Having just seen "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham" on tape and read over the great insightful posts in this thread, here are a few comments and questions to add to the mix.

Yes, it has confused me as well not only how Sun linked Ben with Jin's supposed death on the exploding freighter, but also why she would go murderously ballistic and be tracking him down to kill him in revenge. This does not seem like the gentle cultivator-of-gardens Sun we know from the island, especially now that she has Jin's baby to raise single-handedly, placing herself at risk via engaging in dangerously nefarious doings with Charles Widmore and Ben.

Interesting that Ben fooled Charles Widmore into moving the island after Widmore protected it for more than three decades, if Widmore really was protecting the island. Of Ben and Widmore, Widmore seems much more the one of the two of them intent on using the island for some personal power or gain in the outside world. Ben personally seems essentially disinterested in the world outside the island, living very simply and eschewing even the creature comforts of Tom "Mr. Friendly" let alone the material extravagance of Charles Widmore.

In the "Ben - Good or Bad" thread I made my point about Ben as a Judas Iscariot figure in LOST's passion play. Suicide is a big no-no in Catholicism, if I understand correctly. Can the Jewish kids please comment on how suicide is viewed in Judaism? It is noteworthy that while Charlie, John, and Michael (were there others?) set out to die as willing sacrifices in saving others, none did (or could, for one reason or other, when they tried) commit suicide. They were all offed by others.

Ben may understand something about the nature of the relationship between human mass and (spirit) energy vis a vis the action of the island such that he knows perfectly well John must die and cannot kill himself (as via hanging) ...so Ben does the offing of John (which, looking at Ben's face during the strangulation, seems a very emotionally difficult deed for him) as the faithful Judas doing that which he knows he must, regardless of the cost to himself. It may also be Ben knows perfectly well John's mass will be reunited with his energy on the island; Ben does say "I'll miss you, John. I really will" -not "Ha! Finally I have killed you for once and for all such that you are out of my way, done, finished, gone forevermore! Muhahahaha!" -so Ben may anticipate both a reunion with John ...and John perhaps never believing or understand why Ben strangled him to death.

Interesting that John reappeared standing in water and was initially referred to in hushed and reverent tones by the Ajiries, acknowledging there is something mystical about this man who appears from nowhere. In this John Locke has a very iconic John the Baptist flavor. Wiki sayeth that John the Baptist "...was a mission preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River in expectation of a divine apocalypse that would restore occupied Israel. John followed the example of previous Hebrew prophets, living austerely, challenging sinful rulers, calling for repentance, and promising God's justice. Some scholars maintain that he was influenced by the Essenes, who were semi-ascetic, expected an apocalypse, and had rituals similar to baptism. John's baptism was a purification rite for repentant sinners, performed in "living water" (in this case a running river) in accord with Jewish custom. John anticipated a messianic figure who would be greater than John himself. Jesus, the central figure of Christianity, was among those whom John baptized. Jesus apparently was a follower of John. Herod Antipas saw John as a threat and had him executed. Jesus' own ministry followed John's, and some of Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John. John, like Jesus, preached at a time of political, social, and religious conflict." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Baptist ...Hmmm, "in expectation of a divine apocalypse that would restore occupied [Island]" eh?

...so, if I am wrong about Ben acting selflessly as a Judas Iscariot figure, and Ben is actually as venal and self-serving as Charles Widmore appears to be, then perhaps Ben is actually a Herod Antipas figure, -but I do not think so.

Charles Widmore's colleague Matthew Abbadon being splattered all over the trunk was sure a surprise! I do not think he was an incarnation of pure evil, though (like that dread force in one of my favorite films, The Fifth Element). Rather, my guess is that Abaddon connects Eloise Hawking and Charles Widmore with the covert military agencies of the US government. Abaddon reeks of CIA-NSA-Culper Ring. How do Charles Widmore and ancient DHARMA artifact Eloise Hawking manage to get away with carrying on as they do without being detected and swarmed by US government agents in black ninja tactical gear? Because they are connected and have been since at least Jughead days back in the early 1950's if not long before. Abaddon was that connection most recently, I speculate, but now Abaddon is terminated there should be some thrashing about as the covert agencies attempt to redefine their relationship with Widmore and the remnants of DHARMA. I am really looking forward to Capt. Nemo, ...er, Alvar Hanso (re)appearing and the relationship between those off-island organizations and the US military becoming clarified.

Walt's dream: John is back on the island in a suit surrounded by people who want to hurt him. Caesar and Lady Marshall do not trust each other. Charles Widmore and Ben are both prophesying a war to come in which John is a key figure. Who on the island wants to hurt John, and why?

Perhaps 'yal can assist me to become less confused on one point: did Frogurt get flambéd on the little island where the DHARMA Initiative Hydra station is located, nearby the big main island where the Hatch was located? If so, then somehow I missed that. I thought the beach camp where Frogurt was flambéd was _the_ beach camp on the main island near the Hatch, where many of the LOSTies have been living. So the time-traveling crew of Faraday/Charlotte/Miles/Sawyer/Juilette/John flashed to a beach site on the Hydra station island and _that_ is where the Ajiries have also now crash-landed (though Jack, Kate, and Hurley splash-landed in the main-island pool back in groovey DHARMA-days instead)? So, on the Hyda station island Lapidus and (a woman -which one?) took the passenger manifest and grabbed one of the outriggers, then Sawyer & Co flashed onto the site later on, were disgusted by the DHARMA beer being all drunk up, and took off in an outrigger themselves to be subsequently shot at while at sea? Or was the outrigger-snatching back on the main island at the big usual beach camp? Oh dear, here comes a nosebleed. Somewhere in there I am becoming confused about which island the outrigger canoes are pulled up on by a beach camp with DHARMA beer empties. Any clarifications would be appreciated.