is john locke playing dumb?

[bunnydixon]

i have asked this before but will ask again LOL!

as we know from his flashbacks, john is very prone to making bad decisions and poor judgement calls. he also has a tendency to be too trusting and perhaps a little pathetic from time to time.

however, on the island john became a very different person, the person i think he has always wanted to be. a strong, confident, talented leader who has played an important role in the survival of everyone on the island.

now it seems that the regular, pre island john is making a comeback. but what if john is really being smart and just leading everyone, especially ben along in believing that he is no longer certain of himself?

[LostFreak21]

That could be. Remember when Jin said to Sun that he was a different person before the crash? Has everyone kind of changed on the Island? Let's see Jack was always trying to help save other people now it doesn't seem so much that way anymore-Jin he has changed to be a more caring person- Sawyer he doesn't seem to have that big chip on his shoulder anymore. Who else?

[lenk@]

i have asked this before but will ask again LOL!

as we know from his flashbacks, john is very prone to making bad decisions and poor judgement calls. he also has a tendency to be too trusting and perhaps a little pathetic from time to time.

however, on the island john became a very different person, the person i think he has always wanted to be. a strong, confident, talented leader who has played an important role in the survival of everyone on the island.

now it seems that the regular, pre island john is making a comeback. but what if john is really being smart and just leading everyone, especially ben along in believing that he is no longer certain of himself?

You`r he is lusky what went season 4, I my no yet.....:mad:when yet demonstrate i my:rolleyes:

[LostFan726]

i have asked this before but will ask again LOL!

as we know from his flashbacks, john is very prone to making bad decisions and poor judgement calls. he also has a tendency to be too trusting and perhaps a little pathetic from time to time.

however, on the island john became a very different person, the person i think he has always wanted to be. a strong, confident, talented leader who has played an important role in the survival of everyone on the island.

now it seems that the regular, pre island john is making a comeback. but what if john is really being smart and just leading everyone, especially ben along in believing that he is no longer certain of himself?

You know bunny this is a question I have been asking myself now for several weeks. Is Locke playing dumb?? I still cant say for sure if he is or if he isn't. I don't think John has reverted back to the person who he was prior to his arrival on the island. Im not sure if he ever did change from that person. As we can see and have seen Locke is still prone to revert back to who he was or who he really still is. Locke was the first to know that everyone gets a second chance for a new life on the island. Since the crash he's been living like the kind of person he's always wanted to be.
I think that Locke right now is unsure of what to do. He's realized his only option right now is to seek help in a pathetic kind of way from Ben.
Lockes biggest mistake thus far is trying to get help from Ben and still have some kind of upper hand. Maybe he's yet to realize that once he freed Ben and depended on his words that He's Lost the upper hand.
Thats not to say that Locke doesn't have some kinda trick up his sleeve. Which I feel very strongly that he does. It just might be the submarine ;)

[trikister40]

This is how I see Locke:

Ben is prepping Locke to take his place. There are SOOOO many similarities between Locke and Ben it is not even funny.

1. Both killed (or had someone else) kill their father. Ben was testing Locke to see if he had the same resolve he did. Locke obviously failed but I think was much more devious in how he took care of it.

2. Both can see Jacob and talk to him.

3. Both are willing to kill to protect the island.

4. Both have split from their original group and formed another: Ben from Dharma and Locke from the survivors.

I could go on, but the point I am getting at is that while I don't think Locke is playing dumb so to speak, he definitely isn't revealing his entire hand. I think Locke's main problem is that he is relying TOO much onthe island to tell him what to do instead of using his instincts to direct him.

OMG, I just realized that Ben and Locke are like the Emperor and Darth Vader. Ben is prepping Locke to take over for him, but will one day be overthrown by his pupil. The question is, is Locke a Sith or a Jedi?!? Sorry for the cheesy Star Wars reference.

[imascootinspook]

Just like about every theory I am torn to agree or disagree. With this, I think more strongly that John is losing it. The big oh yeah he is would be paralysis coming back, n this way it leaves everything still iffy. He already had the island take him back to his physical state once.

[bunnydixon]

i often wonder if he had become a different person in the literal sense initially (but still being john locke if that makes much sense lol) or if he just took the oppourtunity to re-invent himself a little.

[imascootinspook]

i often wonder if he had become a different person in the literal sense initially (but still being john locke if that makes much sense lol) or if he just took the oppourtunity to re-invent himself a little.
You have to remember that the island changed everyone...:confused:now I just had a thought go through my kidney of a brain..what if the island can choose to change you back?

[bunnydixon]

ooh thats a good one.....remember lockes legs have went a few times and in various ways!

[Delsanora]

OMG, I just realized that Ben and Locke are like the Emperor and Darth Vader. Ben is prepping Locke to take over for him, but will one day be overthrown by his pupil. The question is, is Locke a Sith or a Jedi?!? Sorry for the cheesy Star Wars reference.

