Ben is the one in the coffin…and here’s why
+3 11 Votes
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By MyStarbuckHatesLost
- Ben is the one in the coffin…and here’s why
- Created: Feb 27, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 3.22: Through The Looking Glass
- Status: Current
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I was trying to think of why Jack reacted so badly at a funeral which nobody else attended and Here’s what I think… (and if I am repeating any theories anyone has come up with before, please forgive me. I just crashed here and I’m still a bit shaken up)
In the season-3 finale, Jack goes to a funeral and has a strong and pained reaction to the death of whomever is in the coffin. If you understand Jack’s motivation at this point it gives a clue as to the person who has died.
We can rule out Locke right off the bat. In fact, Jack (at least from what we have seen up to date) would probably dance a little jig on the coffin if Locke were in it as he himself tried to put a bullet in the great bald hunter’s head.
Michael? Maybe, but Michael (waaallllllllltttttt!) is not the most beloved among the losties and unless he does something spectacular to redeem himself, Jack would not be so heartbroken if Walt’s daddy were toe-tagged. And if he did do something heroic and redeemed himself, surely more people would have been at the funeral.
James (Da man Sawer) Ford? Well Jack might be upset if her were dead and he is a loner so his funeral may not be the most popular event to attend but no matter what happened between them, I cannot imagine Kate not being at least a little bit hurt by El-Knicknamo’s passing.
Hurley? Nope, coffin’s too small.
Erin? Nope, coffin’s too big.
The same applies to most of the other losties in my mind except for one…Benjamin Linus.
Here’s why I think it is Ben in the coffin.
Look at Jack at this stage of his life. He has been rescued and for whatever reason, guild, shame, whatever, he is fallng apart both personally and profesionally. He has become addicted to drugs and alcohol and is also suicidal. He now desperately wants to get back to the island either to fix what he did wrong or just to be happy. Jack does not know how to get back, however, and has even been flying over the Pacific every weekend hoping his plane will crash…no such luck.
Though he has no idea how to find him, Jack knows that the ONE person who may be able to get him back to the island is Ben. And when he finds out he is dead, he reacts like a knife has been thrust into his heart.
Ben employed Sayid as his assassin to get whom he considered to be the bad guys trying to hurt the island. It looks, however, like the bad guys may have gotten him (and possibly Sayid as well)
At the funeral, Jack realizes that his last, best hope of returning to the island has died along with Ben and that is what drives him to try to kill himself.
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurley | Hugo “Hurley” Reyes | 2.18, 2.4, 1.18, 4.1, 4.12 | 556 |
| Jack | Jack Shephard | 1.1, 1.5, 2.11, 1.11, 1.16, 1.20, 3.9, 3.22, 3.1, 4.10, 4.12, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1451 |
| Kate | Katherine “Kate” Austen | 3.6, 1.2, 1.3, 2.9, 1.12, 1.16, 1.22, 3.15, 4.4, 4.12 | 711 |
| Sawyer | James “Sawyer” Ford | 3.4, 2.3, 2.6, 2.13, 1.16, 3.10 | 451 |
| Sayid | Sayid Jarrah | 2.14, 1.9, 3.11, 4.3, 4.12 | 387 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.22 | Through The Looking Glass | 5-23-2007 | Jack | 1251 |
Props on putting 2 and 2 together to realize that Jack is upset because his only way back to the island might be dead. Good thinking.
If only we knew more details on the 325 degree headings - it’s obvious that 325 will get you out to somewhere, but what (and where) would you come in from if you wanted to do it purposely?
Ben knows …. oooooohhh that’s right. He’s dead (in your theory).
(and it’s Aaron, he’s not a girl! lol)
Very nice!
Interesting ive seen lots of theories about who is in the coffin and a lot of people suspect ben but with no base to the argument youre the first one who made me think that could actually be ben.
But actually as im writing this im already questioning how ben would explain his being on the island and being rescued. In episode 4 (STOP reading IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT) Jack says that only 8 of them survived the crash and that two of the 8 died a little while after. And everyone in the world seems to accept that it was a deserted island how would ben explain why he was there. So no i dont think that Ben was in the coffin.
