Initial Reaction to "Across the Sea"

Well... That was confusing. For the first half of this episode, I wasn't even sure that I was watching the right show. It felt a little hokey to me. It was like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland meets Lord of the Flies. I was not expecting to get the answers that we got, nor was I expecting to get them in the way that we did. I'm still very confused, and I think that I'm going to have to watch this episode about ten times to understand it even a little, because in LOST, every answer raises about ten new questions. But, to be fair, that's what I've always liked about this show. The thought process is exponential. I've never even come close to expecting every question to be answered. In fact, I don't even want them to. I want to think about this forever, however, I don't want to be frustrated. I want to know what's across the damn sea... Somewhere, waiting for me... Alright, look, I know that's not the song, but as soon as I found out this episode's title, before it even aired, I started singing that to myself. Let's talk about "Across the Sea" and how I now feel bad for the nameless "Man in Black" even though he just killed all my damn friends...

From Lostpedia

4.11 Cabin Fever

1. Record player, Buddy Holly's "Everyday" is playing, it's the 1950s, a young girl getting ready, tells mom she's going out with him, that mom can't stop her, mom says he's twice her age, calls her Emily, says she loves him, runs out of house and is hit by a car, goes to hospital, says she's pregnant, five months, almost six months, the baby is born, it's a boy, nurse says he's okay, but it's real early, he's too little to hold, they take him away, Emily says to call him John. She is Emily Locke and the baby is John Locke.From Lostpedia
2. Hurley asks who builds a cabin in the middle of the jungle, Locke says he doesn't know, says hopefully the man in the cabin will tell them about the people trying to kill them, Ben says he's following Hurley, Locke says they should stop and make camp, says he doesn't know what will happen when the Freighties come back to the Island.
3. Sayid wakes Desmond, says the helicopter is back with injured men, Keamy wants to know how many people are on the Island, where they are, says the Captain gave him up, but the Captain says no, Keamy goes after Michael, says he gave his name to Ben, tries to shoot him, but nothing happens, Captain says he's only the guy who can fix the engine.
4. Locke's eye opens, by the campfire, Ben and Hurley are asleep, he hears someone chopping wood, introduces himself, Horace Goodspeed, wearing a DHARMA Initiative jumpsuit, knocks down the tree, building a getaway for he and the misses, needs a break from the DI, says he's not making sense, bloody nose, says that's probably because he's been dead 12 years, pushes over tree again, he's on a loop, "Hello, there," he says to find him, when he does, he'll find "him," Jacob, says he's been waiting for Locke a real long time, chopping, pushes over the tree again.From Lostpedia
5. Locke wakes up again, says he knows where to go now, Ben says that he used to have dreams.
6. John Locke is the youngest premature baby to ever survive in that Hospital, he's had infections, pneumonia, you name it, he's knocked them all out, nurse says, he's a fighter, they say he's a miracle baby, today they can take him out of incubator, so she can hold him, but Emily can't do it, leaves, mother asks about adoption, Richard Alpert is in the Hospital, watching, she says he's not the father, doesn't know who he is.From Lostpedia
7. Hurley asks why he's here, Locke says he can see the cabin, Hurley says he has a theory, they can see it because they're the craziest, Locke asks Hurley if he wonders where DHARMA Initiative went, says they're all gone, disappeared, going to see them, Ben happened.
8. "You ever wonder what happened to the DHARMA Initiative, Hugo? There must have been at least a hundred of 'em living on this island--manning the stations, building those homes, making all that ranch dressing that you like. And then one day, they're all gone. They just disappeared. You want to know where we're going? We're going to see them." Locke "Whoa. What happened to 'em?" Hurley "He did. [Points to Ben]" Locke
