The Lost Diary

Daniel, FYI, No work gets done by me on a Friday untill the blog is up and read. You owe my boss thousands, dude.

You didn't have the OMG moment when Alex was offed? My jaw hit the COUCH! So impressive. EXCELLENT scene.

My old answer to your question was " Who is Jacob"... after last nights episode however what I'd like to know most now is "what is the nature of Ben and Widmores relationship.

I give the episode an A.

XXOO
-E

great episode. i knew that Ben was going to say that Alex wasnt his daughter and pretend she was nothing to him. i also felt that maybe Keamy, with his sexy self, was going to kill her anyway. but, i never expected Ben to actually care. it was kinda nice seeing him be a human. great review Daniel.

I thought the Black Smoke Monster was great. I can't wait to learn more. Now we know why Sayid starts working with Ben. This episode was a A+

I forgot it was on *horrors* and must pay huge thanks to TiVo for recording it. Thank God- it was wonderful.

Did you notice Ben's mischevious smile when walking away from Sayid? After he said, "Sayid go home and mourn, this is my war, not yours" I thought he was sincere... that twisted look and smile as he walked away led me to think he set Sayid up the whole time... which led me to thinking that in the FF's we've seen, Sayid has done all of Ben's dirty work. He killed the guy on the golf course, Elsa, now this guy... the blood is on his hands completely.

The doctor is safe on the ship because of the 'relativity issue' of time that Farraday eluded to. He hasn't been killed yet, would be my thought, right?

Anyone notice how Lawnmower Man makes an appearance in the scenes for next week, as if he's with the soldiers? Says something about how "they'll kill you if you don't..." How does a guy contracted to do nothing more than fly a helicopter get knee deep into everything?

This was a pretty good one, I was driving bf and friend nuts by predicting things and being right about it. I won the game last night. And we saw the human side of Ben. Any episode that brings a human side to him instead of his cold composed self is good. I missed you, dude.

Can we have a full season of just Ben, Locke, Hurley and Desmond???

I thought that this episode was great. Although I have many questions about Lost, what I really want to know from this episode is... since we learned that Ben has control over the "Black Smoke", why then did it (or Ben) kill Ecko?

Is it possible that Ben killed Nadia and set it up for one of Widmore's men to look like he did it? All he showed Sayid was a photo of the man driving a car about 3 blocks from where and when Nadia was killed. Ben could have killed her and set it up so Sayid would help him with his vendetta against Widmore and his people. Since Ben is a mastermind, and obviously was pleased that his plan worked (note smile on his face after he walked away) I think my theory is likely. I laughed out loud several times in this episode: when the doorbell rang after the shootout, when Farraday says anything, when Ben pulled the gun out of the piano bench and handed it to Sawyer, when Hurley says almost anything. I do agree the shootout was lame, Sawyer was uninjured and everyone else was easily killed outside (maybe the island wouldn't let him die, just like Kevin/Michael! I thought this would be the moment that Claire dies, which would have explained why Kate had him in the future. OH well, another time perhaps.

After Lost was over, I realized there was a lot more questions that left me very hungry for more. To me, this means it was a most excellent episode. Though it didn't produce a lot of answers as Daniel explained, but it left you ravenous for more! It was surprisingly good for what it didn't explain. THough, I did laugh at Sawyer not getting hit but all the poor "extra's Being picked off like flies. lol. And how did Claire look as if she just passed out after her HOUSE exploded? Ok, maybe the island had something to do with it.

And lets just say it, were Ben and Charles lovers? They question of "Since when do you sleep with booze next to you?" is a rather revealing question of a possible old relationship, and that Charles said to Ben that " You took all from me" meaning, after they bitterly split up, Ben took the island as revenge? Just thoughts, and though why BEN can't kill Charles is very interesting, is Charles immortal because of the island? Or can only BEN not kill Charles.

And how did we know Jin was still alive?

I was in the kitchen during a commercial break and walked in to find Ben in the desert in a parka. I was all WTF too. Loved smokey to the rescue. At first I thought the cave Ben entered was a doorway to another time and that was how he ended up in the desert. Guess not seeing in hindsight that he was not wounded at that time and not wearing a coat. So I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Had to give this episode an B+. Would have gotten an A if Claire had been blown to bits. In the real world, she would have been crispy critters.

I definitely had an OMG moment when the smoke monster blasted out of nowhere! I did not see that coming. I felt that this was a pretty great episode, and I wasn't even disappointed when I was left with more questions than answers. But I'm getting pretty bored with the beach crew. I'm hoping things get more exciting with them quickly.

I absolutely loved that Ben controls the black smoke monster! I too wonder though why he wanted to kill Eko and also Locke (remember when it was pulling Locke into the ground). Maybe Ben thought Eko was going to be like Locke and be "special." I also liked how we filled in the gap about how Sayid works for Ben. Overall I thought this episode was great and I also think that Ben might have had something to do with Nadia's death to try and get Sayid to work for him.

