Lostwatch: Will the Real John Locke Please Stand Up

I think it's safe to assume that the body thing happened because it did not drift according to the bearing.

A few disjointed thoughts:

It's nice to see Claire be important not because of Aaron or Charlie.

Desmond never wants to return to the island? Why does that leave me with a bad feeling about his survivability?

So... The Others had a way on/off the island before coopting the Dharma sub. Interesting...

I wonder how they can explain Locke not remembering Richard. Granted, I'm younger than the character is, so maybe I just don't get how memory works in your 50's.

So let me get this straight - Locke is almost (but not quite) the reincarnated Buddha?

A few other thoughts:

- Matt, I'm with you on Desmond. I'm more than a little worried that staying on the ship was the WRONG move for him.

- What is the thing on Keamy's arm?

- I have a very bad feeling about Claire. VERY bad. Why is she just chilling with Christian?

I think the producers might be setting up Richard to be a villian. Ever since they revealed that Charles Widmore wasn't on the island (or didn't know where it was)in the future I've been trying to think of other important people of power that would still be on the island. Plus, I lately had a theory that Widmore had spies in Ben's group and that Richard was one of them. Working under Ben--who has been on the island a lot less time--must be frustrating for him and maybe he is finally become power hungry.

As for the timeline on the freighter compared to the island. It's so confusing that I'm trying not to think or worry about it.

I'm thinking that Desmond will end up back on the island, with Penny. She's on her way and I think she'll reach them before the end of the season and her ship is the one that will return the oceanic six while she stays behind with Desmond for some reason.

That thing on Keamy's arm looked like a radio transmitter.

@Chris Kw. - I think you may be onto something, but a little bit in reverse. I think Abbadon works for Widmore, who wants his island back. And Alpert is actually the boss of Ben, the "man behind the curtain" secretly directing the action on the island, etc.

Abbadon convinces Locke to go on the walkabout because he/Widmore knows/thinks that the island will "call" for Locke and bring him to it. All Widmore has to do is then figure out where Flight 815 went down around, and he can locate the "movable" island and seize it back from Ben.

Alpert is the island's mastermind or consciousness - he is Jacob himself. And Jacob/Alpert, while wise, is not infallible. He initially rejected Locke because he thought Locke was too violent (choosing the knife). Then he reconsidered, offering Locke the science scholarship, but Locke rejected that (note: Jacob/Alpert seems to be about BOTH science AND faith). Then Jacob/Alpert picks Ben as his agent, but Ben eventually displeases him/the island, and Ben becomes sick. The plane crashes, with Locke (the man Jacob/Alpert once thought may have been destined for the island), and Jacob/Alpert sees his chance - replace the corrupted Ben with the "pure" Locke. Right the initial wrong. And the whole thing was made even more necessary because Jacob/Alpert must have known that this plane crashing would be followed by Widmore, the man trying to reclaim the island.

I'm not sure if Alpert/Jacob/Ben or Widmore/Abbadon are good or evil, in any traditional sense. Their battle, too, seems to be about science v. faith....

Lots of crazy theories to follow.

Oh, and one more thing - "I have to move the island"????? What???

The cabin scene definitely sold me on the theory that Claire died in the attack on the Locke Camp, and that she's been a ghost ever since (hence Miles staring at her...). I thought it was very interesting seeing how she acted in the cabin, not sure if anyone else noticed this, but her manerisms, etc. were totally different from pre-cabin Claire. She seemed very comfortable, almost relaxed.

@chaddogg - definitely was thinking similar thoughts last night about how Locke seemed to be their first choice, and that Ben was Plan B. Now that Locke had gotten to the Island, Ben is no longer needed, which made that scene with Hurley all the better, since he's been reduced from all knowing evil mastermind to a washed up tag along. The question for me is how does he get from where he is now(washed up tag along) to where he is in the future, all knowing evil mastermind directly his agent Sayid?

I think my brain went into system failure last night. Mysteries wrapped in mysteries wrapped in mysteries. I don't think I can handle this much speculation and work over a television show.

If I didn't love the show so much, I'd stop watching until it was all over and just buy the DVDs. But there's no way I can pass up a new episode of Lost.

Now with Christian showing up all corporeal to John Locke, you can really just say, "What?" And then Claire chilling in the cabin. I just don't understand it, and I know I'm not meant to just yet. But damn if I'm starting to get just a little impatient.

