John Locke/Jeremy Benthem = Revolution

*** Spoiler Alert ***

So Locke it the man in the coffin. Since the end of season three, the big question of who was in the coffin that only Jack would go back to see because of his desire to return to the island. Then the season four finale begins and speaks his name: Jeremy Bentham. For the entire episode we hear about this new man who has been going around to all of the survivors and telling them they need to return to the island and we are left wondering "who is this man." Then in the final scene we see Jack back at the funeral home and Ben appears behind him (which killed my theory of who was in the coffin) and then the reveal, Jeremy Bentham is John Locke.

So there have many different ideas floating around the blogs and boards, maybe he's a clone, maybe a "Bad Twin" (tying in the with the less than stunning book that was published several seasons past), maybe it's smokey or Jacob. Of course it's hard to tell where the minds of Darlton and writers are planning to take us in the last to seasons, but for the first time it does feel like we are moving forward with answers to the multitude of questions that have developed over the last four years. So taking that momentum, it's time to let the mind wander and/or channel the great Darlton to guess what is ahead in season five of Lost.

By now, most people probably know that John Locke was an English philosopher who believed that people were born with inherient natural rights and without any preconceived knowledge, a blank slate so to speak. It was his faith that people left to their own devices would through be lead through natural order. In the first three seasons, this was more or less the case with Locke as the man who would commune through nature and the island would provide for him (giving him his legs, successful hunts to feed the tribe, priviledged knowledge of the islands wants.) Then he was shot and left for dead.

Jeremy Benthem was also an English philosopher, but was opposed to the natural order philosophy that the John Locke, the Revolutionary Americans and French were touting. Instead he belived in utilitarianism. Therefore any act could be justified for the betterment of the group. So when Locke climbed out of the grave in the finale of season 3, he may have already become Jeremy Benthem. His first act after climbing out of the grave was to throw a knife into the back of Naomi to stop her from calling the frieghter.

So what does this all add up to? In the course of 4 years, or 100 days in Lost time, Locke has gone from live off the land hippie to revolutionary leader. Interesting fact, the Jacobins (notice the name Jacob, probably not a coincidence) of the French Revolution were originally called the Benthom Club. Following that thread and the comment that Jack made at the end of the episode to Ben (that Jack was told he was to blame for all of the bad things that happened after he left the island) might we have a revolution on our hands.

If that's the case, was it Ben who was playing the role of Mirabeau and Widmore and King Louis XVI. If so, that would make Locke - Robespierre, leader of the Jacobins - and the start of the Reign of Terror. I wonder if that makes Jack - Napolean Bonapart? Hmmm...

Since the flashforwards have begun, they have concentrated only on the Oceanic 6. It seems logical that Season five will now follow those who have remained on the island. I would expect to see a few flashbacks giving us more on Daniel, Charlotte, and Miles. Additionally, I would expect to see what becomes of Sawyer, Juliette, Jin (yes I said it, Jin is not dead, but rescued by Daniel in the dingy that he was taking out to the freighter, but that's another post) and of course Locke.