I was so freakin glad Lost was back have been waiting!! I think that lostforever was right about the theory with Charles and Ben being lovers. The smoke monster was great glad to see it take out some people that need to be gone!! Gotta love the fact the Hurley has to take Ben to the cabin. I can't wait until the next episode definitley hungry for more questions and half answers!!!! LOL

Ben can't kill Widmore because Widmore is Ben's constant. I'm guessing the 'rules' involve killing family and friends, people that could anchor you will time traveling

I liked the episode. good call with the doctor and the time difference .. I was thinking the same thing. After all this show has been through I find it weird that its headed toward bens revenge for the killing of his daughter. And is sayid going to kill penny since he's doing the dirty work. I think desmond will get off the island and reunite with penny. so theres that. overall I can't wait to see this develop more

Charles Widmore thinks the island is his and that Ben took it from him. Does that mean that he owns Dharma and is referring to when Ben gassed them all? Or is he referring to something else?

Ben says, "but you can't even find it"- meaning future Charles doesn't know the islands whereabouts despite the freighter guys getting to the island and killing Alex? How could he not know, unless Ben kills them all off before they can report back?

That being said, is that why he bid on the first mate's journal of the Black Rock, somehow trying to find the island? Must be I figure...

And... Ben suddenly 'appears' in the Sahara Desert wearing a winter parka with a shoulder wound. He's carrying some stick which we later see him use and again has behind his back when entering Widmore's apartment... whats that?

I have to think that Charles not knowing where the island is, the FF of Jack scouring maps and coordinates, the discovery of a Dharma polar bear by Charlotte in the Tunisian desert and now Ben's sudden appearance in the same country of Tunisia in a winter coat, nods at the island's ability to 'hide'. Vortice theory? Time travel? Something!!! Somebody refresh the Vortices again, where's the cold weather one located (Ben had to come from there wearing the winter coat)-

Also, anyone catch all the carvings on the wall behind the back of his closet?

I'm not so sure I believe Ben when he says that one of Widmore's men killed Nadia. Seems too much like him to manipulate things to get Sayid to do his dirty work.

Do you all remember that scene from earlier in the season when Hurley and Jack were in that basketball court and Hurley apologized to Jack for going with Locke? (Do I have that right?)

I thought about that instantly in this episode when Hurley decided to go with Locke rather than leave with Sawyer 'n' Co. For some reason, I think that was the pivotal moment; not when Hurley didn't stay with Jack at the beach to wait for the freighter.

Thoughts?

I think Ben can't kill Widmore because he is Ben's constant for when he time travels.
Ben time travelled to the desert.
For some reason Ben is not able to kill anyone-Locke lived when Ben shot him & he needs others to kill for him- has had the Others kill for him- has Smokey kill for him and now has Sayid lined up to do his bidding in the future

Wow... good call on that Cate. You're totally right! Ben CAN'T kill anyone... why is that, I wonder?

I wonder if Ben's "specialness" has to do with the fact that he was born to a time-traveling mother.

I loved the episode, and I have watched from the beginning, but this one confused me so much! Thanks for the review, Daniel, to help me put it all together.
When Ben was in the desert with the parka, I hoped it was going to explain the Dharma polar bear skeleton that was found in the desert earlier this season.
Then I thought Ben was time travelling, like Desmond and Minkowsky. He looked so disoriented when he woke up in the desert, and maybe Sahid was his constant, but he can't be time travelling because he took the "vaccine," right?
And Smokey - instead being a stompin', dinosaur-like cloud - he was a freight train on a mission this time! He looked a lot bigger than usual!
I love that Ben will never run out of secrets and surpises to pull on us - secret passages and martial arts and all. Keep them coming!
I agree with Archie - a season of Ben, Locke, Hurley and Desmond - and Sahid - would be just great.

I loved this episode...though "The Constant" still has the top spot in my book...I found myself rooting for Ben and it is amazing how he has slowly but surely become one of the good guys...(quote?)...
Not sure why, but my biggest WTF moment was when he checks into the hotel, and the look on the woman's face when she reads his name in the book...fear? terror? Would love to know why......
Good job on all you are doing...

JGomez - I love that! I totally agree that this is what Hurley apologizes for in the FF with Jack!

Sooo glad sawyer didn't get offed yet!!

With regard to the face of the hotel clerk who checked in Dean Moriarty... she did have a look of terror on her face when reading his name...

Found it strange that he announced he was a Preferred Customer... so he's been there several times!

My first time posting here (wife-referenced).

I can't give the episode an A (or A+), but it's a solid B. "Gunfight" was lame; maybe there's a reason the boat people are wanting to keep Sawyer alive (which Locke or Ben alluded to when he finally made it into the house). The Alex-Death scene was magical, though, and rescued a possible B-.

As soon as we realized Ben is on his way up to a penthouse, I was afraid there was some Ben/Widmore partnership. A "friendly" competition isn't much better, although threatening to off Penny takes "friendly" off the table.

Do we know Widmore isn't behind the entire Dharma Initiative? Maybe that's why he "owns" the island?

I don't disagree with you too often, Daniel, but there were OMG moments. My OMG moment last night: When the smoke monster turned out to be Henry Gale's little pet. Here Smokey, Smokey, Smokey!! Good boy, sick 'em!

My OMG moment today was Cate's post that Ben can't acutally kill anyone. Awesome! Is it true? He's never personally killed anyone? AFTER he killed his father and everyone on the island, that is?

Did anyone else get a jolt when Hurley said, while playing RISK, "Australia is the key to the whole game." ? Think of how many of the losties have a link to Australia. Thoughts?

