Lost Reviews and News

Key Points from "The Man Behind the Curtain"

Season 3, Episode 20 Episode Air Date: 05/09/07
Point 1
	Remember that whole "Lost" isn't sci-fi thing? Forget that. When a significant character is revealed to be a sentient cigarette burn with a flashlight phobia, you're smack dab in the world of sci-fi. This episode was a biggie and we've got a lot to cover, so, in the name of efficiency, let's get the revelations out of the way up front. (Note: I'm working under the assumption that the information presented in "The Man Behind the Curtain" is true, but there's always the chance the producers are pulling our collective legs). Revelation 1: Dharma and the Hostiles are two different groups. The Hostiles pre-date Dharma, but their origin and their cause are unknown. Richard Alpert is (we think) a Hostile. I'm assuming the Hostiles are also responsible for the four-toed statue seen in "Live Together, Die Alone." Revelation 2: Ben was not born on the island. His father, Roger, was recruited by Dharma and brought to the island. A young Ben tagged along. Like all proper "Lost" characters, Ben has major daddy issues (more on this in Key Point 2). Revelation 3: Ben turned on his Dharma comrades and played a key role in the Hostile's "purge." Soon after the purge, Ben assumed a leadership position and he and his Hostile buddies took over Dharmaville and renamed it Bennsylvania. Revelation 4: Like Locke, Ben seems to have some sort of connection to the island -- at least he did. When he was a boy, his dead mother appeared to him. This revelation makes Richard "Hostile Eyeliner" Alpert very excited. It also suggests that Jack has a similar island connection because he saw dead Dr. Daddy in season one. Revelation 5: We meet Jacob ... sorta. Who he/it is, what he/it does, why he/it is invisible (yes, invisible), remains to be seen. On to the review! The episode picks up where "The Brig" left off: Locke tracks the Others to their new campsite and, upon arriving, drops Cooper's corpse at Ben's feet. Ben's bug eyes struggle to remain in their sockets -- Locke's reappearance and Cooper's rotting body are both unexpected. More disturbing, Ben now has to live up to his end the "answer" bargain he made with Locke: Cooper's body = island revelations. Locke is gleeful, which makes sense because his evil daddy is decomposing and he's got Ben in his Obi-Locke crosshairs. At first, Ben tries to use the old "I'm not the leader of this island" excuse, but Locke has none of it. He demands to see this so-called leader, and when Ben suddenly gets cold feet at the prospect of visiting Jacob, Locke calls him a liar and says he'll simply find someone else to take him to see the wizard. And that's when Ben starts to shake. He tells Locke that Jacob only speaks to him and, in a convenient twist, Ben is the only one who knows where to find him. Locke is incredulous (and rightfully so): Basically, Ben's direct superior is a guy only he can find and who only communicates with Ben. And, just to make this oh-so-unbelievable, none of the Others have ever seen Jacob. "I think there is no Jacob," Locke spits. " I think your people are idiots if they believe you take orders from someone else. You are the man behind the curtain, the Wizard of Oz, and you're a liar." Alas, this excellent Obi-Locke moment is soon interrupted by the surprise entrance of Mikhail. The former Sonic Death Fence victim runs into camp and tells Ben that a woman recently parachuted onto the island and she's now being cared for by the castaways. Ben's reaction (bug-eyed surprise, natch) suggests that Naomi's presence is bad news for the Others -- they don't like it when people penetrate the island's InvisiShield. Ben pauses and considers his options. The Others are planning a beach attack the day after tomorrow, so Ben figures they can deal with Naomi at that point. But Mikhail implores Ben to move the attack timetable up to today. And this is when Locke reclaims his status as Island Badass. Locke, who's been eavesdropping on the conversation, strides toward Mikhail and Ben and informs the duo that Ben already has plans. "He and I are going to see Jacob," Locke says, making sure everyone within 20 feet can hear him loud and clear. Ben is sheepish. Richard Alpert and Tom look surprised. Mikhail begins to protest, but Locke puts him in his place with a massive headbutt and a series of punches and kicks to all the soft spots. Ben calls to Tom and Richard for help, but the two remain stationary, entranced by the ass whuppin'. With a final kick to the groin, Mikhail sputters blood and passes out. "So when do we leave?" Locke asks Ben. They leave immediately, but Alex appears moments into their journey. She hands Locke a pistol and says he'll need the gun if they're going to visit Jacob. She turns and looks at Ben with disdain. "Happy birthday, dad," Alex says, then walks off. Ben's right eye zings through the jungle and embeds in a thousand-year-old tree trunk. All these double crosses and surprises are playing hell on Ben's buggy optics. Sidenote: The birthday thing plays a significant role in Ben's backstory. More on that in a bit. Locke and Ben continue on their journey. Most of it is uneventful (the "Lost" writers love using "island journeys" as filler between key scenes), but at one point Locke notices a pile of fine, grey sand (ash?) on the jungle floor. Ben quickly diverts his attention, so Locke doesn't follow up, but you just know that grey ashy stuff will come into play at some point. Sometime later, Locke and Ben arrive at a small, concealed hut. It's night and the trees are thick, so it's hard to make out the details. This is Jacob's lair, and Ben is not comfortable at all. He quietly approaches the door and lights a kerosene lamp. "Once I open this door, there's no turning back," Ben says. "You sure this is what you want?' "You know ... you're right," Locke says, wiping his forehead with Arzt's old scarf. "Let's grab a few beers and impregnate Other chicks." But of course that doesn't happen. Locke's eyes light up at the prospect of Big Revelations. He walks closer to the door and Ben correctly interprets this as the "go" signal. "Jacob, I'm here with John Locke, we're coming in now," Ben says. He opens the door. It creaks on its hinges. Inside, the old cabin is dark and decrepit (it looks like the storage unit from "Silence of the Lambs"). A small table sits in the middle of the room. Mason jars with orange goo are perched on a windowsill. An empty rocking chair is positioned by the table. And this is when things get weird. Ben goes to the rocking chair and begins talking to Jacob. But uh ... there's nobody there. Ben is having a conversation with an invisible friend. Locke rolls his eyes. He can't believe he didn't catch on to Ben's insanity. Ben's "conversation" becomes heated; invisible Jacob is making him angry. "You're crazy," Locke says to Ben. "You don't know anything about the island, do you? You just made it up. You're putting on a show for me ... or, do you really think there's someone there?" Ben is surprised. He expected Locke to "see" Jacob. Locke's had enough of this nonsense. He turns to leave. "Hellllllp meeeeeeee," a deep voice croaks. Locke turns around. He thinks Ben is playing tricks (or doing a really bad James Earl Jones impression). Locke flicks his flashlight on. Uh oh. The cabin shakes! Wood creaks! Mason jars rattle! Locke steps back. The flashlight beam darts over the rocking chair. For a fleeting screen-cappy moment, a dark, black "thing" appears in the chair (it looks like a massive cigarette burn). Is that ... Smokey? Ben grabs the sides of the rocking chair. "That's enough! You've had your fun!" Ben shouts at Jacob. Jacob tosses Ben against the cabin wall. Locke runs out the front door and crouches a few yards from the cabin. The rattling stops. Moments later, Ben quietly appears at the door then shuffles over to Locke. "What was that?" Locke asks. "That was Jacob," Ben says. WHAT?! THAT was Jacob? Wait. What? WHAT?! What was Jacob? That black thing? The cigarette burn? Good lord, what the hell is going on!? And of course we don't find out because this is "Lost" and we've got three more seasons to sort through all these details. Moving on ... Ben and Locke temporarily put the Jacob encounter on hold as they make their way back toward the Others' camp. The sun is up and Locke can clearly see that Ben is taking a different route to camp. Locke's not interested in seeing the sites (and, unlike Jack "Circles" Shephard, he knows his way around the island). Locke stops and demands to know what Ben is up to. But Ben's side trip has a point. He says he wants to show Locke something. Locke protests, saying he's not in the mood for another show (at this point he's sorta kinda concluded that the Jacob extravaganza was orchestrated ... maybe). Ben resorts to honesty. "Some of the things I told you -- that I've told everyone -- are simply not true," Ben admits. Locke's curiosity is piqued. He asks for an example. Ben offers one up: he wasn't born on the island. Locke, naturally, asks where he came from. "That's what I want to show you," Ben says. A short while later, Ben guides Locke into a clearing. They stand at the edge of a large, square hole. Locke looks down. Oh my. Six feet below, Locke sees skeletons haphazardly tossed and stacked. Old Dharma jumpsuits and name tags are visible. It's a mass grave. And this is when the true depths of Ben's dark soul are revealed. "This is where I came from, John," Ben says, looking over the bodies. "These are my people, the Dharma initiative." He rambles on, saying the Dharma drones were hypocrites -- they sought harmony, but couldn't coexist with the island's original inhabitants. "When it became clear that one side had to go, that one side had to be purged, I did what I had to do," Ben says, referring to Excuse No. 108 in the Genocide Forgiveness Handbook. Anger rises in Ben. It's clear his Dharma experience had a profound effect on his outlook. "I was one of the people smart enough to make sure I didn't end up in that ditch," Ben says. "Which makes me considerably smarter than you, John." Oookay, that's it. Locke doesn't need to listen to this buggy crap. He rises and turns, prepared to whip Ben's butt. BOOM! Oh ... my ... god. Ben shot Locke! Ben shot Locke in the chest! Locke stumbles backwards and falls into the grave ditch. Ben looks down. Smoke wafts from the pistol in his hand. "What did Jacob say to you?" Ben asks desperately. Locke stammers. The bullet lodged in his ribcage doesn't feel so good. "Help me ..." Locke says. Ben scoffs. "He said, 'help me,'" Locke groans. Ben's face drops. These two words -- "help me" -- send Ben's world spiraling. "Well, I certainly hope he helps you, John," Ben says vengefully. He walks off. Locke sputters at the bottom of the grave. He's shot and bleeding and dying in a mass grave! And then it ends! Allright. My head is spinning and I need to sort a few things out: Just to be clear: Locke isn't dead ... yet. He's dying, but I'm betting that Richard Alpert and Tom swoop in to save the day. Or, the island's healing properties kick in and Locke stages a miraculous recovery. Ben's "power' is waning. In the scenes with Alpert, Tom and Mikhail, it's clear that the Others are growing tired of Ben's shenanigans. Is Ben about to be ostracized? Or worse, tossed into the Dharma grave? It appears that Jacob -- whatever he/it is -- favors Locke over Ben, and this is driving Ben nutty. Ben might be able to "see" Jacob, but Jacob sent his secret message ("help me") to Locke. Why does the all-powerful, all-knowing, list-making Jacob need help? What's wrong with him? Did he misplace his VisiCream?

