2004

Dr. Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson) is a history teacher at a high school. One day, he has a particularly loud conversation with fellow teacher Lesile Arzt (Daniel Roebuck), in which they complain about the lack of funding at the school, especially since Principal Reynolds (William Atherton) has made Ben watch over the kids in detention, instead of chaperoning the school’s history club. John Locke (Terry O’Quinn), a substitute teacher, suggests that Ben become principal instead.

While tutoring his star pupil, Alex Rousseau (Tania Raymonde), Ben learns that the principal is having an affair with the school nurse. Ben tries to blackmail the principal with this information and take his job, however, Reynolds says that he will not write a letter of recommendation for Alex if Ben makes good on his threats. Ben, unwilling to sacrifice Alex’s future, backs down. Ben is also seen at home caring for his sick father, who says he wishes he and Ben had never left the Island and the Dharma Initiative.

2007

Following the events of the previous episode, “Sundown”, Ben, Ilana (Zuleikha Robinson), Miles Straume (Ken Leung), Sun Kwon (Yunjin Kim) and Frank Lapidus (Jeff Fahey) flee from the temple, after the devastating attack by the Man in Black (also O’Quinn). Ilana discovers that Ben killed Jacob, after Miles uses his ability to speak to the dead on Jacob’s ashes. After the group travels back to the original survivors’ beach camp, Ilana ties Ben up and forces him to dig his own grave, so that she can exact revenge as Jacob was a father figure to her. The Man in Black arrives and attempts to recruit Ben, stating that he wants Ben to take over the island once the Man in Black leaves with his followers. After their conversation, Ben is freed. Ilana confronts Ben, who only wishes to explain why he killed Jacob: he was afraid of losing his leadership position on the island, was angry because he chose the island over his daughter’s life and was unable to forgive himself for letting her die. Ilana allows Ben to rejoin their group.

Following the events of the episode “Lighthouse”, Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) and Hugo “Hurley” Reyes (Jorge Garcia) decide to return to the temple. Hurley attempts to stall Jack, as Jacob had warned him of the attack at the temple, but they come across Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell), who leads them to the grounded 18th century slave ship, Black Rock. Richard has become suicidal since Jacob’s death because he believes that his life on the island has been meaningless. He attempts to kill himself using dynamite, but is unable to do so because the island won’t let him. Jack convinces him that they are on the island for a reason; they travel back to beach and reunite with Ilana’s group there. Meanwhile, Miles has dug up the diamonds from Nikki and Paulo’s grave.

During the reunion, Charles Widmore (Alan Dale) is shown to arrive at the island on a submarine.

“Dr. Linus” is the seventh television episode of the American Broadcasting Company’s sixth season of the serial drama television series Lost and 110th episode overall. The episode aired on March 9, 2010 on ABC in the United States.

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