One last thought-Ben says that Locke needs to stay alive. I think Ben needs Locke to stay alive so that he can care for and "Hide" the island while he is off it. Locke would stay behind because he has nothing at home and possibly risks the chance of being paralyzed again while at home-he has always expressed that he won't leave the island.
Ben knows that Locke has the ability to control the island while he is away because of him "hearing" Jacob. Thoughts?

Ben says to Charles that "we both know I cant do that (kill him)" - so Charles is fully aware of who Ben is and what he can/cannot do.

I think the Risk game was forshadowing for understanding the war between Ben and Widmore... Ben said "He changed the rules"- when someone refers to rules, they are referring to a game, otherwise they would say "rules of engagement" for war, or "laws" ... he said 'rules'.

The Risk game said (Hurley)"We're all gonna die. He wants us to fight amongst each other"... (Sawyer)"I'm taking Serbia"... (Hurley)"I can't believe you just gave him Australia... its the key to the whole game"...

Oceanic 815 took off from Sydney Australia and yes, my guess is that its the key to the whole 'game'.

For the "If Ben can't kill anyone theory"....when he landed in the desert with the 2 guys, didn't he shoot the first one and just beat the other guy? Did he kill the first guy or just wound him?

Here's a Vile Vortice Recap. Good thing I emailed it to a friend of mine!

This is all I could think of the whole show. Especially with Ben showing up in Tunisia like the bear. I didn't think he looked confused so much as in pain. He knew exactly what to do when the guys showed up with the horses and knew exactly where to stay (had even been there before!). I love this theory.

108. Just a general theory regarding the island that I happen to agree with:

The various boats and planes arrive on the island via Vile Vortices. There are twelve "bermuda triangle" style areas around the world, dubbed "Vile Vortices." The most famous of the twelve are of course the Bermuda Triangle and the Devil's Sea near Japan. Some believe the Vortices are connected to each other via electromagnetic 'grid lines'. Of particular relevance to LOST are 4 - possibly 5 - different Votices: the Vortex located in the Pacific Ocean near Fiji; the one in the Mozambique Channel, East Africa; the one over the western Sahara desert; the one in Antartica; and (possibly)the one known as the Bermuda Triangle. The island acts as kind a central dumping ground, where the ships and planes and such are drawn to after entering one of the other Vile Vortices.

Those vessels brought in through the Fiji location: Flight 815, Danielle's veessl; Desmond's Boat; Henry Gale's Balloon? It would also explain why both of the helicopters from the freighter experienced electrical problems and the instruments were spinning - reputed to have happened many times in the Bermuda Triangle.

Those drawn through the Mozambique Channel Vortex: The Black Rock - the ship located in the middle of the island (Remember, in the episode "Exodus, Part II", when they came across the ship, Locke said the ship "must have been en route to a mining colony. Probably set off from the eastern coast of Africa--Mozambique".

Those drawn through the Sahara vortex: Eko's brother's plane. (in "Deus Ex Machina" When Boone entered the plane we saw a map in which the word SAHARA was prominently featured. Indeed the camera panned up from Nigeria to the Sahara suggesting that this was the plane's route.) It would also explain how a small beechcraft ended up thousands of miles away from its intended destination. Also, the polar bear Charlotte found was located in the Saharta - the polar bear could've been shipped FROM the Fiji vortex to the Sahara one - either on purpose by Dharma, or by accident.

The Antartica vortex: The two men at the listening station, who informed Penelope that they located the signal, could have been stationed in/near this vortex; A discharge emanating from the electromagnetic anomaly on the Island is enough to trigger one or more of the Vortices to open. It is also enough to alert the 'outside world' as to a disturbance via the electromagnetic grid lines.

The Bermuda Triangle: Juliette left from Miami - perhaps they used this vortex to quickly transport her to the island.

Also worth Noting: The name "Miles Straume" -- a clever play on the word 'Maelstrom' meaning a powerful type of VORTICE or whirlpool.

Posted at 2:05PM on Feb 8th 2008 by LOSTie

Posted by: LOST in TEXAS | February 8, 2008 01:22 PM >>>>

"Clearly someone slipped me acid during the commercial brake."

Totally!

If the episodes stay this strong for the remainder...

1st off, Ben is gangster...he's got guns everywhere (piano bench shotgun)! Then he make quick work of the 2 Tunisians, and is a smart ass on top of it. gotta luv it. on another note, where r the Others? I kno they're @ the Temple, but would they have gotten the warning that Locke & Sawyer received via telephone? Also, if the captain & his men r on the island (Lawnmower Man, presumably, is also on the island), who's left on the boat? Minkowski, Sayid, & Desmond? also, "when" was Farrady sending the morse code message in relation to the shootout/Black Smoke-out w/Ben? Plus, in the preview 4 next week' episode, Lawnmower Man is saying something like "if they find out they'll kill u" or something like that. Who is he talking about? the Commandos? I would assume the Black Smoke would have eliminated them...

I find it very interesting that now only Hurley can find Jacob's cabin. Not Ben, not Locke.
Hurley is the only one of the losties who is essentially pure good. He hasn't intentially killed anyone or committed adultary, or blackmailed anyone, etc.
Locke used to be all spiritual and stuff, but then he got crazy and killed Naomi, and now he threatens to kill people all the time.
I can't figure why Ben could find Jacob before, but not now.

