page_title: Dr. Linus
section_title: Reception
hierarchical_section_title: Dr. Linus / Reception
caption_attribution_description: Michael Emerson (Harold) Person of Interest Panel at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con
context_page_description: "Dr. Linus" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of ABC's drama television series Lost. It is the 110th episode overall. The episode was written by executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by actor Mario Van Peebles. The episode is centered on Benjamin Linus.
  In 2007, Benjamin Linus is forced by Ilana Verdansky to dig his own grave as a consequence of an uncovered lie. Meanwhile, Jack Shephard attempts to convince Richard Alpert that they have a purpose. In the "flash-sideways", Ben copes with internal matters in his workplace.
context_section_description: The episode received critical acclaim from critics. Review aggregate website Metacritic gave the episode a score of 92 out of 100, indicating "Universal Acclaim". The score was up on the previous week's score of 82, and is the best reviewed episode out of the first seven. Steven Kurutz of The Wall Street Journal deemed it the best episode of the season, containing "the perfect mix of action, drama and mysteries revealed." Kurutz felt that Ben's storyline in the alternate universe was "so much tighter" than the other characters' presented in previous episodes, and that it was "heartening" rather than "hokey" to see Ben join the other characters on the beach at the end. Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger deemed "Dr. Linus" "easily the most compelling episode of this final season so far," enjoying even the scenes involving Jack, despite his "pathological hatred" of the character. Zap2it's Ryan McGee named the episode his second favorite of the season, kept only from superseding "The Substitute" by the overuse of Arzt. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune called it "a tautly constructed and thus very satisfying episode of TV", deeming Emerson's performance "awe-inspiring" and the storylines "heartbreaking". She agreed with Kurutz's assessment of the alternate universe storylines, writing that "Dr. Linus" did "the best job yet" of linking the themes from both timelines together. Emily VanDerWerff of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the episode was the best since "The Constant", and also approved of the alternate timeline, feeling that it "takes the basic components of Ben's fall from grace on the Island and uses them in a new fashion, reinventing not just the story of how he became who he was but also the story of who he is at his core."
  Noel Murray of The A.V. Club described the episode as having a "strong finish" but "very shaky start". He found the resolution of Ben's blackmail plot implausible and the subtext excessive, commenting: "every scene and line in this episode seemed designed to make sure that we got the point about the cruelty of fate, the burden of power, and so on and so on." Murray enjoyed the episode's "poignant and tense" final minutes, however, and rated the episode "B-" overall, later rethinking his grade and changing it to a "B". BuddyTV's John Kubicek was similarly critical of the episode's subtext, and commented on his growing frustration with the alternate universe: "If the point is to show us how the Island made everyone a more interesting person, we get it, so please stop before we have to watch another watered-down character wuss out." Kubicek also criticized the episode's ending, describing the scene shot through the submarine's periscope as "one of the most ridiculous things Lost has ever done."
caption: Critics favourably received the character development of Ben Linus (Michael Emerson, pictured).
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