I just read another thread talking about what we learned http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=75852
and one of the new questions this episode raised was if ben was lying about the Juliettes sister getting cancer again and Jacob being able to cure her, could it be that he was lying and that there is no jacob, since no ones ever seen him except ben, is he one of bens cons?
the fake name he used was henry gale, gotta connect..
brain hurts

p.s. unrelated, but thats interesting about his name, i knew it was from oz, but never knew bout Dorothy getting lost near australia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Henry_%28Oz%29

I just read another thread talking about what we learned http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=75852
and one of the new questions this episode raised was if ben was lying about the Juliettes sister getting cancer again and Jacob being able to cure her, could it be that he was lying and that there is no jacob, since no ones ever seen him except ben, is he one of bens cons?


I absolutely agree! There is no Jacob...never was! Ben is a master manipulator, & created Jacob to keep everyone under control. It's possible that he has an "inner circle" that knows the truth...certainly, Richard...maybe Ethan. Think about the phony name he picked - Henry Gale! A blatent reference to The Wizard of Oz, In the end, there was no wizard! He was a "Humbug"
created by a con man to keep the people under control.
Is it a coincidence that the
upcoming Dharma centric episode is called: "The Man behind the curtain?"

I may be wrong, but I believe that Ben is a direct desendant of Alvar Hanso & has access to unlimited resources. I believe he manipulated most of the people onto that plane flight - arranged events to bring it down...who knows just how far his influence & resources extend?

from the way the others act and the fact that
we the viewers have not seen anything that
foreshadows a real person named jacob, i doubt
that he exists.

i believe that ben knows that an "appeal to a
higher authority" is one way of gaining credibility.

it's like saying, " i didn't say it, jacob said it and therefore it must be true."

it's like when we were kids and we told our moms
that, "daddy said i could ____________."

hey, sometimes it worked.

p.s. does it bother anyone that i write my messages
in short sentences and leave a lot of "white space"
between thoughts? i am taking a survey.

I think there is a chance that what you are saying is right. The Wizard of Oz was all about illusion, and how the person who could grant powers was "the man behind the curtain."

In addition to the Wizard of Oz, it also seems a bit 'Good Woman of Szechuan' (Brecht) in which an exploited woman invents a tyrannical alter ego to protect her interests. But without the Marxism. Or maybe with. I don't remember all the details as I tend to conflate them with an episode of Cheers no doubt inspired by Brecht in which Norm invents a hard-nosed boss for the layabout cowboys working for him so as to ensure their obedience whilst maintaining a good image for himself. Like playing 'good cop/ bad cop' all on your own. Possibly with Marxism.

I just read another thread talking about what we learned http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/showthread.php?t=75852
and one of the new questions this episode raised was if ben was lying about the Juliettes sister getting cancer again and Jacob being able to cure her, could it be that he was lying and that there is no jacob, since no ones ever seen him except ben, is he one of bens cons?
the fake name he used was henry gale, gotta connect..
brain hurts

p.s. unrelated, but thats interesting about his name, i knew it was from oz, but never knew bout Dorothy getting lost near australia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Henry_%28Oz%29


I'm very happy to see this thread! For the last two episode dealing with Ben, I get this nagging thought that Jacob is NOT real. In fact, Ben made him up to keep his Group following his orders and doing his bidding.

I think Ben has been very very lucky. Things seem to always go his way. He prolly knew the Sister never had her Cancer come back, what he showed Juliet was fake or old information. So he knew when he told her about Jacob curing the sister, that she didn't have to be cured.

The way he sput out "Jacob said he'd cure" the sister, I thought he was gonna start having some seizure. Reminded me of a child goating another and spitting out "Well, my daddy is bigger than your daddy!? so fast it sounds like one word.

Jacob's list is just a way for him to convince his group that they are special, better than everyone else.

D/

In the Wizard of Oz, the wizard does exist he's just a small little man that makes a big illusion. I could see how that is what Ben has been doing all along with his manipulations. But the bigger part of the movie is that, "there's no place like home" and that everyone already possesses the characteristics they think they lack (tin man actually has a heart; scarecrow is actually smart; etc.). I'm wondering if these themes don't fit in as well. Jack always wants to save people, and on the island he's a ableit it reluctant 'hero'. Just a thought.