The photo that miles show's to jack, looks like a photo of Ben in the real world!

what do you guys think?


edit: i've just uploaded this http://i32.tinypic.com/35lcc51.jpg

yup, didn't think he ever left the island. Apparently he doesn't just send people out but also scouts himself.

totally!!
anyone know what kinda computer that was?!
It was plugged either..
also, it looked like Ben was caught a little off guard in that pic.

I think it was him off-island, too. What this means, I have no idea. He's leading a double life off-island? Or was at some point? But how would he get away from the island without anyone knowing? Or if his people did know.. who would he trust to keep them in order while he was away? He has so many threads weaved around and tangled, who would he trust in his absence?

I don't remember exact details about the picture--screencap anybody--but it seemed like a pretty nondescript photo to me. I didn't see anything that was identifiable, like the Brooklyn bridge.;) It could have been taken anywhere in almost any station on the island or even in the others village.

It seems that there are a lot more to Ben that we thought. It seems that he is known for having pretended to be what he wasn't. Dharma? Or did he strike a deal with Abaddon's people and later on he betrayed him?

I also thought maybe he did some recruiting or other work himself. Remember, we've only seen him on the island for a few months now. He could've traveled back and forth years ago. And I love the suspicious look he has!

It looked so 80s to me. His clothes seemed 70s. I was awestruck by this photo.
Judging by his hair, I would make the assumption (bad idea I know) this was shortly after the purge.

http://i32.tinypic.com/35lcc51.jpg

That pic could've been taken on the island.

Tsk Tsk Tsk people...you musta blinked ...we know Ben has been off the Island before...In a scene in either S1 or S2 Hurley is checking in at a reception desk (Hospital/Lawyers office-don't remember) and lo and behold the workman on the ladder behind Hurley is good old Ben Linus, and he's watching Hurley while changing a light bulb or a ceiling tile or something on a ladder, don't remember exactly, but it's Ben...(<>..<>)

That pic could've been taken on the island.

Exactly. But then that begs the question, how did the Freighters get the picture?

That pic could've been taken on the island.

Fair enough. But how would the Freighties have gotten it? Either they, or someone they work for has been on the island before, or someone was a mole and got it to the outside world when the communications were still up? I still feel it was from the outside world for some reason...

To me, it looks an awful lot like the Dharma videos.

Call it a hunch. But it seems like a terminal of some kind. Just a feeling.

Tsk Tsk Tsk people...you musta blinked ...we know Ben has been off the Island before...In a scene in either S1 or S2 Hurley is checking in at a reception desk (Hospital/Lawyers office-don't remember) and lo and behold the workman on the ladder behind Hurley is good old Ben Linus, and he's watching Hurley while changing a light bulb or a ceiling tile or something on a ladder, don't remember exactly, but it's Ben...(<>..<>)

Not true. Michael Emmerson wasn't cast for the role of "Henry Gale" until months after that episode aired. His "Ben" character only became the leader of the Others once the creators saw what a positive response they got from the fans. They were going to have a leader, but it wasn't going to be Michael Emmerson.

Definitely not Ben in that scene. Not the same actor, nor the same character, as the character "Ben" that Michael Emmerson plays wasn't even conceived yet.

I should add that the only time we have ever seen Ben "off the island" is in Locke's psychadelic dream sequence where Boone is wheeling him around in the airport and Ben is working the metal detector.

On a funny note, notice the monitor isn't even plugged in - in fact it doesn't have a power cord at all. I guess that's a "mistake" but its minor.

Also, my first impression of the picture was that it looked like Ben on a perp walk, that he might be handcuffed, and that he is standing in front of a booking window like he's getting ready to be processed into jail--I dunno, that's the first thing that hit me while watching it during the show...(<>..<>)
P.S>I've got S1 and S2 on DVD right here...Sier, please tell me the name of the episode with Hurley and the ladder scene you are referring to if you can remember it off the top of your head so I can go re-check it-thanks-UAC (<>..<>)

At first, I thought it might have been taken on the Island but then realized that meant that someone had been onIsland and left and didn't come back.
This also looks pre-Purge as well and I wonder how in the world that could happen!!
It's late 70s - early 80s clothing he has on and he definitely doesn't look happy that his picture is being taken either!

Also, this photo blew my the photo is of Sun theory I had. Thought it was Papa Paik looking for his Ii'l girl. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the screencap LostApril. I think it was probably taken on island, but don't know why I think he doesn't leave. Ben reminds me of a big spider, he doesn't leave his web much.

Also, my first impression of the picture was that it looked like Ben on a perp walk, that he might be handcuffed, and that he is standing in front of a booking window like he's getting ready to be processed into jail--I dunno, that's the first thing that hit me while watching it during the show...(<>..<>)
P.S>I've got S1 and S2 on DVD right here...Sier, please tell me the name of the episode with Hurley and the ladder scene you are referring to if you can remember it off the top of your head so I can go re-check it-thanks-UAC (<>..<>)

The episode with the workman changing the lightbulb is season 1, episode 18 - Numbers. It is when he first goes back to the mental institution to talk to Leonard, right after he talks to his attorney and the guy jumps out the window.

