The character of Henry Gale in the hit TV series Lost has perplexed and intrigued fans since his first appearance in Season 2. Though initially claiming to be a wealthy miner from Minnesota, the man we come to know as Henry Gale is eventually revealed to be Benjamin Linus, the enigmatic leader of the Others. However, many mysteries still surround the real Henry Gale and the circumstances behind his demise on the Island. Let‘s explore some critical questions around this identity switch and how it contributed to Ben‘s unraveling.
The Real Henry Gale‘s Arrival by Balloon
In the Season 2 episode "Lockdown", we get the first hints about the real Henry Gale when Locke discovers a hidden map room in the Hatch. On the blast door map, a handwritten note reads:
"Seen in passing. Couple in a hot air balloon. Man and woman, looked overboard."
This cryptic clue is later substantiated when the real Henry Gale‘s grave is discovered in the Season 2 finale. The body contains a driver‘s license identifying him as a wealthy miner from Minnesota along with heartfelt letters to his wife Jennifer. Ironically, one letter mentions Henry‘s travels in a hot air balloon sponsored by Widmore Labs to explore uncharted and exotic lands.
Theories on Henry Gale‘s Connections
But who is this Widmore Labs that funded Henry‘s intrepid balloon adventures across the South Pacific? Sharp-eyed Lost fans will remember Charles Widmore as being the former leader of the Others before Ben‘s ascendance in the hierarchy. The same Charles Widmore later revealed as Penelope‘s father actively working against the Island‘s interests in the outside world.
Given those connections, it seems extremely likely that Henry Gale‘s sponsored exploration was deliberately intended to help Widmore regain access to the Island he was previously exiled from by Ben. Perhaps good-hearted Henry had no idea he was an unwitting pawn in this high stakes conflict over control of the mysterious island and its secrets.
Other theorists have speculated Henry Gale may actually have ties back to the Paik Corporation, run by Sun Kwon‘s influential father. The Paik company also has a wide range of global industrial holdings that might have interest in studying an electromagnetic energy source like the Island. Could Henry have been working for Mr. Paik rather than Widmore when his balloon went down?
Either way, Henry Gale came to the island on a one-way ticket.
So how did this intrepid balloonist Henry Gale end up dead on the Island? Some fans speculate he was an innocent victim caught in the ongoing conflict between Ben and Charles Widmore over control of the mysterious island. If Henry‘s balloon voyage was funded by Widmore Labs, perhaps Ben wanted to sabotage the expedition to prevent a rival from accessing the Island‘s secrets.
Other theories suggest Henry‘s death was just a tragic accident unrelated to the warring factions. We may never know the exact circumstances, but the revealed connections suggest Henry Gale was more than just an ordinary miner touring exotic lands.
Henry Gale‘s Suspicious Burial Raises Questions
What‘s most curious about Henry Gale‘s death is that someone chose to respectfully bury him with his wallet and personal effects. This suggests whoever interred Henry felt remorse over his demise.
- Was it Ben himself feeling guilty after causing Henry‘s fatal balloon crash?
- Or just a sympathetic Good Samaritan who stumbled upon his body?
Some sharp-eyed fans noticed Henry‘s grave marker used the same style of stakes and shoelace ties previously seen with Ethan‘s burial site from Season 1. This hints that members of the Others/Hostiles killed both Ethan and Henry intentionally. Perhaps Henry discovered too many of the Island‘s hidden secrets in his balloon voyage, necessitating permanent silencing by Ben‘s people?
Burial Rituals of the Hostiles and What They Mean
Looking deeper at the similarities between Henry Gale and Ethan Rom‘s burials reveals intriguing parallels about the Others‘ funeral customs on the island:
- They bury victims individually instead of mass graves
- Personal artifacts are left with the bodies (Ethan‘s gun, Henry‘s wallet)
- Handmade stakes and vines mark locations instead of formal tombstones
- Remote jungle areas chosen not communal sites
Contrast this with how the 815 survivors solemnly buried their dead along the beach in the first few nights after the crash. Or how the DHARMA Initiative had an actual graveyard near the Barracks.
The Others‘ burials seem clandestine, ad-hoc and perfunctory – but also remoreseful in some ways. Much like their whispered commune-style gatherings in the jungle that frustrate detection. Was Henry‘s death really an accident that triggered regretful rites by his killers? Or a contract hit neatly covered up after eliminating an outsider who pierced the Island‘s protection?
The similarities between Ethan and Henry‘s grave markers suggest a pattern of deception mixed with some shame around violence amongst this mysterious group of original Island inhabitants.
How Ben‘s Lies Unraveled the Henry Gale Deception
However, the most critical mystery revolves around why Benjamin Linus chose to impersonate Henry Gale in the first place during his captivity by Danielle Rousseau.
When Jack and Locke first interrogate the man calling himself Henry in the Swan armory, he spins an elaborate backstory about arriving on the Island via hot air balloon with his wife Jennifer after crashing near the beach. Henry claims to have buried her nearby after she died from illness.
This heart-wrenching tale earns Henry sympathy from the Losties, who believe he is simply a tragic victim of circumstances struggling to survive alone.
However, we later learn this was all an audacious deception by Ben.
In truth, Ben had been caught in one of Danielle Rousseau‘s traps while returning from a clandestine mission to observe the Pearl hatch around Day 60 after flight 815 crashed. After two days in captivity, Ben concocts the Henry Gale persona to conceal his real identity as leader of the Others. He even steals the real Henry‘s driver‘s license and money to sell the act after Sayid discovers the grave around Day 69.