LOL... i love Star Wars.... but, i have to admit, it is striking how easily Locke is fitting into the "shoes" of Ben. Could Ben just be wanting to go out "in the real world" and not be tied down to the island anymore? There has been so much growly stuff happen to Ben on the island, who wouldn't want to leave?

[islander]

i have asked this before but will ask again LOL!

as we know from his flashbacks, john is very prone to making bad decisions and poor judgement calls. he also has a tendency to be too trusting and perhaps a little pathetic from time to time.

however, on the island john became a very different person, the person i think he has always wanted to be. a strong, confident, talented leader who has played an important role in the survival of everyone on the island.

now it seems that the regular, pre island john is making a comeback. but what if john is really being smart and just leading everyone, especially ben along in believing that he is no longer certain of himself?

you could be on to something, but what would locke's motive be to play dumb? sucker ben into giving up more information? i'd feel better about your theory if jacob was still communicating with locke. plus he kicked out kate who really wasn't much of a threat. he seems genuinely lost (i couldn't resist) right now to me.

[LostFreak21]

Why did Ben shoot John then? To see if the Island would let him die?

[Delsanora]

Quite possibly... since you cannot die until your objective that the Island has given you has been completed. Locke still has something that needs to be done.

Another reason is just plain jealousy. Ben, I think, was jealous of the fact that Jacob wasn't just talking to him.

[Turnip Queen]

It's hard to know if Locke is just playing dumb, but my answer would be no, I do feel like he's lost control at present and trying to clutch on to the man he became on the island, but in doing so is becoming more the man he was before the island. But it's a very good point about the similarities between him and Ben and how Ben is preparing him to take his place - that's exactly what he's doing! Maybe he does know a little more than he's letting on but I don't think he's at his strongest.

[islander]

It's hard to know if Locke is just playing dumb, but my answer would be no, I do feel like he's lost control at present and trying to clutch on to the man he became on the island, but in doing so is becoming more the man he was before the island. But it's a very good point about the similarities between him and Ben and how Ben is preparing him to take his place - that's exactly what he's doing! Maybe he does know a little more than he's letting on but I don't think he's at his strongest.

locke definitely has a connection to the island, but i think ben is able to get inside locke's head and disrupt locke's connection.

by the way, how do we know when locke talked to walt recently, he wasn't really talking to smokie?
:eek:

[boutte]

Locke is fighting a losing battle. He's involved in a battle of wits with Ben. That's like bringing the proverbial knife to the gunfight.

Locke's one of my favorite characters but he has too many disadvantages in a contest with Ben.

First, he doesn't have enough information. Ben knows what the big picture is in regards to the Island, Lock seems to have a vague idea that there is something special about the Island but he hasn't quite figured it out yet.

Second, despite his extreme actions he's not nearly as ruthless as Ben.

Most importantly Ben is just too smart.

Not that Locke is a dullard by any means. I think the perception that he's botching things this season is wrong. And he's not playing dumb, he's just struggling with a very difficult situation and he's certainly not getting any help from Jack or Kate, (or any of the other knuckle heads for that matter.) Ask yourself this, who's camp would you rather be in right now Jack's or Locke's. (Pretend like you didn't see the previews for the next episode.)

[Missie]

I dont think Locke is playing dumb. I think he really just doesnt know what to do. He knew better then to let Ben out of his dungen but he let his curiosity get the best of him. He was recieving instructions before and they stopped coming so now hes losing it.

[Lost in VA]

We know in the future Ben is off the Island working with Sayid, so I believe he is "prepping" John to be in charge while he is off the Island.

[Existentialist]

That is definitely the feeling I get--he's hiding something. He has come to an awareness of SOMETHING that he is not letting on about. Either that, for somehow he is being manipulated in a way that he is not totally aware of, and the writers are not letting us in on.

[bunnydixon]

it just seems he has suddenly got into even more of a pickle than usual and in a huge way aswell!

[Existentialist]

I think people are on to something regarding parallels between Ben and Locke. So interesting!

[werlost]

I dont think he's playing dumb either. I think that he is kind of trusting even after all the stuff his father did to screw with his head, you'd think he'd would be very suspcious, but even after the stuff his dad did Locke still trusted him a little. The same with Ben. After he found out that Ben was one of the Others and not who he said he was,Locke still trusted him. That gave Ben a way to manipulate Locke and that manipulation causes Locke to lose focus and forget whats important. It happened in season 2 with the whole showdown with Eko about the hatch and its happening now with Locke not being able to see Jacob and not knowing what to do. I think he's frustrated because he knows that Ben knows more about the island than he does and that Ben isnt telling the whole truth about it and Locke feels he needs to know so he can do what he has to.