Point 2
	The backstory chronicles Ben's history on the island, and it is loaded with easter eggs and Dharma details. I'm sure I'll miss some of them, so please chime in with your observations via the comments mechanism. So here's what we learn in Ben's Tragic Backstory: As noted, Ben wasn't born on the island. He was, however, born in the woods. His mother, Emily, and his father, Roger, were hiking near Portland (Oregon, I'm assuming), when Ben decided to arrive two months early. Emily successfully delivered Ben, but something went wrong and she died moments after Ben's arrival. Emily's death sent Roger to a bad, bad place. He blames Ben for killing his wife, which doesn't lend itself to a healthy father-son relationship. Their issues are manifested annually when Roger consistently forgets about Ben's birthday. Roger's friendship with a man named Horace Goodspeed (who has a name like that?) brings Roger and Ben to the island as Dharma recruits. Horace and Roger bonded when Horace tried to help Emily after Ben's unexpected birth. Years later, Horace joined up with Dharma and invited Roger and Ben to live/work on the island. Ben is around 10 years old when he and his father come to Dharma World. In flashbacks, we see Dharma in its heyday. Apollo Bars are abundant. The submarine is shiny and new. The dock is painted and "Namaste" signs welcome new recruits. Roger and Ben's fresh start on the island doesn't last very long. Moments after arriving, Roger discovers that he's been hired as a janitor (a "work man"), which doesn't sit well. As a young boy, Ben is a sullen little fella with big round glasses (he's Harry Potter's doppleganger). He manages to befriend a girl named Annie. On his birthday, sweet-hearted Annie gives Ben two wooden dolls: a boy (Ben) and a girl (Annie). In the present day, we see that the Annie doll is one of Ben's treasured keepsakes. We witness two very interesting events in Ben's early Dharma experience: First, we see him in a classroom. His teacher, Olivia (Horace Goodspeed's significant other), is teaching a class on volcanoes. She tells the class that the island's volcano is dormant, but as she activates a classroom volcano prop, a low rumble echoes through the island. Is this another case of the island's Stay-Puft "think it and it will happen" ability? Second, as the rumble echoes, shouting is heard outside the classroom and an alarm starts to blare. Olivia instructs the children to take their "positions." She then grabs a rifle (always a good thing to have in a classroom) and perches near a window. Outside, armed Dharma drones dart around the compound. Little Ben is wide-eyed and scared out of his mind, but Annie (who's an old Dharma pro) calms him. "Don't worry, it's just the hostiles," she says. Months go by and Roger and Ben grow further apart. Roger continues to fume about his low-level employment, and he drowns his sorrows in case after case of Dharma beer. Ben withdraws further into himself -- his only friend appears to be Annie -- and his internal turmoil soon manifests itself with "visions" of his dead mother. But are they visions? During one particularly bad birthday, Ben runs into the woods and encounters the Sonic Death Fence. It hums menacingly. Suddenly, his mother appears on the opposite side. He starts to run toward her, but she stops him in his tracks. "It's not time yet, Benjamin," she says. This Mother Event proves to be pivotal both in Ben's island existence and Dharma's ultimate demise. Sometime later, young Ben uses a secret pass code to disable the Sonic Death Fence and wander into dark territory. Moving into the jungle, he hears those familiar whispers (they appear to be a hallmark of the Hostiles). Thinking his mother is near, he runs and calls for her. A figure appears, but it's not his mother. It's Richard Alpert! At this point, Ben is still 10 or 11 years old, but Alpert -- who in the present day seems to be around Ben's age -- is in his 20s. Perhaps the age discrepancy is intentional, or maybe they want us to believe that Alpert is 10-12 years older than Ben. Regardless, it's jarring to see Eyeliner Alpert and little Ben together. Anywho ... young Ben tells Alpert that he saw his mother and this causes Alpert's eyebrow to unconsciously crawl up. Dead mother, eh? Verrrry interesting .... Ben says he wants to join the Hostiles and Alpert, based on Ben's mother revelation, is open to the idea. He seems to sense that Ben has a connection to the island, and that connection could prove useful. But there's a hitch: Ben may be able to join the Hostiles down the road, but for now he will need to be very patient. Alpert wasn't kidding about that patient thing. The story jumps ahead by at least a decade. Young Ben is now Current Ben (well, current Ben plus more hair -- so he's "younger current Ben") and, in the final flashback sequence, we see that Ben has followed in his father's "Work Man" footsteps. He wears the same janitor jumpsuit and carries himself in the same low-man-on-the-Namaste-pole way. Once again, it's Ben's birthday, and once again, Roger has forgotten. But the years seem to have softened ol' Rog, so, to make up for decades of neglect, he invites his son to tag along in his blue Dharma van so they can drive up to the "mesa" and share a few beers. Ben agrees, so the two zip off. As they drive, "Shambala" plays over the Van's speakers (this is the same song that blares from the same van when Hurley and the boys get it running in "Tricia Tanaka is Dead"). They reach the mesa (the steep hill also seen in "Tricia Tanaka") and Ben asks his father if he truly believes that Ben killed his mother. "What do I know," Roger mumbles. Ben doesn't really care about the answer. He looks at his watch then reaches into a bag and takes out a gas mask. "You know, I've missed her too, maybe as much as you have," Ben says, referring to dead mom. "But the difference is, for as long as I can remember, I've had to put up with you. And doing that required a tremendous amount of patience." Ben puts the gas mask on and pulls the pin on a can of fumes. Gas swirls around the cabin of the van. Blood drips from Roger's nose and he shakes violently. Godspeed, Roger Work Man. After dispatching dad, Ben keeps his gas mask on and walks back to Dharmaville. The grounds are littered with dead Dharma drones. They've all been gassed. Richard Alpert and other gas-mask-clad hostiles appear. Alpert removes his mask and asks Ben if they'd like him to retrieve his father. "No, leave him out there," Ben says, completing his journey to the Dark Side. And that's that. The backstory inspires a host of questions, including: What is the genesis of the Hostiles vs. Dharma conflict? When Ben and Roger arrive on the island, the "battle" has been going on for some time. We don't know how or why it started. Who are the Hostiles? Are they island natives? How does/did their society function? Is Alpert a Hostile? If so, he appears to be well educated and well versed in guerilla warfare -- so how did he learn these things? Where did he learn these things? How does Jacob factor into all this? Is Jacob connected to the Hostiles? Are Smokey and Jacob one in the same, or does Jacob use Smokey to "take form"? How did Ben become leader of the Others? At first it seems that Alpert has seniority over him, but in the final flashback sequence, Ben is in control. What happened? How does former hatch inhabitant Kelvin fit into all this? Was he the last remaining Dharma drone? How did he survive? Was he on the island during the purge, or did he arrive later? How do the DeGroots and Alvar Hanso fit in? Were they ever on the island, or did they simply come up with the master plan and monitor from afar? What happened to Annie?

Point 3
	This week's beach scenes are set-ups for the oncoming castaway/Other battle, but we do receive one big, juicy revelation: Juliet's secret is out. Sawyer returns to camp with the tape recorder in tow (remember, Locke gave him the recorder at the end of "The Brig"). At first, Sawyer only shares the news with Sayid, but Kate eventually finds out and, later, Sayid and Sawyer stage a town meeting with the rest of the castaways. As expected, people freak when they discover that Juliet and her Other friends plan on kidnapping all the pregnant women (Sun, perhaps Kate, maybe they'll even dig up Nikki just for good measure). But as the townspeople prepare their torches and pitchforks, Jack and Juliet suddenly appear. See, the J&J duo promptly left camp after Kate told them about Naomi and her rescue ship. We don't know where they went or what they did, but when they return they add another little twist to the plot. We learn that Juliet told Jack about Ben's pregnancy plan. Juliet (we presume) is double-crossing Ben and Jack (we presume) is formulating a counter-attack. Juliet manages to temporarily save her hide by instructing Sawyer to play the other side of the tape. That's when we hear Ben's latest instructions: "Juliet, it's Ben [No kidding], I'm sending three teams to extract Kwon the night after tomorrow. We won't have time to run Austen's sample, so if you determine that she and anyone else is pregnant, mark their tents and we'll take them too. Good luck." Juliet then reveals that after she saw Sun's ultrasound ("D.O.C.") she spilled the beans to Jack. Sayid, who's tired of all these ridiculous secrets, asks Jack why he didn't share this vital bit of information. "Because I hadn't decided what to do about it yet," Jack says. Question: When did Jack become General Patton? Jack looks around at the assembled castaways. "I think we've got some catching up to do," he says. And that'll lead us straight into next week ...
Point 4
	A few closing questions and observations: Best Line: "You said that if I killed my father you'd tell me everything I wanted to know about the island ... THUNK ... so why don't you start at the beginning." -- Locke to Ben, after presenting Cooper's gift wrapped corpse. Second Best Line: "I guess we've got some catching up to do." -- Jack, with the understatement of the season. Mikhail says his survival is due to the Sonic Death Fence not being set on a "lethal level." Apparently, it was set to the much lower "shoot blood from every orifice" level. This episode features three interesting casting tidbits: 1. Emily (Ben's mom) is played by Carrie Preston, who is married to Michael Emerson (Ben). Oedipus, anyone? 2. Ben's dad (Roger) is played by Jon Gries, who is best known as Uncle Rico from "Napoleon Dynamite." 3. And finally, "X-Files" fans may have recognized Horace Goodspeed (Doug Hutchinson) as one of the great "X-File" villains of all time, Eugene Victor Tooms. That's all I've got! Be sure to drop by the "Lost" Forum for stimulating conversation and conjecture.
Next Episode:
"Greatest Hits" -- Jack whips up an Other plan. Sayid uncovers a flaw in the Others' system. Charlie is in great peril. All in all, just another day on the island. Airs Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Review by Mac Slocum. All photos and episode descriptions © ABC Inc.

Posted by Mac on May 10, 2007 10:57 AM | Email This

Locke can not die!!!

→ 1. Posted by: michael at May 10, 2007 11:00 AM

That was Quick!

→ 2. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at May 10, 2007 11:00 AM

First!

→ 3. Posted by: John Doe at May 10, 2007 11:02 AM

Not even third this week...dang!

→ 4. Posted by: bcre8ve at May 10, 2007 11:03 AM

I jumped out of my seat when Locke got shot, my goodness.

→ 5. Posted by: dor at May 10, 2007 11:07 AM

Does it seem to anyone else how much the writers/producers are listening to the blogs? I don't remember the term 'hostiles' being used for another supposed group on the island except as a theory on the blogs and now last night. Am I wrong and missing something or are we, the fans contributing more than we realize?

→ 6. Posted by: JOSS at May 10, 2007 11:08 AM

@JOSS: Both Desmond and Kelvin used the term "Hostile" last year.

→ 7. Posted by: mac at May 10, 2007 11:09 AM

There is a short scene after Ben is thrown across the room where you can see Jacob sitting in the chair. Looks like an ordinary man. There are screen captures of it on the lost-media website.

→ 8. Posted by: IBelieve at May 10, 2007 11:11 AM

Great review, and I'm agreeing with you about all the unanswered questions.

How come LOST manages to raise more questions each week, LOL ??!!

Here's what I think....

Locke = Jacob ... just not yet.

I think Locke will probably die. And like Ben Kenobi and Gandalf, he will come back as a newer, better Locke .... If Gandalf the Grey can return as Gandalf the White, then Locke can return as Jacob, no?

Yes, I believe that LOST is now operating on a mythic, "Hero With A Thousand Faces" level.

The Jacob scene .... I think Jacob looked like Locke's silhouette. [Have you checked out some of the hi-def screen caps online?]

I think there's some weird time-thing happening. Possibly, Locke could not see Jacob because one person cannot exist in two time-periods at the same time .... (what an awkward sentence that was!).

Weird episode.