9. Richard goes to see John, he's playing backgammon, Richard says he runs a school for kids who are extremely special, thinks he's one of them, asks to show him some neat things, we see drawing of Locke and the Smoke Monster, Richard asks if he drew it, John says yes, Richard shows him a baseball mitt, Book of Laws, sand, compass, comic book, knife, tells him to look at the things and think about them, asks him which things belong to him, John asks to keep, but Richard says no, which ones belong to him already, Locke picks the sand, compass, hesitates, and then picks the knife, Richard asks if he's sure about the knife belonging to him, John says yes, but Richard says it doesn't, tells mom he's not ready for the school, says he's sorry he wasted her time, she asks Locke what he did wrong.From Lostpedia
10. "You like backgammon? Yeah? You seem to have a pretty good sense of the game. I'm Richard, John. I run a school for kids who are... extremely special, and I have reason to believe that you might be one them. Mind if I show you a couple of really neat things?" Richard Alpert
11. Hurley asks Ben if he shot Locke and left him for dead, Ben says he realizes that it was pointless, that he wasn't thinking clearly, Hurley asks why he killed all those people too, Ben says he didn't kill them, that it wasn't his decision, the others wiped out the DHARMA Initiative, it was their leader who made the decision, Ben wasn't always the leader, Locke finds the body of Horace Goodspeed, his jumpsuit says he was a Mathematician, Locke finds the blueprints for the cabin in the grave.From Lostpedia
12. Keamy asks for the Captain's key, Lapidus says Mayhew just died, the crew is asking questions about what happened, Keamy says he's dealing with it, tells Frank to gas up the chopper, says he's going back, Captain says there was a sickness while he was gone, that Regina threw herself overboard, Keamy says to give him the key, Captain says it's not the protocol, Keamy takes it anyway, Captain says they're only supposed to open the safe together, Keamy says it's the secondary protocol, that it says where Ben is going, DHARMA symbol, The Orchid, Captain asks how Charles Widmore would know that, Keamy says if Linus knows they're going to torch the Island, he has only one place to go, Captain says that wasn't the agreement, that it's supposed to be an extraction mission Keamy tells him to fix his gun.From Lostpedia
13. Desmond says the injured man had no gunshot wound, Captain tells Omar that Keamy wants him in the armory, Omar says he was supposed to watch Sayid and Desmond, but the Captain says he will, he tells Sayid and Desmond to go the the pantry and hide, that he left them food and water, to go before Keamy comes back, Sayid asks about Michael, Captain says he's not dead, Sayid says hiding is pointless, that he wants the Zodiac, that he can ferry people off the Island, Captain says ten minutes, boat will be in the water.
14. They look at a map and blueprints of the cabin, Locke says Hurley should head back, that it'll be dark soon, he'll hit the coast, then go North until he reaches their beach, doesn't want to put him in harms way, Hurley says he'll stick with them, Ben says thinks that Locke talked him into it, making him think it was his idea.From Lostpedia
15. Locke in locked in a locker, in high school, everyone is laughing, a teacher comes to help him out, he's bleeding, Geronimo Jackson poster in his locker, he gets a call form Portland, a camp doing exciting things in Chemistry, New Technology, place called Mittelos Laboratories, spoke with Dr. Alpert, interested in finding young, bright minds interested in new fields of Science, want him to go to their camp this summer, John says that's why he gets stuffed into lockers, John asks how they know about him, sent a representative to the Science Fair, John says he's not Scientist, that he likes boxing, fishing, cars, that he likes sports, his teacher says that it might not be what he wants to be, but it's what he is, John gets upset. 
16. "I'm gonna tell you something--something I wish someone had told me at your age. You might not want to be that guy in the labs surrounded by test tubes and beakers, but that's who you are, John. You can't be the Prom King. You can't be the Quarterback. You can't be a Superhero." Teacher 
17. "Don't tell me what I can't do!" JohnFrom Lostpedia