ALSO, I guess this shows that the smoke monster is not Jacob. Cause Ben could call the smoke monster, but still needs to find Jacob.

I think Sawyer and Claire will both live, but stay on the island. (maybe as a couple?)
*(maybe I just HOPE that's what happens)

I still think hurley apologizes for going with jack for something we haven't seen. good call with widmore bidding on the black pearl log. been killed nadia. he's too manipulative to want to help sayid for his loss of his wife. what's with the black smoke? somebody explain a reasonably logical explanation

SUZIE! GREAT CATCH!
I think you're on to something. Hurley is the only truly good one of them, and thats why he saw Jacob's house. My guess is that Locke lost Jacob's house and that ability to see it after he killed Naomi, right? I think thats chronologically correct-

Couple of things:
1)So why is Ben a regular visitor to Tunisia?

2) I feel like I missed something with the date (October 2005) - that doesn't seem like enough time passed

3) Dean Moriarty is a very interesting choice of an alias. Who would Ben's Jack Kerouac be?

4) I liked Cate's theory about Widmore/Ben being each others constant. I also thought of a Biblical reference that could fit. If anyone is familiar with the Book of Job, God and the Devil have a conversation and it gives the impression that they are friends as well as adversaries. I got the same impression with Ben/Charles. Particularly when Ben got so upset that the rules were broken. Maybe the Losties are Job.

5) I would be pissed if Ben succeeds in killing Penny. The love story between her and Desmond is epic.

I also like the theory about Widmore being Ben's constant. But Ben does kill on the island - he killed his father.

Great episode! Here are some questions...
Why was Sawyer only concerned for Claire when all these other survivors are running around and being gunned down? Where in the world did all those other people come from? How did the shooters pick off so many people with such great shots (ie Carl, Russo) and never come close to Sawyer?
Ben sent Alex to the only safe place left on the island. What about his secret passage or even time travel? Seems like having her totally off the island would be safer than running thru the jungle.
If Ben can't kill anyone, shall I assume he didn't kill the man on the horse during his time travel?
Why do they need Hurley to find Jacobs cabin? Ben and Locke have both been there before. Hurley stumbled across it in the dark and was totally lost and disoriented. Locke then happen to find Hurley.
And my thought on the smoke monster is this. I don't think Ben controls the monster. I think he can contact the monster and made some sort of deal with it. You come kill these guys and I will do something for you. I can't wait to see how Ben explains this!!

Have to bring this up because its killing me:

Everything that Ben said at the end to try and save Alex, saying that she was nothing more than a pawn, a baby he stole from a crazy woman... all of that we think is true, right? Now, granted, after raising the girl her whole life, Ben is going to feel something (hopefully) for her death, but I have always had this uncanny feeling that we don't know the whole/true story of how Alex came to be Ben's daughter.

I guess it always gets me thinking because I still want to know where Annie fits into this (as the writers have said her importance to the show is 'seismic')... Any thoughts?

So in these few weeks since Lost went on hiatus, my roommate and I re-watched the entire series from the beginning, because the other roommate had not been a Lost watcher. (Of course they watched a few before I got home from work, but I'll let it slide or now). Consider him hooked now. Strongly reccomend going back to watch some episodes, in particular Flashes Before Your Eyes, if you haven't already done so. So many things come to light.

Getting to this week, I have wayyyyyy more questions than Daniel. But I do have a possible answer to one of his. He asked why Widmore thought the Island was once his. Widmore Corp. has connections to the Hanso Foundation, which was a partner in the DHARMA Initiative. Widmore very well may have been associated with that and had some control of the Island when DHARMA was there until Ben took over and purged DHARMA.

To answer just me's questions about Lapidus, pretty sure that was the "errand" he went to run when Sayid and Desmond asked where the chopper was. But the problem with that is, how did the captain get to the Island when he was on the boat talking to Sayid, Des and Michael when Alex was shot at?

I have so many other questions too. Why doesn't Ben know where Jacob's cabin is? He found it before. Why does he need Hurley to find it, and why does he think Hurley can find it again if he can't? Why didn't Miles, the ghost whisperer, go with them to see Jacob? Shouldn't he know about Jacob and be able to communicate with him? Did Ben get to the Sahara through a vortex? From Antarctica, or wherever Penny's guys at the listening post/research station were? And "when" did he leave to end up there in Oct. 2005? How long after the 6 leave the Island is that? Why does Sayid tackle Ben, say to him, "you animals (or something like that) follow me to Tikrit? You spy on me?" then see that it is Ben and look stunned, and ask, what are YOU doing here? Who did he think it was? Do the freighter folk actually know about the doctor but are lying? We've never actually seen someone be in two places at once, except in their mind, and even then it alternates back and forth. What were the rules before "he changed" them? No innnocents get killed? Just a not-so-friendly competition? Does Ben really "control" the smoke monster, or did he just release it and now it is going to wreak havoc all over the Island?

So much other stuff, but I feel like we are being pointed in a direction now. And when they started shooting random Losties I said, looks like they finally decided to thin out the extra pool!

