***** UPDATED *****

Here are some of our favorite audio clips from the episode:

Awesome, awesome episode!  It really had it all, including a bunch of great Easter eggs and other screencaps.  Michael Emerson shined once again in an Emmy-worthy effort in this Ben-centric flash forward episode.  Here we go:

The dead body of Doctor Ray washes ashore.  Someone has slit his throat (thanks to Jack, aka Captain Obvious, for pointing that out).


Ben pops up in...Tunisia!?!  Not to mention, he's wearing Edgar Halliwax's parka with a new DHARMA logo on it, presumably for the Orchid station.  Was he time (and space) traveling?  Sure seems so.  He appears to have an injured arm.  Is this in any way related to the prosthetic arm of the real Marvin Candle/Edgar Halliwax/Mark Wickmund?  Does utilizing the Orchid Station cause this injury somehow or was Ben escaping from someone who had injured him?






Also, when Ben is first shown he is shaking and it appears that some sort of steam or cold is emanating from him, indicating perhaps that he has just arrived from a time travel episode.  He also vomits, and it appears to be orange in color, very similar to the drink that Julie had to chug before she was taken to the island.  Was this the same stuff?  Is it required for time or space travel?


Jack is sick and begins taking pills.  I was speculating that this may have been the start of his Oxycodone addiction, but from the pill bottle, it appears he is truly taking an antibiotic as he told Kate.  The drug name appears to end in -cillin (penicillin, amoxycillin, etc.).

The boys play a heated game of Risk.  What was interesting here was Hurley's comment, "Australia is the key to the whole game."  Was this just an idle comment in the game or was this a clue from the producers that Australia will be an important part of the remaining story?  Obviously, we know the Losties came from Flight 815, which left in Sydney.  Keep in mind, however, that we also saw Bernard take Rose to see Isaac of Uluru (in Australia) back in Episode 2.19 "S.O.S.".  Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) is sacred to the Aboriginal people.  Isaac spoke of how certain areas in the world have different energies, with Uluru being one of those places (although it didn't have the kind of energy needed to heal Rose).  I'm not sure if this will amount to anything, but that's just what popped into my head right away.


Get your own copy of Risk:


Keamy's team's raid on New Otherton gobbles up 3 redshirts.  I couldn't help but laugh as they were taken out. May they R.I.P...


Ben notices Sayid on TV.  Ben devises a plan to recruit to Sayid and heads to Iraq.


A procession takes place for Nadia in Iraq.  Her murder, and Ben's ability to convince Sayid that Widmore is behind it, turns Sayid into the assassin we saw in Episode 4.03 "The Economist".  "Who's next?"












I was absolutely blown away (no pun intended) that Keamy shot Alex in cold blood.  Ben's reaction was priceless.  Pure shock followed by a heartbreaking goodbye.  In between was an important observation by Ben that Widmore has "changed the rules."  Hmmm...so these two have a history. More on that later.








Ben retreats briefly to his secret closet, where we see what appears to be an ancient door with hieroglyphics on it.  Were the barracks created right over the top of an ancient community?  Was Smokey around back then and summoned from the same spot?  This sounds like a job for Charlotte, our resident cultural anthropologist.  Or, try to decipher the hieroglyphics for yourself with a little help from Wikipedia.

Here is another look at the door, courtesy of Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly.

The Smoke Monster returns with a vengeance after seemingly being unleashed by Ben.






Faraday jerryrigs the sat phone well enough to transmit Morse code, only to get caught lying by Bernard about what the Freighties said.  It seems the freighter folk think all is well with Doctor Ray.  Are we seeing the effects of the time differential on and off the island?  Could it be that Doctor Ray is fine on the freighter, but also dead on the island due to some time shift?  Is this similar to the Casimir effect mentioned in the Orchid video?




Ben, Locke, and Hurley are off to find Jacob's cabin.  Meanwhile, Sawyer, Claire, Aaron, and tag along Miles are headed to the beach.  I loved Sawyer's warning to Locke: touch Hurley and you die.


So, perhaps Ben knows Widmore a bit better than he initially led Locke to believe.  It appears they have a past (and a present and a future) and that they are major players in the overall story arc and to the end game.  Why can't Ben kill Widmore?  Does Widmore have information Ben needs or is he hiding something from Ben that only he knows the whereabouts of?  Does the Island forbid it somehow?  I had a moment of dread when Ben announced he'll focus on hunting down and killing Penny.  How, with Des on the island all that time, did Ben not connect the dots and realize Des and Penny had a relationship?  Wow, this is a great story line that is sure to entertain us well into the future of the show.  Also of note was some of the artwork at Widmore's pad, which included the Black Rock painting (behind the lamp next to Widmore's bed) we saw Widmore buy in Episode 4.05 The Constant.  We also a painting that looked a lot like a scene from the Island.  Lastly, don't forget the now famous MacCuthcheon whiskey.












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Don't miss Lost Mind Games, the great new Lost book of brain teasers and word games.


Check out previous episodes:
Our most recent podcast, reviewing the season so far (episode rankings and favorite moments) and previewing the rest of the season.
Episode 4.08 "Meet Kevin Johnson" Easter Eggs 
Episode 4.08 "Meet Kevin Johnson" Screencap Recap