18. Frank asks Michael why he didn't tell him he was a survivor of Oceanic Flight 815, Michael says that we wouldn't believe him, Frank says that he's one of the only people in the world that thinks it was a hoax, Michael says that he didn't think he could trust him, that his boss put the plane on the bottom of the Ocean, he tells Frank that he can't fly Keamy back, that he'll kill everyone on the Island.
19. Captain tells Desmond ans Sayid to take the Zodiac, stay on bearing 305, Desmond says that he's not going, that he was on the Island for three years, that Penny is coming for him, Sayid leaves.From Lostpedia
20. Locke says the cabin should be about 200 yards away, Locke says he was told that is where it would be, Ben says he was told a lot of things, that he was chosen, that he was special, that he ended up with a tumor on his spine, daughters blood on his hands, Locke says he's sorry, Ben says it was his destiny, says Locke will understand there are consequences to being chosen, destiny is a fickle bitch, they find the cabin.
21. "I was told a lot of things, too--that I was chosen, that I was special. Ended up with a tumor on my spine and my daughter's blood all over my hands. Those things had to happen to me. That was my destiny. But you'll understand soon enough that there are consequences to being chosen... because, destiny, John, is a fickle bitch." Ben
22. Locke is in Physical Therapy after his eight story fall, the Orderly tells him don't give up, that anything is possible, Locke says he should read his file, that his spine was crushed, the Orderly says he did, that Locke survived falling eight stories, that it's a miracle, the Orderly is Matthew Abaddon, pushes his wheelchair to stairs, waiting for elevator, says that he needs to go on a walkabout, that it's a journey of self-discovery, go to the Australian outback, nothing but a knife and wits, went on a walkabout convinced of one thing, found another, that when he's ready, he'll listen, they'll run into eachother again, and Locke will owe him one.From Lostpedia
23. "You should read my file. My spine was crushed. There's a 98% chance I'll never get any feeling back in my legs. So I don't know why I'm even trying to--" Locke "As a matter of fact, I did read your file. You survived falling eight stories out of a building. That's a miracle, Mr. Locke." Abaddon
24. "Wha--what's a walkabout?" Locke "It's a journey of self-discovery. You go out into the Australian Outback with nothing more than a knife and your wits." Abaddon
25. "When you're ready, Mr. Locke... (presses button) you'll listen to what I'm saying. And then when you and me run into each other again... you'll owe me one." Abaddon
26. They're loading guns and supplies up for the chopper, Omar tells the Doctor, Ray, that the Morse Code message said the Doctor washed ashore with his throat slit, Lapidus says he was hired to fly Scientists, Keamy says to go, but Frank refuses, Keamy slits Doctor's throat, throws him in overboard, Captain is back, tells Keamy to stand-down, that he fixed his gun, and he will fire, Keamy shows the Captain a device on his arm, shoots the Captain, Lapidus says he'll fly the helicopter, and he has a satellite phone.From Lostpedia
27. Jack is out of bed, Juliet yells at him, they see a helicopter fly overhead, drops a package on the beach, it's a satellite phone, Jack says he thinks they want them to follow.
28. Cabin, Ben says he's not going in, the Island wanted him to get sick, and John to get well, it's his now, Hurley says that he's not going in either.
29. "I'm not going in there with you. The island wanted me to get sick and it wanted you to get well. My time is over, John. It's yours now." Ben
30. Locke takes a lantern, goes into the cabin, sees a man, asks if he's Jacob, he says he's not Jacob, it's Christian Shephard, he says he'll speak on Jacob's behalf, Locke asks if he knows why he's here, Christian says yes, asks if he knows why, Locke says because he was chosen, Christian says he's absolutely right, Locke hears a sound, notices that Claire is there, she says that she's fine, that she's with him, Locke asks about the baby, Christian says he's where he's supposed to be, and that's not here, he says not to tell anyone that he saw Claire, Locke tries to question it, but Christian says the Freighties are on their way back, to ask the one question that does matter, Locke asks how to save the Island.
    From Lostpedia
31. Hurley and Ben share an Apollo Candy Bar.
32. Locke tells Hurley and Ben that they have to move the Island.
33. "He wants us to move the island." Locke

