LogFAQs > #951449056

#3. Benjamin Linus


My former favorite from ten years ago, Ben didn't so much "fall" in my list as the top two had grown. But one thing has remained the same: Ben is the best villain in the series and completely saves the show from itself midway through.

I may be making a leap here, but I really do not think that the writers planned for "Henry Gale" to ever be the leader of The Others. After all, why in the world would Ben be doing grunt work on the main island, and why would he be dumb enough to stumble into one of Rousseau's traps? My assumption is that Henry was going to be revealed as an ordinary Other on a recon mission, but after seeing how insanely good Michael Emerson's performance was, they elevated Ben into a bigger role that would span the series. Whatever the story may be, it sure as hell paid off in dividends.

Let me pose it you this way: how many other characters can personally kill half of the cast and literally commit genocide and still be a fan favorite? That's just how great Ben is. His squirreliness is resourcefulness, his deceptiveness is his cunning, and you find yourself admiring just how many situations he's able to get himself out of with nothing more than some cuts and bloody noses.

Ben is also one thing that most others in the show are not: competent. When so many characters are just grossly inept--even the "all-knowing" Jacob--Ben seems to be one step ahead of everyone else. He knows where the trap doors are, he knows everyone's secret personal information; hell, he even seems to be the only one who knows how to move the Island, basically acting like a God.

Ben just provides that boss factor that is actually paid off in his actions. He's the smartest guy on the Island but never lets it on unless he needs to. He single-handedly saves the show, and I think was duly rewarded by (somehow) surviving through to the epilogue.