dead is dead...even here?

Dead is Dead cont...

Ben's reaction confirmed he knew who Christian was. However, he states that Dead is Dead in regards to Locke. If he's scared of the concept of the resurrected Locke, which I'm inclined to believe, then what makes him different from Christian? Ben must know the difference?

Desmond should have a bullet in him. It hit the groceries, but there was no indication of contact on his shirt or during that miraculous beat down. If anything, I relish my Wednesday nights due to Benjamin Linus beatings.

What lies in the shadow of the statue? I think that someone planted quite a few people on 316. I don't believe they knew each other, but used the question to weed each other out. Much like Inman's snowman question. Could they be Widmore's? When Ben calls from the Marina, Widmore says that he can't get back to the island, but he has proven that he can send people there.

Great Ben line, "I found sometimes friends can be significantly more dangerous than enemies, John."

Back to Richard and Charles. After a second watch, I'm still not sure that Richard is telling the truth that Jacob wanted to save Ben. It's almost as if invoking Jacob's name was throwing a trump card, the buck stops here. He couldn't question it. Richard's body did not act like it was telling the truth.

It also appears that Charles may not have been lying about being the leader for three decades. Although he was cuffed and escorted by gun, he was definitely exiled, whether or not Ben employed trickery, is to be seen. If it was just based on an off island romance and leaving the island (hello, Ben's passports and suits?) then maybe. This scene on the dock marks the transition between Charles and Ben's rule of the others. I believe there is much more story to be told, how it came to pass, but the writers could get off the hook with this simple dialogue, which would be a bummer.

Ben's cycle/Alex's death was called by Charles as he was leaving the island. "...I won't be selfish because I'll sacrifice anything to protect this island." "You wouldn't sacrifice Alex." "You're the one who wanted her dead, Charles, not the island." "I hope you're right, Benjamin, because if you aren't and it is the island that wants her dead, she'll be dead and one day you'll be standing where I'm standing now. You'll be the one being banished and then you'll finally realize that you cannot fight the inevitable. I'll be seeing you, boy."

Much like Hurley is our moral compass, Lapidus is calling it like we are. "For God's sake, watch your back."

"Any higher you're gonna fly right off the island." Richard to Alex as Ben is pushing her on the swingset.

Locke looks Ben over, judges him, tries to read him. Locke has got that trademark twinkle in his eye, but his smile is almost smug, like he's got something on Ben. We know that Ben has already thought about killing John but the island put him in his place. Will he stay there? Does he dare?