Man, if I talked like this in real life to my friends they would think i was a total psycho about this show...hahahaha.

The episode with the workman changing the lightbulb is season 1, episode 18 - Numbers. It is when he first goes back to the mental institution to talk to Leonard, right after he talks to his attorney and the guy jumps out the window.

Man, if I talked like this in real life to my friends they would think i was a total psycho about this show...hahahaha.
So your saying you haven't "come out of the box" with your friends about being "Lost", ehhh? (<>..<>)

That photo sure surprised me and I was thinking it was off island too. I looked at the screen cap and it almost looks like hospital admissions. I know it could be a dozen other things but one of the hospitals in my town has exactly that type of window and of course it used to have those huge computer monitors too.

So your saying you haven't "come out of the box" with your friends about being "Lost", ehhh? (<>..<>)

Hahaha, one of them knows just how crazy I am about it. He watches it, but always asks me questions once its over. Everyone else just assumes I am a casual watcher =]

Little do they know...

That photo sure surprised me and I was thinking it was off island too. I looked at the screen cap and it almost looks like hospital admissions. I know it could be a dozen other things but one of the hospitals in my town has exactly that type of window and of course it used to have those huge computer monitors too.
Hospital admission? Could be, it reminded me of a jail because you usually have to check in outside before you get let inside, you know, the cop has to secure his weapon with the staff and all that before you get into the jail proper. For instance, here in our city, you are admitted through the downstairs garage entrance for booking and visits, and it looks alot like that scene, which is probably why I thought it looked like a booking window. But-another thing that made me think that is the way Ben's shoulders are slightly pulled back like he might be in cuffs, which he might be if he was going into jail or a mental hospital...Sier, you're in Georgia and I'm in South Carolina, so looks like we have to hold the line for tha dirty south in here...Go Sawyer...I "reckon"...(<>..<>)

it looks like ben's in line at an airport security checkpoint.

Thanks for the screencap LostApril.

sawyer101 actually should get the credit. i just reposted it.

While it could have been taken on island, I agree with the question of how the boaties got it. If taken off island, who took the picture? Abaddon? Hanso? Widmore? Someone else? Could Ben have been on a recruiting mission for his main people (Tom, Danny, Klugh, Price) way back when?

I'm having trouble figuring out why naomi who was the "muscle" for the group and noted by the conversation with Abbadon had to take the people she did. She wasn't happy and at the surface they aren't what you need to go after Ben.
I got the feeling these people were taken to be gotten rid of. It's like because they found out things that they shouldn't have and they needed to be silenced. No one would hire a drunk for a dangerous mission unless they weren't worried about anyone getting back.

it looks like ben's in line at an airport security checkpoint.
This is what it looks like to me too. I think it's a X-ray machine behind him.

Did anyone notice that in the picture the monitor in the background isn't plugged in?

Maybe this photo was staged, and this is our tip, or maybe I'm just over-analyzing :)

So, if there is an xray machine in the background it could be a hospital. by the way that chair he is sitting in looks kinda strange, and is that another person behind him// I wonder if that is someone we know?

what is that in the lower left corner? To me it looks like a very overweight man (his arm) without a shirt on?

UnderAlienControl,
Here (http://www.photogallery.longlostlist.net/displayimage.php?pid=1771&fullsize=1)'s your "Ben" picture.
His not-so-evil, slightly-less-intense brother, maybe. :biggrin:

I'm just glad that they're not the "new Dharma Initiative" coming to reclaim the Island, as SO many people believed. I always thought that would have been simple, repetitive and boring.

Boy, that sure does look like Ben, or his older brother.
Until recently many people did what ever Ben requested, no ?? asked.I think it could have been a simple matter for him to leave the island for a time. Plus, those close were so 70's, Ben could jave left the island before he became the supreme leader, maybe on a reconnisance mission. Ha

RodiumusBen >
I'm just glad that they're not the "new Dharma Initiative" coming to reclaim the Island, as SO many people believed.


Well, those gasmasks looked very Purge-like.

I agree with Wander...perhaps the team was selected simply because they weren't supposed to survive the trip (they knew too much)?

And are we forgetting that Richard Alpert was off-island to recruit Juliett? Who knows how often they went back. And Mikhail was obviously in communication with somebody...if its an on-island picture, he could have simply scanned it and sent it over the air!

The photo that miles show's to jack, looks like a photo of Ben in the real world!

what do you guys think?


edit: i've just uploaded this http://i32.tinypic.com/35lcc51.jpg

He's probably wondering why that monitor doesn't have a power cord hooked up to it.....

;)

BTW...it looks like he is on some kind of tour to me.

