Did he go willingly? Is it because they have his Dad? Did he officially change sides or what? Really confused :undecide:

My guess is he just wants his back to keep working.

Whatever he saw in the "box" was too good to refuse.
And, yeah, he wants his legs to remain operable.

IMO, its obvious that john knows things that "they", the Others and "we", the viewers, dont.

he is making decisions based on the current situation and that knowledge.

I reckon that Locke is "playing" the Others... whether or not they know he's playing them and they're playing him back in return I don't yet know - we'll probably find out in the season finale episodes...

My prediction? Firstly we'll get the reveal that Locke hasn't changed sides, that he's playing them...

Then, sometime during the finale, we'll find out that he was being set up...

I think the more important question is Where are they Going? I think that Locke and the Other's have an uneasy alliance, but John fulfilling his curiousity and getting closer to the heart of the island's mysteries will benefit himself and the Others.

Locke will do anything and everything to learn whatever he can about the island. IMO he's just going with them to learn what they know.

I think absolutely Locke is always wanting to learn more about what the island is and who the others are. When Ben was talking to Locke in TMFT he was saying that he could show him many things etc. But I don't think that this is the reason Locke is going with them. The reason is because they opened a door and his father was inside!!! He went willingly with them, I don't get the feeling they forced him to do anything. Locke is smart though, he wants information for himself. He isn't going along just to placate them. I don't want Locke with them for too long, it's dangerous. I want Locke on the beach where he belongs!! I do look forward to the scenes between Locke and the others and his father perhaps. They will be great.

Locke is not about the losties, Locke is about Locke and only Locke.

Remember when he was supposed to be hunting boar for food for the losties only to be secretly digging out the hatch?

Remember the plane?

Locke has been in search for a purpose long before the island, and he will continue to search for a purpose with the others now that he has exhausted his searching with the losties.

Wherever the Others are going, I don't think they plan on coming back. They wouldn't have left four enemies alone in their "Home" if they did.

Also, Locke said he argued on behalf of Kate, but failed because of what she had done. But the only thing that was done to her was leaving her behind.

It looks to me like the Others have some final objective that they've gone after, something Locke thinks Kate would want, too, if she knew about it. They think Locke can help them get it because of his communion with the Island. They probably originally thought Walt could help them but "got more than they bargained for".

And I can't help but think that what they're after must be some sort of portal to some other place. Either that or they don't expect to survive whatever they're doing. Because they were not acting like people who are coming back.

Locke has been in search for a purpose long before the island, and he will continue to search for a purpose with the others now that he has exhausted his searching with the losties.

The writers have said several times that one of the overarching themes of Lost is faith vs. pragmatism. Locke is the "faith" guy. Most people who have faith are convinced that everything happens for a reason (hasn't that come out of Locke's mouth at some point?) and that they have a higher purpose (Locke definitely believes that--and that the Island is part of his purpose)...and Ben told Locke exactly what he's been waiting to hear his whole life ("That makes you very, very important").

People of faith become dangerous when they become convinced they KNOW what their purpose IS. Locke feels like hanging around Ben will get him closer to the secrets of the Island, closer to knowledge of his purpose. Maybe in the hang time between the Cooper reveal and the start of "Left Behind" (which I'm sure we'll get in all its detail in a later epi), Locke became convinced he knows his purpose, and joining the Ben and the Others is part of it. Or maybe he became convinced that Ben is one truly dangerous mofo, and he's letting him believe his manipulations are successful so he can figure out what the devil the Others are really up to and use that knowledge to help himself and the other 815ers.

Could go either way--Locke's been a chump all his life up to an including the submarine blow-up; so either a. he's gonna finally grow a REAL pair and save someone besides himself, or b. we're in for some seriously f'd up action from a guy who thinks he's on a "mission from God."

If it's b., it'd better be a well-written b., or I'm outta here. Locke's the reason I'm still watching.

I can't help but think that they're going to meet with Jacob.

Whatever the case may be, Locke is clearing contradicting himself. This is a guy who travelled to the other side of the globe to escape his father(and former life), and has spent most of his time on the island making sure nobody can contact the outside world to ensure his father can't find him. Now that he sees his father ON the island and he's ready to travel with his father's captives? That doesn't add up.