Also, it is possible that the "help me" line means that Jacob is imprisoned in that house. Could that explain the grey powder?? Does it trap Jacob there??

Also, if this theory is correct, it could bring new meaning to "Only Fools are enslaved by time and space".

Maybe Ben has imprisoned Jacob ...

Meanwhile..... I'm hoping that Jack comes clean next week and tells everyone WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH HIM. I miss the old Jack. In Season Three, Jack has been emasculated a bit.

→ 9. Posted by: Matt-DC at May 10, 2007 11:13 AM

It was great- and so was the re-cap Mac. Thanks!

But can someone please make this connection for me:

Who is Dharma still dropping food to on the island?

What was the actual purpose of the hatch: pushing the button, watching at the Pearl, keeping those record-logs that piled a mountain high?

Loved Uncle Rico's cameo....Ehy Jiggy!

→ 10. Posted by: Sillygirl0630 at May 10, 2007 11:16 AM

Oh man, I am so gullible.....or am I? It all depends if Locke is dead or not.

This year Johnny had been really getting on my nervesâ€¦blowing stuff up and all thatâ€¦.and I was convinced that his stupidity would soon get him in a load of trouble. But then, over the last few episodes, I started to thinkâ€¦maybe he had a planâ€¦maybe he knew what he was doing. He was clearly getting in Benâ€™s head and possibly even gaining the respect of the others.

They pulled me in hook line and sinker. And right when Ben was about to shoot Locke, I realized what a fool Iâ€™d been.

And yetâ€¦.maybe heâ€™s not deadâ€¦.could this be the catalyst for a relationship between Locke and Jacob.

That episode was worthy of a season ending finale. Only thing I didnâ€™t understand was why had the writers and Ben been leading us to believe that Ben was born on the islandâ€¦.that, I donâ€™t get..

Favorite scene last night â€“ After Locke opened up a can of whoop @ss on Patchy, he gave Patchy a really subtle â€œI own youâ€ grin as he and Ben were leaving camp. Very well done.

Thanks Mac!

→ 11. Posted by: petew at May 10, 2007 11:17 AM

@IBelieve: You're right! I checked Lost-Media. In this screencap you can clearly see an older guy:

http://tinyurl.com/2nq3qc

→ 12. Posted by: mac at May 10, 2007 11:18 AM

Wow, mac, I sure didnâ€™t envy you last night trying to put together a review of this episode. It was, indeed, LOADED!!!!

Now we know for sure that:

Ben was NOT born on the island.
His Dad was a drunk who eventually let Hurley have his car.
â€œGhost appearancesâ€ are just an everyday norm on the island.

The â€œOthersâ€ are NOT Dharma
The â€œOthersâ€ ARE the hostiles
The Hostiles were considered â€œnativesâ€ to the Dharmas.
The hostiles eradicated the Dharmas.
Ben is a Judas.

The hostiles obviously have found the Fountain of Youth, because Alpert is still the same age after nearly 40 years.

Ben shot Locke.
Ben fatally shot Locke - is still an open question.

The â€œOthersâ€ are planning to attack the Losties in less than two days.
Juliet is maybe not so bad after all.
Jack has a plan.
Sayid has a very good scowl.

HOWEVER:

Locke steps back. The flashlight beam darts over the rocking chair. For a fleeting screen-cappy moment, a dark, black "thing" appears in the chair (it looks like a massive cigarette burn). Is that ... Smokey?
Ã…Â® Posted by: mac

This morning, while viewing a filmclip on the ABC Lost Site, I realized that for one nano-second, there ACTUALLY WAS a person sitting in the chair in the cabin. Right after Ben cries out about â€œYouâ€™ve had your funâ€ and gets knocked to the floor, if you slow down the tape, there is a man, full head of hair, but with a high forehead, face in shadows (of course) sitting in the rocking chair!

WHOOOOA!

This is getting really interesting.

→ 13. Posted by: davidrh at May 10, 2007 11:20 AM

On images in that room...I've heard that Vincent was shown as well. Odd.

→ 14. Posted by: petew at May 10, 2007 11:21 AM

Wonder if anyone caught the fact that Locke was shot on his left side. Where his Kindney would have been if he hadn't given it to his dad!!!!!!! Locke WILL NOT DIE !!! MAC what do ya think....Jacob healing Locke???

→ 15. Posted by: dantheman at May 10, 2007 11:22 AM

Yes!!!

Made it in the top 20!!!!

→ 16. Posted by: Shikotee at May 10, 2007 11:22 AM

OH NO!!!

We're going to start the

"Did anybody notice the picture thing again?"

→ 17. Posted by: davidrh at May 10, 2007 11:23 AM

So does anyone thing that the island keeps adults from aging? I ask cause Richard does not to have aged since first seeing Ben as a teenager - he just got a hair cut.....

→ 18. Posted by: Toni at May 10, 2007 11:27 AM

Ummm... the big "cigarette burn" looking thing was a guy sitting in the chair. You need to watch that part again.

→ 19. Posted by: BrentM at May 10, 2007 11:28 AM

Why Jacob is invisible remains to be seen! Ha!

BOB
(Bcre8ve's Observation Blather)

Observations...

* Hostiles = Others = Native Islanders? That is what we were led to believe last night. But I for one am not taking it at face value. First, they were all too white to be native to that area of the world. Secondly, they had too good of a grasp of technology (guns, gas, gas masks, etc.) If by native they meant Black Rock survivors, then maybe. It could be that there was another, earlier rebellion and some of the Dharmites joined with the island natives. My question is, "Who supplied them with their weapons?"

* Why does Richard ALpert seem to recognize Ben as his leader? Richard recognized Ben's power when they first met in the woods. Ben got his attention when he told him that he had seen his dead mother. Apparently the hostiles are/were looking for people that are special. Richard saw this trait in Ben just as he does in Locke.

* @Matt-DC/9 I noticed that too. Theory: "Only fools are enslaved by space and time." The message that we saw in room 23 was joke at Jacob's expense. Jacob (and crew - the whispers?) are enslaved by space and time. Somehow in the Dharma experiments or because of the nature of the island, Jacob has been caught in time. Ben knows this and is taking advantage of Jacob, his powers and the situation. Jacob recognizes that Locke has powers similar to Ben's, siezes his chance, and asked Locke for help.

* Knowing the healing powers of the island, it seemed short sighted for Ben to shoot Locke only once.

* Only certain gifted people such as Ben and Locke can see Jacob. That is why Richard originally took interest in Ben and now in Locke.

But if that is so, think about who else has seen "ghosts" on the island.
(mac touched on this in the review)

Jack - his dad
Eko - his brother
Hurley - Dave
Kate - her horse
Sayid - his cat

(I'm probably leaving some out...) Are they special too?

* In the scene where Ben is walking through the Barracks after the Purge, I was expecting to see Annie. But then I started thinking...

In another episode next season or so, we will see a Ben flashback in which Ben and Annie are married. She is pregnant and will die in childbirth along with their baby.

* Did anyone else think that they saw Cindy on the island greeting new comers? I will have to go back and rewatch it to see for sure. If so, how did she survive the Purge?

50 epis yet to come...

→ 20. Posted by: bcre8ve at May 10, 2007 11:30 AM

Yes, there is definately a human figure in the chair for a nano-second. I wasn't thrilled with all of the poltergeist shenanigans last night. I'm going to have a hard time swallowing the explanation for this, just like how Patches averted death.

→ 21. Posted by: Bryan at May 10, 2007 11:30 AM

Did anyone notice that the Dharma video playing when Benny and Dad arrived was in color, whereas the tapes the Losties have found have been in B&W?

Not that that means anything, but...

→ 22. Posted by: jan at May 10, 2007 11:32 AM

So, here's a thought that ties Kelvin in nicely: Maybe this Ben-orchestrated purge was "The Incident" that was referred to in the training video. If that's true, that would mean that Dharma was set back, but not deterred, and that they came back for a second round. Maybe that was why The Flame was set up with an ability to blow up the hostiles. What do you guys think?

→ 23. Posted by: Kaytied at May 10, 2007 11:33 AM

I'm with Bryan (#21), I thought the whole invisible Jacob/poltergeist thing was stupid. Until that point the episode was fantastic.
Thanks as always for a great review mac.

→ 24. Posted by: ct at May 10, 2007 11:35 AM

Another one of the best lines was when Locke asked Ben, "So, where did you come from?" Well, OK, maybe it wasn't one of the best but it would've been better if Ben had answered something like, "Well, John, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much...."

I thought I saw Jacob's face very briefly just as he was saying "Help me" (which sounded like "Know me" at first) but maybe it was just Locke's face with a furrowed brow? Wish I had DVR so I could get better screencaps!
Had to watch the whole Jacob scene twice just to digest enough to follow along. There was a painting/picture of a yellow lab on one of the pieces of withered furniture, but I doubt it was supposed to be Vincent himself.

GRAAM!!!

→ 25. Posted by: Trinity at May 10, 2007 11:36 AM

GRAA, mac.
What an episode. Here is my 2 pesos worth: The gray ash that Locke found on the way to Jacob's house is the same ash / dirt that they found in the Pearl Station. (I think it was the Pearl) There has to be some connection there.
The ash was in a continuous line. I assume that it forms a ring around Jacob's compound. Is it flammable? Does it act as a moat or a fence? Does it keep people out (not likely as Ben & Locke walked right over it) or does it keep Jacob in? That's all for now.
I would have never guessed that Roger workman would end up being Ben's dad.
Peace Out.

→ 26. Posted by: onelostdude at May 10, 2007 11:38 AM

If all the Dharma group has been killed off, then why do they still get food drops??????

→ 27. Posted by: dantheman at May 10, 2007 11:38 AM

@Kaytied/23

Interesting. It woud explain some things for sure.

I tend to think that the Purge and Incident are two seperate occurances and that the Incident occured first and caused the Dharma group to split off into two groups. One splintered group joined the true natives of the island and became the hostiles who then took poart in the Dharma purge.

→ 28. Posted by: bcre8ve at May 10, 2007 11:38 AM

In last week's promo, there were images of a ghostly little girl. Could that have been Annie, and if so, why did they not follow up on it this week?

Also, I thought the sonic death fence on "stun" was kind of lame...

→ 29. Posted by: Three men and a baby... I counted Hugo twice at May 10, 2007 11:39 AM

i'm not entirely convinced that Richard doesn't age. Sometimes Hollywood thinks that if you give someone long hair it makes them look younger... maybe the makeup department just got a little lazy. Note that when we saw Richard again later, when Ben was a young adult, he had short hair. We'll see, I guess.

Locke definitely isn't dead.

I"m really anxious to see how they explain Jacob, because last night could have either been the best episode ever, or a shark-jumping ramp.

→ 30. Posted by: jay at May 10, 2007 11:43 AM

Great review as always Mac! Love the reason 108 excuse book line, classic.

One observation you neglected to mention. in the beginning of the episode, Richard came to Ben and asked about giving Juliet the latest instructions. This seemed to cause a problem that ended quickly when Locke arrived. It is evident of something else going on between the "Others".

→ 31. Posted by: Sam at May 10, 2007 11:44 AM

also, i think the hostiles "took over" for Dharma, and due to the nature of communications/visitation on the island, Dharma is not even aware. As far as they know, everything is still just fine.

