The Truth About Hawking, Linus, and Widmore by Adam Shelton

While I was working on my "ultimate" Lost theory, a rapidly expanding monster of an essay that seeks to predict and explain the likely progression of events in the final three and a half hours of the series, I had a moment of insight regarding some characters that I don't personally factor significantly into my expectations of the finale. With that caveat, I'd like to put forth what I believe to be the true nature of the relationship between Ben Linus, Charles Widmore, and Eloise Hawking.

Very importantly, let us all think back to the Season Three episode "The Man Behind the Curtain," in which a young Ben Linus sees the apparition of his dead mother outside of his Dharmaville home. (This episode is laden with end-game spoilers, IMHO) He later sees her again outside of the sonic fences, when she instructs him that it is not yet time for him to leave. Since we also know that Ben's mother died during childbirth in Portland, Oregon, the only possible explanation is that this was just another instance of the MIB masquerading as a deceased loved one of some character to advance his malevolent agenda. I believe that his ultimate goal was to have Ben installed as leader of the Others, so that through him he could corrupt and topple their organization to bring about the events that we are currently seeing unfold. But getting Ben into the Others would only be the first step. To advance him to the position of Leader would have required some inside help.

Who better than Eloise Hawking, the prolicidal consort of Charles Widmore? We have seen how pitiless Widmore can be when he believes he is acting in the best interest of the island. He commanded Ben to murder Alex after he returned with her to the Others' camp following his failed mission to eliminate Rousseau. It is not hard to imagine him being less than the model of sympathy when put in a position where he should have been consoling young Hawking when she was forced into the relatively uncommon role of "Mother who shoots her time traveling grown son to death with a rifle."

We have already seen the MIB in action; I'd be willing to bet that the offer he made Ms. Hawking sounded a lot like what he promised to Sayid. And all she would need to do in exchange? See to it that Ben Linus succeeded Widmore when the time was right.

Hawking's knowledge and influence could have easily swayed the battle for leadership of the Others in Ben's favor. Ben, who I suspect never met Jacob until just before he drove a dagger into him, was groomed from childhood to be the misguided, power hungry arm of the MIB. And I believe that Eloise Hawking was the architect of it all, having lost her faith in the Island when she was forced to watch her son die.

Of course, this means that Widmore has been telling the truth the whole time, and that Hawking is the diabolical marionette behind the scenes. I for one find it hard to believe that she would send the corpse of John Locke gift wrapped back to the island unless she was in on MIB's plan. We know the Others had a treaty with the DI that involved the burial of the dead. She had to at least suspect what would happen when she sent THAT corpse back to Smokey.

Let me know what you think?