Jon, to answer one of your questions I think at first when Sayid tackeled Ben he thought Ben was a Paparrazzi (sp?) and he was mad at them for following him around when he was trying to mourn. Remember when Ben saw him on TV how mad he was at the paps? So that is what I initially thought and then he realized it was Ben.

Can't remeber if we actually saw Ben kill his father or did he have someone else do it for him?
Maybe its not that Ben can't kill anyone but that he needs Sayid so that he can build his own "army" perhaps he lost all his "others" or old army when everyone else from the plane doesn't return home for whatever reason

*I think the "Temple", where Ben sent the others and tried to send Alex, is a way off the island. That is why we haven't seen any others lately.

* I think there will be a big showdown between Sayid and Desmond. Ben will send sayid to kill Penny, Des will protect her. Sayid is a sucker for a good love story, so he won't do it.

*some one earlier said Ben and Widmore have a relationship of some kind. I think they are RELATED. Half Brothers maybe?

Help me here, could they be brothers???? Thats an awesome idea, doesn't it have some biblical reference? Cain and Abel?

The heir to the island would be the first born and Charles is obviously older than Ben

I also found it weird that Widmore usually has an English accent and last night he had an Australian accent...

I liked the theory that Ben cannot kill anyone BUT he killed everyone on the island by gassing them in the past. Does that count?

How come no-one talks about what Miles said about Claire. She walked out of the room and Locke asked if she was all right. Claire said "Yea...just wobble, not dead" Miles said "Not yet". Miles can talk to dead beings....he knew that Michael was lying when he got on the boat, so he must know that Claire is going to die!!!
So Happy That LOST is back on!!!!!! I missed it soooooo much!

Anonymous: Hey, I really liked that Idea!
Ben and Widmore are brothers and heirs to the island. Widmore is older, so HE inherits the island. Then Ben steals it from him somehow.

But who was their DADDY? Christian Sheppard? Jacob?

Or maybe they inherit from a GRANDFATHER.
Good old Grandpa Jacob Hanso?

I think they are brothers. Just the way that Widmore kept calling him "Benjamin" like he was a child. He called him "boy" too. It seemed to me like they were related.

Okay, the question I want answered next week is - what exactly is the smoke monster and where can I get one? How awesome would that be.

Maybe that could be the "rules" that got changed. DON'T KILL ANY OF OUR RELATIVES.

Ben didn't kill Nadia. He was still in Tunisia (?) when he saw Sayid on TV. The better question is if bald guy was actually the killer (and from Widmore) or just someone Ben set up to recruit Sayid.

Also, am I the only one who's thinking Alvar Hanso = Charles Widmore?

If Ben and Widmore are brothers, why would Ben say (when threatening to kill her) "Penelope, is it?" There is some connection but Widmore seems more paternal to Ben than fraternal. I'm so confused--but I love it! I love reading all your posts--such great info and theories!!

Ben is the bomb! Seriously, I always thought so, but last night showed how amazing he is. In a really scary way, of course. The way he manipulated Sayid was masterful. But I knew they would kill Alex. That fuels what happens in the future and it makes so much more sense now. That was the one thing Ben didn't count on. Guess he is human after all. But the Jason Bourne stuff rocked and was definitely a surprise. I thought he would talk his way out of it like he usually does.

And why was I not sad when Claire's house blew up? I admit I was disappointed when she barely had a scratch.

And I had to laugh at Miles ringing the doorbell. How funny is that? And like Daniel, I am loving the quirky Mr. Faraday more and more.

Love seeing Smokey back too! I missed him, and he was particularly badass last night.

What do I want answered? The connection between Ben and Widmore.

I still believe that water has something to do as a conduit for the time traveling- remember how we were all hooked on Widmore's using paper to turn on/off the water when he met with Desmond and stepped OVER the water on the floor to walk out (ok, both are pretty normal things to do but seemed strange to use in the scene unless it meant something)... if they are brothers/ if they are fighting over the island/ I would think its safe to assume that Widmore knows about the time traveling/vortices, but then why can't he find the island? Is he bouncing through time like Ben?

I don't think Ben's constant is Charles. I still think his constant are the dolls that he has kept this many years-

*******
First off, Desmond is a bad guy. (I have always believed this) now that Ben is after Penny to kill her, and Desmond is in love with her, I predict a Desmond versus Sayid showdown over Penny!!!!

But before that, Desmond will do a lot of harm to the Losties by stupidly protecting Whitmore.

****

TOP 5 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK

5.Ben had Nadia killed(not Whidmore)to get Sayid to help him(probably for his future battle with Desmond).

4.In the "coming next week" bit after the show we learn Jack's pain is his appendix!? why? I am guessing they will use it to bungee off the island to safety.

3. Ben unleashing the monster on the military bad guys was AWESOME!!!! again, Daniel doesn't know what he's talking about. That thing was taking out bad dudes like a train. (best if seen on an HD TV) But the guy who killed Ben's daughter is still alive. He will become important.

2. BEN DOES NOT NEED HURLEY TO FIND JACCOB. He only says that he does, becuase A) Ben knows Hurley has seen it and can trick Locke into thinking he is the only one who can find it.
B) Can use Hurley for some other reason.

1. The island is in some sort of TIME WARP, added with the SMOKE MONSTER... this show is going to end up being one big SCIENCE FICTION show, the next "X Files meets Twin Peaks"... WHEN it could be so much more than that.

