<strong bad> I FREAKING HATE SAYID!! </strong bad>

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I’ve been knocking around a few theories about what’s going on on Lost lately.  Obviously there are a lot of crazy possibilities opened up by the last episode.  I’m working on the assumption that Faraday was right, and whatever happened is what happened:  Ben’s not dead and he’s not going to be dead.  In fact I would say that getting shot is what turned him into a scheming evil genius in the first place.  Well, that, and getting beaten by his dad who really doesn’t like him very much.

But I have this theory about what really turned Ben evil once and for all.  The gunshot isn’t it.  Roger’s abuse isn’t it.  No, what really happened is this:  Ben was in the cafeteria getting a sandwich and chatting with Hurley, when he happened to mention this movie that was about to come out called Star Wars.  Hurley, being a consummate nerd like myself, can’t resist, and lets it slip that Darth Vader is Luke’s father.

I don’t know about you, but if someone had spoiled that for me in 1977, it would have messed my life up big time!

And, a buddy of mine from work came up with this idea that little Ben and big Ben aren’t the same person.   Maybe big Ben just assumed the identity of the young deceased one or something.  Now, I wasn’t sure about this theory at first.  But then I got to thinking.  Little Ben lights a van on fire and somehow manages to rig it so that it drives itself into a building and turns the whole thing into a blazing inferno, all to create a diversion so he can sneak into the jail and let Sayid out.  My buddy was right… this boy is not Ben Linus.  He’s freakin’ MACGYVER!