I don't know how much I like the idea of Abbadon giving Locke the idea for the Walkabout. I liked it more when I thought Locke was researching ways to become more self-sufficient and felt this was the best way to do it. The idea that he's somewhat "pushed" into it has the potential to lessen the character a bit for me. Of course, I'm totally willing to see how it all plays out.

As for him not remembering Richard, I don't think it's that big a deal. Richard was there for a total of 5 minutes when he was under 10 years old. I know that I was tested by people (granted not in the same way) for various reasons when I was around that age and I sure as hell wouldn't recognize them now, only 15 or so years later, let alone 40.

Also, "twice your age" could have been a figure of speech. I think that Cooper was just a casting issue and not an implication that someone else fathered him.

The bigger question is how was Locke found when he was younger? And was the submarine available back then?

I just really want an answer to the time discrepencies. Stupid Lost. Why must you challenge me so?

I would be willing to bet a month's pay that Claire is not dead. There would be no effective payoff to that. I really think that "You have to raise him, Claire" about Aaron is going to prove to be a pretty big deal, and her dead would just cheat that. The chance exists that I could be wrong, but I'm fairly confident that this is not the case.

The reason she seemed so relaxed and peaceful was probably that Christian (or whatever the heck that is) gave her information that made her this way.

Let me get this straight. Abbaddon works for Widmore, and they got Locke on 815 and therefore the island, presumably on purpose. This implies that they KNOW where the island is at that point, but in the futre Widmore does not. Does this mean that Locke is eventually successful in MOVING the island?

First question that I haven't seen is this: Where's Jacob?

Next question: what exactly is the politics of the Island/Dharma/Mittelos/Others/Hostiles? If the Dharma hippy whose name escapes me now has been dead for 12 years, how does that work with the timeline? I want to go back and watch the episode with the Purge in it, to see if he was buried with the rest. We know that Rousseau was on the island for 16 years and that Alex was taken as a baby. We may know that the purge was 12 years before the present. Did Rousseau never come into contact with any Dharma folk? Or did the Hostiles terrorize her?

We also saw Richard talking to Ben on the island in Hostile garb, but we saw Richard at Locke's birth hospital all done up. Is Mittelos a rival to Dharma? Did they have the sub already back then? And how the freaknob did they get a sub in the first place?

Last major point: the showmakers are lulling us into a false sense of security, folks. Wasn't it just a few episodes ago where we saw Ben warp from Arctic Dharma to the Sahara, speak three different languages, then beat up or killed two armed Bedouins before they knew what hit them? I don't know what to make of the Jacob/Ben/Locke/Island/Christian love pentogram, but we're being duped into thinking Ben is somehow weak or benign, just because Locke is Jacob's favorite at the moment.

Richard was testing Locke to see if he was the reincarnation or current embodiment of the real mastermind behind the island--maybe, or maybe not, Jacob. A similar test was given to the current Dali Lama when he was a boy: he was given a choice of items, some of which belonged to the previous Dali Lama, and he chose the correct items, proving he was the reincarnation of the Dali Lama. At least that's the story.

That Locke chose the knife and not, obviously, the Book of Laws (was that the title? I hate reading that fancy script) demonstrated to me not that he chose violence over order but that he simply didn't choose correctly and therefore was not the chosen one.

My guess about what was in the vial? Whatever rock salt rings Jacob's cabin.

I loved the comic book. Here's an image of it: http://bp3.blogger.com/_RrObyQ3XzcY/SCPMfY3NPXI/AAAAAAAAYPA/2401M3wVkL0/s1600-h/1499-95407-1-mystery-tales_400.jpg

"Does it pay to ignore the Voice of Warning?" Excellent.

Re: Claire. Does her hanging out with 'Christian' mean that the island/jacob is purposefully separating her from Aaron? How does that square with the psychic being so adamant about her raising him? Or ghost Charlie for that matter, assuming ghost Charlie also speaks for the island/jacob. Does someone have sinister plans for Aaron? Is that why pregnant women die on the island?

Also, what is the significance of Horace's recurring nose bleed? Every other shot it appears or disappears. Did it have something to do with what he was saying at the time? I wasn't able to match it up but maybe someone can.

Well, we can assume Locke was successful at moving the island because future Ben tells future Widmore that he'll never find the island.

If Claire is dead, why could Sawyer presumably see her and communicate with her too as Miles did? How did Sawyer carry her body out of the burning house and not know she was dead and then say "She'll be OK"?