I don't think he's flipped sides, or believes the Others are the true curators of the island. I think he'll just be using them as a stepping stone to even greater understanding. He already eluded to that he knows more about the island than Ben.

As other have said above, Locke is in this for Locke, nobody else. He's not on anybody's team. It will be interesting to see what he chooses to do with the knowledge that his father is on the island. Judging by his recent choice it looks like he already has a plan.

I'm thinking Cooper randomly showing up would be a good reason to go. I would want to know what the eff is up with that.

In the left corner:

Ben has told Locke he's special. The Others give off the impression of being one big "family". We know that Locke needs to feel special and needs a family.
Locke has proven to be somewhat gullible and too trusting. Everything is rather black and white to him and this same sort of narrow bandwidth thinking could again be his downfall here.

The right corner:

Locke KNOWS he is special on the island. That puts him in a position of power and gives him clarity....just what an enthusiastic game player needs. There's every chance that he is playing them for his own ends although I suspect that saving the losties isn't on the agenda any more (until maybe at some point in the future there's a Star Wars-ish "help us John" moment when he pulls back from the darkside).

Whatever the case may be, Locke is clearing contradicting himself. This is a guy who travelled to the other side of the globe to escape his father(and former life), and has spent most of his time on the island making sure nobody can contact the outside world to ensure his father can't find him.

I've always seen Locke as just trying to keep himself on the island; that's what seems to be the primary motivation. Locke's last flashback seems to suggest that Locke's father would not be looking for him in any way. I don't think Locke is worried about his dad finding him. He simply wants to stay on the island so he can walk and be the hunter and leader he always imagined himself to be--and he'll do anything to achieve that.

At first, Locke was about his faith and the people he was with.
"We were all brought here, for a reason- for a purpose. Each one of us was brought here for a reason."

Now, it feels as if he is about what's best for him- He loves his old people, but not enough to learn about the island. He could do without Kate, Jack, Sawyer, and those people. He could NOT do without the knowledge of the island, without power and without a mission.

I think he's with the Other's now- something like, "It's not personal, Kate- but they've got what I need."

What strikes me is that Locke seems to like the whole idea of a group of people in a remote location living communally. Think about his California stint with the pot growers. A commune with everyone contributing to the common good. Since arriving on the island he has been able to walk again and whether its faith or pragmatism all he knows is he can walk where he could not before. As far as going with the Others I fell like they, specifically Ben is intrigued by the whole idea of Locke being able to walk again. They are not even to a level of understanding about the island that can tap into what he has done. I think the Others feel they need Locke. Also the fact that they know so much about the Losties obviously comes from a source outside the island and is not some mystical thing because they think Locke is good. If they were able to see everything they would know about Boone's death and probably think less of Locke. As far as where they are going I think its to another compound because the one noticable thing about where they were was that we never saw any of the other crash survivors that were taken at the beginning of the show.

Just my two cents.

Whatever his motivations, I'm glad he flat-out told Kate "I don't want to leave the Island."

I think it's perfectly in character for Locke to throw in with the Others; I think a lot of the reason he stormed back to their camp to confront Ben was to find out why he wasn't on their List (look how horrified he was when Mikhail talks about how flawed and incapable of understanding the Losties are -- Locke almost seemed to shove him into the fence in a rage over that assessment) or for that matter, included on the list of Losties to bring to Ben at the end of last season.

The bigger question is why the Others are bothering to let him tag along, at least for now. Locke seems to think he somehow won them over in the episode before last, that they've come to their senses now. What does Ben hope to gain from this particular mindgame? what value would Locke have to him; is it just a need to show Locke that he's not more in tune with the island than Ben is, to show him who is in control?

What strikes me is that Locke seems to like the whole idea of a group of people in a remote location living communally. Think about his California stint with the pot growers....If they were able to see everything they would know about Boone's death and probably think less of Locke.