Intriguing theory (I particularly like the process of elimination technique) and I am inclined to agree with you on the Michael, Sawyer & Hurley explanation…. but to my mind there are numerous other characters that need to be ‘explained away’ before we can conclude that Ben is the one.
I reckon, before we can ascertain who is in the coffin we need to postulate who must be ruled out.
I like your explanation of Ben being the ultimate key to Jack’s return; I’m just not yet convinced it has to be him. Good work, though! It’s got me thinking. +1
Starbuck, this makes sense and really fits the pieces we have together very well. It doesn’t explain the funeral location or the odd obituary but I’m sure those are minor details that could easily be explained simply as a cover story for who Ben was supposed to be and a little history of growing up in the area, etc.
This premise would mean that Jack knows Ben has left the island and also knows his new identity. If this is the case, why hasn’t Jack gone to Ben for help returning to the island? If he has, why would Ben turn him down in an effort to “repair the damage” done by leaving? (Of course with Ben it could simply be out of spite for screwing things up in the first place!! But I’d like to give him more credit than that!)
The more I think about this the more I think you might be right!
Stickman I’m not following your reasoning for why it can’t be Ben. Ben isn’t one of the Oceanic 6 since he wasn’t on the plane to begin with. And since Ben clearly has a plan of surviving off the island that revolves around remaining hidden, stealing the identity of one of the dead passengers wouldn’t make sense. With the number of people looking for him, he can’t afford the publicity and celebrity status that has been thrust on them. So if no one knows anything about his link to the island there is nothing to explain and therefore could be him in the coffin.
I believe it could be ben too.
I don’t believe one of the Oceanic 6 is in that coffin, and here is why: They were famous after being rescued. So I would think that the newspaper clipping that Jack keeps looking at, would say something like “One of the Oceanic 6 found dead”. But ben isn’t one of the Oceanic 6 and also we saw that he has different passports with different names, but Jack might be aware of Bens “off the island name as a vet”(if you know what I m talking about)
Good theory
an ok theory, but it’s liek the 100 time someone has posted it on here
Ben’s concealed identity (off-island) certainly does mean that he is a strong candidate. In fact, I can’t think of anyone else who would have no-one attend their funeral, and whose demise would have such a profound effect on Jack. This theory’s lookin’ good so far…
Another possible explanation of why Ben could have returned to the mainland without being identified as one of the Oceanic 6.
The people on the freighter capture him. Given they want to operate under secrecy they do not mention Ben. When he arrives back in the US he is freed by his open people. He, through Sayid, begins killing them off one by one. The freighter people kill Ben in retaliation and it becomes his funeral.
The only odd thing to me is why a funeral in the poor area of LA. Who would have paid for it and had it there specifically? Taking my theory to its conclusion would assume the police find his body it goes unclaimed and is then cremated.
I agree with this theory and want to add some weight of evidence to it. I was totally convinced that Ben was in the coffin after seeing the Lost Missing Pieces episode where Ben and Jack play chess (if you haven’t seen this, its on ABC.com). These episodes are considered cannon by the producers and I believe this one holds an important conversation. For review, this missing piece takes place sometime during season 3 after Ben’s surgery and before Jack is supposed to leave on the sub. They are talking about Jacks imminent departure. Ben says “I won’t do anything to prevent you from getting home. But if you do leave this place, the day may come when you want to return.” Jack replies with great conviction: “Never.” Ben: “I’ve learned never to say never. And if that day comes, I hope you remember this conversation.”