The show was great it gets an A+.

Unfortunately, we learn that although the shows' will be fun to watch, ITS GOING TO BE A STUPID ENDING TO A GREAT SHOW.

Whidmore versus Ben??
Come on, these two werent even in the first season and now its all about them.

Its time to kill off Ben. I hope he gets a DUI in Hawaii soon.

How are, ahem, were Ben & Alex related? If I remember correctly, he took Alex from Rousseau when Alex was a baby, and that Rousseau was pregnant when she arrived on the island. This doesn't make Ben her father (well he raised her so maybe it does), or any relation 2 her whatsoever. Unless Ben hasn't been truthful about Alex's origins.

i don't get the smoke monster at all..what is it? the whole smoke monster idea initially seemed hokey to me when it killed ecko. and can ben really control it? b/c he made sure he and everyone else ran in the opposite direction. and i'm equally confused about jacob. who is he?? anyone have any guesses? and do we assume he's "good" or has some power over the island? i hope they shed more light on these two aspects in the upcoming episodes.

According to Lostpedia, Alvar Hanso would be wayyyyy over 100 years old, but apparantly looks half his age, tipping to the idea that he succeeded in finding the Fountain of Youth (the island perhaps?)

so jack looking like shite means he's finally coming down with the sickness right?? i have a question about whidmore tho...he said the island has always been his...always would mean since the beginning, right?? so maybe he doesnt age like richard. that made me think of jacob asking locke to help him...are whidmore & jacob one & the same and since whidmore cant get to the island jacob is held prisoner?? but by who? obviously not benn cuz he cant even get there without hurley's help...weird.

Anonymous is right Widmore is affiliated with the Hanso Foundation and DHARMA. If I'm not mistaken I think I remember he owns the company that manufactures or packages the food dropped off on the island and probably is a big investor in DHARMA in other ways. That's why he claims the island is his and that Ben took it away when he killed DHARMA off and set up his own "project" on the island.

so jack looking like shite means he's finally coming down with the sickness right?? i have a question about whidmore tho...he said the island has always been his...always would mean since the beginning, right?? so maybe he doesnt age like richard. that made me think of jacob asking locke to help him...are whidmore & jacob one & the same and since whidmore cant get to the island jacob is held prisoner?? but by who? obviously not benn cuz he cant even get there without hurley's help...weird.

We all know that literary references are very significant on Lost

The name of the episode was "The Shape of Things To Come" which is also the title of a book, published in 1933, which speculates on future events from 1933 until the year 2106. It is not a novel, but rather a fictional history book (from Wikipedia)

So, are the flash forwards real or mere speculation????

wow wow wow to lost in texas about that whole vortice thing. i must have missed that when it was discussed originally.

anyone see any flashes of light when the smoke monster came? there were always *good* and *bad* people lights in it when it killed before. and no, i dont think ben controls it- i think he has to make a deal or something of that sort. otherwise it would have been used many more times than it has i think.

I cant remember either- did the smoke monster show up when Hurley found Jacobs cabin?

And does anyone else think its odd that Sawyer is being all protective now?

i dont think Ben is powerful at all. i think he is just manipulative/resourceful. i think he saw on the news that Sayid's wife died and took that as an opportunity to use Sayid for his bidding.

i still believe that Whidmore is the good guy in all of this. if Whidmore wanted to exploit the island, like Ben/Mr. Friendly says, then he would not go through great measures to cover up the plane crash. Ben has much more to lose.

Does the smoke monster only come out when Ben calls it?

My guess is that the black monster IS the island... remember all the talk, "The Island won't let you kill yourself, Michael" or Locke talking about the island as if it were talking to him, "The Island told me so"- the island seems to have a personality and I think it manifests itself in the Smoke Monster.

I have always thought the Smoke Monster was seriously stupid and the dumbest part of an otherwise amazing show. Hoping it has more significance than I have thought-

Ben obviously has a connection with the Smoke Monster, having entered the door behind his closet where he did... something to provoke it.

My question is more about who is Jacob and the ash around his house? What is that? Why is Jacob going to tell them what to do next? Jacob MUST BE Christian Shephard considering we saw Shephard walking around on the island , right?

I definitely agree with the theory that Charles Widmore is Ben's constant! Did you notice in the penthouse scene between the two of them that they only showed half of their faces?? They're each other's halves.

Ben needs Charles in order to continue traveling back and forth to the island. That's why Ben can never kill Charles.

The foreshadowing dialogue during the opening beach scene and the game of risk was great. Kate: "Do you have a prescription for that?" Jack: "I wrote it myself." AWESOME! Also: Did anyone hear Claire when she woke up from the explosion say "Charlie?" I read in an article that a Claire vision/dream was cut from this episode. Could her utterance of Charlies name be a reference to that vision?

another thing- where the hell IS desmond!?! one of the things that drives me so crazy about lost is when characters just up and disappear for episodes and we have no idea whats going on with them. Des has this great episode then we hear nothing... arg!

and i have to say there is NO WAY that ben would really care that much about his 'daughter'. he is soooo super trained in having no humanity at all- he would have told himself from the beginning to never get that attached to her because he would know it would be his downfall. and shes not really his anyway so i really didnt like that. it was obvious he was going to say he didnt care about her, but in reality, he wouldnt. that is, IF he is as bad-ass and smart as he seems to be.

