ABC
I want to start by giving a shout-out to one of my favorite Lost sites on the web: Dark UFO. If you’ve never been, be sure to check it out. They have spoilers, rumors, theories, tons of news and analysis and somehow manage to post screencaps minutes after an episode finishes.
I also love Dark UFO because they fill the off season with fun and interesting things. They just finished their “Character Cup,” where they set up large brackets containing just about every character on the show. Readers voted on head-to-head match ups and it was whittled down to the final two (Jack and Desmond), with Desmond coming out on top. I have to say I was surprised… no, I was shocked by the results. It’s not that I think Jack is deserving of the win, because I don’t. I put all my money down on Ben winning the thing. I mean that creepy bug-eyed bastard is the most fascinating character on TV in my opinion. Desmond beat my Ben by less than a percentage point in the semifinals, so it was close. I figure Jack didn’t stand a chance against Desmond or Ben.
So this begs the question – is Desmond the best character on Lost?
Don’t get me wrong, I love Desmond. I believe that the Desmond and Penny love story was the best part of last season (and there were a lot of great parts of last season). Does TV get much better than that Christmas phone call between Des and Penny at the end of “The Constant?” Good times. Truly, Desmond is one of the most likable characters on the show, and I suppose that’s why he came out on top. He’s the everyman, the loser in love, cursed with being “unstuck” in time, locked in the hatch for years by himself. How can you not feel for this guy?
When it comes to Lost characters, though, my heart lies with Benjamin Linus. He’s creep-tastic in such a good way. He’s nearly insane, a king of lies, and downright devious. You have to like that, right? Is there something wrong with me for loving the villain this much? I mean, this is Lost. Do we even know that Ben is the villain of this story? After last season, things certainly seem to be pointing to Charles Widmore as the big bad. Plus, he holds all the answers! He knows what the hell is going on!
On a critical level, I do think Ben is a fascinating character. He is clearly driven to protect the island at all costs. It is the one thing he cares about in the world. He is brilliant, always a step ahead of the other characters. More often than not he makes Locke look like a complete moron. You never quite know what to expect from him and I think that is what truly makes him interesting. Plus, the guy can bake a mean ham.
So what do you think? Am I completely off base?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 16, 2008 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
While yes I do agree that Ben is the most interesting character on the show, And maybe even on all of tv right now I will say this: If tries to kill Penny I’d rather him die over Penny and Desmond because after all the bullshit they went through they need to live happily ever after.
*POST AUTHOR*
I agree! I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself if he kills Penny.
I miss Mr. Eko. Eko was, to me, the most interesting character on that show.
And though Desmond has his moments (“The Constant” was amazing television and easily the best episode of Lost), the moral ambiguity of Ben (plus his ability to manipulate and get things done) make make him the better character.
which episode was “The Constant?”
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Constant
Desmond is unmoored in time and shifts between 1996 and 2004. What saves him is his relationship with Penny.
Everyone loves DARK, maybe the best TV fan site online!
Desmond is my favorite and he is a very complex, multi-layered character. If he beats Ben it is only that he is so very likeably despite his many flaws. He’s a character that we all want to redeem himself and finally get his happily ever after with Penny. Ben, while just as complex as Desmond if not more, does not inspire the decent side of our humanity. That’s why he loses in a head to head competition.
Gordon – The Constant was the Desmond-centric episode last season where he transported back and forth across time. It ended with a very moving phone call with Penny. It was perhaps my favorite episode of the season. Hope this jogs your memory.
I think Desmond is one of the best characters of the show. So much of what has happened in the series the last couple of seasons has surrounded his character. I know Jack is supposed to be their main guy, but I don’t see him as such. Sawyer did a lot more for me as a character than Jack. I wanted to see Kate end up with Sawyer in the end. As for Ben though, his character pulls you in, and he is unpredictable. Desmond isn’t that. We know his motivations. With Ben, you really don’t know what he will do next.