Questions:

1. Who is Emily Locke going to see? Anthony Cooper? Is the man John Locke's father?
   
2. Who ran Emily Locke over with their car?
3. How in the world was that girl almost six months pregnant?
4. Did John Locke live as an infant because he's special?
5. What is the significance of Locke's dream about Horace Goodspeed?
6. Why is Horace on a time loop?
7. Did Mrs. Locke really not know who Richard Alpert was?
8. How does Richard Alpert get off the Island?
9. Why can Hurley, Locke and Ben see the cabin but no one else can?
10. Why doesn't the knife belong to John already?
11. Was the sand directly from the Island?
12. Which items was John supposed to pick according to Richard?
    
13. What is the significance of the drawing John did of the Smoke Monster?
14. What miracle happened to Matthew Abaddon?
    
15. Why does Matthew Abaddon tell Locke to go on a walkabout? What did he do on his?
16. Why does Mr. Abaddon think that he and John Locke will run into eachother again?
17. Why is Claire with Christian Shephard in the cabin? Why is she so calm, so content?
    
18. Is Claire dead? Is she the Smoke Monster?
19. Why does Christian ask Locke not to tell that he saw Claire?
20. Why is Christian Shephard in the cabin?
    
21. Does the Island really move? Does it move through time and through space?
    

Favorites:

1. "How long?" Locke "I don't know. I've been following him." Ben "What? What do you mean, you've been following him?" Locke "I'm not even in front." Hurley "I have no idea where the cabin is. Hugo's the last one who saw it." Ben "Oh, this is just awesome." Hurley
2. "Oh, building a place--a little getaway for me and the misses. I mean, sometimes you need a break from the D.I., y'know? The DHARMA Initiative? (Laughs) I'm not making any sense, am I?" Horace Goodspeed 
3. "I'm Horace. [Grunting] Godspeed, John. [Thud]" Horace
4. "[Locke awakes] Hugo." Locke "(Muttering) Mallomars." Hurley "Wake up, Hugo." Locke
5. "You can't smoke in here, Mrs. Locke." Nurse [Mrs. Locke closes her lighter.] "Oh. Of course. I'm sorry." Mrs. Locke 
6. "Well, I have a theory as to why we're the only ones who can see it." Hurley "I'd love to hear it." Locke "I think we can see it 'cause we're the craziest." Hurley
7. [Playing Backgammon] "That game's stupid." John
8. "Okay, now tell me, John, which of these things belong to you?" Richard "To--to keep?" John "No, no, John. Which of these things belong to you already?" Richard
9. "So... This is where you shot Locke and left him for dead, huh?" Hurley "Yes, Hugo, I was standing right where you are now when I pulled the trigger. Should have realized at the time that it was pointless, but... I really wasn't thinking clearly." Ben [Hurley steps back a little] 
10. "He actually thinks staying was his idea. Not bad, John. Not bad at all." Ben "I'm not you." Locke "You're certainly not." Ben 
11. "I'm not a scientist! I like boxing and fishing and cars. I like sports!" John 
12. "Destiny, John, is a fickle bitch." Ben 
13. "I can't "walkabout" anything. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a cripple." Locke "Is that what you are, Mr. Locke? I went on my walkabout convinced I was one thing, but I came back another. I found out what I was made of, who I was." Abaddon "And here you are, an orderly." Locke 
14. "Yeah, I'm cool with you going in alone, too." Hurley
15. The scene with Hurley and Ben sharing the Apollo Candy Bar. Jorge Garcia and Michael Emerson are brilliant.

Notes:

1. Buddy Holly plays in the opening scene. Buddy Holly died in a plane crash.
2. It looks like Ben is the third wheel.
3. The search and tests for the leader of the Island given by Richard Alpert is much like the Tibetan Buddhist ritual for the choice of the Dalai Lama. The Panchen Lama chooses the Dalai Lama, which is much like Richard Alpert's role. I'm guessing that Jacob chose Richard as the Panchen. In Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama also chooses the Panchen. So, which came first, the Panchen or the Dalai, the chick or the egg?
   
