We need more ben and locke episodes. Desmond is a total bad ass. This is what happens when they focus on entertaining characters.
Fuck yes! No doubt, man. I could watch an entire SERIES of Ben Linus just being the badass Michael Emerson makes him. That guy is awesome.
But, the awesome award is split this week with Desmond. Like Knut, I laughed my ass off when he tore Ben to pieces with one arm. That was fantastic and totally unexpected. I really didn't think Penny was going to live. I'm glad she did, though. I doubt that's the last we see of Desmond, however. Maybe?
As for the "disease" that Desmond and The Kurgan were worried about, I'm pretty sure that was something to do with the nerve gas that Ben used to kill Dharma. Those guys in the stations probably assumed it had something to do with the island, and started using the hazmats all the time. Remember, Clancy Brown was waiting for someone to relieve him, and used the disease excuse to keep Desmond pushing the buttons.
The button-pushing station was some kind of electromagnetic field experiment thing that was attached to the island, and when it wasn't released on schedule (a.k.a. Locke stopped pushing the button) the station imploded.
The "infection" that French Lady was talking about screwed her husband and his crew, that as something to do with the Smoke Monster.
The Smoke Monster has nothing to do with Dharma at all. It seems to be part of the island (defense mechanism?), and The Others (whether from the Black Rock or not) seem to "worship" it perhaps? It lives under their temple (not that Ben knew that), so I'm feeling it has some connection to whatever it is they worship or the reason for the temple's existence.
"What lies in the shadow of the statue?" I would guess the Bounty Hunter from ROME and her guy are part of Widmore's group, backtracking against Ben. Why they asked that question and what it means, I have no idea. Maybe it's the "Temple" that lies in the shadow of the statue? Maybe a spaceship lies in the shadow of the statue? Maybe she and her posse are part of an entirely new contingent that's just entered the fray?
What is the Smoke Monster?
What is the temple?
Who is Richard "Guyliner" Alpert and why doesn't he age (whereas the rest of his group does)?
Speaking of Widmore....am I to understand that he came to the island with an army contingent? I can't remember. I remember the h-bomb the army brought with them, but it seems that Richard's group was in control of that one, right? So, was that army group killed and their stuff taken by The Others? Was Widmore always an Other, or did he come with the military?
And is it me, or are we seeing a slight Christian religion analogue?
Jacob--Father/GOD
Locke--Son/Jesus (raised from the dead after three days, "virgin birth", etc.)
Richard--Holy Ghost (ageless and lives for the will of the "Father")
Widmore--Lucifer (cast from Heaven/the island)
Ben--Judas
I'm sure that's on purpose, as are the rest of the religious amalgams we've seen on this series.
I'm still of my original Season One mind that the island is the original, Christian "Garden of Eden", the Smoke Monster being the Angel with the Flaming Sword that guards the Gate of paradise. I could be wrong, but it fits. As do a couple of other things, of course.
Man, I wish Jeph Loeb had never been part of this show. This season feels as exciting as the first one. Thank god his mediocrity has been removed from the show. Go Brian K. Vaughn (with his well-deserved "Y: The Last Man" plug a few episodes back)...