Seems like a DHARMA video...
Everything is white and bland

I agree w/pps that his clothing appears to late 70-esque.

At first I thought he was wearing a bullet proof vest or something, but it looks more like a silk? vest.

I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that Ben traveled off the island. It's not like he sat on a throne in Dharmaville where everyone knew his every move. They just listened to his orders. Ben is a control freak and if he did go off the island, it was to further his own objective.

The one thing that struck me is that it looks like Ben is carrying a purse on his right shoulder. Maybe that's why he looks shocked in the pic, how embarrassing is it to get caught on film carrying a purse? :)

While I'm not completely opposed to the idea that this could be an off island picture, I really don't think there's any reason to assume that it wasn't taken on the island. Otherville was pretty well set up to look like any other place in the rest of the world, unless you were looking at it from outside.

I agree that it doesn't necessarily have to be made off island. The picture just doesn't show enough detail to say for sure.
But since Ben came to the island as a little boy, it's obvious that the freighties want him for something he did since coming there (the purge?)
Ben says he has a man on their boat, who's to say that in the past the people who want Ben didn't have someone come to the island? Someone who managed to get that picture of adult Ben to them. It's just as possible as Ben leaving the island, though I think he simply doesn't want to leave and wouldn't if he didn't absolutely have to.

I thought of hospital admissions/doctor's office when I saw the picture- the computer in the window and the bland "clinical" colors of the place. I also thought it was taken in the 70's- not only b/c of his clothes, but also b/c the guy in back of him has a huge afro. Also, there's "C.T.V" stamped on the bottom of the photo- like where a date stamp should be. Does that stand for anything? When googled, the most popular result is "Canada Television" Those darn Canadians- I KNEW they were behind all of this! :biggrin:

Tsk Tsk Tsk people...you musta blinked ...we know Ben has been off the Island before...In a scene in either S1 or S2 Hurley is checking in at a reception desk (Hospital/Lawyers office-don't remember) and lo and behold the workman on the ladder behind Hurley is good old Ben Linus, and he's watching Hurley while changing a light bulb or a ceiling tile or something on a ladder, don't remember exactly, but it's Ben...(<>..<>)

Sorry, there's no way it's Ben and here's a screen cap to prove it :)

http://img.skitch.com/20080208-n6rcenana8bdji59916t9pbqkw.jpg

Whether it looks like an off-island picture or not I believe we are meant to understand that it is off-island. Really the picture itself could be from anywhere - the blandness of the background looks like any office in the 80's (unfortunately I would know). I can't remember whether or not Ben ever said he traveled back and forth, but we know he could...

looks like a hospital or the dmv

it bugs me that the computer monitor is not plugged in ,,,

it looks like ben's in line at an airport security checkpoint.

Yes, exactly! And in the foreground there is someone with a pale blue ticket jacket in their hand, just like the Oceanic sleeves.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_T5SmjOmweFs/R6O7tvHrGzI/AAAAAAAABhM/lDiAXwHE-Ps/s1600-h/LOST_Y4_074_057.JPG

Wow, you have a great memory. One thing I thought when I saw the picture was that we really don't know how much time passed between the purge and when the plane crashed. Anything could have happened in that time.

I'm just glad that they're not the "new Dharma Initiative" coming to reclaim the Island, as SO many people believed. I always thought that would have been simple, repetitive and boring.
Dharma "failed" as revealed in the Sri-Lanka video. It's Hanso Foundation related foolery if it's anything. The parachutist job with the required languages that Naomi spoke was listed on the Hanso Foundation website before Season 3 started.

The photo that miles show's to jack, looks like a photo of Ben in the real world!

what do you guys think?


edit: i've just uploaded this http://i32.tinypic.com/35lcc51.jpg

or, it could be a picture of Ben's twin brother or clone, if he has one

My first thought was definitely airport security, and I still agree

Sorry, there's no way it's Ben and here's a screen cap to prove it :)

http://img.skitch.com/20080208-n6rcenana8bdji59916t9pbqkw.jpg

hmmm, it looks like it could be ben's older brother. Also, it looks like the killer from the Saw movies

If you read the official epi recap over at ABC (anybody remember those ;-) ) it says it's a picture of him at airport security.

At first it looked like the butcher going through airport security to me. Then I read a comment about him wearing a white polyester, women's pant and vest suit from the 70's. That idea makes me laugh everytime I look at the pic., so that's what I'm going with until confirmed otherwise.

totally!!
anyone know what kinda computer that was?!
It was plugged either..
also, it looked like Ben was caught a little off guard in that pic.

Yeah, I loved his expression. And the clothes he was wearing.