I think the Sand represented the Island, and that Locke did not fail because lacked whatever ability they were looking for. He failed because he saw the comic which I think he was supposed to take but picked the knife instead because he was distracted by it. I think he made a deliberate choice to take the knife even though he knew it wasnt his.

BTW, I love what they did with the Ben Linus character. This episode really established him as a (seemingly) changed person. Showed a more human side... not confident, but shaken and a bit tender. I loved the candy bar scene - further evidence that the iron-fisted leader has softened..

@NateGo: The First Rule of Lost Club: Never Trust Ben!

Now much in the way of conclusions can be drawn from that episode.

What is interesting is that the point seemed to be that people on both sides of the conflict have been moving pieces around for quite some time. I've long been a proponent that 815 was intentional and that both The Whisperers and Ms. Hawking's group have been manipulating things behind the scenes throughout the entire show - and this episode does nothing to discourage that thinking. At this point I'd be willing to bet that the big season finale "twist" is that everyone's been manipulated into being where they are now by Others (and others).

Claire: No one thinks her behavior is familiar: from when Ethan kidnapped her? And no ghost I've ever heard of is capable of petting dogs, carrying babies, and drugging daughters, so I continue to think Christian is alive.

"I've been dead 12 years". No comment on this? Sayid's math was that wrong/the DI had Danielle's message playing for years while they were still in control? Ben raised Alex for 4-6 years before the Purge? How does anyone reconcile this?

Keamy's device. Heck if I know, but I tend to think it's a defensive device - either it anchors him in time somehow (to prevent Sickness?) or defends against psychic/Island attacks.

"We have to move the Island." Sounds like The Orchid has a larger capability than we thought.

Mittlelos Inc. They've been running for a lot longer than we thought - there's no way that they are simply post-Purge stolen Dharma property. Now, Richard could simply own everything himself; compound interest for immortals can add up to impressive amounts, but here's a crazy idea I've been wondering about since Ben's episode, Widmore's "That Island is Mine".

How do we know Widmore didn't fund The Purge, and Ben later staged a Purge of the Purgers to take over? Yes, the Lost Experience says Widmore and Hanso Inc. will be allied, but do they only ally to get The Island in post-815 time?

And I too was wondering if Widmore's hiding spot for Penny was indeed the Island, but unless Ben gets warped to Tunisia when they move The Island, wouldn't he know she was there? Or again, was his big speech just misdirection, to get Widmore to think Ben was going after his daughter while he and Sayid cleaned house unsuspected on The Golfer, The Economist, etc.?

My question is this:
When Faraday has the marker launched from the freighter there was a delay by a few hours before it arrived on the island (remember from several episodes ago) which seems to suggest that time on the island moves slower than on the outside. However the doctor's body showed up on the island well before the actual event occurred, implying that the opposite is happening.
Moreso, how does that work when they're communicating with one another via radio's?
Like so many other's my head is about to explode!

Christian isn't necessarily a ghost - his BODY was on the plane, so maybe the island cured him, in a way...

Oh, and Also BTW...

I'd like to be the first to ask if anyone noticed the Geronimo Jackson poster in the locker that John was stuffed in???? What is the deal with all these Geronimo Jackson references??????!!!

I was under the impression that the device on Keamy's arm was tied in some how to the equipment he was loading onto the chopper. Something that monitored his vitals and would blow everything to hell if his heart stopped beating. That's why the captain paused allowing Keamy to fire first.

No one's mentioned that when Locke asked Claire about where Aaron was either her or Christian said "where he's supposed to be". What does that mean?

I'm wondering about Abbaddon. Why did he suggest a walkabout to Locke? How does he have access to medical facilities?

Does Ben really see John as his successor or is he playing an angle like always?

Lastly, what was Lapidus planning when he threw the pack out of the chopper? Was Jack correct that it was a sign that they should follow?

@Gerry: The Dalai Lama bit is extremely interesting.

I heard from the showrunners somewhere that the relationship between Ben and Richard was that of the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama- each gets to pick who the other's successor is. Having Richard (as the Panchen) give the test to Locke (the prospective Dalai) seems to explicitly state that relationship.

It also tends to put Locke/Richard's scenes in Season 3 under a new light - is Richard looking to fill the Dalai position with Locke now? Heck, is Ben's teleporting off the Island due to him trying to get away from The Others after he's deposed?

I'm in the camp that believes that Christian is unequivically dead.