That last statement by Ben is the clincher for me. Here’s my thinking: Jack has seen Ben as the ultimate evil and totally blows off his assertions that he is the “good guy”. He clearly sees Ben as scum. As Ben’s claims that the freighter people are up to no good appears more and more to be accurate, Jack seems to resolve more and more that Ben is wrong and he is right. It seems to me that Jack is bordering on irrationality in that he just can’t bring himself to admit that maybe Ben is who he says he is. Jack has been so anti-Ben that he would look foolish to start trusting him now, despite the evidence. Moving forward, Jack gets off the island like he wanted. Something not yet revealed happens that makes him see that Ben was right and he wants to go back. He does remember his conversation with Ben and the beginning of his going off the deep end is his guilt and shame over going all in against Ben and then being proved wrong in the end. If Ben is right, he’s ben seriously persecuted by Jack and handled it remarkably. If he’s right, Jack would feel like an utter fool for how he treated Ben and how he ignored Ben’s warnings. He now wants to make things right by going back to the island. He probably sees Ben as his best chance to get back. He also has to “make it up” to Ben because Jack is a man of principal. So when Ben dies, not only is his best chance to get back gone, but he can’t redeem himself to Ben either. I think these two motivations would be the only things that would tear him up so much.
This would also explain Kate’s reaction of “why would I go to his funeral?” Kate hasn’t experienced whatever it is that Jack and Hurley have experienced to make them want to go back. Thus, she doesn’t see Ben as being right yet, she still sees him as the enemy.
To me, this is the only explanation for the depth of Jack’s remorse towards the person in the coffin and the depth of Kate’s disdain for the person in the coffin.
i love the idea that ben is in the coffin as well as Jack’s response (the only one who feels compelled…that’s interesting). I’m wondering if the manner in which the man in the coffin died has any merit. The obituary Jack found on one of his many golden ticketed flights to/from Sydney stated something about “a loud noise”, “a loft beam”, all within “the Tower…apartments.” Suicide from a loft beam? Did the thing fall on him?
It also took place at four in the morning in New York.
simpleVincent where did you find the obit at I have tried to look at it paused on my TV with no luck.
go to www.lostpedia.com and type in “obituary.” that site has everything when it comes to the smallest detail of the show…i’m kind of in love with it.
The only difficulty I have with this well-written theory is what happens at the end of the episode.
It seems to me that Jack’s sadness at loss of the person in the coffin is part of the REASON he wants to go back. So if it were the case that he’d lost the person who could get him to the island, why would he later yell out “we have to go back!”
His resolve to return to the island seemed to be strengthened by the loss of whoever was in that coffin, and if that’s true then it’s hard for me to accept that Ben is the one. Thoughts?
that is a good theory.the only thing i can’t figure out is..the teenage son part.unless that was part of Ben’s false identity..and it could be.he probably took the french womans daughter and just changed her identity..which makes me wonder..if that did happen,then maybe she got off the island to.i dont think it woulda been to hard for her to pass a teenage boy.hmmmm
Nat, you’re right that the loss strengthened his resolve. Using the Ben theory, Jack sees now that Ben was right about all he said (the island needing to be protected and/or his friends being in danger) and when Ben dies Jack knows that the island is not being protected anymore and his friends are in danger. So he’s beat up because he regrets that he didnt listen to Ben and because Ben was protecting the island and his friends. I feel that Jack wants to now essentially become Ben and take over that responsibility but he can’t.
Good argument, hebrewhammer. I’m still not sure it’s Ben in the coffin, at least partially because the funeral took place in LA which seems odd. But for the reasons you mentioned and more, it could very well be Ben anyway.
This could be possible. People need to remember that in this last episode it “appears” that Ben can come and go as he pleases(like Richard and Ethan.) So just because he is off the island dosen’t mean he is automatically one of the 6. Maybe Ben decides to help the Losties off the island himself when it becomes clear that the freighter people have won thus taking over the island. I think the passports shown in this last episode had different names on them. Ohh did anyone see a screencap of those? I wonder if J. Antham is one of them? Anyways the son thing does still throw me for it being Ben. But Micheal to me is the obvious choice because of the mention of a son…Jack could be upset for the same reason you say he is upset about Ben. Micheal could know how to get back to the island as well. Kate would be still upset about how Micheal betrayed them. At least we will find out who is in that dang coffon this season.. it is killin’ me. +1 from me!