Ok, this is a little long winded, and I don't tend to start many threads or post theories, but here it goes. Probably a ton of holes too, but started thinking and rambling:

It never occured to me that Ben had ever left the island. But now I think he has. I had always wondered why Dharma was still delivering food drops to the island when they had basically been wiped out. Well how about if Ben left, with Richard Alpert and whoever else, to speak with the Hasno Foundation (and Im guessing Widmore is financing them now) heads and let them know he had assumed control of the island, and he would continue to do work for them their, etc. But he had to be left alone, and in return he would
protect the island from being discovered or infiltrated. This would explain why Abadaon thought their were no survivors if the 815 had crashed on the island. (Although I suppose he could also have meant, THERE ARE NO SURVIVORS, as in, kill anyone you see) If anyone had lived, Ben would have wiped them out already just like he did the original Dharma Initiative. Aaaannnd... it might would explain why the resuers had gas masks and junk, because they know Ben's M.O. and how he killed people. (Ooooh, could even
explain why Kelvin and some of the other hatches have had the QUARANTINE spray painted, etc. They stumbled across the bodies at some point and thought the island
had been affected. Dharma wasn't ENTIRELY wiped out. There had to have been survivors in the statins, etc. They could have even communicated about the virus or
INCIDENT to the Dharma people back home, hence the warning in the videos and training materials.) Who knows what Ben actually told the off-island Dharma/Hanso/Widmore people. Plus he's a huge fracking liar.

Sooo... he was supposed to kill everyone on 815... but the whole spine tumor deal screwed everything up and he needed Jack's help. If he had slaughtered everyone
else on the island it probably would have impacted Jack's decision.

At some point whoever is in charge off the island either caught wind of Ben's shenanigans or just got to the point of wanting him out of the picture. Which brings us to island present time.

Does this theory blow?

What ever happened to the whole 'sickness' thing? It was so prevelant in the first season, as Danielle indicated her team got 'sick' , and much was made of the quarantine signage as well as the precautions taken by Kelvin/Desmond. Have we ever figured out just exactly what the 'sickness' is?

What ever happened to the whole 'sickness' thing? It was so prevelant in the first season, as Danielle indicated her team got 'sick' , and much was made of the quarantine signage as well as the precautions taken by Kelvin/Desmond. Have we ever figured out just exactly what the 'sickness' is?

I sort of touched on that in my looong post right above... but could it have been do to Ben's purge of the majority of the Dharma Initiative. Dozens died and the survivors couldn't get any explanation other than the airborne virus (gas released by Ben and the natives). If Ben made it off the island, he could have communicated that the disease or illness was the cause of these deaths and Dharma changed all their training materials and put the quarantine warnings on the hatch. Maye Ben kept the front that Dharma was still functioning in order to receive technology updates and the supply drops.

And as far as Danielle's team... well maybe she IS just looney tunes crazy.

Thats not Ben recruiting...not to me

thats Ben trying to get on with his life

You have to see the parallel they are drawing between Jack and Ben

In Missing peices Ben told Jack he might want to return after he left---Never say never Ben said---and Hurley repeated this in the future.

In the clip show they also drew the Ben/Jack parallel.

Did not Jack try and murder Locke? He is on a path to become like Ben and just as Ben left the Island---he realized he had to go back--just as Jack will

Ben told Jack they were not suppose to leave...and thats what Jack now realizes was true(in the future)

New rule:

If you suggest a character has appeared in a previous episode and everyone has missed it, it is your responsibility to add a link to a screen cap that proves your statement.

So, combining all the info/thoughts from this thread...since it's a pic of him at the airport- presumably an Oceanic flight (the blue ticket holder), and, apparently, the only way to get to the island is either by submarine or by crashing, what if it's HIS FLIGHT that was found on the bottom of the ocean? If he indeed does paralell Jack and desperately wants to return, what if he hijacked it to make it crash so he'd be able to get back to the island? The people who found the wreckage would assume flight 815 since it was the most recent flight that went missing- a flight from 30 odd years ago wouldn't be fresh in their minds. Hmmmm......

I doubt seriously that they could have used a satellite. Does that mean they have a mole amongst the others who took the photo and somehow transmitted it to Abbadon & Co.?

Is it just me or did Ben look like he was handcuffed?

It looked like he was off island.

I dont know if he was hand-cuffed, but he was rocking some sweet *** threads!

Or, more to the point,how did they get Penny's and Desmond's picture.

This organization has seemingly endless resources. Naomi had a picture of Desmond. Miles has a picture of Ben.

Ben is able to get files on everyone. They get tapes of the World Series. They kidnap Cooper and bring him to the island to further their plans. Whatever those plans are.

What I am implying here............is that the organization that is coming to get Ben, and remove him from power or kill him............is the same organization that has been supporting him with information, supplies, kidnap victims, for many years.

And it just may be that they now consider him ineffective or having gone rogue.

And Ben's response to this, of course, is...........to defend himself and his place in island society. Its all he has.

Or, more to the point,how did they get Penny's and Desmond's picture.

