I think Richard runs the show whenever the Others are leaderless. His remarks to Locke made it sound like the leader picking process has been going on for a long time. Maybe in the 50’s, Charles just wasn’t old enough to be the leader. Richard seems to also have his own authority. He doesn’t tell other people what to do when the leader is around, but the leader isn’t really in charge of him.
I also think that Charles lied about how he left the island for good because Locke is an Other now. If he knew that Charles was banished by the Others, he wouldn’t trust anything he said.
The first time we see Charles Widmore in this episode (when Ben was a boy) could not have been the same actor–he was too young and I don’t think they have makeup that good. But it sure looked and sounded like him.
When Ilana asked, “What lies in the shadow of the statue?” I flashed back to the second season.
“Are you him? What did one snowman say to the other?” I think it’s supposed to be a passphrase.
When the Monstre (as ‘Alex’) was threatening Ben she said, “I know that you’re already planning to kill John K.” or at least that’s how it sounds to me. Later in her diatribe she says he’s to follow John Locke, saying his name twice, clearly. But that first time sounds nothing at all like ‘Locke’.
I was SO surprised by the shooting of Caesar. Et tu?
Is Ilana “all there”? The question about, “What lies in the shadow of the statue?” comes off as loony. Now, we believe the French people went nuts after entering the temple, so that cause/effect is out. Any guesses? Though, if she is a plant by Widmore, and maybe that’s how they identify each other, like the old spy movies where you are supposed to reply with an incongruous answer…
I got the impression the Egyptian god was coming to greet or worship the Smoke Monster instead. The humanoid picture in the cave drawing was kneeling in front of Smoky.
Yes, and Ben is in constant surprise face mode! And I’m lovin it…
I like how we also see Ben constantly lying to everyone, but this time we know for sure he’s lying half the time. And playing people off each other.
Watching the scene again, it looks like Desmond was carrying the bag to his side, so the bullet went through the bag and past him. He only fell down because when he flew back he hit his head against the thing behind him.
Clearly she and her flunkies are there on purpose. At first I was thinking Widmore, and I’ve no doubt that Widmore would try to have someone on the plane. But I don’t think they are with him - they would have recognized Ben and got rid of him when he was unconscious. I’m betting that are a new group, and judging by the passphrase, they have something to do with the island’s original Egyptian inhabitants. I also suspect they will be the other canoe shooting at Sawyer and crew.
Well she threatened to come after him if he does. He’s untrustworthy, but up until now he hasn’t directly been told by the island to lay off Locke, and he knows he can’t run from the smoke monster.
We assumed Charles turned the wheel, but all he actually said was that Ben tricked him into leaving the island.
Sawyer and crew are in 1977, but Sun, Locke, Ajiria, etc are in present time, late 2007 or early 2008. The village has been abandoned since Keamy attacked.
First Paulo, now Caeser. It’s tough to be a hot guy on the island. We didn’t even get to see him shirtless. Looks like he was a red herring.
I agree, but I don’t think Claire is dead or ever died, and I think Locke was actually resurrected and not a smoke monster entity.
Is Sun assuming Jin is in the past even though he’s not in the Dharma photo with the others?
Looks like Danielle lied or was confused when she said she never saw any Others - she did see Ben. Which makes her capture of and handing over of “Henry Gale” more interesting. She also seemed confused about the cause and effect of the smoke pillar and Alex’s kidnapping. Ben’s comment about the whispers are also interesting. And young bloodthirsty Ethan lol.
Given the smoke monster heiroglyphic I’m now tempted to think the statue is Anubis even though from behind it looks mouch more like the fertility goddess.
Also interesting that Locke knew where the smoke monster was. Has resurrection given him special knowledge or just some kind of intuition?
Well…while Ben was draining the cave* Locke was out in the jungle. When he emerged he told Ben that the Monstre wasn’t coming–they would have to go to it.
Maybe he was out there communing with it.
