Ben said in a previous epi to Juliet, about Jack (paraphrasing) "I'll do what I always do...find out his weakness and then exploit it".

Ben could be working on Desmond (his love for Penny) and orchestrating events to play on that.

Ben could be exploiting Sun's weakness about her pregnancy, marriage, affair, and subsequent paternity dilemna...further complicated by the terror of Juliet's news that conception on the Island means that Sun has 2 months to live.

I used to think that maybe it was all an experiment (even gone wrong), but now it seems that maybe it is all a sadistic power trip of Ben's.

Juliet's "I hate you" to Ben, via the no-longer-recording tape recorder seems to indicate that she is doing his bidding but doesn't agree with it. Does she still hold out hope that Ben will let her go home? And that her sister is still alive and well (with her nephew, named after her..."Julian"?)?

:confused:

I really don't have anything to post except that I agree with you and the thread name "Manipulation Island" Pretty much sums up this season! Love it!

I agree Tabby, that somebody is manipulating the Losties, but I am not sure that it's Ben. He is a tool, I think.

I do think it's an experiment,..along the lines of the Truman Show. I agree that somebody is using the weaknesses of the Losties against them, in order to get a predetermined action and reaction.

I think Juliet is playing a part, but I am not sure that she is aware of it,...like an actress on a stage. She cooperates with Ben because she thinks he holds the power.

After she said "I hate you" to Ben, I got the distinct impression that she still believes she can go home to her sister, and her sister's son, and is cooperating with Ben in order to do so. Juliet seemed to feel bad/guilty about what happened with Sun, Jack,...maybe even what's happening with the Losties, in general,....

If it is an experiment, it may be on-going, forever. Juliet may never be able to go home, and I think Ben is lying to her about that. He is manipulating her, like a director cuing his actors.

BUT...Ben is not the Kingpin/Director,....there's somebody else,....Jacob?

Yeah, I think Juliet is really stuck, physically and emotionally. Her only hope of getting off that island is with Ben's help, or so she thinks. She doesn't know any of the Losties enough to totally trust any of them, plus they have no means of getting off.

As for being an experiment, I sure hope not. I'd like to think the creators of Lost have come up with something more original than so many of the themes that have already been done (ad naseum) in other movies/shows.

Speaking of manipulation Tabby what do you think of the stuff in The Fuselage on the top of the page?