Clean Up on Freighter Four: Michael Mops Up

Strange but it seems like there is a mutiny brewing inside me.
Dave Matthews Band, "Captain"

I just watched "Ji-Yeon" again. Here are additional thoughts...

• If the crew was aware that Regina was affected by the proximity to the island, why put her in charge of guarding Sayid and Desmond's door? Odd choice.

• What did the buff crew member ask Frank if he was 'ready' for? His errand on the helicopter?
  

• When Sayid told Frank that he wanted to speak with the Captain, Frank responded "no you don't." Did Frank then write the note warning note to trust the Captain?

• Who put the second and last panda from the toy shop on hold, the one that Jin needed to buy? Was it a coincidence that it had been pre-purchased? Of course not. This Lost after all.

• The hospital staff knew that Sun was one of the Oceanic Six, so they also knew that Jin had supposedly perished in the crash. Were they just placating Sun when she was asking for Jin and they told her he was on his way?

• I still don't know why Ben wasn't interested in Rose and Jin, given that the island healed her cancer and his infertility (supposedly). Why just Locke?

• If Michael is the saboteur, how would he have the know-how to: mess with the freighter's engine, communications & kitchen, as well as communicate with Sayid via morse code on the pipes? The man used to be in construction, as far as we know.

• Do you think we'll ever actually find out if the real black box from Flight 815 was discovered, and if so, what data was contained therein?

• It seems odd that Dr. Bae called Sun by her first name, given the traditional nature of the country. It stuck out that he didn't refer to her as Mrs. Kwon during delivery. I am convinced that it was a conspiracy that her regular doctor was unavailable, and that WOA (either Widmore, Oceanic or Abbadon) were responsible.
  

• Usually it takes a while for a tombstone to be delivered and installed. So Jin's funeral must have taken place before Sun gave birth. Given that the date on his tombstone was the date of the crash, is Sun under the same pressure to maintain the lie about the island and the Oceanic Six?

• Was Hurley relieved that none of the other Oceanic 6 went to see Sun because he didn't want to revisit the lie that they're all sticking to?

• Did Hurley go visit Sun and her baby because of Charlie's posthumous message that "they need you?" Obviously Charlie could have been referring to those stuck back on the island, but it can also be interpreted as a message to help some of the Oceanic 6.

• Umm...is Miles still in the boat house with a grenade in his mouth?

• Have Charlotte and Daniel given up on their original mission to find Ben? They seem to be resigned to hanging out on the beach with Jack, Juliet, etc. Also, Mile seems to be motivated to find Ben by money and blackmail, so what is motivating Charlotte, Daniel and Frank to do so?

• Clearly the freighter crew do not suspect that Frank is the saboteur; he has free reign to fly on and off the ship as he pleases.

FRANK'S MYSTERIOUS HELICOPTER 'ERRAND' OPTIONS

• Dharma beer run
  
• Take Walt to psych class
• Hooked-on-Phonics book drop for Jin

In all seriousness though...could it be that Frank flew back to the island to conduct an aerial search for the nose of Flight 815, because he knew the pilot and wanted confirmation for himself that 815 did in fact crash there?

THIS IS A STRETCH, BUT...

Captain Gault and Charles Widmore seem to think that Ben orchestrated the crash of Flight 815 and/or is responsible for the placement of the fake wreckage and bodies. Here are some thoughts that might support that:

• We don't really know what Ben was up on the island during the time between the Purge and Juliet's arrival, other than secret spy frequent trips back to the real world via sub. This kind of elaborate plan would take years to concoct and pull off. He certainly seems to have the brains and the access to the kind of resources (both monetary and manpower) to do so.

• He was overseeing the construction of a runway over on the smaller Hydra island (where Sawyer & Kate were hauling rocks). Perhaps he discovered a way to safely lure and land future flights full of people to experiment on. Or perhaps he already had...we saw Juliet emerge from a sub but not actually travel in it; she did leave from an airport after all.
  

• We've witnessed almost four seasons of episodes referencing coincidence vs. fate and good vs. bad; it's becoming more clear that most, if not all, of the passengers from 815 were hand-selected for a specific purpose...and that purpose would be determined on or by the island. Ben had full, detailed histories and files on every single passenger (which is why he wasn't concerned about his spinal tumor...knowing that Jack was on that plane).

• He knows the exact coordinates for safe entry through the island's invisible barrier, and perhaps Flight 815 was on course to land safely somewhere on the island (it was flying at an unusually low altitude at the time). Remember that Ben didn't seem too surprised to look up and see an airplane flying above Other Village on the island. It only crashed because Desmond failed to push the execute button in 108 minutes on that day (9/22/04), causing the electromagnetic anomaly which ultimately broke the fuselage apart from the tail section. Although 815 didn't land exactly according to Ben's plan, he was able to salvage some of his scheme by infiltrating the survivors via Ethan and Goodwin.
  

I can't wait for the last new episode ("Meet Kevin Johnson") this week, because it will be Michael-centric! The second half of Season 4 will begin on April 24.