4. Richard Alpert gave young Locke the same compass that he gave him on the Island, which John then returned back to him in the past, which Richard then shows him in this episode.
5. The drawing of the Smoke Monster is reminiscent of the scene in Exodus, Part 2. 
6. From Lostpedia: The comic book that Richard shows to John is "Mystery Tales" Issue #40, which was published in April of 1956 by Atlas Comics. The cover contains the text "What was the Secret of the Mysterious Hidden Land?" and "Does it Pay to Ignore the Voice of Warning?"
7. I feel really bad for young and older Locke in this episode. He was abandoned by his Biological Mother, then his adoptive Mother is mean to him, Richard Alpert is snappy with hm, get gets beat up in high school, made fun of, and stuffed in a locker, and then he has to go through grueling Physical Therapy after getting thrown eight stories out of a window from his own father.
8. Locke is locked in a locker. He likes boxing. Very funny.
9. The way that Matthew Abaddon says "Mr. Locke" is just like Walt. This led to theories that this is future Walt, which is obviously impossible, but still cool.
10. The scene where Matthew Abaddon pushes John Locke in his wheelchair to a flight of stairs and stops totally freaks me out. Every time I watch it, I think he's going to push him down the flight of stairs. That scene just creeps me the hell out.
    
11. Terry O'Quinn's acting in the Physical Therapy scenes is so great. He doesn't use his legs at all. He really makes you feel his pain and believe that he's paralyzed.
12. John Locke finally takes Matthew Abaddon's advice and goes on a walkabout in Walkabout.
    
13. Claire clearly had been smoking some illegal substances in that cabin. She also freaks me out in that scene.
    

4.09 The Shape of Things to Come

1. Jack doesn't feel well, has a stomach bug, Kate wonders why they aren't back from the boat yet, Jack says Sayid said the engine is down, he's trying to fix it, that's he's probably wondering why they can't get in touch.
2. Vincent barking, Bernie calls for help, they find the body of doctor washed ashore, Daniel and Charlotte recognize him, Dr. Ray from the Freighter, his throat is slit.From Lostpedia
   
