There are no rules
+3 11 Votes
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By Shasty
- There are no rules
- Created: May 6, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 4.9: The Shape of Things to Come
- Status: Current
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Ben simply did not think that Widmore would ever stoop so low as to kill his daughter.
— Shasty
I believe that when Ben said “he changed the rules” in The Shape of Things to Come, he didnt mean it like some nerd saying, “um excuse me, in the Island Rulebook section 4, page 8, line 15, it says you cant kill my daughter”.
No, he meant it in the sense that there are boundaries to which men are and are not willing to cross. There are no set rules, there is no supreme judge, there is no great game that Widmore and Ben are playing. Its simple, Widmore had the island, Ben purged the island of its Dharma inhabitants to take for his own (and the original inhabitants).
Ben simply did not think that Widmore would ever stoop so low as to kill his daughter. Which brought Ben to use an ancient force which he’d rather not use (smokey, who i still believe was created by original inhabitants, not dharma).
The only thing i cant figure out is why Ben cant kill Widmore when standing in his bedroom. Maybe they are eachother’s constants, who knows. But i dont think this is all one big game of risk, and i dont think there are rules, Ben just never thought Widmore would be willing to kill his daughter.
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | Benjamin Linus | 3.20, 4.9, & 3” href=”/episodes/theres-no-place-home-parts-2-3/”>4.13 | 1729 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.9 | The Shape of Things to Come | 4-24-2008 | Ben | 261 |
Widmore has less hair than Ben, so you might be onto something. Check out my post: Hair today, gone tomorrow for more information.
I like the idea that smokey was created by the originals, the “hostiles” and not DI. I agree with that. I think that Ben didnt kill Widmore when he was in the room perhaps because he wants Widmore to know what it feels like to have his daughter taken away from him. He wants Widmore alive to feel the same pain he inflicted on Ben. Some things are worse than death. Also, Ben may need Widmore for other things concerning the island but we dont know what yet. +1
I like the thought that they are each others Constants. But the “changed the rules” comment. I wonder if Ben has some foresight of the future, this is how he is so confident about the outcome of so many situations. So in his foresight, Keamy does not kill Alex, so he feels secure to call Keamy’s bluff. But Widmore changed something, somehow changed what was going to happen (hence ‘changing the rules’ of time) and now, to Ben’s surprise, Alex is killed. In this sense I think Jack has also “changed the rules” at least once. Locke tells Jack when Jack is trying to call the freighter “You’re not supposed to do this Jack”, as if he’s changing something in a time-line that Locke somehow knows something about.
DanFromIndiana, I like what you said……my thought is, though, that Locke has no idea whatsoever about anything. Many times I have been disappointed by the result of his actions, so (again my opinion) Locke is only good at doing what THE ISLAND tells him to do. Maybe THE ISLAND told Locke that Jack wasn’t supposed to call the freighter.
I couldn’t agree more. It seems so simple to me that Ben simply didn’t think that Widmore would do that. A sort of unspoken agreement. When he did, it took things to a new level of ruthlessness. That’s all. There are no formal rules. It’s not a game.
i do like your theory. It defo didnt suppose to happen like that and Ben was convinced of his right… I do think there is a different reason why Ben cant kill Widmore, because when he stood in the bedroom Widmore wasnt even scared… He knew Ben wouldnt kill him… so there is defo more going on between those 2, mayb they had some rules between eachother and Widmore broke it… they actually may ave worked together before Alex got killed…. Just a thought
um…keamy killed alex, not widmore… so i believe sayid will kill penny, not ben.
thanks for posting this. i’m sick of all the “rules” questions like its a marquis de sade boxing match.
i think widmore just escalated things, thats all.
drjack: I think when Locke let’s go of himself and trusts the Island he makes good decisions. I think when he tries to force it, to control - like Jack, he screws it all up.
DanFromIndiana
i agree with you about what you said about the rules being the rules of time and statements like “you’re not supposed to do this.” also another thing to look at is points when characters have been told things that they are destined to do like claire and the psychics and also the many times that characters have shouted “what am i supposed to do?” or moments like locke when he was prevented from going on the walkabout because he couldn’t walk. all of these things could have been related to the “rules of time”