Oceanic 8

In this article from Entertainment Weekly, producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse answer some questions that are sort of hot-button issues around our office. Most notably, they destroy the myth that the Oceanic 6 have to on the manifest, citing that Ben could’ve easily changed assumed the identity (an easy feat after the discovery of his evil genius secret costume lair) of a family-less, friend-less passenger (*cough cough* John Locke maybe? *cough*). Enjoy…

Okay, since you brought it up, Damon: Is Ben a member of the Oceanic 6?

”Nothing precludes him from being a member of the Oceanic 6 — other than he wasn’t on the plane,” says Lindelof. ”But he does have a room full of documents and passports. He could have just, you know, done some research and doctored some records and adopted the identity of someone on the plane — someone with no family or friends who would know otherwise. So who’s to say he isn’t?”

So…when will we know for certain?

”By the end of the seventh episode, the audience will now know who the Oceanic 6 are.”

Read the Full Article

After reviewing the episode on Lostpedia and talking with my lostpadres, I have these observations/theories.

Ok, here is my crazy theory. Obviously, it does not encompass everything on the show, just a few select pieces of the overall puzzle.

I believe that Charlotte Staples Lewis is not only Ben’s “man” on the freighter, but I also think she might be Annie. Annie was the childhood friend of Ben, who gave him the wooden doll and remembered his b-day. It is unknown what became of Annie. I believe the island exists back in time, many years (not sure). I also believe (as seen in a few theories) that the dharma initiative has access to either a time machine or some sort of tear in time, through which they are able to leave the island and the time it exists in. I don’t know how much control they have over it though. I believe that Annie travelled to present day and Ben somehow contacted her to tell her the location of a polar bear he left (wear he was in the past) and she found it, completely decomposed in the time she is in. Perhaps this was an extremely important test that would somehow help her return to the island, or maybe it’s Ben’s message to her, through time. When she drops in the water, she is visibly thrilled to be there, just as she is when she discovers the dharma collar from the polar bear. Charlotte is also careful to show no reaction to seeing Ben, as her main objective is to get him to safety.

So Ben creates the diversion by shooting her and they all but it and move on.
Ben knew an extensive amount of information on Charlotte because he made it up. Ben also knew that she was wearing a bulletproof vest, allowing him to shoot her, and thereby making the group believe he intended to kill her, and putting her the furthest from suspicion. When Ben is listing off facts on Charlotte, we see Claire make a really suspicious face, because, perhaps she detects Ben’s deception.