I originally believed that his body wasn't in the plane, but I'm starting to waver in that belief. Who or what Christian is, we will ultimately see. A manifestation of the monster, perhaps?

If we are to believe that Yemi and maybe the horse were manifestations of the monster, I believe that it's reasonable to assume that Christian is the monster. What this means for Christian's purpose? I don't know. But I still think he's only alive in the Charlie sense.

First off, LOVED the cabin scene - had a very odd "Twin Peaks" vibe to it. For me, it seals the deal that Claire did not survive the attack on Camp Benjamin a couple of weeks ago. Second, is there a better actor on television right now than Michael Emmerson? His line-readings and character-choices as Ben are pitch perfect and getting better ever week. As for Horace's nose bleeds, isn't that the result that George (Fisher Stevens) from a few weeks back got from all of his time-traveling? Could it be that Locke is actually Jacob and Jacob is Locke?

@shara - Thank you!

@Tom Shaw - I think we were typing our comments at the same time. That's why I want to watch the Purge again, to see if Horace's body gets dropped into the hole with the rest or not. Could Horace have lived through the Purge (in the Cabin?)? If the Cabin is only a decade or so old, where did Jacob live before then? The Temple? Is that where he is now? The more I read your stuff, Tom, the more I suspect you're a pseudonym of one of my friends, because you and he often bring up the same points. I think Keamy's device is a detonation device for the rockets/bombs they were packing up - if he punches in the code, or speaks the code, or his heart stops, it blows.

@Lonejax2 - if memory serves, Daniel's marker landed 15 minutes late... though Lostpedia is blocked at work now, so it may have been a few hours.

I think that Lapidus wanted them to know where they were so they could avoid them. But, unfortunately, Jack thinks they are supposed to follow them. Probably setting up a confrontation between the survivors and Keamy's men.

I still think Claire is dead, but that she along with other "dead" people on the island Christian, Eko's brother, Wayne (in the form of the black horse), can take on more real figures on the island itself. The thing that drives this home for me is how interested Miles was in Claire after the attack, the way he stared at her, it was like he didn't understand what was going on. I think he could sense that she was a ghost, but that didn't jive with what he was seeing.

@Tom Shaw - great point on the 12 years thing, that really brings up a lot of timeline questions.

As always Lost always answers one question and then asks 17 more...

Oh, I just remembered: Did anyone else notice that the "secondary directive" that Keamy got out of the safe—the one the captain didn't know about—had a Dharma logo on it?

@Dave -
We categorically know Horace died in The Purge - he's the only one Ben shows any compassion to, by closing his eyelids.

As far as where Jacob lived before, well, that implies Jacob is corporeal enough to "live" at all (or that genius Horace didn't trap him there against Jacob's will), and that he isn't a con by The Whisperers - all of which I am unwilling to guarantee.

And I love Snow Crash as much as the next guy, but I doubt it's a retaliatory killswitch - sure, it works for loners like Raven, but even he disconnects it later in the book when he's with allies. No soldier is going to risk being blown up if their buddy gets popped, nor is Keamy going to risk failing his mission (in grabbing Ben) if he gets killed (since, you know, Ben would blow up with him).

And no, we don't know each other in real life; I actually have no friends that are willing (or able) to keep up with the vast backstory to be able to argue with me convincingly.

Maybe Miles was confused because sawyer could see her too..

"Oh, I just remembered: Did anyone else notice that the "secondary directive" that Keamy got out of the safe—the one the captain didn't know about—had a Dharma logo on it?"

I didn't want to gloat - that very document says that not only did Dharma know who was in control of the Island but knew the situation enough to even predict Ben's movements.

Again, if Dharma knew everything about the Purge, why haven't they moved in before now? You could argue that Ben moved the Island during the Purge, but how would the supply drops and sub beacon system continue to work? My peace treaty seems almost guaranteed at this point.

If Claire is indeed a ghost, Saywer carrying her and her carrying Aaron would be the first time we've seen anyone touch a ghost. I'm not saying that's proof positive that she's alive, but it's interesting.

Or maybe the Claire in the cabin isn't real-life Claire but yet another manifestation of whatever is manifesting itself as Christian.

Wheels within wheels...

PS - After the episode I went and watched the Christian Mobisode again... SO excited to see how he fits in to all this.

@Matt - I like that theory too, that Cabin Claire isn't the real Claire. The only question I'd have is, where is the real Claire? Trapped in Smokey's Lair with Christian's body?