That is what I was going to say - that I think was more strange - Ben I figure he has traveled off the island (if Ethan and Richard could, why not him). Could also explain how he has a man on the frieghter -

Here's a cap of the photo (http://bp0.blogger.com/_RrObyQ3XzcY/R6vf38BE6gI/AAAAAAAATZk/CKjtHhkutUs/s1600-h/ben.jpg). It appears to me as if it was supposed to have been taken some time ago - either that or Ben's fashion sense goes out the window whenever he's off island...

I think he simply worked with Abbaddan(sp?) or someone high up.

I can think of two ways that they could have gotten it
1) They had somone following him when he left The Island somewhere along the line.
2)They simply track down any old photo of him so The Team would know who to look for.
IMO these people must be pretty powerfull, and if they have to money to send a freighter out to The Island, then both of these would be pretty easy for them. Same goes for the Desomond/Penny photo, if they people are like I said then I wouldn't be suprised if they were actually able to track down either Penny or (a lot less likely, I know) the photographer so that they could get a copy made.

OR someone who used to be one of the Others and was also allowed off island and is either a traitor or decided to defect.

it looks like ben's in line at an airport security checkpoint.

Yes, I agree. It actually looks like the black area below the computer monitor in the picture may be the opening for the conveyor belt for the X-ray that she would be seeing on the screen.

The photo that miles show's to jack, looks like a photo of Ben in the real world!


That's exactly what I thought when I first saw it. Sure, it could be on the island, but it looks a lot more like an airport to me, judging by that guy's ticket.

So I guess this means Ben's been hopping back and forth? And what could he be doing in the "real world"? I thought he was devoted to the island.

I don't know... It's just so weird to me to know now that there are ways off the island, ways that the Others can use (although I don't think Ben lets them leave very often). I mean, remember back in season 1 when we all thought there was no way off? And now there is one, possibly various ways that are actually in use. It blows my mind.

The photo seems like it was tken off Island but I am fairly certain that Ben had said he has never left the Island. Of course he could just be lying.

They downloaded it off his Myspace.

the photo proves that Ben has been off the island at some point during his life.
The picture is angled at such a way as if TPTB want us to assume he was doing something he was not supposed to do, maybe at the headquarters of the company that now wants to get him.
If you look closely at the picture, there is a man behind Ben who seems to be escorting him somewhere.
I think Ben escaped and stayed at the island.

Thats not Ben recruiting...not to me

thats Ben trying to get on with his life

You have to see the parallel they are drawing between Jack and Ben

In Missing peices Ben told Jack he might want to return after he left---Never say never Ben said---and Hurley repeated this in the future.

In the clip show they also drew the Ben/Jack parallel.

Did not Jack try and murder Locke? He is on a path to become like Ben and just as Ben left the Island---he realized he had to go back--just as Jack will

Ben told Jack they were not suppose to leave...and thats what Jack now realizes was true(in the future)

Great theory!

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1368-619.html

Looks like he worked in an office back in the 80s. Nice suit Ben

We've known that there was a way off the island for a while now....they had a submarine.

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1368-619.html

Looks like he worked in an office back in the 80s. Nice suit Ben
You're not seeing the whole photo here.

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1351-53.html

I think I know who the 4 characters are and why they're on the island - and the picture of Ben seals the deal.

They are the "fashion police" and they're after Ben for wearing such bloody awful clothes! :D

Or, if there's any credence to whatever time loop theory du jour is being promoted, maybe the photo also indicates why Ben is so vehemently against leaving the island: no way he wants to go back into the "real world" and subject himself to what he believes is still the reigning fashion wear! :biggrin:

I'm sure it was mentioned before, but the "black box" underneath the computer looks like an airport screener.

The promo pic pretty much places it at an airport with the guy behind Ben holding a Oceanic ticket.

Sure looks 80'sish, which should make it pre-purge if you buy Rousseau showing up 16 years before the Losties (2004-16=1988). Although Ben in the picture looks a little older than Ben in Roger's VW van was supposed to look on Purge-Day. I always wondered how the gas that ended Dharma made it onto the island, was it Richard leaving the island (when kid Ben ran into him he looked like he hadn’t left the island in real long time) or maybe it was Ben, and maybe Ben became leader because he masterminded the whole thing off and on the island. But of course there has to be a Jacob link in there somewhere. Ben could have been photographed as he was traveling to the real world to help the others finish off Dharma. I have always thought there are multiple factions vying for control of the island even back when Dharma was there.

it sure looks like hes not happy about having his pic taken.
maybe annie took the pic?

2 thoughts - maybe it's a picture of Ben from the future.

and

we know that the Others can get off the island and back, because of Ben's right hand man that recruited Juliette. If he can, why not Ben?

Why would Ben be at an Oceanic Airlines terminal if they had other means to get to the Island secretly?? He does not look happy to be having his picture taken.
Also, he looks younger in this photo than he looks now so I doubt it's from the future.