Here‘s a quick timeline of the events around Ben‘s capture and deception as Henry Gale:
- Day 60 – Ben heads back from Pearl station but gets caught in Rousseau‘s trap
- Day 62 – After two days, Rousseau turns Ben over to Sayid for interrogation
- Days 62-67 – Ben pretends to be Henry Gale during interrogation
- Day 68 – Disappearance of balloonist Henry Gale finally confirmed
- Day 69 – Buried body & driver‘s license exposes Ben‘s deception
- Day 70 – Ben nearly escapes Swan after hostage situation
For most of this period, Ben brilliantly fools everyone and nearly escapes…until fate (or Jacob) intervenes when the PhD candiate grad student paleontologist Danielle Rousseau came to the Swan station and declares that Ben is not "Henry Gale." She recognizes him as one of the Others and urges Jack to stop treating his tumor against Ben‘s wishes.
This revelation and forced spinal surgery rather than honorable death all unravel Ben‘s delicate house of cards. The roots of his intricate web of lies finally come undone when Jack operates on his spine (against Ben‘s wishes), forcing him to join their community.
"The truth shall set you free. But first, it‘ll piss you off." Isn‘t that what top con artist Sawyer said? Ben‘s truths defiantly come back to bite him like a self-fulfilled prophecy.
Connecting Ben to The Wizard of Oz
Veteran Lost viewers know that Henry Gale is also the name of the Wizard of Oz himself in L. Frank Baum‘s famed books and 1939 classic musical. Series co-creator Damon Lindelof confirmed this correlation was very intentional in referencing Henry Gale and choosing iconic Oz lines for episode titles in Seasons 2 and 3:
- "Every Other Day Is a Festival" (Tricking others with lies)
- "Maternity Leave" (Dorothy wants to go home)
- "The Whole Truth" (The Wizard‘s true identity)
So what narrative purpose does linking Ben/Henry to the Oz mythos serve? Just as the Wizard foolverly manipulates circumstances behind the curtain before being exposed as a fraud by Toto, so does one-man smoke monster Benjamin Linus through his brilliant deceptions.
The show further cements Ben as a stand-in for this archetypal trickster figure by having Locke call him "the man behind the curtain" in Episode 20 after exposing his lies. Ben had already made an ironic meta reference to needing a "new hot air balloon" after sabotaging Locke‘s leadership hopes earlier in the season.
In fact, Lost weaves in several more references to iconic Wizard of Oz elements associated with great trickery and false fronts throughout Ben‘s arc of lies and betrayal using Henry Gale as cover:
- Emerald Palace = Ben‘s hidden rec room behind bookcase/pillar
- Flying Monkeys = The Others ambushing the 815‘ers on Ben‘s orders
- Wicked Witch of the West = Ben‘s adopted abusive daughter Annie
- Yellow Brick Road = Ben fooling the 815‘ers to join his camp
- Munchkins = Manipulated DHARMA kids roaming Otherton
- Ruby Slippers = Ben‘s childhood innocence/hunger for power
Point being…the Wizard of Oz illusions clues were there all along. Hiding in episodes titles and visuals if we just paid attention…
How Henry Gale‘s Death Facilitated Ben‘s Downfall
Finally, Henry Gale‘s initial demise and subsequent discovery also set into motion crucial events that initiate Benjamin Linus‘s gradual loss of control and influence amongst the Others. His capture due to an errant balloonist sets the stage for manipulation by the nefarious Widmore Corporation.
Later, the dramatic Grave reveal destroys Ben‘s credibility in front of key Others like Juliet just as he is trying to consolidate his Pro Tempore leadership. It also sows further doubts in Locke‘s mind after being strung along about the submarine promise. The Henry Gale house of cards falling fuels simmering dissent in Otherton.
Most critically, Ben‘s time as Henry Gale‘s impersonator puts him under the knife (literally) of Jack Shepherd right when John Locke is embracing his miraculous healing and spiritual destiny. Ben had avoided surgery previously only to end up more vulnerable undergoing the operation rather than dying with defiant dignity befitting the enigmatic Other leader.
His forced recuperation in captivity with the Losties causes Ben to lose his grip on events and subordinates like Tom, Mikhail, and Richard. All facilitate Ben‘s shocking public humiliation when Locke invades Otherton to rescue the castaways.
The real Henry Gale‘s demise indirectly leads to Ben‘s temporary fall from his wizard-behind-the-curtain perch of power over the Others.
The Battle Between Free Will and Fate
At its core, Lost is a philosophical debate about fate vs. free will, belief vs. skepticism, destiny vs. coincidence staged as an epic battle of good vs. evil. Both Henry Gales find themselves caught in the crossfire of this higher contest between opposing forces (Jacob vs Smokey Monster).
Just as the Wonderful Wizard of OZ wanted nothing more than to escape to his simple life in Kansas, the evidence suggests the real Henry Gale was an innocent doomed by forces greater than himself. His namesake doppelganger Ben faced an ironic comeuppance for exploiting that tragedy through brazen deception and moral relativism.
So were their fates predetermined – or did conscious choices directly impact outcomes?
The mysteries of the Island seem to play by different rules than the outside world. Whispers float through the trees as destiny‘s invisible hand pushes people towards conflict. For explorers like Henry Gale, fate hands out a cruel ending for seeking forbidden truths.
Yet contrasts appear between the moral occupants of 815 willing to give redemption versus the shifting gray alliances from Original Islanders like Ben clinging to power and deception. Free will splits the pack between light and dark.
The mystery of Henry Gale ultimately represents Lost‘s deeper questions about trust, truth, and the metaphysical influences governing our lives. Are we agents writing our own stories or characters stuck inside narratives concocted by whimsical authors? That interpretation is left up to the viewer to ponder and unravel.
Personally, I believe Henry Gale‘s fate represented the karmic scales balancing against Ben rather than pure predestination. His deception bought time to create more chaos and conflict. But truth wins out in the end against manufactured realities…itioners roaming Otherton