"Now that I think about it, how'd you get sick in the first place?" says Locke to Ben. Was he asking what Ben was sick from, or something deeper like how's it possible for Ben specifically to get sick?

"Now that I think about it, how'd you get sick in the first place?" says Locke to Ben. Was he asking what Ben was sick from, or something deeper like how's it possible for Ben specifically to get sick?

My take is that if the island has healing powers (Locke/Rose are specific examples), how can someone get sick. If you start to get sick, wouldn't the island heal you before you could get sick. Locke's leg also healed quickly from the blast door incident. So, yes - Locke is asking how Ben could possibly get sick and not heal fast living on the island.

right. guess that was John's whole point in this show. duh. he will so end up being more in charge than Ben. at least, that's how it should be. :) Although, Ben did have a point that Locke made Jack stay, just like Ben wanted.

Man, it will be interesting to see what develops now. It really does seem like they are grooming Locke to take over the Others.

Man, it will be interesting to see what develops now. It really does seem like they are grooming Locke to take over the Others.

That fits nicely with my theory, that the Losties were sent to the island to fight for and take the island away from the Others. The Losties don't know that is what they are doing of course but events are somehow being manipulated or pre-planned. Desmond's ability to see the future may be Desmond finding these plans in his head. It does seem as though a war is going on with Ben worried and careful, Locke and the Losties doing the fighting but no knowing why. Now, if this is correct and the Others really are the good guys, then the Losties are being manipulated to fight for the bad guys. And Ben is clearly worried about Locke healing so quickly and Locke's attachment to the island.

One question: At the end when they show Locke his father, does he still have the gun and Locke is in control or has he been disarmed and is now in Ben's control?

One question: At the end when they show Locke his father, does he still have the gun and Locke is in control or has he been disarmed and is now in Ben's control?

Locke has no gun nor control. They had him cuffed to the pipe, remember.

Locke was asking how Ben could get sick in the first place when everyone else heals on the island. Locke doesn't know about Ben's spinal condition. All he knows is Ben was fine when he last saw him in the hatch.

Could the fact that Ben is sick mean that Ben has lost his connection with the island? The island healed Locke and Rose, but allowed Ben to get sick.

I like the theory of Locke being in charge on the island. It sounds as though that might happen since the island allowed Ben to get sick and he's not healing very quickly.

The Island doesn't heal everyone. The injured marshall was probably going to die (in Season One.) People have been killed (the pilot, "Sceve," those murdered by Ana Lucia and Michael, especially Libby.)

OTOH, it's true that people seem to be healing from their injuries far faster than normal (Sawyer, Locke.) And there have been some definite and unequivocal healings - Locke, Rose, and Hurley as well (mental rather than physical illness.) The jury is still out on Sun/Jin's infertility (as the baby may not be Jin's.)

So there seems to be some selection going on, something more specific than just a "force field of healing." It may be that Ben is not as "in touch with" The Island as he thinks he is. When Locke was telling him that Ben was a hypocrite; that Ben was living on The Island in a way that was hypocritical, that might have been the key.

At first I wondered why The Others had to have suburban houses and technology. Perhaps Locke is accurate when he points out that this is not a way to live on The Island. IOW they're trusting to their technology rather than to the hidden powers all around them.

This also perhaps is why the "prophets" (Walt, Sayid, Hurley) were warning Locke at the end of Season One not to mess with the hatch. The hatch / Dharma / the food drops / the technology are all part of the same theme - just another kind of arrogant hubris imposed on The Island by people who want to use it, or manipulate it for their own purposes.

In a sense, perhaps The Island then is metaphorical for the Earth herself.

The Island doesn't heal everyone. The injured marshall was probably going to die (in Season One.) People have been killed (the pilot, "Sceve," those murdered by Ana Lucia and Michael, especially Libby.)

Also, remember in S.O.S. when Bernard takes Rose to that healer in Australia, he said that not all people could be healed in his place. He said I don't feel it in you or something along those lines. I think that the island is similar to that effect. that you have to be "chosen" by the island to be healed.

Hey, maybe the island has a list of its own. hehehe;)

Also, remember in S.O.S. when Bernard takes Rose to that healer in Australia, he said that not all people could be healed in his place. He said I don't feel it in you or something along those lines. I think that the island is similar to that effect. that you have to be "chosen" by the island to be healed.

Hey, maybe the island has a list of its own. hehehe;)

Anyone know what happened to Rose to Bernard? They've been curiously MIA this season.

The Island turned them into Niki and Paulo.

Perhaps the healing has something to do with the magnetic field of the island.
I just read yesterday about transcranial magnetic stimulation and thought about how magnetism can effect the human body - i'm no expert in biology or physics but it could be possible that due to the magnetism of the island, cells start to resonate or are changed and that this causes the healing process. Now, people are different, so it might be that Ben is immune to that effect because he has been on the island since he was born?

I've always been interested as to why the island didn't heal Sawyer? It seems to heal those who had problems prior to the crash (Locke, Rose, and possible Jin--if he turns out to be the father of Sun's baby) but why not Sawyer's eye sight?