What Ever Happened, Happened

Loved the episode. Finally the episode was not really Dharma centric but Lostie centric. This episode sets out to close the gaps in Kates life. I like how each of the Oceanic 6's story sets out from the pier where they all meet and Sun has Ben at gun point.

• I love the whole conversation between Hurly and Miles. That scene was basically laid out for us, the viewers. I guess it is now perfectly clear that what ever happened, happened. That this rule laid out by Faraday is in fact right. Miles gives Hurly the gun, just to explain to them that they CAN die, because its their present, but everyone else, cannot die, because they are still alive in the future. I wonder if the 'gun' was somehow connected to the episode where Michael tried to kill himself, after leaving the island (Meet Kevin Johnson). Was the future already written that Michael was infact alive, hence he cannot kill himself?
  
• Jack is slowly becoming Locke. He feels he is supposed to be there, but yet we still do not know why. I hope they get to that soon.
  
• I love how Jack figures the great irony in once again he is being asked to save Ben. I will get back to this important aspect soon.
• It was pretty weird that everyone is so psyched about saving Ben, knowing what he will become later.
• Juliet has the idea of taking Ben to the Others, that maybe they can save them. Kate takes him alone and Sawyer arives soon enough.
• Richard recognizes Ben and takes him. He warns them that Ben will never be the same again, that he won't remember any of this, and that he will lose his "innocence." Kate and Sawyer agree but an Other warns that they should first ask Ellie and Charles. Nice eh? So this gives a bit more evidence that Ellie and Widmore are a union, perhaps even husband and wife. Richard tells the Other that he does not answer to them. Oooooooh. Did Charles and Ellie take control of the Others away from Richard at some point? Seems to be some animosity there and perhaps it was Richard that helped "exile" Widmore from the Island. Most likely this is going to figure very important soon.
  
• Richard takes Ben to the....................TEMPLE. Now, we should remember that this is very similar to when Rousseau's crew was taken down in the temple and became "sick," by the Smoke Monster. My guess, is that Smokey is going to be responsible for bringing him back. And, just like Rousseau's boyfriend turned violent, the same eventually happens to Ben. I mean, we have noticed that Ben never cares for other people dying (when Keemy died, and Locke said that he just killed everyone on the Freighter, Ben responds "So!" The same basic response is heard when Jack asks Ben what will happen to the other passengers of Ajira once it crashes. Indeed, Ben loses his innocence).
• Now, the question is, why did Richard do this to Ben. Richard told Ben he has to wait and be patience to join the Others. Clearly, he was talking to a more "innocent" Ben, and potentially, Richard saw a future "leader' in him (maybe). Yet now, Richard is basically transforming Ben into something else than what Ben was supposed to be. So does Richard actually WANT Ben to be transformed or did he simply see no other choice. He needs Ben, and this is the only way to save him.
  
• So going back to the significance of Jack not helping Ben; had Jack saved Ben, Ben would NEVER have become the monster he does later on. In fact, the whole glorious, mind bending beauty of all of this is that our LOSTIES are the ones that actually CREATED Ben. Ben would NEVER have become who he does later if it were not for Sayid shooting him, for Jin insisting on bringing Ben to Juliet to try to save him, for Jack denying help, which caused Kate and Sawyer to go to Richard. This is the ULTIMATE way of expressing the concept of "what ever happened, happened." Sayid thinks he is actually saving the future by killing Ben, but no, he is the one that set everything in motion. OH BABY. Was Faraday right, or was he RIGHT!!!!!
• But wait a minute, even though Ben forgets everything that has happened to him (ie, him getting shot by Sayid), he still clearly comes back to Dharma and sees the Losties....so how does he STILL not remember them? Oyyyyyyy, my head.
• Sean B's new video is up and he brings up the question of whether Ben was basically sending Sayid back to the 70's so that he will shoot young Ben, thus fulfilling what Sayid is "supposed" to do. Not just Sayid, but he needs Jack to DENY the help, which causes Kate and Sawyer to seek out for Richard. Thus, in the end, everyone does what they are "supposed" to do. Or, perhaps, Ben is actually hoping for something different to happen. Maybe he is hoping that Jack WILL save him. Maybe Ben wants to correct things that should never have happened (i.e. him losing his innocence). But then that seems to contradict Faraday's rule. Oyyyyyyyyyyy, my head.