Remember Kelvin said he had joined the Dharma Initiative and he had been on the island for 3 years before Desmond came. Desmond was on the island for 4 years before we met him. So, the Dharma initiative (or the hostiles masquerading as the dharma initiative) was still recruiting people and sending them to the island as of 7 years ago. I think this explains the food drops, the Dharma people back in the real world have no idea what has happened on the island.

→ 32. Posted by: jay at May 10, 2007 11:46 AM

@dantheman/27 "If all the Dharma group has been killed off, then why do they still get food drops?????? "

I would guess that once the Purge occured, the Hostiles took over the roles of the Dharmites effectively manning the essential stations. This would include the communications that enabled them to keep up the appearance of normal operations on the island including the Flame where they would request the drops. Dharma would have no reason to stop the drops.

→ 33. Posted by: bcre8ve at May 10, 2007 11:46 AM

GRAA mac -
On the Richard aging issue. Ben says to Richard, when he's looking at his old birthday doll present from Annie, something like "It's my birthday." Then sarcastically Ben says "You do remember birthdays don't you?" That right there made me think, Richard doesn't have or celebrate birthdays anymore because he doesn't age. hummmm...?

→ 34. Posted by: BunnyLover at May 10, 2007 11:51 AM

One mystery I want solved - remember the volcano lab test. Olivia started the reaction, then the room shaked, then again, and again. We all thought, wow, what a coincidence that the real volcano started shaking right then (or they were just having an earthquake). Teacher says get in your positions - we think, hey - standard duck & cover earthquake/atom bomb drill. The teacher has a rifle, a the Dharmites outside start running for the perimeter with their rifles. SO - not an earthquake! What on the island makes the ground shake so. (Polar Bears, smokie, T4TS?)

→ 35. Posted by: DocH at May 10, 2007 11:53 AM

Great episode.

Anyone who thinks that Lindelof and Cuse are just "winging it" don't get it. They are 10 steps ahead of everyone else.

My number one question is: Did Annie also get gassed during the purge?

She and ben were really close, (he still carries her fugurine. Could he have killed her, or did he rescue her first?

→ 36. Posted by: Usually Lurkin' at May 10, 2007 11:58 AM

Fantastic review Mac!

Loved this line:

"He wears the same janitor jumpsuit and carries himself in the same low-man-on-the-Namaste-pole way"

Locke will not die - the question is - who will save him?

Will it be Jacob? Not likely, as he seemed to be the one asking Locke for help!

My money is on a Rousseau intervention.

This episode has set-up what the future of the show will be. No doubt, future flashbacks will reveal what happened to Annie, how Ben was seduced to the darkside, etc. After all - how many more Jack backstories can their possibly be?

It will be intersting to learn more about Jacob, and how everyone else seems to have no doubt he exists despite having never met him. Locke's take on the matter (a-la Oz Man behind the curtain) is how everyman would look on the matter. So how has Jacob managed to get full loyalty from these people? More importantly, how was Juliet convinced that he exists, as she has only been on the island for 3 years, and would likely be as cynical as Locke?

Time will tell.....

→ 37. Posted by: Shikotee at May 10, 2007 11:59 AM

Mac, that cigarette burn thing you see in the rocking chair when Locke shines his light on it is simply the middle of the beam on most cheap flashlights. Really good lights have adjustable beams that will narrow the big "shadow" in the middle to near nothingness. Old flashlights (which presumably would be on the island) almost always have that light void in the middle. Trust me, it will drive you nuts if you ever have to change a tire in the dark on the side of the road, and your good flashlight is at home!

→ 38. Posted by: Neal at May 10, 2007 11:59 AM

There is a continuity issue here, that probably doesn't really matter.

This is Day 91 on the Island, which makes it December 21. Alex tells Ben "Happy birthday," which means Ben was born on December 22.

How many December 22nds in Portland are good days for hiking with your pregnant wife and driving around in convertibles?

→ 39. Posted by: Doogie at May 10, 2007 12:02 PM

So..why is Mikhail alive? Something about the security posts not resetting?

→ 40. Posted by: GatorGal at May 10, 2007 12:02 PM

I ALWAYS thought that Richard was wearing EYELINER!! How funny that you noticed, too.

→ 41. Posted by: joe at May 10, 2007 12:04 PM

Regarding the paradox of a December birthday with a verdant landscape and convertibles: There is a a Portland *Florida* which is conveniently located between Pensacola and... Tallahassee

→ 42. Posted by: Zizzy at May 10, 2007 12:06 PM

Great review Mac. Great episode.

A couple of random thoughts I had when I watched the episode and after having had time to review my thoughts...

1) I saw what looked like black smoke in Ben's eyes while he was speaking with Jacob... am I hallucinating?

2) I did see a picture of a lab in Jacob's digs... Vincent?

3) A note on the whole island is hell theory that Tom Sawyer (daddy Locke) was proposing last week... Jacob did appear to be "A Lord of Darkness". Also, it made me think of the whole Karl brainwashing acid trip visuals... "God loves you as he once loved Jacob." Satan was a fallen angel, no? Could Jacob be the devil?

4) Jacob's house appears to be quite a babe magnet.

→ 43. Posted by: Gitmo at May 10, 2007 12:06 PM

re: Annie

My guess is that she was not gassed, and was not around (ie dead). In future flashbacks, we will see Ben and Annie get close, and the loss of her will likely be what makes Ben jump sides!

re: Richard

All signs seem to point towards not aging. While recruiting Juliet, did he not show a 70 year olds womb?

re: The Purge

Is the purge the same thing as "the incident" that was referred to in the Dharma training film?

→ 44. Posted by: Shikotee at May 10, 2007 12:07 PM

Great review as always Mac.
How are the Hostiles getting these sophisticated weapons???? Gas bombs, Gas Masks. Why weren't there any dead animals around (birds, etc)???
How can Jack battle Locke in the season finale if Locke is dead??????
I liked the ep, but too many questions again...

→ 45. Posted by: Donna at May 10, 2007 12:09 PM

Perhaps Annie was an early victim of the Pregnancy Purge?

→ 46. Posted by: mac at May 10, 2007 12:10 PM

TCBWAP = The Cigarette Burn Was A Person
:)

→ 47. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at May 10, 2007 12:11 PM

I usually read this blog because so many of you throw out great theories that I can never come up with. But here is one that I could be completely off with.

Do you think that Ben could of been concieved on "the island" but then born in Portland? His mother died of the same problem that all the other woman who concieve on the island do.

I don't know how this could be possible, but just throwing it out there.

→ 48. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at May 10, 2007 12:13 PM

One last thought...

Why would Alex give Locke a gun, and tell him he will need it if he is visiting Jacob?

Good thing she wished him a happy b-day.... forget that consistantly, and you're a goner!

→ 49. Posted by: Shikotee at May 10, 2007 12:13 PM

@PiecesofArzt: The cigarette burn is people! It's PEOPLE!

→ 50. Posted by: mac at May 10, 2007 12:16 PM

@Sam (30)-
Ben was feaking out about the tape recorder becuase he thought Alpert already dropped it of for Juliet when in fact Locke stole it and gave it to Sawyer.

This was a very cool episode, but I don't know how I feel about Invisa-Jake yet, if they address it SOON and give a good explanation, I'll be satisfied- but they better not leave this piece of the puzzle until 2010!!

→ 51. Posted by: sarah c at May 10, 2007 12:17 PM

@21 and 24, I am with you, I think the Jacob scene was where they finally jumped the shark. However, I have invested so much in this show, I am hoping that they will redeem themselves.

I got a laugh about the exchange between Sayid and Jack. Jack says, "I haven't decided what to do yet." Clearly, he is no longer an ambivalent leader. But it looks like the Losties no longer wish to be led by him.

I think Ben saved Annie from the Sarin gas event, but something later happened to her.

I am not sure about the theory posted about Ben's mother coming from the island, as he was born alive and she did make it to the 3rd trimester. However, it explains his obsession with birth and saving the mothers.

→ 52. Posted by: boharpe at May 10, 2007 12:23 PM

long time reader, first time writer - love the reviews mac. is it possible we're over-thinking the ash? could it be volcanic ash left behind after an eruption? if that's the case, my money's on Annie got toasted in an eruption back in the day which is why Ben is so sensitive to Locke touching it...cuz c'mon, they're not gonna mention the volcano has been dormant and then not have it erupt. But that would be somewhat logical, and when has Lost ever been logical?

→ 53. Posted by: eric at May 10, 2007 12:24 PM

Am I only one, who once seeing the decrepit cabin in the woods, was hoping that Jacob was, in fact, Ash from the Evil Dead movies.

Ben and Locke walk into the cabin, and there sits Bruce Campbell... Groovey.

→ 54. Posted by: michael at May 10, 2007 12:25 PM

OK, *if* Jacob is Smokey, I doubt that Jacob is Locke in a time warp. Someone posted a pic of Smokey with Eko, and Eko was seeing his brother, and other scenes from his life.
*****Potential Spoilers*******
Has anyone read Tom Sawyer? Obviously our Sawyer is reading a lot of Mark Twain in his spare time, and a friend of a friend said that there is a scene in the book where Tom fakes his own death to see if Becky really loves him. She bet money that our Sawyer would fake his own death to see if Kate really cared. There was also some connection with Tom Sawyer and diamonds, but since I haven't read the book since 4th grade, I don't remember what it was.

→ 55. Posted by: Dotty at May 10, 2007 12:28 PM

Awesome review as always Mac.

When we see Ben and Dad waiting in line in Dahrmaville, you can see a new Dr. Candle video welcoming all the newcomers to the island. He explains their purpose here is to study the "special" properties the island posesses. Is this what Richard meant when he was talking to Locke in "The Brig" when he said Ben was wasting their time at fertility issues, and not focusing on the bigger picture?

There is just no way that Locke will die. He is too big of a player in the grand scheme of things, and with the show now haveing an end date, I think we will all finally get to see what that exactly is.

When we were told there would be five deaths in the last four episodes, I wonder if they are actually major characters, or if they are including key people in backstories (such as Ben's mom).

→ 56. Posted by: The Other Other at May 10, 2007 12:28 PM

I believe that the circle of ash surrounding Jacob's cabin was some sort of supernatural fence, keeping Jacob in. I have read some crap about witchcraft where a circle of salt is used to sanctify an alter/spell area. Perhaps this "ash" is serving a similar purpose.

Also, I think that Richard Alpert and the "hostiles" are not quite human. The actor who played Ben's father was made up to show a difference in age as the episode progressed, so why wouldn't the same be done to show a change in Richard? I realize that it is a lot easier to make someone look older than it is to make them look younger, but still, I can't believe it was an oversight. There is something very strange about Richard.

Locke is dead. It's a shame too, because he finally started to grow a pair.

→ 57. Posted by: markthefish at May 10, 2007 12:29 PM

The shaking of the compound when the volcano science experiment started: the hostiles trying to get through the Sonic Fence. Which would then mean that when Patchy went through the sonic fence, it was probably heard/felt in Ben's camp. So Ben would have been prepared for Locke,Sayid, Kate, Rousseau's arrival.

Possible big prop error? Was the knock-out gas the same canister as Ben's fatal purge gas??

→ 58. Posted by: welh at May 10, 2007 12:32 PM

One question I have is whether or not women on the island had problems with child birth before Ben got to the island? Could this be part of Ben's connection to the island force.

