I was just going to ask that. I think that was her voice they were talking to on the phone thingy at the end.

My guess is the spy followed a compass bearing of 325 NW, or something like that. Anyway, I'm more curious how the "spy" was in touch with Ben during the events of Season three. Who else could it be is right!

I believe this is the first time the Dharma logo has been shown in the real world.

With the polar bear bones in the desert with a Dharma tag and Batmanuel staying the same age over 30 years it seems there was some time/space displacement experiments going on.

Loved this episode. Love the new characters and new actors. BRING ON ZOE BELL!!!!

Maybe they are doing whatever they can to eliminate Dharma's previous research. Dharma obvously existed and experimented before they went to the island.

Michael Perrineau's name was also in the credits and he wasnt in the spisode either.
Why doesnt Hurley want anyone to know about how he saw the cabin? Maybe bc he doesnt want people to think he's crazy?
Shocking to hear Locke come out and ask a straight forward question "What is the smoke monster"?
Not used to that on Lost.

My speculation: For the same reason the plane wreckage was there - for the right people to find out about it and therefore be easy prey for whatever interest group is trying to find the island.

It's pretty obvious why the three team members were selected. The pilot is also fairly obvious.

The big question is, who do Naomi and freaky black dude work for, and what do they want with the island?

The polar bear in the desert and the rag tag group sent on a very important mission make little sense. I'm hoping that they explain why these certain characters were selected rather than just hoping that we accept them and all their weirdness without question.

Tunisia...wasn't some of the WWII North Africa action there?

I think Dharma was in some way influenced by WWII. Whether they were a group setup by the Nazis, Allied Forces, or were around long before, I think there is something to do with them and WWII. Wasn't there subs patrolling the area when the "numbers" were first heard being broadcast, during WWII? And back in S2, before Ana-Lucia fought and killed Goodwin, didn't she notice his knife as a WWII era knife or something like that?

Just a thought.

interesting how charlotte wanted to know if claire gave birth on the island.

Good episode. You guys bring up some very good insight.

the real question is why is Jobe from the Lawnmower Man a helicopter pilot now

Remember the food/supply drop parachute? We were never really told where the heck that came from, were we? What if this freighter is more or less permanently situated a certain distance from the island - by Dharma - to provide supplies as needed. Then the numbers aren't entered once, and shit hits the fan, the key is turned, and the freighter obviously knows something isn't right. Ben might know where the freighter was located, since he's former Dharma, and he knows they'll be coming to investigate. So he sends Michael in that direction, of course manipulating him beforehand in some way to get him to play "spy."

Again, just an idea.

Anyone contracted as part of the main cast for the season has to be credited in each episode even if they don't appear. But Zoe Bell was credited as a guest star, so she has to be in this episode somehow.

But if they were offshore and already knew of the island in order to make drops then they wouldn't have needed Naomi's help in locating the island and making their way there. Also, I'm not really sure if Ben ever really believed if the Swan was an actual functioning hatch with a real purpose.

So I'm guessing Miles is some sort of mystic or psychic?

It sure seems like it. But I think it is a bit of a stretch to think they knew of Jacob before coming to the island. I guess he could have been sent to speak with the spirits of the D.I. Also, the WWII talk brings back thoughts of the old Nazi theory that I read a few years ago. There is no way that it could be true but it did seem like a rather strange but interesting premise at the time that I read it.

I think you may be on to something. I'm thinking the freightor people are probaby associated with Dharma in some way. That's why they are after Ben. It probably wasn't until after the Swan mishap that they were able to find the island again.

But if the freighter people were making the drops then they were able to find the island over and over again. Something just doesn't make sense there. I sure hope that they haven't thrown some of these plotlines together. I remember when they talked about Ben's character being part of the show for 5-6 episodes and now he is a mainstay and a principal figure in the show.

I'm starting to think that Ben is too. He seems to have a lot of detailed info about people at the ready.

Well, perhaps when they introduced the fake henry gale, he was just supposed to be one of benjamin linus' minions. then they liked the actor a lot and decided to tweak things a little bit.

but i do wonder how much the writers are like george lucas (just pulling shit out of their asses).

god help me if midichlorians are the answer to all the island's mysteries.

I think Ben is from the future. He already knows how everything plays out.

Either way, I knew he would be tightly-wound -- he landed a spot on this show because he impressed producers with his brief stint on The Sopranos.

Maybe they were responsible for launching the food drops into the atmosphere and the Swan magnet would pull in the food. They just knew the general area.

Yeah, I'm wondering if he can "free" Jacob from whatever plane of existence he's in, or yank him back into the present.

The WWII theories are interesting. I could see the D.I being the Allied powers answer to the Nazis' team that ran all kinds of weird experiments.