Official "Dead is Dead" Instant Reaction Comments!

[brian]

Anyone Seen the Bridge?

[the Other Brian]

Anyone Seen the Bridge?

It lies in the shadow of the statue.


Nice quick analysis, Brian.  But I still don't think the "critical information" Ben got from Locke was about Hawking; it was that Jin was alive.

That was indeed a helluva episode, and I agree that the Alex moment immediately brought Eko's death to mind.

[Stef]

Brian, I totally agree - in the contest between Ben and Widmore, Ben's the good guy. I'm rooting for him in the Island War, for sure.

Great episode! There was so much going on with our regular characters - and all those amazing Emerson-O'Quinn scenes - that i didn't even care much about the 316 people, but I think you're right that creepy Ilana and that guy from October Road are going to become more important. Alas, Caesar, we hardly knew ye...

[Sodfather]

some little things I found to be interesting are that it appears Smokey has been on the Island a very long time. With time travel in the mix that doesn't mean he was created in the beginning of the Island, but he certainly has been there a long time. Also, the statue folks obviously have some agenda, what could it be? Could it be worshipers of the weird Annubis like statue? We just have nothing to go on right now. How long can Ben stay a devotee of John Locke? It seems weird that the Island would put someone who does his best to manipulate those around him to gain power in a subservient role, unless Ben is supposed to manipulate his way back to power.

[Katie Kat]

I think you're onto something with the Alpert/Ben thing.  Think about it - Alpert KNEW Locke would be coming back, and he knew from meeting him in the 50's that Locke knew who Jacob was and that Locke was the chosen one.  He then started "following" Locke throughout his life, but he was never quite ready (like when Alpert had him choose from the objects he brought).  So, Alpert needed a "stand in" to be leader until Locke actually was ready to come to power.  Ben comes along and provides him with exactly that.  Ben was young and impressionable and had been "healed" in the Temple.  He wasn't truly the chosen one, but he was more in touch with the Island than the average Other (?).  So, Alpert spent Ben's young years convincing him he was special and the chosen leader, all along knowing he was just biding his time until Locke came to rightfully take his place as the REAL leader!  LOVE IT!

I still don't get why Ben said to apologize to Desmond.  I mean, I know he shot him, but why would that be the foremost thing on Ben's mind at that point?  He did a lot of bad things that he could have apologized for - why did he pick THAT one for which to beg forgiveness?  What if, after he falls in the water, Ben surfaces and DOES kill Penny?

I TOTALLY thought Alex was going to kill Ben when she appeared!  I was quite surprised Smokey let him live!

The "shadow of the statue" has to be the 4-toed statue, but who the heck Ilana and the other Shadow Statue Group are is a mystery!  I like the idea that they are pre-Other Others, or descendants of the original Island inhabitants, but would that really make sense?  A whole other set of people fighting for the Island that we haven't even heard about until now?  I think they're Widmore's moles...

And one little tidbit about the preview for next week:  I am thinking the person in the body bag is Juliet.  There is one shot where they show a sort of blurry side shot of the face, and I swear it's her!   

[JTorres]

Ok, here's my official theory for "what lies in the shadow of the statue:"  It's the Temple!!!!  Think about it.  We know the place we've been seeing all this time and thinking was the temple is actually just a wall.  The temple is about a 1/2 mile off from that.  What better way to protect a temple from both angles then to put a wall on the interior island side, and hide it in the shadow of a great big statue on the exterior water side.  Plus, and I'm not too sure on this (need to go back and watch the episode again), but weren't our skipping survivors in the vicinity of the wall when they skipped back in time and saw what the statue once looked like?  Finally, if Ilana and her group are looking to start a war my thought is the Temple would be the first place to go because when Ben left the Island in 2005 (and Locke started skipping) he had sent all the Others there because it was "the only safe place left on the Island (or something to that effect)."  Wouldn't Alpert and all the rest of them still be hanging out there waiting for someone to return and tell them what the heck to do with their lives?  Your thoughts?

[renee]

Loved this episode!
So glad Penny is alive. Is there a bullet hole in Desmond or did the Island not want him to die?
I never want this show to end!

[Jabbadoo]

I just love Michael Emerson more and more... because I constantly go back and forth between believing he is good and then back to believe he is bad.. I just really always enjoy watching him and especially with in the John Locke scenes.

[Sawyers optician]

Awesome episode.  Definitely the best this season.  How cool is smokey!!??  I loved seeing Ben subservient to Locke.  Watching Locke in this episode, reminds me why I loved him so much in season one.  Since Alex delivered her one, two punch on Ben, do you think his maniuplitave brain will still be scheming his next lie?   Who knew that Ben had a soft spot for kids?  Maybe he is lamenting his own lost (sorry!) childhood?  I loved that baby Charlie is what saved Penny, and I jumped up and cheered when Desmond opened up a can of whoop-ass on Ben.  (my dog who was sleeping on the sofa next to me woke up and left the room disgustedly!)  One incongruity I noticed was that Ben's accusatory remarks that led to Widmore being banished, was that he travelled off island, had a daughter with an off islander, etc.  Didn't Ben in turn, travel off and back, didn't he have multiple passports, and foreign currencies. 

Renee, I agree, I never want this show to end either!