3. "We're all gonna die." Hurley
   
4. Locke, Hurley, Sawyer are playing risk, babysitting Aaron, Hurley says that Australia is the key to the game.
5. "I can't believe you're just giving him Australia. Australia's the key to the whole game." Hurley
   From Lostpedia
6. Keamy is holding Alex captive, he tells her to turn the sonic fence off, she asks him to spare Aaron's life, the code she uses on the fence is 1623.
7. The phone rings while Locke, Sawyer, Hurley and Aaron are at Ben's house playing Risk, the phone broadcasts code 14J, Locke leaves and tells Ben, he gets a shotgun out of the piano bench, says they have to get to other house for better positioning, they're here he says.
8. Ben flashes to the desert, wakes up, he's wearing a DHARMA parka, says Halliwax on the nameplate, he breathes out cold air, he's in the Sahara Desert, he vomits, he has a gash on his arm, Arabs arrive on horseback, one of the men starts to frisk him, Ben whips out his death beating-stick, flips the tables, kills the other dude with his friend's gun, destroys both of them instantly.From Lostpedia
9. Ben says that the code 14J is an early warning system, one of their people has been captured, they tripped panic switch at the security fence, they had a five minute debate about it before they went and got him, Ben sent Rousseau, Karl and Alex away yesterday and he says they're safe, Sawyer wants to grab Claire form the other house, Locke wants to go with him, but Ben says it's important that John survives what's about to happen, to stay close to him, people coming won't risk hurting him, that he's the best chance to live.
10. Daniel is examining the Doctor, Jack says his throat is slit, wants to know if he knows anything about it, Dan says he was fine the last he saw him, says when is a relative term, Jack says about fixing the satellite phone, but Dan says it could only be used for beeps and boops, Bernie says telegraph.
11. Ben says he's scared of the people that are coming, they cover the doors with bookshelves and furniture, Hurley takes care of Aaron, wonders how Sawyer is going to get back in the house.
12. Sawyer is on his way to Claire's house, talks to a random log carrying guy, asks about Claire, all of a sudden, the log carrier is shot mid-sentence, then there's a rocket explosion on Claire's house, then more gunshots, log carriers die, but Sawyer escapes without a scratch.From Lostpedia
13. Ben arrives at a Hotel in Tunisia, asks for a room, says it's not his first time in Tunisia, he's a preferred guest, Dean Moriarty, he asks woman at the desk the date, which is October 24, 2005, he sees Sayid Jarrah on the television, they mention the Oceanic 6, he says he wants to bury his wife in peace.
14. Aaron is crying, Locke asks why he has to survive this, Ben says there's only one person that can save them and that's Jacob, that he and Locke have to go to Jacob together, Locke says he doesn't know where the cabin is, but Ben says that Hurley knows where. 
15. Sawyers saves Claire from the rubble of her former house, she's disoriented and asks for Charlie, Sawyer tries to take her back to the house, but the door is barricaded, Hurley tries to move stuff, but then throws an ottoman through the window and tells Sawyer and Claire to come through, the door bell rings, Miles arrives with walkie, says they let him go and want to talk.
16. In Tikrit, Iraq, Sayid is at Nadia's funeral, Ben pulls out a camera and watches a bald man drinking coffee, Sayid is carrying the casket, looks up and finds Ben, tracks him down, Ben says he's there to find the man who murdered wife, that he took Desmond's boat to get off the island, The Elizabeth, he followed a heading to Fiji, says Charles Widmore tried to convince the world that his plane was on the bottom of the ocean, Sayid asks what that has to do with him and Nadia, Ben says there was a man there, named Ishmael Baker, and that he's one of Widmore's men, five days ago in Los Angeles, a photograph was taken by a traffic light camera, on the corner of La Brea and Santa Monica, three blocks from where Nadia was killed, Sayid asks why they would want to murder her.From Lostpedia
17. Miles says there's six of them, told him they were security, to escort Ben back to mainland, Miles says to take the walkie, that they have a hostage, Ben says his people are prepared to die, but Miles says it's his daughter.
18. Keamy answers the walkie talkie, tells him his name and that he's an employee of Charles Widmore.Martin Keamy, employee of Charles Widmore, says he wants to talk face to face, to look at him, states his terms, to put his hands on his head and walk straight to him, once in custody, no one else will be harmed.
19. Ben says his name is Martin Christopher Keamy, former First Sargent of the United States Marines Corps, served with distinction from 1996-2001, since worked with Mercenary Organizations, specifically in Uganda, knows exactly who he is, so dispense with the formalities.
20. Keamy calls out for Alex to be brought to him, he tells Ben to come out or he'll kill her, Ben says he wants to present a counter proposal, for he and his friends to leave and go back to helicopter, to forget they were ever on the island. 
21. Keamy tells Alex to say goodbye, she talks to Ben, says he killed Karl and her mother, begs him, Ben says it's under control, that she's not his daughter, that he stole her as a baby from an insane woman, that she means nothing to him, she's a pawn, says he's not coming out of the house, to go ahead and do it, and Keamy kills Alex execution style, Ben is completely shocked, because Keamy called his bluff.From Lostpedia
22. Alex is dead and Keamy has disappeared, Ben says that he changed the rules, Sawyer says that they should just toss him out, but Locke says he doesn't think they'll let them walk out alive no matter what they do.
    
