LaFleur Power, Man
Okay, so I missed a post. Since I last blogged, the Oceanic Six came back to the island, Locke got off the island, had a nice chat with Widmore, tried to get the O6 to come back, and got nicely snuffed out by Ben. Now we come back to the exact moment where Locke left the island.
The Statue – Right before Locke turns the wheel, Sawyer and company are still topside. Sawyer is still tugging on the rope that used to hold Locke but is now buried in the ground. They start wondering when in time they are when Miles points out to something. A giant statue looms off in the distance. Now of course, this seems to be the rest of the four-toed statue that we saw from season 2. My theory is this may not be the same statue. I’m thinking there used to be several of these statues around the edges of the island, “guarding” it. The statue here may be that of Anubis, an Egyptian god of the dead. Anubis has the head of a jackal and holds a staff and an Ankh, a symbol of life. In the screenshot, you can clearly see it’s holding something, and that it does have ears and a Egyptian head-dress. Although in many pictures and hieroglyphics – Anubis is portrayed with bigger ears. The other Egyptian gods who have animal heads do not have ears. So my guess it is Anubis. Also, it would explain why it has four toes instead of five. The scene ends with Locke turning the wheel and them blinking out of time again – Miles says it felt like an earthquake – possibly the result of Locke turning the wheel. But maybe this earthquake caused the statue to crumble.
The Truce – After Sawyer and crew find Faraday babbling about Charlotte (who’s body did not jump with them, possibly leaving her corpse in the far past with the statue). They then come across Amy and dead Paul – being attacked by Others. Sawyer and Juliet dispatches the Others, one of which has a horseshoe tattooed on his shoulder. A tattoo? Horseshoe? Do the others have a tattoo parlor in the temple or something? Eventually, I will have to do a long diatribe about the ethnic composition of the Others. Tattoos and english accents… some lost tribe indeed. Anyway… Amy starts to blab about some “truce” between the Others and DHARMA being broken. It looks like she and dead Paul were having a picnic when two Others started to pick a fight.
HERE IS MY THEORY: Paul was originally an Other. Somehow, when this truce got started, Paul fell in love with Amy and jumped ship from the Other’s. These two other Others saw them together and picked a fight with Paul. Why do I think Paul was an Other? Two reasons. One, Paul was wearing an Ankh – the symbol that Anubis statue was holding, and probably a symbol for the natives of the island, the Others. Second, Richard Alpert demanded justice for his people – by taking the body of Paul? That really only makes sense if Richard told his people that Paul shot the other two Others – thereby calming his people and holding the truce, because Paul was an Other to begin with, the DHARMA folks didn’t kill them.
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I was under the assumption that Olivia (played by Samantha Mathis) in the episode “Man Behind the Curtain) was Horace Godspeed’s wife. She was the one in the car when Ben’s father came out of woods with Ben and Ben’s mother, Emily (yes, both Ben and Locke’s mother was named Emily – different women, though), back in the early 1960′s. She is also in the classroom teaching young Ben and Annie when the hostiles attack.
It is important to know when exactly Ben came to the island. Young Ben could already be there when Sawyer and crew appear. Sawyer and crew come to the DHARMA camp in 1974 and in this episode, stay for three years – to 1977. Ben was born between 1963-1965, that put him on the island between 8-10 years old around that time – Horace’s hair was shorter when Ben came to the island, so I’m guessing Ben came to the island before Sawyer and crew showed up. This also brings up the interesting point of Richard’s hair. In Ben’s flashback – he meets Richard in the woods – Richard’s hair is long and scraggily. It is also established that at this time that DHARMA is battling the natives. So did Richard cut his hair after meeting Ben and establish some sort of Truce at that point?