Also I believe the powder around Jacob's hut was similar to placing a "magic" circle around either a spirit to contain it or around oneself to ward off evil.

Just thoughts.

→ 59. Posted by: Kevin at May 10, 2007 12:33 PM

Was Mikail a Dharma guy or "ostile" guy..I thought he was Dharma so why is he not a part of the purge...Why did he survive and what allowed him to be a pat of the hostile group?...so many why's

→ 60. Posted by: mike at May 10, 2007 12:33 PM

The line of ash that Lock found, sometimes with vodoo and other forms of witch craft the line is ment to keep spirts trapped in a particular area

→ 61. Posted by: goldenboy at May 10, 2007 12:35 PM

MAC, as always - superb! My fav line from your review:

"All these double crosses and surprises are playing hell on Ben's buggy optics."

Love it!

→ 62. Posted by: GatorGal at May 10, 2007 12:37 PM

Cindy Chandler, the flight attendent from #815 was in last night's episode greeting Ben and his father when they first arrived on island.. This would mean that she was on the "Lost flight" and must have known it was going to crash.

→ 63. Posted by: kate thornton at May 10, 2007 12:37 PM

@mac/46 â€“ maybe Annie died carrying Benâ€™s baby and that is why he is so obsessed with fixing the pregnancy thing?

I hope Locke is not dead. Despite all of his recent actions, I still really love his character especially the way he whooped up on Mikhail. Butâ€¦

******* POSSIBLE SPOILER (I think) *******
Didnâ€™t the writers say there was going to be a big showdown between Jack and Locke in the final episode? If so, then our man Locke will probably be fine.
Also, the writers have said the fact that Locke heard Jacob say â€œHelp meâ€ will change his course on the island.
******* END POSSIBLE SPOILER *******

Ben seemed pretty upset that Locke could *also* hear Jacob. Is this because Locke has a connection with the island that Ben now holds exclusively? Is Ben afraid that Locke will â€œoverthrowâ€ him and become leader of the Others?

And why did Alex give Locke a gun to take on his visit to Jacob? Has she met him before? Jacob didnâ€™t seem like the type you could take down with a gun since he is invisible and can make objects fly (maybe his real name is Peter Petrelli). ;)

And finally, anyone think the sand that Ben stepped over really is Smokey taking a â€œsmoke breakâ€? Since Jacob can control things without touching them, does he control Smokey too?

Mac â€“ as always, great job with the review. Love it, love it, love it.

→ 64. Posted by: callie at May 10, 2007 12:42 PM

@Shikotee : "One last thought...

Why would Alex give Locke a gun, and tell him he will need it if he is visiting Jacob?"

Because she knew Ben would kill Locke after he visited Jacob, hence the look Alex and Ben shared when she handed the gun to Locke.

→ 65. Posted by: rgr_moore at May 10, 2007 12:44 PM

How about the dharma people on the island were part of a larger expiriment, and the hostiles were there watching them and carrying out experiments on them. Seeing how they would react and such.

→ 66. Posted by: Frank the Frowner at May 10, 2007 12:46 PM

GRAA, Mac,
@ jan/22,
"Did anyone notice that the Dharma video playing when Benny and Dad arrived was in color, whereas the tapes the Losties have found have been in B&W?"
I saw that too, but I just put it down to a color tv vs. a b&w monitor.
@Doogie/39 & Zizzy/42,
Re. Portland, FL vs. Portland, ME/WA/OR,
Did anybody catch a license plate on the convertible?

Now for my dos pesos...

So Ben's daddy never gave him a birthday cake. Boo hoo.

More and more I'm thinking that the whole "dadyy issues" has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Agatha Christie was a great fan of the red herring, and I really believe that's what this whole issue is. I mean, who doesn't have issues with their parental units?

I think what was considerably more interesting was that Ben sold out his fellow Dharma-ites to Eyeliner Dick. Ben's so concerned with not being thought of as a liar, but he has no problem with murder, first degree or mass?

And yeah, what happened to Annie, young Ben's girlfriend, the one who gave him the little wood-carving dolls? Did they show it and I missed it? I think this is a key turning point for Bennyâ€¦much like Anakin and Padme.

→ 67. Posted by: ransomjackson at May 10, 2007 12:50 PM

Another awesome review Mac.

Something that struck me as odd ..... all the dead Dharmanians in the UNCOVERED mass grave have obviously been there a long time. So why were they all so intact? Seems that some of the island varmints would have rooted around in there over the years and disturbed them a lot.

Also, what does Ben have against bunnies?

→ 68. Posted by: Saminator at May 10, 2007 12:50 PM

@mac #12 & davidrh #13

The man in the chair looks like he's wearing a ruffled shirt, like a pirate shirt...

→ 69. Posted by: Krys at May 10, 2007 12:55 PM

Ben's mom's name is Emily. Lockes mom's name is Emily..............could it be?

→ 70. Posted by: Frank the Frowner at May 10, 2007 12:56 PM

Aweeome episode!! Did anyone else get a shiver down their spine when Jacob spoke??? And to actually catch a glimpse of him. How come John didn't see him? I KNOW no one on this blog saw that coming!

→ 71. Posted by: BELost at May 10, 2007 12:56 PM

The convertable didn't have front license plate.

→ 72. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at May 10, 2007 12:57 PM

For old x files / current Lost fans... not only was Goodspeed "Tooms", but the Dharma school teacher (Samantha Mathis) and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) starred on the short lived "Harsh Realm" from X files creators. O'Quinn was "Santiago". Useless, but interesting I thought.

As always good stuff mac daddy. Long live Lost!

→ 73. Posted by: R at May 10, 2007 12:59 PM

All I know is that clearly the writers watch these blogs, and reviews. At a very minimum, they have a focus group who watches episodes prebroadcast and formulates questions and predictions of coming events or plotlines.

That said however, there are too many acronyms, theories, questions /answers / Easter eggs relating back to these blogs to be circumstantial.

→ 74. Posted by: Neal Mindflood at May 10, 2007 1:01 PM

This show sure showcases some of the best acting ever ! Locke has got to live ! Heal boy , heal !!! I think the show would suffer if it "lost" him. It is hard to make sense out of Ben wanting Locke dead. Jealousy ? A threat to power ? Maybe he testing to see if Locke will regenerate, hence the one gubshot from Woody,...uh, I mean Benry.

"we're gonna need a bigger boat"

→ 75. Posted by: thinng at May 10, 2007 1:04 PM

I'm a little confused as to the purge of Dharma. Was that all Ben's doing?
It seemed like all the Dharma people had died from the gas inhalation when they were going about their daily routines, suddenly and abruptly.

I didn't think the other hostiles had gassed them because there were no canisters lying around and people would have been running around panicking.

This leads me to believe when Ben killed his dad it had the same effect on all the Dharmaites instantly. I think it has something to do with his voodoo dolls that Annie gave Ben and Ben's power. Any thoughts?

→ 76. Posted by: Matt S at May 10, 2007 1:04 PM

@65 / MAC... Can we confirm or deny the 815 flight attendant being on the Dharma Welcome Wagon? That would seem to be a HUGE development if so, hmmmm?

→ 77. Posted by: R at May 10, 2007 1:06 PM

@BunnyLover/34 "Ben says to Richard... "It's my birthday." Then sarcastically Ben says "You do remember birthdays don't you?" That right there made me think, Richard doesn't have or celebrate birthdays anymore because he doesn't age. hummmm...?"

Interesting thought and good catch. We know that there is some tension between Ben and Richard so another way to look at that statement would be as a threat from Ben. What happened to Ben's father when he forgot birthdays?

→ 78. Posted by: bcre8ve at May 10, 2007 1:10 PM

@64/Kate/Mac for Flight Attendant comment. oops

→ 79. Posted by: R at May 10, 2007 1:11 PM

As far as Locke's gunshot wound is concerend, I think the location was carefully chosen by the writers...

It was just left of the midline in the epigastrium, near the course of the Abdominal aorta. Now if the Aorta was hit, that would generally be a rapidly fatal wound.

But if the Aorta was missed, the only vital organ nearby is the stomach, and while a stomach wound is bad, it could be survivable.

And Locke did not spit up any blood so a stomach wound may not have occured.

So who knows...maybe he'll survive. I think he will.
Of course

→ 80. Posted by: usually Lurkin at May 10, 2007 1:11 PM

Thanks Mac, great review as always!

So...obviously Jack Sparrow's pirate ship ended up on the island, & Richard "Eyeliner" Alpert is his descendent. Also, Dharma makes a great hair dye in black that Richard gets in bulk.

BIG plot hole: How did Juliet know what was on the other side of the tape? Locke had stolen it from Ben's portable dresser & given it directly to Sawyer. So was Juliet just guessing what would be on the tape? Did she figure that the fact of her telling the Lostaways about the tape would give her enough credibility to avoid being burnt at the stake? (Sorry Juliet, you're no Joan of Arc.) Where did Juliet & Jack go after Kate spilled the beans? Both of themâ€”especially Julietâ€”looked rather worse for wear when they came upon the Lostaways' town meeting. And Mac is rightâ€”who made Jack General Patton?

While it would be a genuine shock to have Locke be dead for real, I'm not really expecting that to be the case. I'm thinking that Danielle happens by & hauls Locke out of the pit (hopefully she sets the dynamite down carefully before doing so).

Speculation re Richard & Ben's relationship: Perhaps Richard could be viewed as an Obi-wan type. Ben was Luke Skywalker...but he went over to the Dark Side rather than becoming a Jedi. Richard has secretly been looking for a real Luke & thinks Locke might be it. Richard & Juliet might have been in together on the videotape she showed Jack when he was still in the dolphin cage.

Trivial note: I was surprised that the combination Young Ben used to turn off the SDF wasn't a group of "The Numbers."

→ 81. Posted by: AlaÃ¯s_Longthought at May 10, 2007 1:13 PM

I don't understand why Jacob being invisible means this show has jumped the shark. Isn't this development EXACTLY the kind of thing that we all love about Lost? Personally, the black smoke monster is the reason I started watching Lost to begin with. In fact, the first episode I ever saw was the one where Locke takes Boone into the woods, clocks him over the head, and rubs hallucinagenic goo into his cracked dome.

There's so many supernatural/sci-fi elements to the show, so why is this one so frowned upon? Personally, I think it would be WAY less satisfying if everything could be explained by science/math/medicine--all that boring stuff that lead me to becoming an English major.

Jump the shark my bum. This was the complete opposite. What would you call that, anyway? Killing the shark? Going through the shark? Sitting on the kitten?

→ 82. Posted by: The Face at May 10, 2007 1:14 PM

mac, great review and thanks for the link to the picture of Jacob on lost-media.com. He definitely has a full head of hair, and it looks like a ruffled shirt, like other posters mentioned. So, how does this all tie in to the Black Rock?
I was wondering if Danielle Rousseau could end up being Annie... probably not, but, would be cool.
Also, SPOILER ALERT*******
On EW, the producers say Jacob is hugely important to the mythology/storyline, as much so as the Emperor was to Star Wars. Wow! So, is Jacob driving this whole thing? Or, is he kept prisoner by the circle of powder???