I think we're going to have to accept that the whole time differential between island/ and the rest of the world is not going to follow any predictable pattern. (Except that it'll work in the manner that the plot needs it to.)

What if Christian, Claire, Horace—all the people supposed to be dead—are actually there, but transplanted in time ala Desmond? That'd explain Horace's nosebleed and could account for the corporeality of Christian and Claire as well as how now-they're-here/now-they're gone these specters have seemed.

@Tom - thanks, I had forgotten the detail about Horace and Ben closing his eyes.

Jacob doesn't have to be skin-and-bones to live in the shifty Cabin. But we know that we found him only in the cabin before, but now he's not there.

Another friend pointed out to me this: Christian didn't look well. In Jack's flashforward, he looked fine, but in Jacob's cabin, he looked unkempt and a bit disheveled. Is there any significance to that?

if any one is interested, there are a few very intriguing and interesting observations here..

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2008/05/lost_the_hmmm_e.html

Hey, one more thing I forgot to mention in my post.

From where I was sitting, Alpert did not exactly seem disappointed when Locke picked the knife in his test. He seemed *pissed*.

The implication seemed to be that maybe John was not wrong, but that he was right, and for some reason Alpert did not like the answer or did not want to recognize it.

Am I the only one who saw it this way?

@ James

You are correct - Alpert definitely seemed pissed. I'm with you - I think he was hoping for a different answer.

@James - I definitely thought the same thing. The other thought that I had was that John purposely picked the wrong one which was what pissed off Richard. I noticed that he didn't immediately go for the knife, he first touched the sand and the compass, and I thought I could almost see Richard hoping that he picked one of those. I think it kind of goes with the science teacher trying to get John to go to the camp. If younger John chose the knife on purpose even though he knew it was wrong, it would make it twice then that Locke has made a choice to go against his "destiny."

This got me thinking something. They never explained how Locke's father got to be on the island right? I wonder if he has some connection to Dharma, et al. Would it really be that far fetched to imagine that if Richard and Company were trying to get John to come to the island but that he didn't want to, that they would use someone to break his spirit and make him question his destiny until he "chose" to come to the island and fulfill it. Seems to fit with Ben's comment about Locke getting Hurley to stay with them and make it seem like it was Hurley's idea and Hurley's choice... I don't know, just a tangent

First time poster, so forgive any too sophomoric ideas. As for the time line, remember the Hurley episode where he tracks down the code numbers (his lottery numbers) to the one-legged woman in Australia? His fellow mental patient was a WWII or Korean War era vet who went crazy from entering the numbers at a US Navy installation, if I remember correctly. That seems to put the island's specialness a bit before the mid-late 1950's era Richard appearing at John's birth. As for Lost as a whole, and this might be a bit broad, but I analyze it through a Twilight Zone filter. Insofar as TZ seemed to be posing stories where explicable and inexplicable natural science (physics, chemistry) collides with human experience and the human reaction to such science. Thus the faith v. science theme (how do you explain and internalize weird but seemingly real stuff?). If the island exists on the cusp of a time-space rift created by electro-magnetic whatever, how do humans react to it? Do they explain (study) it with science or with faith (destiny, fate, the Chosen One)? As for the dead/not-dead/ghosts, what if they (Charlie, Christian, Claire, etc.) are dead in the Lost time/space location but not dead in a parallel time/space location and can kind of communicate between parallel locations to right wrongs or take care of unfinished business? It reminds me of the TZ episode where a WWI pilot in the middle of a WWI aerial dogfight finds himself landing at a 1950's US Air Force base. He discovers that he must go back/over in time to save his buddy because that buddy (now in charge of 1950's Air Force base) has important work to do. As for smokey, it's the collective will of these parallel ghosts wreaking vengeance when things don't go the way they should? Or maybe I've just has too much coffee this morning...

When Locke says "Move the Island", perhaps he means in time, not space..

I also think Claire is dead. There seems to be a strange confidence in all the ghosts that was lacking in their actual life, Christian, Claire, Charlie, etc. I think she wasn't supposed to die, but when Whidmore "changed the rules" not only Alex died, but it caused Claire to die too.

Another random theory, what if Locke's dad (like Alpert) doesn't age. I can't explain him being killed by Sawyer, except maybe the "fountain of youth" doesn't make you immortal. But that would explain why he was described as so old at Locke's birth. And he never looked any different in Locke's flashbacks while Locke changed significantly.

