The last season of Lost has become increasingly focused on Benjamin Linus, the merecat-looking pathological liar leader of The Others.  The ensemble cast is still their, but we keep tuning back in to see what unbelievably sadistic thing will do manipulate others for his benefit.

Now we know the real reason Ben returned to The Island: not to regain control, but to go through a mythical judgement process for his complicity in the murder of his daughter Alex.   Expecting to die, Ben instead encounters Alex (is anyone ever really dead?) who tells him to follow every word John Locke says.  Ben continues to be the reason we watch Lost.  Can this man, who has slaughtered others to obtain power, really learn to follow another?

We keep watching Ben, because we understand him, and we have the same questions.  We might not be mass murderers, but most of us have spent our lives manipulating others to meet our emotional needs.  Jesus offers us the opportunity to put our crimes behind us, but only if we’ll follow him.  We don’t have to die for what we’ve done to others, but we can never get our way again.

We keep watching Ben, because we want to see if it is true.  Can a person change? Can we really follow another?