[sub]*Sounds vaguely scatological put that way, doesn’t it?[/sub]
I’m guessing the time-hopping he did caused something to save him to prevent some Paradox.
Oh, and so much for Caesar. I think I was going to like him.
Except we had JUST seen Old Smokey disappear through the grate, and then she appeared behind him. Could have been coincidence, but they seemed to be two separate beings. Maybe Old Smokey is the muscle and the other thing was the mouthpiece?
And it definitely looked like one of the Egyptian dog-faced dogs with Old Smokey coming up to meet him. Which one has the dog head? Osiris?
We know that Widmore had been leaving the island secretly. If he wasn’t using the sub (hard to do quietly, eh?) it had to be through the FDW, didn’t it?
True, but he’s still a wormy douche and I hope he gets eaten by something. And I still woulda let L’il Ben die. Painfully if possible.
He might not have lied. Consider this possibility:
Widmore goes back and forth a number of times via sub. Meets Penny’s mom and has Penny. Ben tricks Widmore into turning the wheel. Widmore comes out in Tunisia (or wherever). The island’s moved but Widmore knows the Time Lady who gives him (under threat) the new location. Widmore goes back to try to reclaim power. We see the scene in question. Widmore is exiled again, Time Lady is in hiding, Ben has someone else push the wheel (Abbadon?) to put the island where it is for flight 815 to crash into it.
Hell, maybe that’s why the island grabbed 815: to get Locke or Jack to fix things from Ben’s shennanigans.
Which is fine with me–he had the same problem as the lady cop from the Tail-y group: he was not only an ass, he WAS A LOUD LOUD ass. I’m tired of actors who think that LOUD=passionate or driven.
I’m also enjoying Locke again. This is the Locke I loved in the first season before the Hatch thing made him nuts.
Count me in the camp that believes the smoke monster, Alex, dead Locke, and Christian are all the same entity.
Evidence: Ben goes down into the cellar to summon the monster. He comes back, expecting it to emerge from the jungle. Who emerges from the jungle? Locke. They go to the temple, Ben falls through the floor. Locke: stay there, I’ll go get something to help you. Locke disappears. Smoke monster appears, shows flashes of Alex. Smoke monster disappears. Alex appears, threatens Ben. Alex disappears. Locke appears, bearing a vine to help Ben get out.
It could all be coincidence of course, but I’m reminded of the whole Superman/Clark Kent thing – I wonder why we never see those two together?
I almost like this theory, but Christian and Locke were in the same place at the same time a couple of episodes ago. Unless, it’s something like the Christian Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)…maybe there are more components to the Smoke Monster.
ETA: Of course, Locke wasn’t dead yet when he was with the Monster…hmm…but he also wasn’t dead when the Monster tried to pull him underground.
I just realized that Widmore couldn’t have been taking the sub. Obviously Penny is older than Alex, and Alex was taken before the purge. That means that when Widmore was leaving, they didn’t have control of the sub yet.
I agree the heiroglyph featured an animal headed god. I think it was Anubis but it could also have been Set.
Anybody have a screenshot? They have very different roles in Egyptian mythology and might shed some light somewhere. Or not, as is often the case with Lost.
And put me in the camp of Locke & Claire alive, Christian, Yemi, and Alix parts of Smokey.
I don’t know about that: seems more complex. Why would Christian tell Locke to say hello to his son, for instance? Why does the smoke monster seem to be composed of memories?
I also just don’t buy the Locke smokey thing. Or even Claire. The Locke writers can pull lots of things on the audience, but somehow those would both feel like cheats to me. Locke is very adamant about being HIM and not necessarily knowing what’s going on. He’s also apparently now truly going to be the leader, which is a human position. If smokey could lead to begin with, who ever needed Charles or Ben?
And we never got to see Claire die. Announcing that she randomly died in some minor way two seasons ago when we see her in season 6 would feel like a real cop-out.