23. Ben takes off, pulls back his bookshelf, flicks a switch and escapes into his secret room, where a door comes down behind him, before Sawyer can catch him, he pulls back his rack of suits to reveal an ancient stone wall with markings, hieroglyphs, Ben pushes the heavy door open.From Lostpedia
24. Ben watches and sips tea in a café, he then follows Ishmael Bakir, but gets caught, tells him his name is Benjamin Linus, and that he wants him to deliver a message to Charles Widmore, Says kill him, but keeps shooting even after the gun no longer has any bullets left, Ben says they're finished, Sayid says he has no life, they took it from him, that he spent the last 8 years searching for the woman he loved, he married her and he buried her yesterday, he wants to know who's next, Ben says he'll be in touch.
25. "I spent the last eight years of my life searching for the woman I love. I finally found her and I married her. And I buried her yesterday. So don't tell me this is not my war. Benjamin... Who's next?" SayidFrom Lostpedia
26. Hurley and Claire come out of the bedroom with Aaron.
27. "You all right, sweetheart?" Sawyer "Yeah, a bit wobbly, but, uh, I'll live." Claire "Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that." Miles
28. Ben comes out of the hidden room, he's covered in dirt, he tells everyone to run from house when he says, and to head straight for the treeline, the house begins to shake, the smoke monster comes, they leave the house, the smoke monster comes out and it attacks the men, summoned, Ben says goodbye to Alex.
29. "Did you just call that thing?" HurleyFrom Lostpedia
30. Daniel Faraday gets signal from the satellite phone and sends Morse Code, asks what happened to the doctor, says reply is that their friends are fine and the helicopter is coming back in the morning, Bernard says he's lying, that they didn't know what he was talking about and said that the doctor is fine, Jack asks why he said the helicopter was coming back, that they were never going to take them off the island, Dan says no, Jack is sick, collapses in pain.
31. Sawyer, Claire, Aaron and Miles are heading back to the beach, Locke threatens Sawyer, Hurley stays because Locke and Ben need him to find the cabin with them.
32. London, England, Ben arrives at a Penthouse, says he's there to see Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick in 4E, but it's really Charles Widmore's apartment, Ben enters a dark room, tells him to wake up, Widmore says he wondered when he would show up, Ben asks when he started sleeping with a bottle of Scotch (MacCutcheon) by the bed, Widmore replies that he did when the nightmares started, asks if Ben has come to kill him, but Ben says they both know he can't kill him, that he's there because Widmore murdered his daughter, Widmore says that Ben did it, not to blame him, everything that he has, he took from him, Ben says he's going to kill his daughter, he'll understand how he feels and he'll wish he hadn't changed the rules, Widmore says he'll never find her, that the island is his, that it always was and it will be again, but Ben says he'll never find it, Widmore says that the hunt is on for both of them. 
33. "You creep into my bedroom in the dead of night, like a rat, and have the audacity to pretend that you're the victim? I know who you are, boy. What you are. I know that everything you have you took from me." Widmore "I'm here, Charles, to tell you that I'm going to kill your daughter. Penelope, is it? And once she's gone, once she's dead, then you'll understand how I feel. And you'll wish you hadn't changed the rules." BenFrom Lostpedia

Questions:

1. How does the doctor's body arrive at the Island before he is killed on the Freighter?
   
2. What is the time difference between the Freighter and the Island?
   
3. Is the Risk game a clue? Is Australia really the key to everything?
4. Why is Sawyer impervious to bullets?
5. Did Claire die in the house explosion?
6. Did Ishmael Bakir really kill Nadia? Is he really working for Charles Widmore?
   
7. What is the significance of the hieroglyphs in Ben's hidden room?
   
8. Did one of the polar bears turn the frozen donkey wheel?
9. What are the rules in which Ben is referring to? How has Widmore broken them?
10. Why does Miles say "I wouldn't be too cure about that." when referring to Claire living?
11. Why can the Smoke Monster be summoned from beneath Ben's house?
    
12. Why can't Ben kill Charles Widmore?
13. What is the true connection between Ben and Widmore?
    

Favorites:

