With every deliberate squint of his barbed-wire blue eyes, former Leader of the Others Benjamin Linus used to command complete control of his tropical kingdom, dropping hints like crumbs while the survivors fumbled helplessly through the foliage looking for answers. Then his daughter was killed, and the Machiavellian Ben died along with her. Easily convinced to murder his mysterious leader, Jacob, Ben now exists in a no-mans land between the forces he formerly perceived as good and evil and is just as confused and terrified as the rest of the ragged, mud-soaked characters. But while he lived before to serve the trinity of Jacob, the Island and Power, he seems to be finding some form of humanizing repentance now, first through his words at Locke’s funeral, “He was a better man than I will ever be, and I’m sorry I killed him,” and then through his actions in his alternate life, giving up his career for a student. As always, however, it’s very difficult to tell; Ben walks the fine line between man and maniac with deceptive ease.
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/03/the-10-greatest-anti-heroes-10-benjamin-linus.htmlHandsome with a good-natured grin, Sam is a former Navy Seal, Military Intel Operative, and all-around Cold Warrior. In his prime he was point man on an array of armed conflicts the world over. He worked with Michael many times during those heady days. When Michael reconnects with him in Miami, Sam has embraced his post-espionage days by letting loose. Once, he loved the threadbare world of secret surveillance in the communist bloc, or forward recon in the touch-and-go Middle East.
Now, he has moved on to mojitos, Sugar Mommas and bikini watching in the bars and on the sands of South Beach. He's reliable and consistent, in the way that you can count on a former spy to dig up solid intel and execute missions with stealthy aplomb. Despite his predilection for rich divorcées and cocktails, he is an asset to Michael, even when he becomes an informant for the FBI. Though the Feds have Sam keeping an eye on Michael, he needs Sam's friendship, partnership, and expertise, now more than ever.
http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/theshow/characterprofiles/sam/index.html