→ 83. Posted by: lost chao at May 10, 2007 1:14 PM

I still think there is no "Jacob". It is probably that Benry , like Neo (ala The Matrix) "has some skills".
This episode had my eyes bleeding from avoiding blinking.

"we're gonna need a bigger boat"

→ 84. Posted by: thinng at May 10, 2007 1:14 PM

So there's one question that's just been eating me up ...
What's up with Ben and the Bunnies ?! (They can't be called rabbits. Alliteratively, Thematically, it's inexcusable) Was this the same bunny that he used to Con Sawyer ? A descendant from that bunny blood line ? Was the Bunny named Jacob ?

On a much more serious note ...
I don't see why so many are ready to get bent out of shape about Jacob being invisible. So many posters have already pointed out that plenty of Losties have found an 'Invisible Man ... or Horse' . So that shouldn't be a shock. What should be a shock is that this is the first time two people have seen the 'SAME' thing.
Can't think of anything else that hasn't been posted.

GRAAM.

→ 85. Posted by: trexl at May 10, 2007 1:15 PM

Jacob is the devil... he seems to enjoy the darkness "Lord of Darkness".

"God loves you as he once loved Jacob" Jacob is a fallen angel.

Ben somehow won a game of Battleship with the devil and now has imprisoned him.

"It's a little hot for heaven." - Daddy Locke.

→ 86. Posted by: Gitmo at May 10, 2007 1:23 PM

I have not read the reviews yet but wanted to say that I freeze framed the scene with Jacob after getting a glimpse of something in the chair. After Jacob pushes Ben away from the chair into the wall and the camera moves back to the chair, there is definitely a man sitting there. It is dark and shadowy but I could make out that he is white, has long hair and perhaps a beard. No smoke or ashes. See for yourself.

→ 87. Posted by: BEMH at May 10, 2007 1:24 PM

Re: Cindy -- if folks are referring to the woman with the lei (Cassy, the "Gemologist"), then I don't think that's Cindy. It *could* be. The actresses certainly look a lot alike. I'll dig around and see what I can find.

→ 88. Posted by: mac at May 10, 2007 1:24 PM

I really think that Ben eventually married Annie, and she did get pregnant and die. Remember when we were first introduced to Juliet, and she was in the OR with a bloody and dying woman? Someone offered to go tell Ben, and at one point he was reminding Juliet "It was what she wanted." Definitely Anakin-like here!

→ 89. Posted by: LisaLizzie at May 10, 2007 1:24 PM

Locke can't be dead because every episode where someone has been killed has started with a mega close up of that person's eye!

→ 90. Posted by: gables79 at May 10, 2007 1:28 PM

I agree with the last few commentors, all of a sudden, NOW everyone is annoyed at something being mystical? Black smoke that you can see through, can toss eko around, but now that Jacob cannot be seen right away, it's jumped the shark? That's not even including about 10 different visions people have seen (horse/daddies/insane asylum mates).

To me these aren't die-hard fans, we're finally getting answers, but some people will just never be happy.

As far as Jacob goes, obviously he holds some power in this island and Ben has manipulated his way into controlling it. Perhaps that's why Richard pretends to follow, cause he has to?

Course you'd think they would just kill Ben themselves, but another underlying plot seems to be getting other people to kill for you (Locke/father, Shannon's death, Michael doing his killings).

Have we actually seen an other personally kill outside of them killing each other (patchy/klu). And we don't know what really happend with the tallies, maybe they are captive or they sacrificed them to smokey.

Even Ben didn't outright kill Locke. nor would juliet outright kill Ben.

Maybe i'm onto something, or maybe i'm just confused like everyone else :)

Peace
Matt

→ 91. Posted by: Slightly Visible Jacob at May 10, 2007 1:28 PM

I think that the island shaking during the volcano experiment, and Jacob's hut shaking, are from the same source... smokey. And smokey is the only form Jacob can take outside of his hut while he is imprisoned there by the circle of ash.

And we've already seen that smokey and Locke have a special bond, so smokey is likely to rescue Locke.

→ 92. Posted by: Buck41 at May 10, 2007 1:28 PM

great review as always mac!

my concern/question is why would locke turn his back on ben? knowing what he knows about ben and the others he definitely should have known better. surely he doesnt trust ben or anyone else, even if he pretended to to make them think he did, why did he turn his back on ben?

i agree with the person who mentioned ben not shooting locke twice. i would have if i were in ben's shoes and knowing what i know about the island and locke's ability to heal.

exciting episode till they got to jacob's house. wierd. but i cant wait till the season finale!!!

holla :)

→ 93. Posted by: tiffani at May 10, 2007 1:33 PM

---------Personally, I don't think that Ben can 'hear' or communicate with Jacob anymore...he might have been able to at one time. Otherwise, he would have heard what Jacob said to Locke...that's why Ben tried to kill Locke...Ben has LOST his communion with Jacob...Communion...funny choice of words Ben used...

→ 94. Posted by: J-Rod at May 10, 2007 1:43 PM

@ #91 - SVJ - Juliet shot and killed an Other, remember? When he was chasing Sawyer and Kate. I don't remember his name right now, but she did outright shoot him. Then again, she was the only one "branded" too, huh?

Great episode. I used to be into reading the spoilers ahead of time, knowing what the show was about before Wednesday night actually got here, but knowing how good it is getting, I couldn't do it. I'm very happy I didn't check out the spoilers for last night's epi. The experience is much better when you don't know what is actually coming.

Anybody else wonder how Roger Workman's van got turned over and back in the jungle where Hurley found it? I know the Losties found it CLOSE to the spot it was parked, but why was it turned over and a hundred feet away? I don't believe a storm there would have turned it over, then again, maybe Lost Island has horrible hurricanes and I'm just searching for a meaningless answer.

I've got it, I focus on the wrong things! That's like me wondering why Candle's left arm still appeared to be a prosthetic.

Anybody else think I'm losing it?

→ 95. Posted by: ANTP? at May 10, 2007 1:45 PM

Re #87 or BEMH.

Do us a favor and read the post before you post. It is annoying to read something that was talked about since the 2nd post. Because of course the first one is usually some writing "First"

→ 96. Posted by: Jon is FOUND at May 10, 2007 1:45 PM

Locke has to be the world's greatest fly through the air and land on his back actor in history.

→ 97. Posted by: lostsox at May 10, 2007 1:45 PM

Since Locke apparently stole the tape before it could be delivered to Juliette, how did Juliette know what was on the other side of the tape?

→ 98. Posted by: Barb at May 10, 2007 1:47 PM

Since Locke apparently stole the tape before it could be delivered to Juliette, how did Juliette know what was on the other side of the tape?

→ 99. Posted by: Barb at May 10, 2007 1:47 PM

wrote down my thought at 11:11pm -

Very cool episode...but I wish they broke it up into 3 eps.

→ 100. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 10, 2007 1:48 PM

I agree with the "Rousseau saves Locke" theory -- she's probably been following him from the Black Rock after seeing him whittling with that big knife.

I think Locke will be paralyzed again from the gunshot wound -- at least for a while. Until the island demands a sacrifice (a "Ben-kabob"?) and then heals him...

I think the Hostiles are as old as -- and landed on the island via -- the Black Rock. That "Hostile Chic" look is actually 17th Century Pirate fashion. And if they ARE pirate ghosts, that would explain how Mikhail came back to life... he's already dead.

Maybe if they are ALL dead (including the Losties), as Locke's dad theorized, that is why nobody can see/visit Jacob except Ben (who came to the island alive?). If this is true, than Naomi should also be able to see Jacob.

Finally, I started thinking about lepers (partly because Richard Alpert's name falsely started me down that path), and that Hawaii, also an island in the Pacific, was used to dump lepers. Maybe this is where some of the "natives" came from? And they were healed by the island?

→ 101. Posted by: Chad at May 10, 2007 1:49 PM

@ 97, great post and good point.

Who here thinks we can beat the number of posts from last week's episode. I know we were up over 400. We're already at 100 today, and it has just started.

→ 102. Posted by: ANTP? at May 10, 2007 1:49 PM

Has anyone considered that Rousseau could be Annie? Alex is Ben & Annie's child. It seems to make sense.

→ 103. Posted by: bhelton at May 10, 2007 1:50 PM

Juliette didn't know *exactly* what was on the other side of the tape... she just knew that was where Ben had left his "instructions". In the beginning of the episode Ben was telling Eyeliner that he'd left his instructions for Juliette on the tape.

→ 104. Posted by: Buck41 at May 10, 2007 1:52 PM

I think that the island won't just magically heal Locke's wound. It does seem to have healing properties dealing with Rose and Locke. However, Ana Lucia, Libby, Shannon and various Others have died from gunshot wounds. I think that his best chance is that the bullet landed where his kidney should have been and that Jack will find him time.

@94 J-Rod: I think that you are right on with the thought that Ben might not be able to hear Jacob or the island anymore. Maybe that is why Ben got cancer even though he claimed that no on the island gets cancer - because the island/Jacob might have turned its back on him.

→ 105. Posted by: ac at May 10, 2007 1:53 PM

@103 - Rousseau = French, and her first name is Danielle.

→ 106. Posted by: ANTP? at May 10, 2007 1:53 PM

@97/lostsox - Totally made me LOL.
@49/Shikotee - Someone else posted this "answer" above, but I'm too lazy to go find it. Since I jotted down your question, thought I'd give you MHO about why Alex gave Locke the gun. I believe Ben was planning on killing Locke all along and got Alex to give Locke a gun as his "birthday present" cause he knew Locke would at some point put his guard down and Ben could take it. Just the way Alex said "Happy B-day" to Ben made me think something was up.
Then again... what the heck do I know...
I am, and always will be, a BunnyLover.

→ 107. Posted by: BunnyLover at May 10, 2007 1:54 PM

No one has mentioned about when did Alex become Ben's daughter? We now have some history/time line of Ben. Did they take her after the purge?

→ 108. Posted by: BEMH at May 10, 2007 1:56 PM

mmh not sure about annie being rousseau. i have no reason to doubt rousseau. We havnt been led to believe that she has lied or indeed does lie. there is no indication. is there?

→ 109. Posted by: Andie at May 10, 2007 1:56 PM

@106 You are assuming that Rousseau is telling the truth. She is a very shady character who is up to something that will play out later.

→ 110. Posted by: bhelton at May 10, 2007 1:58 PM

@tiffani

re:
"i agree with the person who mentioned ben not shooting locke twice. i would have if i were in ben's shoes and knowing what i know about the island and locke's ability to heal."

Who on the island has survived a gunshot wound? More importantly, who has survived as gunshot wound without medical assistance? Most gunshot wounds have resulted in death, n'est pas?

What I am curious about is how Ben plans on explaining what happened to Locke.

My spider senses are tingling!

Methinks Bens action against Locke will make the others turn on Ben. As we have seen, Richard has secretly worked behind Ben's back (ie giving Locke info on Sawyer) - perhaps he will be the one who will find and help Locke? The Others will find out that Ben shot Locke out of jealousy, and perhaps this will mark the end of Ben, and start the rule of Locke?

I doubt they will kill Ben - too much rich backstory still to tell. Then again, he could simply be used in other people's backstories....

