Cooper's explanation on how he got to the Island is to be believed. He was kidnapped and drugged just like Juliet. The question then is why was he brought there? He was brought there because Ben really was intimidated by Locke. After researching Locke, the Others learn he was paralyzed before the crash and now is somehow able to walk. Perhaps Ben's subordinates start to see Locke as Jacob or some other type of mystical leader. Fuel is only added to the fire when Ben is operated on and cannot walk while Locke can. Ben will not stand for this so he kidnaps his father to show the rest of the Others what a pathetic person Locke really is. Maybe his original intent was never to kill Cooper but merely have him around in his back pocket just to embarrass Locke in case Ben's underlings started getting restless.

This all leads to a much more important question. When was Cooper abducted? If it was before the hatch blew and communications went down, why would Ben have needed Cooper at this point. Ben was still walking around at this time. Yet, Cooper says that his next memory after being put in the ambulance was staring at his dead son at the end of the "Man From Tallahassee" episode. Was Ben's request that Richard retrieve the Man from Tallahassee a literal one. As in Richard go to Tallahassee this very moment and get me Locke's mean old dad so I can show the rest of the Others what a farce Locke is. If so, how was this done without using the submarine and without any comunication with the outisde world.

Finally, no way there in hell. That was just Cooper's ignorant opinion of what was going on because he has not been there long enough or know enough to formulate a knowledgable opinion. It was a little jab to the viewing audience to remind us of the errors in our initial purgatory theories back in the first season when the audience was also just as much in the dark as to what was going on. People don't die in hell, have babies, fornicate or eat cheeseburgers not to mention communciate with the outisde world or travel to and fro. Its not hell people.

First off I don't buy that there's NO CONNECTION to the outside...I think Ben has another means of communication as well as other transportation. I don't think the sub was it.

I think Ben had Cooper there for quite some time. As Ben admitted in "Expose", he figures out what people are emotionally invested in and he exploits it. He knows the huge problems Locke has with his father. We also know that Ben supposedly came for Locke back in season 2 so it is possible they had Cooper waiting and ready to use against Locke.

Ok, assuming that is Cooper, what do we think about his story that he got to the island?

-Did he truly get there as soon as he died, and everyone is in purgatory?
-Was he lying about the accident/abumlance to convince them it was purgatory?
-Was it a coincidence that when he was in an ambulance after a serious car wreck was the point in time that he was brought to the island, and never died?

Or, could it be that when someone is "brought" to the island, they are not really. That a duplicate of them is brought to the island with all the previous memories up that second (ala The Prestige?)

So many questions about this. His accent/acting different im sure was quite intentional by the producers. What does that mean? Was it Smokey? I have the feeling that whatever it was (though it was definitely not a completely different person in makeup :biggrin:, it/him knew what was going on, and was very deliberately manipulating.

Talk about answering one question brings up a million more
100%
oh, and btw, if he was just in that near fatal crash, why is his health fine? island restored him, automatically?

and, there is something about how he said the paramedic gave him a smile before he inserted the IV..