Here is a new interview with Michael Emerson about next week's episode and the finale.
He discusses what to expect for Ben both off and on island.
Thanks to our friend Jarett from the NY Post for the heads up!
PopWrap: Currently Ben is off with Alpert and Miles -- what exactly are they doing and when will we see Ben again?
Michael: They have gone to get explosives and Alpert is determined to blow up the plane because he feels like the man in black must never leave the island. [He's back] next week and Ben has a lot to do in the subsequent episodes.
PW: Does that mean we'll see Ben with Alex again?
Michael: I’m not even trying to be coy, but you will see them together again, however, not in the shape you expect it.
PW: What else can you tease about the final few episodes?
Michael: Well, we're almost done with Ben’s flash-sideways journey. Most of what we have with Ben from now on will be in the present island narrative. And in the coming weeks Ben ends up in a new and dangerous alliance that has a surprising outcome.
PW: A lot of fans have wondered what the actual purpose for the flash-sideways is -- will it eventually be explained?
Michael: Yes, but they’re not going to spoon feed it to you. For me, the ending of the series required some analysis. It’s not given to you on a dish, neatly organized with a fancy bow put on the end of it. What it does have is a great soulfulness and the ending is human scale.
PW: You mention that Ben's off-island journey is almost done, how so?
Michael: You won’t realize this until the series is done, but more than anyone else’s flash-sideways – his [episode, "Dr. Linus"] resolved Ben’s character. You may not feel that way yet, but it brought us very close to wrapping things up his arc. What I mean is, if you never saw Ben again in the series, you could look back after the finale and think, “oh, OK – I’m at peace with the way he wrapped up.”
PW: It sounds like fans will have to do a lot of rewatching once the series finale airs.
Michael: Yeah. Well, I think that’s a possible response for some people. I have received the finale by degrees. I read the script without the secret scenes, then I read the secret scenes, then I shot the script and each time I’m thinking about "what does this mean?"
When I first read it, the ending wasn’t clear to me – but since then it’s grown more clear and I have to say, grown more satisfying the more I think about it. I expect a mixture of satisfaction and consternation amongst the viewers when it airs. But once they rewatch it, rethink about it and possibly look at the saga again, gradually they will feel like they have just read a good novel -- but you have to chew on it for a while.
Full Interview: NY Post
Posted By: The ODI
Michael: They have gone to get explosives and Alpert is determined to blow up the plane because he feels like the man in black must never leave the island. [He's back] next week and Ben has a lot to do in the subsequent episodes.
PW: Does that mean we'll see Ben with Alex again?
Michael: I’m not even trying to be coy, but you will see them together again, however, not in the shape you expect it.
PW: What else can you tease about the final few episodes?
Michael: Well, we're almost done with Ben’s flash-sideways journey. Most of what we have with Ben from now on will be in the present island narrative. And in the coming weeks Ben ends up in a new and dangerous alliance that has a surprising outcome.
PW: A lot of fans have wondered what the actual purpose for the flash-sideways is -- will it eventually be explained?
Michael: Yes, but they’re not going to spoon feed it to you. For me, the ending of the series required some analysis. It’s not given to you on a dish, neatly organized with a fancy bow put on the end of it. What it does have is a great soulfulness and the ending is human scale.
PW: You mention that Ben's off-island journey is almost done, how so?
Michael: You won’t realize this until the series is done, but more than anyone else’s flash-sideways – his [episode, "Dr. Linus"] resolved Ben’s character. You may not feel that way yet, but it brought us very close to wrapping things up his arc. What I mean is, if you never saw Ben again in the series, you could look back after the finale and think, “oh, OK – I’m at peace with the way he wrapped up.”
PW: It sounds like fans will have to do a lot of rewatching once the series finale airs.
Michael: Yeah. Well, I think that’s a possible response for some people. I have received the finale by degrees. I read the script without the secret scenes, then I read the secret scenes, then I shot the script and each time I’m thinking about "what does this mean?"
When I first read it, the ending wasn’t clear to me – but since then it’s grown more clear and I have to say, grown more satisfying the more I think about it. I expect a mixture of satisfaction and consternation amongst the viewers when it airs. But once they rewatch it, rethink about it and possibly look at the saga again, gradually they will feel like they have just read a good novel -- but you have to chew on it for a while.
Full Interview: NY Post