→ 111. Posted by: Shikotee at May 10, 2007 2:02 PM

two things:
@volcano When Roger was talking to Goodspeed he said that while he was out driving around there was an explosion and then shooting. If Goodspeed was right about it being an explosion, that would explain the shaking during the volcano class, which would mean that there probably wasn't a volcanic tremor. That would still leave the question about what caused the explosion, but it's something...
@ash I like the idea that the ash could be there to keep Jacob in (actually, I like that idea a lot), but my first impression was that it was gun powder. Is Ben/Rosseau/Mikhail/someone else planning on blowing up Jacob's home?

→ 112. Posted by: kaytied at May 10, 2007 2:02 PM

Well, for all of you that had complained about Locke not fighting his own battles, last night we got to see the new and improved "daddy is dead" Locke squarely kicking Mikhail's, um, butt. Hopefully he heals quickly and it wasn't the last time we see him in action!

A few things Ben says in the episode really intrigued me. The whole "You do remeber birthdays, don't you Richard" has me on the side that Richard doesn't age. True, it could be a threat "Those who forget my birthday must die!", but I don't think Richard is scared of Ben. Just MHO.

Ben also refers to the "Hostiles" as the "Island's original inhabitants". How original are we talking here? Just here before Dharma, or ALWAYS been here original?

Ben says he was born on the island (an admitted lie at this point) and then goes on to say he brought most of the other people there to the island. Did he bring the Flight 815ers to the island as well? If Cindy was an Other all along, did she go to Sydney and make sure the plane crashed on the Island somehow as part of the flight crew?

Ben seems upset that the tape recorder is missing (or is he faking it cause he knew Locke was gonna take it?) and about the resuce attempt (Naomi appears not to be an Other, thank you very much!), so is he losing control or just trying to make it look like everyone else is incompetent?

Finally, I got the impression from his conversation at the grave that Ben might not have been the only one spared in the purge. Perhaps one or two other Dharm drones saw which side was gonna win and switched allegiences as well.

I thought for a second I saw Michael in the Other's camp when Locke and Ben headed out to see Jacob (sitting near Tom), but when rewatching it it clearly was a different black guy.

Great review Mac, and great thoughts from everyone on what has to be the most interesting Lost in a long time!

→ 113. Posted by: FenwayBen at May 10, 2007 2:03 PM

@ MAC:

The blonde teacher (teaching about the volcanos) ....her name tag on the uniform said Olivia...

Isn't that the name of the blonde woman who they called the Sherriff? The one who sat in judgment of Juliette after she killed Danny and branded her with that mark on her back?

Could that be the same woman...did she flip sides too?

→ 114. Posted by: Sillygirl0630 at May 10, 2007 2:03 PM

re: Rousseau - I think the resident crazy French chick is planning an attack on the hostiles in order to steal back her duaghter, Alex, from Ben. There hasn't been any indication that Rousseau's telling of how she got to the island and recent history is false. Unlike Ben and any number of other characters, she has no reason to lie about her past.

→ 115. Posted by: Josh at May 10, 2007 2:04 PM

Did anyone else see Cassidy? As Ben and Locke were walking out of the camp to go see Jacob, it looked like Cassidy in the background behind Richard and Tom. That'd be coolio.

→ 116. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 10, 2007 2:04 PM

Quick?? Can someone answer? When we first met Juliet and the others there was a woman who seemed to be jealous of Juliet. Can anyone remember her name.

→ 117. Posted by: BigNameJames at May 10, 2007 2:04 PM

I was just thinking of Rosseau back in season one when she took Claire's baby. There was something about black smoke and that there was also black smoke when her baby was taken. Maybe the black smoke has something to do with the volcano. Like the teacher's experiment by pouring water inside to have a chemical reaction and the how Annie or one of the kids said, "just like our volcano." Probably just a silly thought...

→ 118. Posted by: ac at May 10, 2007 2:05 PM

ANTP - Good point Juliet did shoot one of the others, maybe that factors into her not being an other? I guess the more I think about it, the more I cannot remember.

Also whoever brought up the point that Ben cannot hear jacob is a really good.

Either two things:

1) Ben is playing dumb, but it didn't seem like it, since he shot locke and was emphatic about it

2) Ben is losing his powers on the island, as Locke indicated to him on why he wasn't healing

Either way last night's show has me still pumped up today for Mac's awesome revies

→ 119. Posted by: Slightly Visible Jacob at May 10, 2007 2:06 PM

Mac-

The only other thing that puzzled me is at what age Ben lost his eyelashes...

→ 120. Posted by: Three men and a baby... I counted Hugo twice at May 10, 2007 2:06 PM

@silly girl. They're two different women from what I can tell.

→ 121. Posted by: R at May 10, 2007 2:10 PM

Reading some of the above (see? it does pay to read before posting) got me thinking...what if the Black rock slave/prison ship was like the HMS Bounty? Just a bunch of happy-go-lucky folks headed out to find their own little piece of South Seas heaven.

If the ship crashed onto the island (tsunami maybe?) and all the crew were marooned on the island and the island has some mysterious longevity properties, then Richard and the "Hostiles" could be two hundred years old, and they would certainly pre-date Dharma.

Ben's comment to Richard "You remember birthdays..." would make much more sense.

→ 122. Posted by: ransomjackson at May 10, 2007 2:12 PM

@119

Colleen

→ 123. Posted by: Sillygirl0630 at May 10, 2007 2:13 PM

@AC - re: island healing
Exactly - I think Locke will need help! Naturally, he is one lucky S.O.B., so the bullet will have gone somewhere none lethal!

@BunnyLover - re: Alex + Gun

Not sure if I buy into Alex and Ben plotting this in advance. Why give Locke the gun at all? Why wouldn't Ben just have it concealed? If anything, it seems like Alex supsects that Ben would be up to no-good, and is trying to help Locke defend himself.

Of all people, she is very well aware of how manipulative, deceiving, jealous Ben can be. My guess is that Alex does not trust Ben.

Keep in mind - Ben has told her that her mom is dead, and Sayid has dropped the hint that this is not the case. Couple that with the crap her boyfriend has been put through....

→ 124. Posted by: Shikotee at May 10, 2007 2:13 PM

@kaytied #112

i totally thought it was gunpowder too, i like the ash idea, but it seemed too coarse

also, did anyone see that picture/painting in jacob's shack that Locke looked at when they first walked in? what was it of?

i agree that Ben is jealous/upset that Locke heard Jacob. Jacob previously "only talked to" Ben.
He is afraid Locke will take his position as omniscient island leader.

→ 125. Posted by: kk at May 10, 2007 2:15 PM

I agree with a previous poster that Ben is "responsible" for the island women dying at the 7 month mark, just like his mom. (that Magic Box thing, thinking it and it will happen.) I think he's probably aware of his mystical accidental responsibility, which is why he's so determined to stop it by any means. The "wishes" clearly have an uncontrollable life of their own once they're out of the box.

Also, since the Hostiles are the (maybe)original island inhabitants and seemingly don't age, don't you think Dharma knows this and are partly on the island to study them? (Didn't the Dharma website have a section on longevity/fountain of youth that they were really into?) I'd be a little PO'ed too if some swarm of hippy scientists invaded my peaceful magical home and tried to run experiments and study me and my family.

Not a far stretch to imagine Richard Alpert the captain/crewman of a slave ship, either. He spoke perfect English and didn't appear "native" in any traditional sense, even his clothes seemed to be that of a Black Rock contemporary. Guess we'll have to wait a few more years for the answer to that one.

→ 126. Posted by: ab at May 10, 2007 2:15 PM

Thanks Mac, as always.

There was a bit of a discrepancy I noticed in the Jacob cabin scene. When Jacob starts his hissy fit the lamp Ben brought in with him falls to the floor and smashes, lighting the floor on fire. After Locke escapes, Ben walks out with the intact lantern and places it back on the hook outside the cabin door. Meanwhile, there is no sign of any fire inside the cabin behind Ben as he closes the door. Is this merely a blooper or should we take this to mean that Jacob's fit of anger was more in Locke's imagination than anything?

I will also join the chorus:

WHTA: What Happened to Annie?
ANTPOV: Anyone Notice the Painting of Vincent

One "other" thing (sorry): Why does everyone assume that Ben is telling the truth about Alex being his biological daughter? Remember that Ben = Liar.

→ 127. Posted by: Alex (Not Rousseau) at May 10, 2007 2:16 PM

@silly girl.... But the more I think about it, what do I know? Definitely two different actresses. You'd think they'd use the same actress with different age appropriate make-up if it was to be young & older Olivia. Maybe, Interesting...

→ 128. Posted by: R at May 10, 2007 2:16 PM

@bcre8ve: Actually Sawyer saw the horse, Dave was in Hurley's head (remember the photo of him with his arm around the empty chair), Sayid cat-?. Only Jack (dad), Eko (brother/smokie?), and Ben (mom) have confirmed sightings that I remember.

I think Danielle and/or Alex will save Locke. They are both sneaky tailers (not Tailies) and the gunshot would bring one or both especially Alex since she tried to arm Locke before leaving. What a touching reunion that will be!

Could Dharma have made a deal with the New Dharmites to continue the project after they took over? That would explain the continued food drops. Presumably the purple sky ruined that because there is no way to find the island. Maybe Richard was telling Locke the truth about the rest being fed up with Ben's leadership. Evidence-Tom and Richard let Locke pound Mikhail who was a leftover original Dharma. They didn't move an inch when Ben told then to stop the beatdown. Also they all look expectantly when Locke challenges Ben.

Annie is probably dead in the gas attack but Ben remembers her as the only person to love him so he packs the dolls as link to her. He thought she would spill the beans if he tried to save her from the Hostile attack.

There are at least 16 Portlands in the US including Texas, Florida, and throughout the midwest where a 70 degree day would be welcome and entice people to get outside and roll the top down.

The ash is from the volcano which was alluded in the schoolyard not voodoo or magic. Jacob's Hut is probably on the dormant volcano.

Could Danielle and Richard be part of the same science team? It would explain the love child between her and Ben but I think the timeline is way off. It also would explain Richard and Danielle being good fighters and Richard's want to get back to science.

Final note: I guess Lazlo's prize winnings didn't go as far as he had hoped!

→ 129. Posted by: PiecesofArzt at May 10, 2007 2:16 PM

So, the "hostiles" have gas masks but can't find a decent clothing store or shoes ? Sheesh,... "I'm on the road to Shambala"

"we're gonna need a bigger boat"

→ 130. Posted by: thinng at May 10, 2007 2:18 PM

I was thinking along the lines also that you don't really age on the island which would explain Richard, but that is easily shot down by Ben obviously aging.

Also, if the island heals Locke, why didn't it heal Shannon, and everyone else killed?

→ 131. Posted by: Michael at May 10, 2007 2:19 PM

@ PiecesofArtz/#131: Thank you for referring to Roger Work Man's true defining role in film...Lazlo! Lazlo destroys Uncle Rico in all formats!

→ 132. Posted by: Red...Neck...Man at May 10, 2007 2:22 PM

There was a picture of a dog in a frame. Absolutely not Vincent, this dog had a large terrier look ~ perhaps this is who Old Smokie used to be? And yes there was a man sitting in the chair who looked nothing like Locke.

All in all - I inhaled more air this episode than in any other so far!