So if Ben needs Charles to travel back and forth to the island, what happens if Charles is killed by someone or dies? Does Ben then suffer the *sickness* and die alone (yes I am eluding to the funeral parlor and the man in the casket)... I know we saw he was a man from New York with some name we don't recognize, but Ben's got a zillion aliases... who's to say Benjamin Linus is even his real name?

Hey Daniel...

I have a question to ask...could it be possible that Charles and Ben are brothers?? He did ask about when did he start leaving drinks at his bed side? Charles would be older since Ben's mom died at birth!

Hey Daniel...

I have a question to ask...could it be possible that Charles and Ben are brothers or msybe his uncle?? He did ask about when did he start leaving drinks at his bed side? Charles would be older since Ben's mom died at birth!

Ben seems to have an emotional contradictions when it comes to relationships with women. His mother's death, jelousy over Juliet. Now the death of his daughter

okay here i go...

1) i need to get this out of the way cause it really bothered me. ben said whatshisname was a 1st sgt (E8) in the marines but he only served for five years (that's nearly impossible - i was in for four years and i got out as a cpl (E4). sorry but military innaccuracies like that bother me.

moving on to the actual show

2)alex was just TOTALLY unexpected. i think ben thought his whole i stole her, etc thing would actually save her...guess not

3) why is jack getting so sick all of a sudden? it makes me nervous. at least we know where his pain killer addiction starts.

4) get dressed kate, you suck.

5)ben turned into super BA and i love how he was walking around tikrit like it was no big deal. had some friends deployed there and from what they have told me that would be HIGHLY unlikely.

6) I TOTALLY dig who ever said whidmore was ben's constant. i thought that right away once he got to the penthouse. (side note...i like whidmore WAY better in this show than i did in ugly betty)

7) what i think about their whole discussion:
the island was whidmores all along. he has some type of connection to the hansos. he started/funded the dharma initiative. ben and the hostiles had the purge therefore ben took the island from him and now whidmore wants it back.

8) this whole constant and relativity of time thing is still confusing to me.

9) please tell me i will see me some christian sheppard. we really need to see jack and claire make their sibling connection.

10) i still cant understand why hurley saw christian in the cabin. this is what makes me think hes more important than jack and claires dad

okay thats all i can remember that i wanted to say. if i think of more ill letcha know.

PS who brought up the biblical thing of cain and abel? i never thought of that one. ill do some research on it.

PPS i missed ya'll! its good to have LOST back. LOL!

I was thrilled it was a Ben episode. My one question, why was Claire wearing a blond wig? I suppose she cut her hair for something else and needed to look the same for the show. But really it looked bizarre.

Did Ben really leave the group just to say goodbye to his daughter? Or did he do something else too? (Like put the smoke monster back up.)

And why is everybody suddenly acting like Miles is one of the gang? He is from the boat of bad guys. Hello! Wake up guys!

Ben landed in the desert because theres a teleportation device on the island..bank on it..

Ben goes crazy over women. However, the death of Alex may be secondary to the importance of Widmore "changing the rules", causing Ben to up the ante to keep the island, which in this case, is more important to Ben than Alex.

Hey Daniel...I missed you the last 4 weeks!

I have a question...could it be possible that Charles is Ben's Uncle (mom always did like you best). Ben seems to know him and he made the comment about the drink!

Just a thought!

Going with the half faces comment, I noticed that Ben was in all black and Charles was in all white. That goes with what Jack (?) found on Adam and Eve and also with the game Locke was teaching Walt. Two sides.....

MiteMike, I agree and I thought that the teleporter was behind the closet door, like suddenly Ben would just disappear into thin air... that being said, why didn't he just do that? Well, and maybe he does, which is how Hurley and Aaron get off the island with him?

Having said that, I think Kate and Sun get off the island with Jack due to Jack's sudden sickness. I think Hurley gets off the island with Ben. Locke stays behind-

It seems to go down like that somehow, but wondering then how Aaron gets in the hands of Kate, and does Jack know that Hurley gets off the island or does Jack find out when he sees Hurley's crash on TV? So many questions my mind is boggled and hurting...

Jack's sickenss looked eerily similar to Desmond when he was moving through time.... how could that be?

The minute it ended I said, "whitmore is ben's constant" which is why he can't kill him. But if that is the case, and Ben kills Penny, does that mean that Desmond will die (if he has no constant) and does Ferraday die too (if Desmond dies since Desmond is Ferraday's constant)???

We've all just skimmed over something that is probably relevant to ... something. Who murdered the Dr and why?

anonymous. thats what i forgot...thanks!

someone said earlier that due to the whole time thing the dr might actually be okay on the boat and they have no idea what farraday is talking about. i think otherwise. i mean who is left on the boat anyway since crazy captian and his mini militia are on the island now? maybe desmond and sayid are still on the boat and sayid was a comm officer, but he would not like about the dr be a-okay.

but it is interesting to note

I think the Oceanic 6 get off the island all together. Thus the news reports. Some additional people, like Ben and maybe Desmond, escape a different way, under the public radar.

you're right... thats why I want to know if Ben is in the casket... I think someone kills Charles Widmore (Desmond?)(Locke?) and thereby kills Ben because he no longer has a constant and when Ben dies, the whereabouts of the island are then lost and Jack can't save his half-sister Claire and the other Losties that remain...

just throwing this out there...

ive seen suzie and buttercup. wheres the rest of our lil gang?

hey susie! glad we spell our names differently.