Here’s another thought: The Purge doesn’t happen until 1992 – Danielle gives birth to Alex in 1988. So when the purge happens, Ben is already in possession of Alex when he kills his father and DHARMA is bitch-slapped into a mass grave. Also, Widmore at this point is still probably on the island, or has just left the island. So maybe we can surmise that Widmore initiated the truce in the 1970′s. He did tell Locke that he lead the Others, peacefully for 30 years. So, shortly after 1954 (at least) – to the late 80′s, early 90′s, Widmore was in control. Then, by Widmore’s accord, he was exiled by HIM – I don’t take this to mean Ben, but by Jacob. Locke mistakes HIM to mean Ben during his bedside talk with Widmore. This also means that Penny was born on the island – if Penny is really Widmore’s daughter. I think Ben can’t speak to Jacob – he lies to Richard when Richard brings him before Jacob – makes it a point to boot Widmore. Or something. I think Ben is following orders of something that is NOT Jacob. And let us not forget that it was Widmore who put Locke on the plane (and it was probably Widmore who put Claire, Jack, and Christian on the plane as well, but that’s another rant).
Also, let’s talk about Widmore’s wealth. We know that in 1972, when Locke was in high school, he got an offer from a Dr. Alpert from Mittelos Laboratories. We also know that Richard was able to leave the island in 1956, when Locke was born, and also in 1961, when Locke was five. So maybe it’s not a far stretch that Widmore was able to leave the island at will, also. This Mittelos Laboratories might have been Widmore’s idea. To explore the island’s more scientific properties in this modern age. Maybe it was part of the Truce with DHARMA – maybe the Other’s were never really “natives” of the island – just people who got shipwreacked there over the centuries, like a wandering Bermuda Triangle. Hanso was a descendant of the Others, a possible early leader of the Others, also exiled like Widmore, I think. He was the one who led DHARMA back to the island. At the same time, Richard and Widmore were trying to reach out – why, it’s not clear. But there is a connection between Widmore, DHARMA, Mittelos, Hanso, and the DeGroots. But whatever game Widmore was playing – Ben also has some bank on the mainland.
Locke’s Journey – Okay, so Locke was choked by Ben, no Medusa spider there. That just makes the miracle of Locke’s resurrection that more powerful. What I’m trying to figure out is, what’s Ben’s game? He prevents Locke from hanging himself, squeezes some info out of Locke (actually, Locke blabs out almost every detail), then *choke* time. Was Ben carrying out Richard’s directions? If so, why couldn’t he had just let Locke kill himself?
HERE IS MY THEORY: Back in season 4, when Ben and Locke were at the Cabin. Ben volunteered to move the island – because he knew he would be transported off. That’s how he could get revenge on Widmore. He had a plan all along to jump off the island, make Widmore pay (even by killing Widmore’s daughter, Penny), and somehow get back onto the island , and then kill John Locke and possibly the rest of the survivors, and re-assume his “rightful” place as leader of the island. When Ben is checking up on Walt, he discovers that Locke had left the island. His plans change. Once Locke tells him that he must get the rest of the Oceanic Six back, Ben adopts this plan as his own. He stops Locke from killing himself just long enough to get the who and how. Then *pop* goes the Locke. Ben has no idea that Locke will resurrect. He thinks he’s got the perfect plan. Get a plane full of people that he can eventually manipulate into working for him (to replace the many Other’s he’s lost so far). Go back to the island and take it by force. Hell, I’d be surprise if that plane isn’t filled with people under his employ – like Caesar or that Ilana chick. Of course, they may be under Widmore’s employ. My question is why does Mrs. Hawking accept Ben as part of the team. Does he lie to her, saying that Locke was with him? Wouldn’t she know better?
Extradite to Guam? – Speaking of which, why would a federal agent extradite a prisoner to Guam? Did Ben set up Sayid earlier by having him kill somebody there, only to expose him when the time was right? Seems like a plan too far ahead according to my previous theories. I say Ben just paid an agent (or even a fake one), Ilana, to get Sayid on board. Although I have to say, in today’s world, I’m sure it would take a hell of a lot of time and paperwork instead of just waving a badge and hauling a handcuffed Iraqi on board. Don’t cha think?
One thing seems clear though. Caesar and Ilana seem to be on different teams, or at least enough distrust between them for Caesar to hide maps and a shotgun. Also, both are genuinely surprised to see Locke up and around. *For the record, Ilana told Caesar that Roxanne found Locke standing *IN* the water, not *ON* it. 