My observations:

- Ben is now more concerned with revenge on Widmore and therefore agreeable to letting Locke be the protector of the island. He knows this will allow him to travel and right the wrong. I came to this conclusion b/c ever since Alex's death Ben has seemed very tuned out and depressed.
- Christian wasn't wearing white shoes in this episode as he usually does. Instead he was sporting brown hiking boots. He had one leg crossed over the over so you could easily see his footwear. He also wasn't wearing the suit he usually wears when appearing to Jack.
- I'm still not convinced the pronouncement from the psychic that "You must raise this baby" is worth anything. Remember, Eko found out he was a fraud when he went to investigate the supposed resurrection of his daughter.
- I'm with the rest of you. The only thing Horace's nosebleeds invoke is Minkowski's nosebleeds.
- Also, as James pointedout, Michael still can't die. Does that mean he hasn't fully completed his mission yet? I guess not considering Keamy is aiming to kill everyone now.
- Why would Abaddon/Widmore want Locke to get to the island? It's as if Locke is a Christ figure for both the Others and Widmore's group. Why do both groups believe him to be the key to control of the island?
- I'm going to project a large body count over the next three episodes. I'm guessing all the red shirts from the beach camp, Keamy and his men, some Others, and even one or two main characters bite the dust. I think it will take that sort of massacre to induce the sort of grief that eventually overtakes Jack.
- Damon and Carlton promised we'd find out who's in the cabin in the season finale. I'm still excited to find out but all tapped out of ideas.
- Desmond and Michael seem to be in a strange position. If Locke suceeds and moves the island (space or time) they won't move with it. Which means they will be stuck in a freighter in the middle of the Pacific but still in the real world. Will the season finale reveal to us that those two are alive and well in the real world? I don't think so because I think the freighter will somehow get transported with the island like the Black Rock. This would continue Desmond's quest to be reunited with Penny and give us some great drama between Michael and the remaining castaways.
- It's amazing to me how the writers create episodes that push theory-making into overdrive. I welcome it everytime.

I'm a bit suspicious of Penny. I'm still thinking about that season finale where she finds out the guys in the arctic found the island. Maybe she's up to more than we think?

First of all I don't think Claire is DEAD dead...otherwise Jack and Kate raising Aaron wouldnt be such a big issue and he wouldnt get affected by Charlie's "you're not supposed to raise him"...If Claire is really dead and Jack is the closest blood relative then why not raise Aaron??
Also, Locke's dad. The Man From Talahasee was supposed to be a con man, and somehow i don't think getting a 15 year old girl pregnant is a very "con man" thing to do.
And finally the device on Keamy. I think its some sort of electromagnetic device. As we have seen most of the island's power seems to be derived from electromagnetism. The device both protects Keamy (maybe by sending a pulse through his body to make his reactions quicker? Note: the captain was pointing a gun at him while Keamy's gun was in his holster and Keamy still pulled it out faster than what it took the captain to pull the trigger) and also maybe repels Smokey (provided that Smokey is summoned/guided by some sort of electromagnetic flow)?

Lots of good stuff this week - in both the episode and the comments. But I actually have *work* to do and can't put up a big post.

I only have one point with regard to Horace and his nosebleeds. I seem to recall from the Purge episode that when Ben went up to Horace at the end his nose was bleeding from the poison gas that killed everyone. (But I could be wrong.) Can't his nosebleeds just be connected to that somehow? Since Horace's ghost admits he's dead, wouldn't his appearance be related to his appearance at the time of his death? His nose bled then, so its repeatedly bleeding now - and every time his nose bled his "ghost" seemed to start over with the tree-chopping...

@s_t_g_r - the Captain was distracted, and that's why Keamy was a quicker draw. Keamy got his gun out and fired before the Captain knew what was happening, b/c the Captain was looking at the others asking about the devise on Keamy's arm.

Drew makes me wonder something: if the island moves (through space or time) then maybe thats how the Black Rock got out in the middle of the jungle instead of washing up on shore. Did the island appear beneath it?

@Drew W: The psychic was just covering his butt when he said he wasn't legit. Remember the girl involved in the "miracle" Eko had come to confirm met Eko at the airport and told him that Yemi would see him soon -- verifying that something unusual occured.

- As for the knife that young Locke picked, did anyone else get the impression it locked like John's current knife, but aged? A possible indication that the island is loose in time.

10 second question:

Does the Island move like the Cabin moves?

