Ben's "I made a decision" could be just a decision not to do anything - not to stop it. Judging by Alex's age when Widmore was banished, that happened post-1992, and something about Ben's attitude during the Purge doesn't strike me as leadership behaviour. He's very nervous when he meets the other Others at the DI HQ. As the leader he's very self-assured, and he generally talks down to those in his command. He's very nervy and twitchy there, though, especially when it comes to be time to remove his gas mask.
I think it was Charles who ordered the Purge. Richard may have led the operation, but it certainly wouldn't be him who ordered it. His role seems to be observatory rather than decisive.
It's been quite a while since I saw "The Man Behind the Curtain". I would have to watch that scene again. But if you're right, then it is possible that Widmore did order the Purge.
I don't think that Ben would have been inclined to stop the Purge. He had been acting as the Others' spy within DHARMA for several years before the Purge, if the episode "Dead Is Dead" is anything to go by.
I was watching "The Man Behind The Curtain" the other day, which set me thinking about it at the time. Ben's attitude seems more like it did when we saw him confronting Charles about having saved Alex - far more nervous than the self-confident man we've come to know. Or maybe he was just worried about pulling his wig off when he removed his gas mask. ;)
Another thing I wondered about (although irrelevant to this discussion, admittedly) is the fact that it's Richard who tests to see if the gas is gone. That's quite a deep breath that he takes. I wonder if he's immune to such things. Completely immortal or just ageless?
This whole thing makes me reconsider how we view Richard. He may not be as relatively benevolent as we've previously assumed. I think he decided to save Ben Linus against Jacob's wishes. I think he may have decided to purge the DI contrary to Widmore's wishes, or at the very least put great pressure on Widmore to send the order, stating that "Jacob wanted it done."
This further leads me to wonder whether or not it's been Jacob this whole time who's been really calling the shots, or whether it's been his presumed vizier, Richard, who has been manipulating Jacob or misrepresenting Jacob's wishes to Ben, Widmore, etc.
I get the impression that Richard's agenda is much more complicated than we thought. We shouldn't take it for granted that he's loyal to Jacob or anyone else.
When Widmore was exiled, he was leaving in the submarine, and Ben was clearly pushing Alex on the swings in Dharma-ville. It was post-purge, people.
I've been thinking about that. Even though "Dead Is Dead" confirmed that Widmore was exiled from the island after the Purge, we still don't know who had ordered it. For all we know, Ben could have assumed leadership of the Others right before the Purge. Or the leadership was in transition and Richard was the one who ordered the Purge. Or . . . as tamburlaine had pointed out, Richard used Jacob to pressure Widmore into ordering the Purge.
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I think it was Charles who ordered the Purge. Richard may have led the operation, but it certainly wouldn't be him who ordered it. His role seems to be observatory rather than decisive.
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I don't think that Ben would have been inclined to stop the Purge. He had been acting as the Others' spy within DHARMA for several years before the Purge, if the episode "Dead Is Dead" is anything to go by.
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Another thing I wondered about (although irrelevant to this discussion, admittedly) is the fact that it's Richard who tests to see if the gas is gone. That's quite a deep breath that he takes. I wonder if he's immune to such things. Completely immortal or just ageless?
Reply
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This further leads me to wonder whether or not it's been Jacob this whole time who's been really calling the shots, or whether it's been his presumed vizier, Richard, who has been manipulating Jacob or misrepresenting Jacob's wishes to Ben, Widmore, etc.
I get the impression that Richard's agenda is much more complicated than we thought. We shouldn't take it for granted that he's loyal to Jacob or anyone else.
Reply
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I've been thinking about that. Even though "Dead Is Dead" confirmed that Widmore was exiled from the island after the Purge, we still don't know who had ordered it. For all we know, Ben could have assumed leadership of the Others right before the Purge. Or the leadership was in transition and Richard was the one who ordered the Purge. Or . . . as tamburlaine had pointed out, Richard used Jacob to pressure Widmore into ordering the Purge.
Reply
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