Dave – Thanks for reading… as for doing the update the night of the broadcast, just doing it a day later is a killer! I’m up ’til 4 a.m. usually on Fridays just getting this one out!

Kelz – Awesome comment. I don’t know where you’d be… maybe less confused? hahhaha

Zeets – I agree with you on the Ben knowing Juliet thing.. it’s certainly possible and would explain a lot. I do think that the Hostiles/Dharma war is far more complicated than just surface tensions and who started what. There seems to be a constant struggle on the Island between black and white, light and dark, and you’re never quite sure who is in the right. I believe that a lot of our preconceived notions of the groups will be challenged in the next few weeks.

Nice bit on Dharma and karma! Thanks!

Here’s what I think: I agree with the WHH (whatever happened happened) idea, and that Ben (grown up Ben) had known who Sayid was from their encounter in the past, and also knew who Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Hurley (weren’t they on his list?), and Juliet were, from dharma days.

I think the reason older Ben was crushing on Juliet so much (also the reason he brought her to the island in the future) was that Juliet is someone who shows kindness to him after he’s shot. I don’t know if she saves him or helps doctor him up, but he develops a mad crush on her, which is why he’s all creepy possessive puppy love eying her when she first worked for the others. He remembered her from the past!!!
(This is just speculation, I have no idea what’s actually going to happen in future episodes, but this makes sense to me)

I agree, therefore, that little Ben doesn’t die, and that this experience (and others coming up i’m sure) will set him on the path he’s on today.

Here’s another thing…what if the Hostiles/Others only did the purge in self-defense, or, as Ben had said previously, that someone else had told them to do it??? I know it’s a bit perverse, but what if it was for a just cause? What if the Dharma folk (Horace included) were planning to gas the others, but they beat them to it?? ALSO, what IF (this is the theory that I really love) younger Ben was acting on instructions from the O6, that they (and the island / jacob) gave him instructions on what was going to happen, thus it was what HAD to happen, and Ben Work-Man is living out his true destiny?

In my India class in college, we were told that Dharma also stood for Duty, and what path you were destined to be on (like your cast in life) was your Duty, your Dharma. And Karma was how WELL you lived out your pre-destined Duty.

Food for thought.

As always, great blog, man!!

z

I’m unemployed…

Lost is all I have.