@Drew W - I disagree on the psychic. I think his proclamation is hugely important that Claire must raise Aaron. I think he was trying to take the focus off his family when the miracle happened - are there any other Whispers off the Island than the Whispers during the autopsy? I think the psychic is very significant.

@Dave - I agree with you that the psychic is still relevant, and i was happy that they at least made reference to his proclamation in last week's episode, however creepy and cryptic Hurley's message may have been. What I don't think I'm on board with is that his proclamation being relevant and Claire being dead are mutually exclusive...

Some random thoughts.. anyone notice the biblical references with Jacob?

Obviously, Jacob is a biblical name, but in the bible he was the father of Benjamin, whose mother, Rachael, died during child birth, just like Ben Linus' mother... is this symbolic of Ben Linus' relationship with Jacob?

Lets take it one step further.. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Esau vows revenge because Jacob deceived him and took his birthright (being first born - it is said when the twins Jacob and Esau were born, Esau came out first with Jacob clutching his heel behind him) by tricking him and tricking their father Isaac who blessed Jacob, instead of Esau. Perhaps Widmore is symbolic of Esau in that he feels he is the rightful owner (birthright) of the island and Jacob unfairly stole it from him somehow?

forgot one observation.. Jacob's impersonation of Esau when tricking Isaac could be symbolic of Jacob's showing himself to the characters through visions, i.e. impersonations, of other survivors/others/etc.

yet another oddity..It may be a stretch, but anyone notice Richard Alperts initials are that of the Egyptian sun god Ra? Reading more about Ra seems to open the possibility that that was maybe done on purpose. Also, maybe the statue with 4 toes is a remnant from Ancient Egypt, which might also be related to Ben showing up in the middle of the Sahara.

could explain the heiroglyphics in the hatch counter too.. (sorry for all the posts!)

@NateGo Re:Jacob
We've discussed this before, so I'll briefly summarize my theory:

The Room 23 video prominently focuses on the phrase "God loves you as he loved Jacob".
However, nothing in the Room 23 video reliably postdates The Purge - therefore it is likely a Dharma Initative-made mind control project. (Also note that the DI Apollo candy bars are also tied into mind control.)
So why would Dharma need a mind control video?
The answer: Dharma is desperate to alter The Numbers, and the terrible end to humanity they supposedly decree. So desperate that we've seen hints of man-made plagues and the like - and some of those Dharma employees might not be comfortable going to those lengths.

So my theory is that the Room 23 video is actually a Dharma project intended to keep their own employees in line, by saying that they are the chosen people (the Jacobs) that should survive the coming Numbers-altering apocalypse vs. everyone else (the poor sod Esaus).

However, when Ben took over, he realized how useful this mind control was in keeping his own flock in line. So he manufactured/renamed a "Jacob" (whatever is in the hut) and kept the video but changed the intention of it to be blind worship to "Jacob" and his disciple, Ben, and forced The Others to watch it. Thus the absolute certainty they usually show in Ben (most recent case, the psychiatrist). This is also supported by how The Others crumble when Ben's infallibility is questioned (see Juliet in the Missing Pieces and Friendly & Co. in the season 3 finale).

One more post regarding the Ra connection...

Ra's enemy was a character called Apep. I discovered the conflict between Ra and Apep was featured heavily in the comic book Metamorpho. This comic revolved around Rex Mason who was hired by a business tycoon to find an ancient Egyptian relic. Rex also fell in love with the business tycoon's daughter. While on his escapade he was in the depths of a pyramid and exposed to radiation from a radioactive meteorite. Its name... the Orb of Ra.

If this isn't the exact Desmond story line influence, I don't know what is. Not to mention the Lost writers heavy comic book references (Hurley's comic with the polar bear, the comic shown to young John, the conversation regarding the Flash between Hurley and Charlie, etc.)

I thought this was pretty interesting..

@NateGo: I've been thinking about Jacob as a biblical reference since The Others were introduced. Biblical Jacob was essentially the father of the Jewish people. After wrestling with God he was renamed "Israel" from which the nation of Israel (or in the old testament, God's chosen people) takes it's name today. The others as Jacob's followers and, the "chosen people" of the island -- hence the lists -- is something I'm interested in seeing play out.

As far as the Jacob/Benjamin thing... I think it would be a lot more likely to be the case and symbolic if John's name were Joseph XP

Also, Benjamin was the second son of Rachel, so those pieces don't fit quite as clearly.