I have quite a few things to say.
Number one---Ben's innocence is gone?!? That explains so much.
"If I take him, he's not ever going to be the same again...what I mean is that -- he'll forget this ever happened, and that his innocence will be gone. He will always be one of us."
So Kate (and the Losties) are inevitably responsible for Ben being the way h
e is. Jack in particular, because he refused to care for Ben. At some point, Ben comes back and is back with the Dharma people, because he works with his Dad the day of the Purge. Also--I thought Kate had some kind of kinship or attraction with Ben's dad (who is Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynomite). A few other things from this episode (and from the scene above): Charles Widmore is the leader, as is the little blonde Ellie that we saw in Jughead. Is Ellie the same as Eloise Hawking, Faraday's mommie? I dunno. I don't think so--but if she is, Faraday was not born on the Island and probably wasn't on the Island. Also, Charlie Widmore on the Island in '77 means his daughter Penny might've been born on the island as well. Eh?? Eh??But, to go off on a total tangent--this is something that has bugged me forever: Faraday's reaction to the crash of Flight 815.
See? Perhaps it is similar to Desmond remembering his conversation with Daniel Faraday...Des did not remember it until it happened in Daniel's future (though it took place in Desmond's past). Clearly Daniel has a huge storyline that has yet to be explained. Like where the frack is he? Probably building the Lamppost station in L.A. I miss you Faraday! Come back to me!!!! Anyway--what caused him to be upset? He has some mind issues, obviously...he's been referred to as the absentminded professor.
FOR example: in last night's episode, Hurley and Miles discuss the time situation (which I figured out a while ago). The idea that whatever happened, happened, is centered around the facts. When the Losties landed on the island, the past was secure--nothing can be changed in the past that would seemingly affect them getting to the island BECAUSE they have to be in the past for them to get to the island. The island's past is their future. As we are seeing, it all comes together. Without the Losties, Ben would have never helped Sayid, never been shot, and never been taken the the ominous Temple by Maybe it's Maybelline Alpert. Perhaps something else might've happened to make it all happen, but it all turns out the same, even with the Losties. Also--what did Juliette know about the Temple? Why did she think the Others could help Ben? Did she somehow know that would happen to him? Just because Alpert says Ben won't remember, doesn't mean no one remembers.
An interesting theory that I read involved Ethan Rom (the dead Doc) and his mother Amy. We have seen that Ethan was born in 1977, making him 27 at the time of the crash. Despite the arguments that actor doesn't look a day younger than 35, let's get past this and say that they are the same character. Ethan goes from a Dharma born baby to an Other. Is this a choice? Does he defect? Or is he forced? Another interesting fact I read was that a few seasons back in the episode with Juliette's book club, there is a character named Amelia. An older woman, who before entering Juliette's house, has a moment with Ethan outside, who is fixing something. Amy? Amelia? hmmm...Horace's wife becomes an Other? Could be a coincidence--but this is Lost, give me a break.
Now why did Sun, Locke, Ben, and Lapidus not go back in time? My theory is because if they hadn't left the Island, they wouldn't have gone back. Ben had to turn the wheel, Sun would've died because of her pregnancy, Locke was the new leader of the Others, so he would've stayed, and Lapidus would've been on the freighter, or the chopper, and not been with Daniel, Charlote, and Miles. The Island in the Past needed the Losties to go back--and the freighter changed what was supposed to be the future. That is why they "HAD TO GO BACK" (Jack's favorite quote). So what is in store for Ben and the Ajira people?
Also--what was up with Ben's list? Sawyer, Hurley, Jack, and Kate--all people that were in Dharmaville in '77. BUT--Sayid was there too, for heaven's sake, he shot Ben--but the Temple-dealeo made him forget. So when they kidnap the losties in the future, is it because Ben had the vague idea that they were the same people? Did he have to see for himself--is that why he got kidnapped in Season 2? Or did he simply need Jack to operate on him and used Kate and Sawyer against Jack to get him to do it? BUT--for some reason, the Others made Kate and Sawyer, ahem, LaFleur, build a run way. Coincidence? I think not. Food for thought, I guess.
Another thing that came up in a discussion via my facebook status, was, what was Danielle Rosseau's original reaction to meeting Jin in 2004? Is there one? I looked in Exodus part 1 (end of season 1) and I couldn't find a reaction. If you have the DVDs please check. Jin eventually gets on the raft, so if they don't meet during this time, perhaps in seasons 2 or 3.
And now I pose a few questions: The Losties in the past can't stay there much longer. Obviously we aren't going to have seasons upon seasons of Losties in the 70s / 80s. The incident is coming. How do they factor into it? Does the incident take them back to the future (no pun intended)? Does it send them somewhere else? Where (or more importantly, WHEN?) is the impending war? How will Locke and Ben fare? They did okay the first time Ben attempted to kill him. Will Sun and Jin ever reunite? Why is Lapidus around? Is Christian Shephard resurrected or simply a projection used by the Island/Jacob? Who the heck is Richard Alpert really? Ra the Egyptian god? A guy from the Black Rock? A manifastation of the Smokey?
The questions could go on forever. I think the incident is coming, someone major is going to die, along the lines of the Charlie death, and we are all going to be like, WTF? The questions this show poses stem from complex and abnormal issues--yet the answers are usually quite simple.