Your post made me laugh. Sounds like a domino game. Penny dies, then Desmond dies cause she's HIS constant, then Farraday dies cause Des is HIS constant, then someone else cause he was THEIR constant.

One death could wipe out the whole show! Maybe THAT'S why the island won't let some people die. The DOMINO effect!

i dont think any of the constant people could die because then everything that is happening wouldnt happen...right? even if its after everyone on the island thing.

does that make sense?

kinda like if you go back and time and change one thing you may change everything and that might result in you never existing kinda thing...

One thing that is bugging me is that the last episode ended with Sayid giving up Michael to the captain. That is a loose end that we have no idea whats happening/happened. Is Michael put in the sickbay and he slits the doctor's throat per Ben's instructions? (could be considering the doctor would be the next in line behind Farraday to understand the principals of science behind what is happening and thereby giving whidmore information on how to get to the island)... If thats true, Ben will try to get Farraday killed soon because he knows too much. However we have seen the FF that Farraday gets off the island but he looked pretty bad (possibly dying because his constant Desmond is dead?) and he has a caretaker and can't remember anything...

It looks like people are posting under anonymous; it was getting a little rough around here for awhile and I think people are still reading but don't want to get attacked!

Widmore's line about the island once being his clarifies that he once had direct knowlege of the island as opposed to just having heard of it through other channels.This is a huge statement IMO. That Widmore may represent the consolidated interests of Hanso and Dharma puts him in contrast to the Ben and the natives. This stark dualism is being sighted all over this thread. That these two may be constants futher deepens the idea that the main conflict is between Ben and Widmore. Many have speculated that Paik, Abbadon, or other forces are involved with the struggle for the island. Widmore's line may have just clarified the main players here. I wonder if his idea that the island wil be his again is wishful thinking? Or has Widmore and already physically been to this future?
If Widmore can time-travel
How far does Widmore's relatioship to the island go in to the past & potentially how old is Charles Widmore?

someone mentioned it before and i know you guys who hear me talk about this are sick of it.

but remember that biblical connection i had going from aaron to jacob?

could this be where christian comes in as the big daddy? sorry, but it just sounds right. haha.

could christian be related to whidmore and/or ben? hence bringing everyone together on the island.

i mean we know the deal with the island, kinda, BUT we still don't know how all these people who are connected somehow got there together?!!?!?!?!

Can someone remind me who Paik is? I seem to have missed something along the way

I don't think it's possible for Jack not to know that Hurley gets off the island, since they're part of the Oceanic 6.

I think the 6 must get off together. Think of the questions that would be raised if 6 people from a plane crash start popping up all over the place...

He is Sun's dad.

i mean we know the deal with the island, kinda, BUT we still don't know how all these people who are connected somehow got there together?!!?!?!?!

Agreed. This issue is pretty up for grabs in terms of identifying it on the fate vs. free will vs. time manipulation spectrum...

Daniel, great job on this weeks post, made me laugh! I especially liked the "Carol Anne" reference. The conversation between Smokie and Benry was also pretty funny!

Can anyone double check the Dharma emblem on Benry's parka? Its Dharma but it has some sort of swirl on it. Not sure, but that just adds to the already growing list of stations.

What would I like answered? I need to know everything about Danielle, and I mean EVERYTHING! How and why she got to the island, how Benry kidnapped Alex, what she has been doing for the past 16 years and why the Others let her live all that time.

I have nothing intellectual to offer, this show usually goes way over my head, but I love it all the same. I am so addicted to this post because you guys fill in all the things I miss. Let me sit quietly for a while and maybe I'll come up with something brilliant to offer...

I have nothing intellectual to offer, this show usually goes way over my head, but I love it all the same. I am so addicted to this post because you guys fill in all the things I miss. Let me sit quietly for a while and maybe I'll come up with something brilliant...

See how challenged I am, I posted that twice on accident!

Regarding the Parka:
From lostpedia:
The logo looks very much like the well-known celtic symbol "Triskel". Triskel, surrounded by a spiral. It may have something to do with time, because both the triskel and the spiral symbolize reincarnation.
This parka also has the name "Halliwax" emblazoned on the left breast of the parka.

Charles could be our buddy Charlie who had played with time to come back for Claire and Aaron. It's pretty simple to become a gazillionnaire when you can time travel. Ben can't kill him and vice versa because the island won't let that happen.

On a side note; I smell an Emmy in Ben's future! He dominates every single scene he is in! Amazing.

I know this may seem like a dumb question, especially since I have watched every single epi of Lost, but who is lawnmower man? lol, it's been driving me nuts!

Sorry for postingso many times today everyong but Biggs got me thinking...

Halliwax is one of the names from the training videos...could this be a big deal Benry (Jance, I'm still laughing over that...GREAT ONE!) wearing his parka? and WTF do they need a parka on a tropical island...which leads me to the polar bears...which just keeps this going in a crazy circle