Dead is dead? Doubtful.

LOST continues to amaze me. I can feel a dramatic season finale coming our way, and it will be nothing short of spectacular. I think everything we've learned this season, all the little tidbits of information that are just starting to make sense, will all come together in a few weeks to answer some huge questions. I can sense it in the air. Much like how Locke can sense bullshit from a mile away.

Speaking of bullshit, I still don't believe a word that comes out of Ben's mouth. For instance:

"Dead is dead. You don't just come back from that. Not even here. So the fact that John Locke is walking around this island scares the living hell out of me."

I'd like to believe you, Ben. Really I would. It's just that your manipulative, cold-hearted and borderline psychotic tendencies get in the way. Even when you refused to kill baby Alex, that fleeting glimmer of hope for your no-heart was quickly replaced by the memory of you letting her die at the hands of a ruthless (and ridiculously hot) killer 15 years later. So you can understand why I don't trust you and why I don't believe that dead really is dead. Sorry, bro.

Despite being an untrustworthy weasel, Ben gets some of the funniest lines on this show. Like when someone on the beach asked how he was feeling and he answered, "Like someone hit me with an oar." Or when he told Locke, "I didn't have time to talk you back into hanging yourself." Heartless or not, I actually laughed out loud at that one.

As you probably noticed, last night's episode was very Ben-centered. A lot of questions I had about him were answered. Like how his face got messed up (Desmond went all Chris Brown on his ass after Ben tried to kill him), why he killed Locke (because "it was in the best interest of the island"), and why he hates Charles Widmore so much (he made Ben choose between the island and his daughter, and Ben choosing the island was Widmore's fault, obvs.)

I can also tell that the writers are trying very hard to make us take sides: believe that Ben has a good side, or believe that he is pure evil. We see things like Ben bringing Sayid sandwiches, refusing to kill Danielle and Alex, and feeling remorse for eventually letting his daughter die; but we also see Ben killing Locke, shooting Caesar and Desmond, blowing up Camp Dharma, etc. It may very well be that all of those things were done in the best interest of the island, and in the end we find out what fate would have awaited Ben had he not protected his almighty island. But at what cost? There is definitely more to this storyline, and I think the good-evil Ben drama will continue right up until the end.

I'd also like to comment on some parallels I've seen recently in the story lines. I'm not sure what they mean yet, but they're too glaring not to notice. First, Ben getting beaten up. One of the very first times the Losties are introduced to him, he has a bloody, badly bruised face. Having just crash landed on the island, they're not sure whether to pity him or be wary of him. In this season, Ben has once again returned to the island with a smashed-up face. This time it was Desmond who gave him the Rihanna makeover, but the same dilemma remains: people who have just crash landed on the island don't know whether to trust him or not. And just like last time, Ben is using his conniving, weasel-like ways to turn everyone against each other.

Another similarity in story lines is what takes place underground. When Locke falls down the well and breaks his leg, he encounters Christian, someone who (we assumed) had died. Christian refuses to help Locke, but gives him directions on how to save the island. "It has to be you," he says, in reference to Locke turning the wheel. In last night's episode, Ben falls down into a level of the Temple and encounters the Smoke Monster, in the form of his daughter Alex, who (we assumed) had died. She basically tells him that Locke is his leader, instructing him, "You will listen to every word he says and follow every order." Coincidence?

Some (more) unanswered questions: (1) What exactly is the Smoke monster? Is it the keeper of the island? A judgment device? The souls of all those who have perished on the island? (2) What lies in the shadow of the statue? Is this code? Is there actually something under the statue? (3) What is Locke's deal? Seriously, is he God? Why and how has the island "chosen" him? And to do what exactly? (4) Will Richard Alpert ever stop wearing eyeliner?

Random observations: (1) Young Charles Widmore is kinda hot! (2) The smirk on Locke's face when Ben tell him that he came back to the island was to be judged by the Smoke monster was PRICELESS. I could practically hear the bullshit radar going off in his head. (3) Ben kinda looks like Alby from "Big Love." (4) Despite being a dick, Keamy is the hottest LOST character to ever grace the Island.