5x13 Pre-Thoughts

First, a few things I overlooked from "Dead is Dead", or have had my mind jogged by other commentators around the net:

Once again, we saw Ben in the unusual position of being shocked when Sun showed him the picture of Kate, Jack, and Hurley in DHARMA times. Is there any possibility that at that moment, he started putting two and two together about his childhood? Or, in other words, how effective is the apparent Temple mindwipe that he got? And are we to conclude that he does not return to the Barracks while the Lostaways are still there?

Apparently, the kidnapping scene occurred prior to the purge, as Danielle arrived on the Island in 1988 and the Purge went down in 1992. So at this time Ben was apparently sneaking off and working undercover for the Hostiles, and bringing Ethan along with him. The presence of Ethan can be coupled with a few possibilities: 1) Ethan is kidnapped by the Hostiles; 2) Ethan has become Ben's acolyte and is sneaking off with him; or 3) the interesting theory proposed by others that Amy is a Hostile infiltrator herself and thus Ethan is following in her footsteps. While this seems a little farfetched with the whole Amy/Paul situation, it is possible, I suppose that it was all an elaborate ruse of some kind. And Amy's impassioned plea to execute Sayid could be explained on the basis of her knowing that Sayid was truly not a Hostile. Unlikely? Yes. But an interesting theory nonetheless.

In "316", Eloise told Desmond that the island wasn't done with him as he still had work to do. While his survival can be explained by the groceries he was carrying, it could also be explained by simple Island provenance that also protected Jack and Michael in the real world.

A thought seen online that seems so obviously a possibility once you hear it that I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it myself--is Amy the same person as Amelia?

People have been wondering how the Monster could possibly spare Ben after killing Mr. Eko and others. But I maintain they're looking at it all wrong--the Island, the Monster, Jacob--many people take for granted that some or all of them are doing what is right. I believe it is far more likely that some or all of them are not doing what is right. If I had to guess, I'd say that the Island and the Monster are flat out evil, while Jacob is amoral and simply doing what he feels is in his best interest. The blind faith of someone like Locke in the goodness of the Island is a cautionary tale, I fear, about placing great faith in some shadowy figure larger then one's self.

Rewatching episode 1x09: "Solitary", I had forgotten just how monumental this episode was. It fleshed and truly introduced for the first time a couple of important people in Rousseau and Nadia. But as best as I can tell, it marked the first introduction of these mythological touchstones (in rough reverse order of importance): the science expedition, Alex, the cable (which eventually leads to the Looking Glass), Ethan, the Black Rock, the sickness, the whispers, THE OTHERS. Wow.

But one little continuity issue: Danielle says the music box was a comfort to her in her first "few years" on the Island, but it sure seems as if Ben broke it during the kidnapping of Alex.