Reception
Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy wrote that, because of Dale's portrayal, "Widmore is far from the one-dimensional bad guy, as a certain degree of humanity has shone through". Eric Goldman from IGN enjoyed Dale's introduction in "Live Together, Die Alone" but found it "odd" to see Dale in Lost, having been watching The O.C. on DVD, which features Dale as Caleb Nichol. The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan thought it was "cool" to see Alan Dale in this role, and speculated of Widmore's connection to the island.
Many reviewers were unsurprised at the revelation that Widmore sent the freighter to the island. Oscar Dahl of BuddyTV had difficulty taking Widmore seriously, as seeing Dale made him think of Dale's role in The O.C., and he did not find the reveal that Widmore sent the freighter to be a shock. Tim Goodman from the San Francisco Chronicle was also not surprised by the reveal and found it uncompelling. James Poniewozik from Time was hopeful of a more interesting dynamic between Ben and Widmore following the reveal, as Widmore's quest for the island seemed disappointing.
Dan Kois and Lane Brown of New York magazine were unsure how they felt about Widmore and Ben's meeting in "The Shape of Things to Come". They initially found it "ridiculous" felt it had too much dialogue, but they liked the "canny and confusing" reversal of the clichéd discussions between heroes and villains because they were unsure of who was the villain and who was the hero.
Read more about this topic: Charles Widmore
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