When I saw the photo, the first thing I thought was actually: "Ben surely has a fetish for striped shirts"...

Cheers,
Rick

When I saw the photo, the first thing I thought was actually: "Ben surely has a fetish for striped shirts"...

Cheers,
Rick

i think you might be onto something here.. lol joke

Sure looks 80'sish, which should make it pre-purge if you buy Rousseau showing up 16 years before the Losties (2004-16=1988). Although Ben in the picture looks a little older than Ben in Roger's VW van was supposed to look on Purge-Day. I always wondered how the gas that ended Dharma made it onto the island, was it Richard leaving the island (when kid Ben ran into him he looked like he hadn’t left the island in real long time) or maybe it was Ben, and maybe Ben became leader because he masterminded the whole thing off and on the island. But of course there has to be a Jacob link in there somewhere. Ben could have been photographed as he was traveling to the real world to help the others finish off Dharma. I have always thought there are multiple factions vying for control of the island even back when Dharma was there.
I like that idea, it would definitely fill in a lot of gaps. I really think it would have to have been Ben leaving the Island, because he would have probably needed to use the DHARMA stuff to get off.

Maybe he doesn't want there to be any proof he's ever been off The Island. His whole thing seems to be that he is connected to The Island, and he might be afraid The Others will see the photo and realize he's just a lying, manipulative SOB (who we all love anyways).

if it wasn't in the 80's maybe this is similar to the Rabbit being in two places at once...;)

Tsk Tsk Tsk people...you musta blinked ...we know Ben has been off the Island before...In a scene in either S1 or S2 Hurley is checking in at a reception desk (Hospital/Lawyers office-don't remember) and lo and behold the workman on the ladder behind Hurley is good old Ben Linus, and he's watching Hurley while changing a light bulb or a ceiling tile or something on a ladder, don't remember exactly, but it's Ben...(<>..<>)

Whoa! I didn't know that. Do you have a screencap?

When I saw the photo, the first thing I thought was actually: "Ben surely has a fetish for striped shirts"...

Cheers,
Rick

Haha. Striped shirts FTW. *cough*Ben needs a new shirt*cough*

UnderAlienControl,
Here (http://www.photogallery.longlostlist.net/displayimage.php?pid=1771&fullsize=1)'s your "Ben" picture.
His not-so-evil, slightly-less-intense brother, maybe. :biggrin:

Not even remotely like Michael Emerson.
100%
Yes, exactly! And in the foreground there is someone with a pale blue ticket jacket in their hand, just like the Oceanic sleeves.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_T5SmjOmweFs/R6O7tvHrGzI/AAAAAAAABhM/lDiAXwHE-Ps/s1600-h/LOST_Y4_074_057.JPG

Bingo! It is absolutely an airline checkin. No doubt about it.
100%
...
Sooo... he was supposed to kill everyone on 815... but the whole spine tumor deal screwed everything up and he needed Jack's help. If he had slaughtered everyone
else on the island it probably would have impacted Jack's decision.

At some point whoever is in charge off the island either caught wind of Ben's shenanigans or just got to the point of wanting him out of the picture. Which brings us to island present time.

Does this theory blow?

If it blows, so do I. I like it a lot.

I like that idea, it would definitely fill in a lot of gaps. I really think it would have to have been Ben leaving the Island, because he would have probably needed to use the DHARMA stuff to get off.

Good point. Ben would have had access to the sub, but he needed to get the money to purchase better weapons for the Others and the gas and gas masks. They were much better armed by the time the Purge occurred and Richard looked more up to date, all that costs. If Ben was working wth a faction off island that wanted to control the island and they helped fund the purge and then Ben double crossed them , they would certainly be looking for him , and not be too happy. By the age of the photo they were looking for him for a long time.

It's nice see Ben without bloody wounds all over his face. If it wasn't for the 1,000s of interviews Emerson has done recently, I would have no idea what he actually looks like . . .

Well, those gasmasks looked very Purge-like.

Well I would assume, they would gas ben if they find him and extract him that way.

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First thing I thought of when I saw that photo was an air port, but when/why and were did he use an airport. But as mentioned they had a submarine - I also dont think Ben would leave the island unless he really, really had too.

This photo would have been mid 80's at the earliest. The beige computer monitor couldn't have been much earlier than this, as the original PCs and Macs in late 70's and early 80's didn't have monitors that looked like this. (please correct me if I am wrong about this . . .)

I think I know who the 4 characters are and why they're on the island - and the picture of Ben seals the deal.

They are the "fashion police" and they're after Ben for wearing such bloody awful clothes! :D

Or, if there's any credence to whatever time loop theory du jour is being promoted, maybe the photo also indicates why Ben is so vehemently against leaving the island: no way he wants to go back into the "real world" and subject himself to what he believes is still the reigning fashion wear! :biggrin:

Surely you jest. I think Ben looks very dapper! :cool: Actually Ben dresses an awful like Michael Emerson. Emerson has penchant for stripy shirts. He wears glasses identical to Ben's and carries a messenger bag like Ben (I don't think he uses his to carry bunnies though). He very often wears a vest and vests with matching pants. In fact this looks like a fan took a picture of Emerson going through security. ;)

First post, ever. Well, here. Had to comment about a couple of things.

