The Brig - Season 3x19 Rewatch

[Kiowa Warrior]

THE BRIG

The nineteenth episode of Season 3 is Locke’s on-island flashback, where we learn what happened to him after seeing his father tied up. Locke approaches him to ask him how he got there, but Cooper bites his hand and so is stunned. Ben tells Locke that they are going to a new place – well an old place actually – and asks Locke if he would like to go with them. Locke agrees, and Ben suggests he says goodbye to Kate. Locke helps Cindy in setting up her tent, and she tells him that everyone is excited that he has joined them. Ben speaks with Locke, who discovers that Ben can now walk with the aid of a stick. Ben wants to show Locke what the island can do but that he’s not ready...that he’ll only be ready if he can kill his father, who is tied up in the middle of the camp. Locke holds a knife to Cooper’s throat but can’t go through with it, and Ben is disappointed. Richard speaks with Locke and says that Ben wanted to humiliate him, and that he knows the person who can kill his father for him. Later on the Others pack up, and Ben tells Locke that the only way he can join them is if he’s carrying his father’s dead body with him.

Meanwhile on the island Locke approaches Sawyer and tells him that he’s kidnapped Ben and wants Sawyer to kill him. Sawyer agrees to come with Locke but refuses to kill him, even though Locke says he will change his mind once he hears what he has to say. Locke lets Sawyer know that the Others have files on them all and knows what happened to Sawyer’s parents. They walk to the Black Rock, where Sawyer enters the Brig where Ben is kept only for Locke to lock him in it with a man with a bag over his head. Sawyer removes it and finds that it isn’t Ben under it but another man. A man who tells Sawyer that Locke is his son and that he tried to kill him, and that they must all surely be in hell rather than on an island. Sawyer asks his name, and realises that this is the man who called himself Sawyer and was responsible for his parents deaths. Cooper refuses to read all of Sawyer’s letter and tears it up, which enrages Sawyer and causes him to strangle the man he’s hated for all these years with a chain. Locke thanks Sawyer for doing what he could not and, before he heads off, gives Sawyer proof that Juliet is a mole.

[Him]

Excellent episode.

[KatesFate]

This, imo, is one of the best epis of season 3. You can see the hate fill Sawyers eyes the moment he realizes that Cooper is "Sawyer". I can't help but wonder why Locke could not bring himself to do it. He lied to the others about killing his dad, but the island knows the truth. Is he still special?

[Murgatroyd]

It was a very strong episode to watch, yes, though I wonder to what extent the mechanism of Cooper's being brought to the island was thought through. I also find Cooper such a cartoonesque villain after his last couple of appearances that I can't say I derive much interest from his being in an episode anymore - and he's absurdly like a 2D Scooby-Doo villain in this one. That said, contemplating the motivations behind the three culprits' actions is fascinating, and what I said at the time still stands: Ben, with no grievance against Cooper, remains most to blame; Locke, who had strong grounds against Cooper indeed but manipulated another man into keeping his hands clean (and then claiming the credit) is second; Sawyer, though he actually carried out the murder, comes off more sympathetic than the other two (which still isn't massively) by merit of his at least not having manipulated anyone and being the victim of two other people's weird games.

And I still want to know why it's okay for Ben to insist that people kill their fathers (and why it's okay for him as well) when for Kate it's totally beyond the pale. Well, obviously it's raging hypocrisy. But aside from that. I want to know how Ben justifies it to himself.

[Easily confused]

Great episode some good acting on Locke and Sawyers parts the tension in the brig is nicely evened out with a bit of humour provided by Hurley on the beach

I don’t like the part where Ben is baiting Locke to kill cooper in front of an audience

Re watch value 8/10

[The Wizard]

This is possibly my favourite Lost episode of all time. That line... "No... you killed my daddy." Gets me every time

[JB Sawyer]

A truly brilliant episode. Only the third episode in LOST current history to still hold a 10/10 rating.

My feelings for it now are the same as it was during first watch. Sympathy and adoration for Sawyer, pure hate towards Locke and the disappointment that Cooper had become a one-dimensional cartoon villain.

I feel my original essay on this episode still holds true so I shall simply post the link up for it rather than repeat myself:

3x19 - The Brig

Re-watch rating: 10/10.

[The_other_other]

Really strong episode, great drama, possibly the highlight of S3. Cooper is so hateable, you cant help but feel for sawyer in this. It was interesting how Locke seemed to play it as well, he seemed kinda detached for the whole 40 mins.

[D-Roc]

Brilliantly powerful episode.

A Locke centric although it revolves around Sawyer almost as much. I like this approach as it shows the parallels between both men and their improbably connection to Cooper.

The sacrifice scene was great - Locke just couldn't do it, could he..after everything Cooper put him through, he just didn't have the heart to do it - could be one of the reasons why he is so important, perhaps.

Alpert's insistence that he had to do it in order to "find his purpose" is perhaps one of the most unusual and interesting plot devices from season 3 - esp because it came from Alpert, and not, say, Ben.

Coopers belief that he was in hell explains his laid back attitude, whilst corroborating Naomi's later story about 815 being discovered with everyone onboard dead. The conspiracies resurface..

The scene were Locke lifts Coopers dead body onto his back and begins to carry him off to Ben is fantastic..he visibly gains strength with each step..

The scene were Danielle passes through to collect the dynamite still makes me smile - her and Locke just have this understanding don't they - no questions asked, just rolling through as if it's a 24 hour Tesco.

Re-watch value: 8/10