# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 15
**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 14, 2007, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/281 "2007-05-14T23:51:57Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Significant practical obstacle to doing a pre-island flashback for Rousseau (presuming that her backstory starts elsewhere, of course): de-aging the performer 16 years. A hot shower and a couple of hours with a stylist would help a lot, but probably not 16 years worth. [/QUOTE] I could tell you how it could be done, but it’s complicated. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/282 "2007-05-15T00:21:51Z")
There is a neat temporary facelift technique that uses tape and string that’s quite effective. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/283 "2007-05-15T00:36:45Z")
Not to mention that they don’t exactly glam her up for role, so any makeup would be a help. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/284 "2007-05-15T00:54:55Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Significant practical obstacle to doing a pre-island flashback for Rousseau (presuming that her backstory starts elsewhere, of course): de-aging the performer 16 years. A hot shower and a couple of hours with a stylist would help a lot, but probably not 16 years worth. [/QUOTE] Use the actress who plays Alex. -FRL- ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/285 "2007-05-15T03:56:01Z")
Given how haggard and dirty Rousseau usually is, simply cleaning her up and adding some light makeup would probably do wonders for her apparent age. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/286 "2007-05-15T04:10:27Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] Significant practical obstacle to doing a pre-island flashback for Rousseau (presuming that her backstory starts elsewhere, of course): de-aging the performer 16 years. A hot shower and a couple of hours with a stylist would help a lot, but probably not 16 years worth. [/QUOTE] Eh, it’s not like the bad hairpieces they used on Ben, Locke, or Jack actually made them look any younger. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/287 "2007-05-15T17:32:10Z")
I know I’m late to the party here (last year I never would have believed that I would tolerate a one-week lag on Lost episodes) and I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but… No mention of the Apollo bars? I liked all the [Apollonian](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6633289#post6633289) stuff previously touched on. (+ Arrow & Swan stations, etc.) Nice how showing the Apollo bars again with Ben _Linus_ reinforces it. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/288 "2007-05-15T18:39:10Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] Nice how showing the Apollo bars again with Ben **Linus** reinforces it. [/QUOTE] I don’t get it. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/289 "2007-05-15T18:51:15Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] I don’t get it. -FrL- [/QUOTE] What a dumbass! [sub]Ok…I don’t get it either[/Sub] ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/290 "2007-05-15T18:57:44Z")
[QUOTE=middleman] What a dumbass! [sub]Ok…I don’t get it either[/Sub] [/QUOTE] Linus!! Hello! Greek god of security blankets! Okay, I got nothing… ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/291 "2007-05-15T19:08:00Z")
[QUOTE=middleman] What a dumbass! [sub]Ok…I don’t get it either[/Sub] [/QUOTE] [I get it now.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_(mythology)) -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/292 "2007-05-15T19:39:29Z")
Sorry! I’m trying really hard not to fall back into my season one pattern of writing novel-length expositions about Lost esoterica. (That way lies madness.) Maybe a little too much brevity, there, though… ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/293 "2007-05-16T00:25:36Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] I was wondering about Ben’s statement that he was born on the island, which we now know isn’t true. [/QUOTE] Did he actually say that? For some reason I had the impression that he had said he lived on the island his whole life, which has a slightly different connotation. Of course if he did say that he was born there he could have meant it metaphorically as in he felt reborn. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/294 "2007-05-16T12:21:21Z")
[QUOTE=jackdavinci] Did he actually say that? For some reason I had the impression that he had said he lived on the island his whole life, which has a slightly different connotation. Of course if he did say that he was born there he could have meant it metaphorically as in he felt reborn. [/QUOTE] He told Locke that he had lied about “having been born on this island”. So… -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/295 "2007-05-16T15:05:40Z")
Interesting guest star list for Greatest Hits. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/296 "2007-05-16T19:19:01Z")
[QUOTE=jackdavinci] Did he actually say that? For some reason I had the impression that he had said he lived on the island his whole life, which has a slightly different connotation. Of course if he did say that he was born there he could have meant it metaphorically as in he felt reborn. [/QUOTE] From “The Man Behind the Curtain”: > [@](#): > > BEN: You know, John, you’re not wrong, some of the things I’ve told you, some of the things I’ve told everybody, are simply not true. > > LOCKE: Like what? > > BEN: Well, for starters, I wasn’t born on this Island. So he _has_ told Locke (or at least someone) that he was born on the Island. Of course, I’m wondering why he would need to lie about it; Richard Alpert, the ostensible leader of the Hostiles–the group that Ben joins–knows that Ben came to the island with the Dharma people, so unless Ben’s frightened him into silence somehow the people he’s currently with should know the same. As for Locke and the Losties, why would they care if he was born on the Island or not? Apparently, with some of the upcoming plot twists on _Lost_ spoiled by news outlets, Charlie will die, most likely in this episode but possibly in the next, as well as Tom (Mr. Friendly). ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2007, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/297 "2007-05-17T02:01:56Z")
openess? on LOST? the mind boggles. go charlie! ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398/298 "2007-05-18T15:57:07Z")
[QUOTE=BobT] And Michael Emerson’s wife (Carrie Preston) played his mother. Very Oedipal. [/QUOTE] Sorry to bump this old thread, but I didn’t realize that was Carrie Preston until a few days ago. I’ve met her in person at an Atlanta screening of _Straight-Jacket_ (which Emerson was also in), and she’s from Georgia. …And, in her salad days she was an intern at Georgia Shakespeare at Oglethorpe University, just like Jennifer Garner, another actress who’s found work on a J.J. Abrams show. I think this is moderately neat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-3-20-the-man-behind-the-curtain/403398.md?page=14)