1. "No. My gut says we're getting off this island." Jack "I thought your gut was sick." Kate
2. "We're all gonna die." Hurley "Calm down, Chicken Little. The sky ain't falling just yet." Sawyer "This is exactly what he wants--to fight amongst ourselves. You're making a big mistake, dude." Hurley "It's his to make, Hugo. (To Sawyer) Let's get on with it." Locke "Right. ...I'm attackin' Siberia." Sawyer
3. "Surrender! Surrender!" Arab Man "Oh, so you do speak English." Ben
4. "Let me guess. "14-J" ain't the code for the pizza boy." Sawyer 
5. "When? "When" is kind of a relative term." Daniel 
6. "What's going on?" Doug
7. The whole scene where the log carriers die and Sawyer escapes without a scratch.
8. "I think the technical term is "shock and awe"." Ben 
9. "Charlie?" Claire
10. "Those people were murdered to make you angry, James. So you'd be more likely to come storming in here and throw me to the wolves." Ben "[Sawyer grabs Ben] Yeah, what's wrong with that? Sounds like a great plan to me. (To Locke) What do you say, on three?" Sawyer 
11. "(Sing-song) I wouldn't if I were you." Ben 
12. "How did you get here?" Sayid "I came across the Syrian border. It's really not as difficult as you might--" Ben "How did you get off the island?" Sayid 
13. "Well, Miles, sounds like you're not gonna collect your $3.2 million." Ben
14. "(Whispers to Locke) Who's Charles Widmore?" Sawyer "Later." Locke 
15. When Sayid keeps shooting the gun, even after it's out of bullets. Sayid is badass. 
16. "Hang on. "Jacob"? Who the hell's Jacob?" Sawyer
17. "(To Locke) You harm so much as one hair on his curly head... I'll kill you." Sawyer "Fair enough." Locke
18. The entire scene with Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore.

Notes:

1. Ben shows up in Tunisia, which is the same place that Charlotte found the polar bear bones during her flashback in Confirmed Dead.
2. The painting seen in Charles Widmore's bedroom is the same one seen at the auction in The Constant.
3. The scene with Ben and Charles Widmore is very symbolic. Ben is seen in the dark, and Widmore is seen in the light. This is yet another representation of black and white, and could perhaps be a clue, especially if you've seen the end of Season 6.
4. I remember how mind-bending this episode was when it first aired. You could not believe that they actually killed Alex right in front of Ben, and that he just stood there and let her die. I remember feeling complete and utter shock in that moment.
5. The scene where Sawyer is going to get Claire and all the random log carrying guys die is hilarious.
6. This episode shows a lot of guts. My favorite episodes are when the writers take risks and don't assume that I'm too stupid to understand what's going on. I love when they stay complicated and don't spoon-feed me details. Give me the benefit of the doubt.
7. When Ben arrives in the Sahara Desert and the Arab men on horseback find him, they have a conversation. One notes that there is no trail, the other man wonders where he came from, and asks if he fell from the sky.
   
8. Finally, Claire mentions Charlie. What took you so long?
9. I like how Sawyer is taking charge in this episode and that he's worried about Claire.
10. Ben's flashforward takes place on October 24, 2005, which is one year, one month and two days after the crash of Oceanic Flight 815.
11. According to Wikipedia: On October 24,1593 a man named Gil Pérez, who was a Spanish Solider serving the Filipino Guardia Civil, suddenly appeared in the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City.
12. Any woman that hooks up with Sayid must have a death wish. Every woman he loves dies. Poor Sayid. No wonder why he has to kill people. He's just making it even.
13. The scene were Alex dies is so sad. The last thing she hears before she dies is that she means nothing to the man she thought was her father, and this is after having to go through the death of her mother who she just met after 16 years and her boyfriend dying right in front of her. That scene is just heart-wrenchingly painful to watch.
14. The Smoke Monster scene is friggin' awesome. Except for the fact that no one really dies from it.
    
15. From Lostpedia: The symbols on Ben's secret room door appear to be hieroglyphs that are determinative signs in Egyptian, a basic translation of these hieroglyphs is "to summon protection."  
16. If you go to If the Earth Were A Sandwich you can see that Tunisia is on the opposite side of the world from the South Pacific, where the Island is, which could be why Ben transports to the Sahara Desert, in theory.
17. The final scene with Ben and Widmore is one of the two scenes in LOST history that hasn't been shot in Hawaii. It was shot in England to accommodate Alan Dale.
    
18. In a deleted scene for this episode, Ben is seen in the Sahara Desert after he kills the men and steals their horse, retrieving money hidden under a rock. When he arrives, he looks around to see if anyone is there, and another Ben is seen in the background laying in the sand, much like when Ben was transported there. The shot can be seen at the 0:25-0:27 mark.