1. Assuming the photo does show Ben checking in at an airport, why assume he's leaving/returning to the island? He could be at any airport, heading anywhere.

2. The profile of the person behind (?) Ben in line is seriously out of whack, in terms of facial dimensions. Is there a reason for that? Focus on the light vs. dark areas, specifically how small the features appear in the dark/shadowed area -- chin, mouth, nose, compared to the forehead and hair.

Something about this picture makes me think it was taken at an airport. I don't know why though..... Something about it makes me think of a ticket counter, and he seems to have something over his right shoulder. Anybody else get that vibe?

For some reason it put me in the mind of a college lab. Almost like he was a teacher of some type.

How did they get a photo of Ben?

match.com

Manipulative bad guy seeking attractive women who likes smoke monsters, dead people, who loves the jungle and ocean views. Relationship could end up in assisting a cover up, planning another purge, or death by child birth. Apply now!

I curious as to the significance of that computer monitor that is not plugged into anything.

What ever happened to the whole 'sickness' thing? It was so prevelant in the first season, as Danielle indicated her team got 'sick' , and much was made of the quarantine signage as well as the precautions taken by Kelvin/Desmond. Have we ever figured out just exactly what the 'sickness' is?

There is no sickness, and the quarantine was a hoax, per the blast door map.

This photo would have been mid 80's at the earliest. The beige computer monitor couldn't have been much earlier than this, as the original PCs and Macs in late 70's and early 80's didn't have monitors that looked like this. (please correct me if I am wrong about this . . .)

I think you're right. Early to mid 80s also considering the cheezy beige suit Ben was wearing. You're right about the monitor. (although my company is so cheap I still have that old monitor)

In the bottom right of the picture there is a CTV watermark. Is that a watermark from the person hosting the screen cap or is that an actual TV watermark?


I'm not so sure that Ben is carrying a bag in that photo...it looks more like his right arm bent back at the elbow. If you look really close, the patterns of the stripes seem to match those of his shirt. Follow the stipes as though he had his right arm behind his back, bending slightly at the elbow and resting the back of his hand just below the center of his waist.

Cuffed? Could be.


Duh...I should read the whole thread
http://bp2.blogger.com/_T5SmjOmweFs/...Y4_074_057.JPG (http://bp2.blogger.com/_T5SmjOmweFs/R6O7tvHrGzI/AAAAAAAABhM/lDiAXwHE-Ps/s1600-h/LOST_Y4_074_057.JPG)

Can I point out the continuity of that photo? The fact the computer Ben walks past is not only old (who uses CRT's off island?) But the fact there are quite obviously no cables plugged into the back of it. I'm guessing this is a production error though.

Something about this picture makes me think it was taken at an airport. I don't know why though..... Something about it makes me think of a ticket counter, and he seems to have something over his right shoulder. Anybody else get that vibe?
I did too.

The photo seems like it was tken off Island but I am fairly certain that Ben had said he has never left the Island. Of course he could just be lying.

Is it similar to the vision Locke had from the "Sweat Lodge"? Wasn't Ben standing in a security line?

I've thought abot this too, we.cant be sure it wasn't off island though.

Is it similar to the vision Locke had from the "Sweat Lodge"? Wasn't Ben standing in a security line?

I was wrong. Ben is in a TSA uniform.

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1185-193.html

it might not be just a monitor, it might be what us old folks call a terminal, which are STILL in use a lot of places.

I am thinking Ben leads two lives. One on the island and one off the island.

Along with this picture there are 2 other instances where Ben is off island. #1 the noted pic above in the TSA uni, and wanding Jack. #2 I think as some maintenance guy working somewhere around where Hurley is at.

Along with this picture there are 2 other instances where Ben is off island. #1 the noted pic above in the TSA uni, and wanding Jack. #2 I think as some maintenance guy working somewhere around where Hurley is at.
Sorry, that was not Ben working at Santa Rosa.

http://www.photogallery.longlostlist.net/displayimage.php?pid=1771&fullsize=1

I thought of hospital admissions/doctor's office when I saw the picture- the computer in the window and the bland "clinical" colors of the place. I also thought it was taken in the 70's- not only b/c of his clothes, but also b/c the guy in back of him has a huge afro. Also, there's "C.T.V" stamped on the bottom of the photo- like where a date stamp should be. Does that stand for anything? When googled, the most popular result is "Canada Television" Those darn Canadians- I KNEW they were behind all of this! :biggrin:

i'm not convinced that's an afro, although i have considered it; it looks a bit more like a problem with the exposure. also, isn't the CTV from the screen cap? as in, whoever TiVo'd it and screen captured it watches LOST on local channel CTV?
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Same goes for the Desomond/Penny photo, if they people are like I said then I wouldn't be suprised if they were actually able to track down either Penny or (a lot less likely, I know) the photographer so that they could get a copy made.

