve been working my name into it from early on… 😉 Sayid, in episode 1.9, to Danielle, leaving the safety of her hideout: “What if it’s the Monstre?” [/QUOTE] Damn French and their wierd spellings! The Mostre is the centre of the island… ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/236 "2007-05-11T20:04:43Z")
A friend mentioned to me that Samantha Mathis’s character, presumably Mrs. Goodspeed, was not shown as being dead. So, since she presumably cost a little more than other guest stars, she might be around for another episode. And since Annie’s body wasn’t being shown, I wonder if she had some connection with the hostiles. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/237 "2007-05-12T00:35:58Z")
Wow. For such a big episode this thread sure quieted quickly. Considering the level of quality in these episodes since the hiatus (high) and how quickly the threads seem to have dried up (fast), I wonder if that hiatus really started to put the nails in Lost’s coffin. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/238 "2007-05-12T00:55:11Z")
It’s because there won’t be a zombie season. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/239 "2007-05-12T01:15:20Z")
Pretty far-fetched idea about Locke and Ben. What if Locke wanted Ben to kill him? Many now think that there is some sort of spirit-world connection on the island. What if Locke realized this, and realized that the best way to “help” Jacob, was to cross over? It makes the move sort of like Obi-Wan in the original Star Wars. So Ben thinks Locke is a threat because he hears Jacob too. Locke baits Ben into killing him, realizing the whole time that Ben, by winning the battle, loses the war. This is pure speculation, I don’t have any evidence to back it up, but it makes sense of why Locke acted the way he did, sort of. Or not. I’m not really attached to the idea. Just tossing it out there because it’s quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/240 "2007-05-12T01:23:04Z")
[QUOTE=Gfactor] Pretty far-fetched idea about Locke and Ben. What if Locke wanted Ben to kill him? Many now think that there is some sort of spirit-world connection on the island. What if Locke realized this, and realized that the best way to “help” Jacob, was to cross over? It makes the move sort of like Obi-Wan in the original Star Wars. So Ben thinks Locke is a threat because he hears Jacob too. Locke baits Ben into killing him, realizing the whole time that Ben, by winning the battle, loses the war. This is pure speculation, I don’t have any evidence to back it up, but it makes sense of why Locke acted the way he did, sort of. Or not. I’m not really attached to the idea. Just tossing it out there because it’s quiet. [/QUOTE] Absolutely not. Locke was totally surprised. He thought he’d cowed Ben. He was wrong. -Joe [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398.md?page=13)