oh john, what are you doing?

[bunnydixon]

another bad decision made by john lock perhchance?

or is it he who is the real, cool, manipulator?

[Lost in VA]

No John is being played by Ben. Have you noticed as strong as Locke wants and tries to be, he is so gulable and always gets played.

[bunnydixon]

everytime! his instincts regarding people are pretty poor and his judgment calls are seriously questionable!

but perhaps this is what he wants people to think?

[Lost in VA]

He is a perfect Pawn for Ben, cause John wants desperately to stay on and protect the Island.

[bunnydixon]

and he falls for it everytime. he really stood up to ben today at first and then he was halfway shutting the door before falling back into the trap.

[agmic]

I thought the Locke was going to be someone. But as it has been said already. Locke is just Ben's pawn....

[lockeintomyeyes]

John's mind was working when Ben was talking about people coming to see him -the miracle man. That is when the trust started I think.

[Lost in VA]

John knows the Island is his salvation, and he will do anything to protect it,
even work with Ben.

[BrothaDezzy]

John knows the Island is his salvation, and he will do anything to protect it,
even work with Ben.

I think so too. We are seein 2 sides and the beuty of this show is either can be good or bad you the viewer gets to decide so far. Ben I feel is starting to clearly look like one of the good guys like hes said in the past. Im rootin for Ben and john and the new others. They must protect the island.

[LilLostGal]

I can't believe that John would release Ben so completely that he can return to his own place again. What in the world is John thinking? Or what exactly did Ben say to John to gain this much freedom? Just showing him that video of the man who owns the freighter is not enough to gain complete trust with John. Either he is an idiot or we will find out later what else Ben said or did to earn his complete freedom.

Yes, John wants to protect the island but good grief, he can't be so stupid to completely trust Ben just after seeing that video. There must have been more discussed between them that we haven't been shown yet.

My first thought when Ben came out with his laundry and walked to his own house was that this would mean that everyone would now go back to the beach and get away from John because he had obviously lost his mind!

I am sure we will find out, but it never seems to come out quick enough. I am starting to get frustrated with so many questions and so few answers. Is anyone else feeling this way??

[the chimp]

his bad decisions may lead to defection from the group, hence why Hurley somehow becomes one of the Oceanic 6

[agmic]

When Locke asks Ben who the man on the boat was, Ben told he that he should set down.......then we go outside where Sawyer and Hugo are playing horse shoes......oh look, here comes Ben all happy.....ummmmm just shooting in the dark again. But where's Locke....Maybe Ben killed him.. ummmmm

[Lost in VA]

Ben didnt kill Locke, he needs him as an ally , to protect the Island.

[beachblinkette]

Just to recap what I've said on another thread: John and Ben are drawn to each other just as the victim and the bully are! John has been the victim in so many instances before this. Ben is the bully who understands what makes John tick. He manipulates and pushes the buttons to get what he wants. They feed off of each other. It made sense that John was the first flight 815 person to be so controlled by the button pushing in the hatch. The computer was the tyrant allowing John to fulfill his victim role. John seems to wrestle with what his identity really is. He wants to break away from his past and become free, but he keeps going back to his old self. Ben started John's demise when he planted the seed of doubt about the computer and that he never did push the button. It's been downhill for John from that point.

Ben is the proverbial pied piper of Hanlin leading the "children" any which way he decides to go. I speculate therefore I am!

[addictedtopainmeds]

has it been figured out yet how ben got cancer? and why it didn't go away on it's own? remember that Juliet's(who looked SO hot in the flashbacks by the way) 'friend' said that ben was where he wanted to be. he did ask jack if he could go with john. i think that ben is fascinated with John's connection with the island and wants to find out more

[bunnydixon]

but did ben have cancer? was it a malignant tumor?

[beachblinkette]

IMO if Ben has traveled off the island, and has a constant, then could he get some other defect from the trips like cancer? Or could repeated off island trips cause some immune mutation or defect allowing him to get the cancer? and not have the island cure it? Or, did Ben go in to his special box, wish for spinal cancer to somehow get Jack drawn into his web with Juliet? When good ideas go bad?When boxes kill? When Lost fans go wacky?

[addictedtopainmeds]

but did ben have cancer? was it a malignant tumor?

why was he sick at all?

[bunnydixon]

he had a tumor on his spine. cant remember if they said whether it was benign or malignant.

[heavensprincess]

he had a tumor on his spine. cant remember if they said whether it was benign or malignant.

It was malignant...

[addictedtopainmeds]

It was malignant...

so, how did he get it and why didn't the island cure him?

[heavensprincess]

so, how did he get it and why didn't the island cure him?

I guess the island doesn't like him.....I have no idea

[addictedtopainmeds]

I guess the island doesn't like him.....I have no idea

this may be an important clue to something we have no idea about...

[agmic]

why was he sick at all?

to many trips on and off the island..

[heavensprincess]

this may be an important clue to something we have no idea about...

Maybe the island only cures people it feels is good and thats why he wasn't healed and why Jacob asked Locke for help...iono

[Elmer]

wasn't there a conversation between Locke and Ben where lock said something like that is why you are in a wheelchair and I am not.(not an exact quote) right after the surgery. Somewhat showing that the island has rejected ben and chosen John?

[beachblinkette]

I wanted John to be able to be the strong person he could be after going through all of his trials. He seemed to deserve a better fate than the one he appears to be headed toward. There's a saying from Africa that suffering is like being immersed in boiling water. If you're a potato, it softens you. If you're an egg it hardens you. I wanted John to be the potato!

[islander]

another bad decision made by john lock perhchance?

or is it he who is the real, cool, manipulator?

after telling ben he didn't trust him, locke now sets him free? locke has a history of trusting the wrong people, and there's no proof to suggest this time is any different. locke made a deal with ben because locke was out of answers, and ben is gonna use him.

[lockeintomyeyes]

Ben must have told John who the person on the boat was and that is why he let him go. Must be a hum dinger:)

[jackchick]

I agree John is either duped again or Ben has so shocked John that he now feels like ben is "a good guy." Yea, I think he'd use the gas on everyone to "save the island." People seem so expendable to him.

[thelawgiver]

If someone would tell Locke to look-up the word "gullible" in the dictionary, he would do it. He is an easy con. Ben understands Locke's weaknesses and island connection and uses them to manipulate. Ben bought his freedom by feeding information to Locke and the ID of the boat person apparently tipped the scale. But note that Locke is still staying in Ben's place and Ben is using another barrack. Ben did not kill Locke, but is Locke so stupid to let Ben roam free and have access to killing Miles?

[addictedtopainmeds]

If someone would tell Locke to look-up the word "gullible" in the dictionary, he would do it. He is an easy con. Ben understands Locke's weaknesses and island connection and uses them to manipulate. Ben bought his freedom by feeding information to Locke and the ID of the boat person apparently tipped the scale. But note that Locke is still staying in Ben's place and Ben is using another barrack. Ben did not kill Locke, but is Locke so stupid to let Ben roam free and have access to killing Miles?

as much as i would like to think locke has something up his sleeve, it is quite apparent who is in charge of that 'friendship'