→ 133. Posted by: Bobbi at May 10, 2007 2:22 PM

Re: hostiles and gas masks - If I remember correctly, the Arrow station that the Tailies used as a base of operations was a possible supply shed/house. The hostiles could have ransacked any number of Dharma store houses in their war against Dharma, thus procuring gas masks, gas grenades and guns.

→ 134. Posted by: Josh at May 10, 2007 2:22 PM

@PiecesofArtz:

You just cracked me up. Maybe if they go dig out by the old VW van they will find the RV and the rest of Lazlo's fabulous prizes.

→ 135. Posted by: ac at May 10, 2007 2:23 PM

Why do people keep trying to figure out when Ben and Danielle Russeau had sex? We have never been given any reason to believe Ben is Alex's biological father, in fact all clues point to the opposite...

I think Alex was trying to warn Locke ("poor, gullible Locke" didn't die with Daddy) when she gave him the gun. She says something like "You're going to need this if you're going to see Jacob". I don't think she meant that Jacob is invisbile unless you haev a gun, or that you'll need to shoot Jacob. I think she meant Ben is gonna shoot you, but our boy Locke ain't so quick on the uptake sometimes. She's pretty po'd at Ben right now, what with Carl being tortured (and threatened with execution) and Sayid dropping the mommy bomb on her. I thik she'll come running at hearing the gun shot, only to be disappointed at which guy ended up in the pit.

→ 136. Posted by: FenwayBen at May 10, 2007 2:24 PM

The young Ben and Alpert storyline has opened up a can of worms:
Chronology of the groups on the island:
1. Pagans: ruins and four toed statue
2. Pirates: Black Rock found in jungle
3. Military: the configuration and construction of hatches, communications, etc.
4. Dharma: research subcontractor whose compound looks newer than stations/hatches
5. Rousseau's science crew, shipwrecked
6. Henry Gale, balloonist, crash landing; killed and buried near crash site
7. Desmond, shipwrecked
8. Flight 815, plane crashed.
Interaction between groups:
Pagans and Pirates: unknown, but appears pagan civilization died off
Military and Dharma: appear to have co-existed for some time (work men running supplies to the stations) At some time, Military pulled out leaving Radz, Kelvin and Patchy or others behind to work with Dharma researchers.
Rousseau and Dharma: It is assumed that Rousseau believes that Dharma is to blame for the death of her team and the taking away of her child
Desmond and Dharma: Dharma knew of Des because of the cameras in the hatch, and was seen only as Radz/Kelvin's replacement. Don't think Des was ever asked to join Dharma because Kelvin kept him in the hatch with the toxic suit con.
Losties and Dharma: Ben has immediate hostility toward the crash by sending spies into the survivors camps; known actually killing by both sides.
Where does Alpert's rebels purge fit in?
First theorum: Alpert is the descendant of the pagan-pirate lineage, who took over the unseen hatches, got military bio & conventional weapons, and started a guerilla war to rid the island of the Dharma people. Alpert is the last pagan priest who can communicate with the island spirits (like Smokey)
Second theorum: Alpert was part of the military project which was abandoned/taken over by Dharma, and had a revenge plot to regain control of his island.
Third theorum: Alpert was part of the Dharma group, but became a negative voice in the direction of the group's research that he and his followers were banished to the jungle.
Fourth theorum: Alpert and his men were part of Rousseau's science team who did not die as Rousseau says (or maybe she classifies them as being dead in her mind because they joined Dharma's unethical research)
Fifth theorum: Alpert and his men are competitors to Dharma and literally pulled off a "hostile" take over of the Dharma research and facilities. But they are now ticked that Ben is not concentrating their resources on what Alpert believes is more important research (the island's "special properties") than fertility experiments. Alpert was looking to Locke to create a second hostile take over of Dharma.

→ 137. Posted by: welh at May 10, 2007 2:25 PM

In regard to the food drops:

-------------POTENTIAL SPOILER-------------

There is a video clip that is part of the Lost Experience game where Alvar Hanso says that the food drops would continue in "perpetuity". These drops are probably scheduled regularly. If for whatever reason you need an extra drop, the Flame station would make the request (that was one of the options Dr. Marvin Candle gave in "Enter 77" when Locke was on the computer).

-------------------END SPOILER------------

→ 138. Posted by: Alex ( Not Rousseau) at May 10, 2007 2:28 PM

Can anyone help out the internet-challenged, i.e. ME! I can't ever get to these tinyurls and I'd love to catch a glimpse of the infamous Jacob. Thanks!

→ 139. Posted by: R at May 10, 2007 2:28 PM

Was the side-effect of the Hatch and the Numbers: Eternal Life? Or, Premature Birth? Unnatural healing? Or all of the above?

And now that the hatch has blown, will everyone start getting older? Can babies be born? Are the healing powers gone?

→ 140. Posted by: Chad at May 10, 2007 2:31 PM

@129/Alex (Not Rousseau),

Jacob's cabin = Yoda's cave...to wit, "All that's in there is what you take with you."

As for the aging vs. not aging, that could easily be explained away by having to eat native foods, and not Dharma Chic'n Nuggets and Dharma Flakes and Dharma Beer and Dharma-sicles...

Ben's never truly "gone native" like Richard or Locke or Rousseau; therefore, he ages where others do not.

WHTA?!?

→ 141. Posted by: ransomjackson at May 10, 2007 2:32 PM

...just reviewed my dvd recording of last night's episode and there is definitley a guy with long hair sitting in the chair. He seems to be pretty calm for all the chaos that is whipping around the room.

we're gonna need a bigger boat"

→ 142. Posted by: thinng at May 10, 2007 2:33 PM

@becr8tive and en provence....I stand corrected...seems your Dharma/Hostiles theory from last week was right on! Kudos to you!

What if Ben and Juliet are brother and sister? Then would Locke be related to Juliet if he is related to Ben?

@barb...great call on how Juliet knew what was on the other side of the tape...still not sure if we should trust her...

→ 143. Posted by: VIkki at May 10, 2007 2:33 PM

1. Maybe Ben means he was born in a spiritual sense on the Island. Like born again Christians...I think he said "born to this island, of this island"? Not necessarily ON the island.
2. Jack and Juliet went back to Benslvania to grab gas masks..People that was a HUGE easter egg, suprised no one mentioned it..
3. Did the gun Benny shot locke with look like a prop from Pirates of the Carribean? OLd looking Not like the one Alex gave Locke..more modern
4. Alpert gave the tape recorder to Locke b.c. he knew locke would get sawyer to kill his dad and give the recorder to sawyer..Maybe richard is in on everything with Juliet unless he is looking to double cross her.

→ 144. Posted by: Use the Schwartz at May 10, 2007 2:34 PM

@MattDC (9): I went right into Jacob's cabin believing Ben was going to tell Locke that they all thought John might be Jacob / Messianic figure come to lead the Others toward a better future. Now I am not so sure... I think Locke might have a future role to play, but honestly, now I don't know what to think about Jacob. Only that he freaked me out when he spoke!

@Jay (32) / bcre8ve (33):
I like your thoughts regarding the Hostiles taking over the Dharma Initiative, echoes leanings I have had in the past. Assuming the 4pm assassination conspiracy only took place in the one VW van and in Bennsylvania, that would have left Dharma people manning the other stations, including the Pearl (where the attack could have been observed) and the Flame (where Hanso could have been warned) and those on Alcatraz. These survivors were either killed later, killed at the same time (unlikely), or joined forces with the Hostiles. My guess is they joined up, either willingly or by coercion.

I think Hanso knows and continues to fund/supply the Hostiles because of perceived potential and promises by Ben. Why -- which leads me to my next point...

@callie (67) / LisaLizzie (89):
Put me in the "Annie died in labor" camp. I think she and Ben hooked up pre-Purge and died giving birth. He saw no hope in doing it the Dharma way and decided he needed to take the initiative on a more directed course (ala Judas). Once taking over the Dharma facilities, Ben's preoccupation with infertility leads to a shift in initiative priorities (as Alpert alluded) and a disenchantment among the people. They are looking for a new leader, aka Locke (as mentioned above).

BTW, Just got to say I love me some ALEX!!! Did anyone notice what seemed like Karl's voice warning the 815ers about his people coming in the preview???

Finally, anyone else notice Goodspeed played the guard Percy in SKing's "The Green Mile"???
MWOOR -- More Wizard of Oz references!

→ 145. Posted by: BELost at May 10, 2007 2:37 PM

#141 @ransomjackson

"Yoda's Cave" - And Locke brought his lightsaber! He should have learned from Luke's experience.

→ 146. Posted by: Alex (Not Rousseau) at May 10, 2007 2:37 PM

as if the smoke monster was not enough of super natural, the writers introduced an invisible man who talks using telepathy and has telekinetics capability. Allusion to X-Men? invisibility, mind highjacking, tele-kinetics, etc.

something which has been bothering me from second season is the need to push the button. Anyone with limited computer experience would know that repeated tasks are scheduled and not left to end-users to execute them at corrent time. Specially if they know the concequence of not pushing the button, they would have never planned such a manual dependant thing. And if the argument is to use this button pushing as a psychological experiment, they would have deactivated the station before they left. Even the explanation of a sudden purge doesn't explain it as Dharma keeps dropping food but haven't send any replacement people to push the button.

Back to last episode, if you look carefully at the scene where Ben is thrown to the wall, you can see two shadows. one prominent one belongs to Ben and a faint one probably from Jacob. In the scene before that, I thought I can see shadow of a hand clutching Ben's throat, but it could be a play of shadows!

→ 147. Posted by: aj at May 10, 2007 2:42 PM

just some thoughts from a newbie...

maybe babies can't be born because people can live forever on the island... perhaps that is the "big picture" alpert is referring to.

i think there may be something to the theory that ben was conceived on the island. maybe mom found a way off knowing about the death problem and hoping to escape it. ben made it but she didn't and then ben was brought back. roger seems to be an unwitting accomplice in this theory.

i think annie died carrying ben's baby and launched his obsession with the pregnancy thing. this goes against the "big picture" and island karma is working against his continued leadership as he takes his gang further and further off course.

→ 148. Posted by: equeyaya at May 10, 2007 2:47 PM

@shikotee
i know all those with gunshot wounds have died but locke has a "special"relationship with the island and it healed his paraylsis so maybe it would heal "his" gunshot wound, so with ben knowing all of these why even take the chance of that happening if his intentions were to kill him?

did that make sense? i hope so because i dont think i can keep explaining it to where others can understand exactly what i'm thinking and trying to say. :)

→ 149. Posted by: tiffani at May 10, 2007 2:48 PM

How long has Timex had Indaglo in thier watches? I noticed when Ben looked at his watch before he pulled the pin, it was a Timex with Indeglo. This would be a good indication of how long ago the purge took place. Was it befor or after Danielle crashed?
Just a thought. Last night really confused me, so I may be barking up the wrong tree.

→ 150. Posted by: lostdob at May 10, 2007 2:52 PM

The man in the chair looks like he's wearing a ruffled shirt, like a pirate shirt...
69. Posted by: Krys
I think the Hostiles are as old as -- and landed on the island via -- the Black Rock. That "Hostile Chic" look is actually 17th Century Pirate fashion. And if they ARE pirate ghosts, that would explain how Mikhail came back to life... he's already dead.
101. Posted by: Chad


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