Good point about the commune. Locke is desperate to fit and be accepted and loved, that's why he's so damned gullible. The Others (thru Ben) reinforce his sense of his mystical importance in a way the Losties didn't--they just thought he was nuts at best. So why wouldn't he go where he's more wanted?

One possible flipside to all this is that, although their methods certainly suck, we're still not sure what Ben and the Others are up to. Look at it from their point of view--they've lost what, 5 people now to the Losties (i mean dead, not abducted). The worst thing they've done that we definitely know of is strung Charlie up from a tree and posed a second-hand threat to Claire (both Ethan) and manipulated Michael. To the Others, I'm sure it's the Losties who look hostile, violent, savage. I'm just sayin'.

As for the Others judging Locke for Boone's death, I'm sure they already know. And anyway, would Boone have died if Locke's legs hadn't malfunctioned? Did the Island cause the malfunction because Boone was "the sacrifice" it demanded? Certainly seems so...despite what Jack thinks, is Locke really culpable? I think there's a Calvinistic predetermination here: some are "good" and some are "bad," and I don't think you move from one list to the other based on your actions on the Island....

Just speculatin...

What strikes me is that Locke seems to like the whole idea of a group of people in a remote location living communally. Think about his California stint with the pot growers. A commune with everyone contributing to the common good. Since arriving on the island he has been able to walk again and whether its faith or pragmatism all he knows is he can walk where he could not before. As far as going with the Others I fell like they, specifically Ben is intrigued by the whole idea of Locke being able to walk again. They are not even to a level of understanding about the island that can tap into what he has done. I think the Others feel they need Locke. Also the fact that they know so much about the Losties obviously comes from a source outside the island and is not some mystical thing because they think Locke is good. If they were able to see everything they would know about Boone's death and probably think less of Locke. As far as where they are going I think its to another compound because the one noticable thing about where they were was that we never saw any of the other crash survivors that were taken at the beginning of the show.

Just my two cents.

My sentiments exactly. When I first saw that he was going with the Others, or as many sites listed - 'betraying' the Losties, I wondered why. However when I thought about the situation in California, i.e. the pot growers convention, it seemed perfectly normal for Locke. I think he needs to feel needed, or like he belongs. He seemed perfectly okay with the California commune because they gave him a sense of family that he had never felt before, and judging by his enamored state of mind concerning the island - this doesn't surprise me. Had his 'Dad' not been what was in the box I don't believe that he would tag along so willingly with the Others, but I think it opened a whole new part of the island that he believes the Others can help him tap into. So now he feels like part of a group that can help him realize his potential.

Is John Locke playing the Others? Possibly.
Is Ben Lynus manipulating Locke? Absolutely.

I was surprised that Locke argued for Kate and acted like he didn't know about Kate's past, Locke already knew Kate was a fugitive and used this knowledge against Desmond. And why did he feel the need to say goodbye to her, they never seemed that close. I think Locke is a loyal guy and loyal to the group but in his own way and saying goodbye to Kate was his only way of giving the Losties a head's up on what was going on. And when Kate asked if they captured him he said "only temporarily," IMO this means he is aware he is still a prisoner but intends to escape.

Also, Locke said he didn't want to go home, he didn't say he wanted to stay on the island. I think his cure is not dependent with staying on the island.

Another interesting thing and I don' know what it means but his last words to Kate were the same that he said to Jack, "I'm sorry." I suspect it is his way of recognizing the other person doesn't realize that what he is doing is for their best interest.

IMO, its obvious that john knows things that "they", the Others and "we", the viewers, dont.

he is making decisions based on the current situation and that knowledge.

meta-brilliant!

of course that is true.

I also don't think we'll see Locke again until the last 3 episodes of the season or perhaps just the season finale.

Don
100%
What strikes me is that Locke seems to like the whole idea of a group of people in a remote location living communally. ...

In some ways it's arrested development- he never had a family to rebel against as a teenager so he kept looking for a family.

Don

his last words to Kate were the same that he said to Jack, "I'm sorry." I suspect it is his way of recognizing the other person doesn't realize that what he is doing is for their best interest.

Ooh, good one.... Keep giving me hope that he hasn't gone to the dark side, smarties!