i don't remember when it was, but that photograph being taken of des and penny was in a previous episode. i'm curious to see if we get a decent look at the photographer.
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I don't know... It's just so weird to me to know now that there are ways off the island, ways that the Others can use (although I don't think Ben lets them leave very often). I mean, remember back in season 1 when we all thought there was no way off? And now there is one, possibly various ways that are actually in use. It blows my mind.

don't we know that the submarine could transport people back and forth, that is, until it was "destroyed"? [i'm still not convinced locke actually blew it up; he was all soaking wet after that explosion scene...i think it's sitting around somewhere in wait].
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I think I know who the 4 characters are and why they're on the island - and the picture of Ben seals the deal.

They are the "fashion police" and they're after Ben for wearing such bloody awful clothes! :D

Or, if there's any credence to whatever time loop theory du jour is being promoted, maybe the photo also indicates why Ben is so vehemently against leaving the island: no way he wants to go back into the "real world" and subject himself to what he believes is still the reigning fashion wear! :biggrin:

ok all of this talk about his terrible outfit is making me think....is it possible that there is another ben off of the island in 'the real world'? or is it possible that he recently time traveled back to the 70s off-island? maybe this get-up is cluing us into the different timeline theories.
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There is no sickness, and the quarantine was a hoax, per the blast door map.

i've seen the blast door map but don't recall where it proves that the quarantine was a hoax?

Along with this picture there are 2 other instances where Ben is off island. #1 the noted pic above in the TSA uni, and wanding Jack. #2 I think as some maintenance guy working somewhere around where Hurley is at.

Ben wanding Jack is from the hallucinogenic vision Locke had. Not real. And the maintenance guy was not Ben.

I think I know who the 4 characters are and why they're on the island - and the picture of Ben seals the deal.

They are the "fashion police" and they're after Ben for wearing such bloody awful clothes! :D

Or, if there's any credence to whatever time loop theory du jour is being promoted, maybe the photo also indicates why Ben is so vehemently against leaving the island: no way he wants to go back into the "real world" and subject himself to what he believes is still the reigning fashion wear! :biggrin:

:biggrin: At first I thought he was standing in line for a Bee Gees concert. :14happy: Hmmm . . . that could still be true. He had to leave the island to see them in concert in Australia. :wink1:

I think this pic is pre-purge. I've always suspected Ben had more help than just from the Hostiles. Someone on the outside has been bankrolling his smokey island paradise.

i don't remember when it was, but that photograph being taken of des and penny was in a previous episode. i'm curious to see if we get a decent look at the photographer.
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i've seen the blast door map but don't recall where it proves that the quarantine was a hoax?

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?pid=85683&fullsize=1 FBYE Photographer

I don't recall any proof that the Quarantine was a hoax either. Only that Kelvin choose to use it to scare Desmond. The sickness could still be out there.

Well, Ben was most definitely in an airport security line. The full pic confirms it, as does the ABC.com recap.

i don't think that it is possible to say WHEN the pic was taken, other than when Ben was an adult. No one on the island is going to hit the 'best-dressed' list, eh?

All that we know from this is that Ben has been off-island and lying about it.

Well, Ben was most definitely in an airport security line. The full pic confirms it, as does the ABC.com recap.

i don't think that it is possible to say WHEN the pic was taken, other than when Ben was an adult. No one on the island is going to hit the 'best-dressed' list, eh?

All that we know from this is that Ben has been off-island and lying about it.

Yeah, because Ben is down with his ace lying skills. Mhmm.

Well, Ben was most definitely in an airport security line. The full pic confirms it, as does the ABC.com recap.

i don't think that it is possible to say WHEN the pic was taken, other than when Ben was an adult. No one on the island is going to hit the 'best-dressed' list, eh?

All that we know from this is that Ben has been off-island and lying about it.

I think it was already determined that this was a halucination that Locke had in the sweat lodge.

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage.php?pid=85683&fullsize=1 FBYE Photographer


thanks for the screen cap sam! :D
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I think it was already determined that this was a halucination that Locke had in the sweat lodge.

it would be difficult to take a photograph of a hallucination, methinks ;)

what you are referring to did happen in Locke's hallucination, but Ben was dressed quite differently: http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1185-193.html

wasnt that the same clothes he was wearing when he was talking to Sayid at the end of The Economist? I recall him wearing a vest and a striped shirt. maybe they brought that pic from the future, a la Terminator 2.

http://gallery.lost-media.com/displayimage-1376-564.html

Might have a vest on but not a striped shirt, also not the right color.

Ben sure is a handsome bugger.:cool: